Building and Land Technology has formally announced Harbor Landing, a mixed-use waterfront development that brings together the Stamford Landing office complex and the Davenport Landing boatyard and residential properties.
The newly connected waterfront destination, across from Harbor Point and overlooking the Long Island Sound, will offer 200,000 square feet of waterfront office space, 218 residential rental units, two restaurants, a full-service boatyard operated by The Hinckley Co., a boardwalk, and a marina with about 120 available slips.“Our goal is to replicate the mixed-use, live-work-play experience we have created on a larger scale at Harbor Point, just across the channel,” said BLT Chief Operating Officer Ted Ferrarone of Harbor Landing. “We believe that creating an integrated mixed-use development will unlock the true potential of this area.”
The Harbor Landing residential apartments and boatyard were formerly known as Davenport Landing. The apartments are nearly completed and are expected to begin leasing soon. The boatyard is open for business and is currently hauling vessels for winter storage.
The office space, formerly known as Stamford Landing, is undergoing what BLT termed “significant improvements,” including a new entry to the property, upgrades to the lobby and common areas, new tenant amenities, improved landscaping and a newly designed parking lot.
The office space features flexible layouts that can be tailored to a wide variety of tenants, with spaces ranging from small suites up to 35,000 square feet of contiguous space. Existing amenities include on-site security, shuttle to the train, fitness center with yoga studio, marina slips, and two restaurants, Crab Shell and Prime, located within the office complex.
Other amenities include a boardwalk connecting the Hinckley boatyard and Harbor Landing buildings to Boccuzzi Park, which is in the midst of a major renovation and beautification project.
BLT has appointed Stamford realtor RHYS as its exclusive leasing agent for office leasing at Harbor Landing, led by Cory Gubner, president and CEO, and Christian Bangert, executive vice president and partner.
Simsbury Evaluates Next Steps Following Approval of Solar Farm
Simsbury officials could challenge the recent approval of a 26-megawatt solar farm planned in the town’s northern section.
The proposal, put forth by Rhode Island-based company Deepwater Wind, was approved Dec. 21 by the Connecticut Siting Council – the state authority that regulates such projects.
The board of selectmen has 60 days to decide whether the town will appeal the council’s decision.
First Selectman Eric Wellman said despite the council’s approval, the town still has concerns about the plan, including the overall size and aesthetics of the project, as well as its environmental impacts. There will be a public update on the project the Monday board meeting. Wellman said Thursday the board is expected to enter executive session to further discuss the matter, but will not make a decision at that time.“I think it’s important to emphasize that [the approval] is … an important step in this process, but it is one step and there’s a lot more that’s going to happen certainly before there are any shovels in the ground,” Wellman said.
The Tobacco Valley Solar Farm will be built on 156 acres in north Simsbury. It is expected to produce enough energy to power 5,000 homes. Deepwater Wind will sell the energy to utility companies, not to residents.
Deepwater Wind plans to install 110,000, 10-foot solar panels across the properties. Deepwater Wind officials have estimated that about 30 acres of trees would be cleared for the project, and 133 acres would be preserved as open space or forested area.
The council said in its final opinion that it found “there would not be a substantial adverse environmental effect associated with the construction, maintenance and operation” of the project.
Throughout the review process, residents whose properties abut the parcels argued that the project will cause irreversible negative impacts to Simsbury, including diminishing the town's character, reducing property values and creating adverse environmental impacts on animal migration patterns and water quality.Others insisted that it will improve property values, reduce the tax burden on residents and is the lowest impact use for the land, which is currently being farmed but is zoned for residential and light industrial use. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Apartment Conversion At Long-Abandoned Windsor Locks Mill Boosted By New Train Station
Redevelopment of the old J.R. Montgomery Co. factory complex in Windsor Locks — envisioned for decades as critical to revitalizing downtown but plagued by proposals that went nowhere — is finally underway, with all the financing for the $62 million project now in place.
The conversion of the long-abandoned, decaying mill complex into 160 mixed-income apartments was boosted by plans to relocate the town’s train station back into the center of town, part of the Hartford Line commuter rail. The platform will be across from the new apartments.
Beacon Communities Development, the Boston-based developer, said the mill conversion was attractive because it is transit-oriented development that has been encouraged by the state. Such developments are clustered around commuter rails and encourage the use of other forms of transportation to relieve traffic congestion.
Developers have added thousands of new rentals in and around Hartford in recent years, with more on the way — even though there have been statewide declines in population. Dara Kovel, president of Beacon Communities, said she believes there will be strong demand for the apartments because of their location.“People do want to live in a place where they can walk to things, and get on a train,” Kovel said, which reflects a broader national trend.
Kovel said Montgomery Mills will be similar to a project Beacon Communities completed in Easton, Mass., where 112 units were created in a mill closed since the 1950s. Beacon already manages 1,400 residential units in Connecticut, owning 645 of them.
Construction of the one- and two-bedroom rentals in Windsor Locks is expected to take 18 months with the first units leasing in the summer of 2019, said Thacher Tiffany, Beacon Communities’ development director, said.
Christopher Kervick, Windsor Locks’ first selectman, said the mill redevelopment is expected to be a potent catalyst to the wider revitalization of the downtown, boosting foot traffic the area has long lacked.
“It will pave the way for other things,” Kervick said.The apartments in the old mill will be ready in advance of the new train station. The Hartford Line is expected to open in May, but the new Windsor Locks station isn’t expected to be added until late 2020, Kervick said.
Plans call for the demolition of one mill building to provide parking and the addition of a new town park that will connect and provide better access to an existing state park near the Connecticut River, Tiffany said.
The conversion calls for 79 one-bedroom units averaging 757 square feet. Monthly rents will range from $370 to $875 for income-restricted units and $1,080 for market-rate apartments. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE