Stephen P. Grathwohl, a principal in Westport Property Management, will detail the plans to construct the $600 million project, encompassing five high-rise residential buildings, when the Planning and Zoning Commission meets at 6 p.m. Sept. 19 in City Hall.

If approved, the towers would rise at 60 Main St., at the eastern end of Seaside Park on Long Island Sound.

"We will request a change of zone from industrial to mixed-use waterfront development for the 12.2-acre site," Grathwohl said. "We will also ask the commission to approve a general development plan amounting to a master plan for the site."

He said the project would provide many benefits to the local economy, including several thousand construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs.

He estimated residents of the project and their visitors will add more than $50 million in increased sales annually for Bridgeport stores, restaurants and businesses.

"It's a spectacular project that will serve as an anchor for the South End and Main Street," said Paul Boucher, a member of the South End Neighborhood Council. "We're definitely looking forward to the project, which will contribute to the revitalization of the South End."

Mayor John M. Fabrizi said the project will become "a beacon" for the waterfront and the South End.

"It will bring jobs, housing and retail to an area that has been neglected for years," he said.

The mayor said the plans for the Remington site will also complement other significant projects on the drawing boards, including the $1.3 billion mixed-use development envisioned for Steel Point and the $221 million mixed-use project proposed for vacant land across from the Harbor Yard complex.

The overall plan for the site calls for construction of 1,200 units of housing with most of them in the high-rise buildings and others in a "wraparound" structure of five to seven stories designed to hide parking structures from view. These low-rise structures will offer rooftop gardens and balconies overlooking the Sound.

Grathwohl said financing for the project is still being finalized, and the developers aim to clear the property and begin construction shortly after the expected approval.

The challenge, he said, will be the marketing of the units, having a cost of about $600,000 each, double the price of a typical Bridgeport condominium. But, he added, that cost would seem affordable in terms of the $1 million or more such units with waterfront views and amenities might cost in communities west of Bridgeport.

The first step in the project, he said, would be to demolish the former shaver factory, its office building and two nearby Main Street buildings that previously housed restaurants.

Once the site is cleared, he said, construction would begin on an 18-story residential tower, two restaurants, beach improvements and a boardwalk. A marina with as many as 250 slips will also be added at that time, provided it is approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection, he said.

One of the restaurants will offer formal dining with a banquet hall for weddings and other social events, according to plans, while the other will be more informal or caf style in the manner of Jimmie's at Savin Rock in West Haven.

Subsequent phases of the project would involve the construction of four residential towers of 15, 25, 30 and 38 stores in height, the developer said.

Peter David Cavaluzzi, a principal in Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut and Kuhn Architects, which is preparing the plans, said trees and other vegetation will be planted during each phase to make the site appear complete once that phase is finished.

His firm has designed other large-scale waterfront projects, such as Battery Park City in New York.