Farmington moves forward with development of 204 luxury apartments across from Batterson Park
FARMINGTON — Farmington is moving forward with the
construction of 204 luxury apartments across from Batterson Park that
zoning officials expect will help address the town's need for workforce
housing.
When the Town Plan and Zoning Commission originally approved
the multi-family development in April 2022, commissioners cited a need for
smaller household options in the area, given its proximity to the UConn Health
Center. Located at 80 Batterson Park, the site of the Pond View Apartments
is also within a few miles of other employment hubs like Jackson Labs,
Stanley Black & Decker and the West Farms Mall.
And after the commission approved site plan modifications
from the project's new developers at last week's meeting, construction could
begin this fall, project officials said.
Skala Partners, a
Fairfield-based developer, took over as the project owners in March after
buying the site from New York-based Sovereign Partners for $7.8 million,
according to a March
2 news release from CBRE, which represented the seller. Skala Partners
was founded in 2013 by Niko Koutouvides, former linebacker for the New England
Patriots, and his brother Aristides Koutouvides.
The site plan modifications mostly included small
refinements, but developers also introduced plans for additional on-site
amenities for renters.
“When this opportunity came to the market, we just felt like
it was something we couldn’t pass up,” said Aristides Koutouvides at the
July 17 meeting. “So we’re really excited about bringing our own little
perspective on the execution of this property.”
The apartments will all be market-rate and within a
four-story building, and the expected demographic is millennials, young
professionals, empty nesters and medical center employees.
As of last year, UConn Health employed 6,255 people, or
almost 20 percent of all employees in Farmington, said Tim Hollister, who
represented the applicant at the April 11 meeting.
In addition, the number of jobs in Farmington far exceeds
the available housing units, he said. This development aims to help address
that.
According to the town’s affordable
housing plan, over 60 percent of households are made up of one or two
people, but over 60 percent of Farmington’s housing units have 3 or 4
bedrooms. This further suggests that the supply of smaller housing units has
not kept up with demand.
Many commissioners expressed strong support for the project
at the April meeting and liked that the location of the development provided
easy access to the nearby employment centers and I-84 and Route 9, connecting
to I-91.
When the previous developers presented the project last
April, they said there would be 152 one-bedroom, 44 two-bedroom and eight
three-bedroom apartments.
The development will now include studio apartments, but will
still have 204 units, according to Skala Partners. The building will
mainly accommodate one-year leases, but developers said there could be room for
flexibility.
Prices per month for the different apartments would range
from $1,400 for a one bedroom to $2,300 for a three bedroom, developers had
said last April. The new project officials did not specify the current rates at
the recent meeting.
None of the units will be designated as affordable,
developers said at the July 17 meeting.
7.93 percent of Farmington’s total housing units are
protected affordable units, according to 2020 data in Farmington’s affordable
housing plan. Although this is a larger share of affordable units than
surrounding Farmington Valley towns like Avon,
which has around 4.1 percent, and Simsbury,
with about 5.9 percent, Farmington does not meet the state's requirement for 10
percent either.
"When completed, Pond View Apartments will be the only
Class A, institutional-quality apartment option in the town and will offer both
convenient access to town amenities, transportation and high-quality
retail," according to Skala
Partners.
New plans introduced at the July 17 meeting included an
underground parking garage, a dog park and adding dens to some of the
units.
The property comprises 11 acres of land with 237,000 gross
square footage of improvements, now including the 16,000-square-foot
subterranean parking garage, which will accommodate 40 parking spaces.
The development will contain a total of 306 parking spaces,
including the garage, surface and deferred parking, according to the most
recent site plan.
Because the complex is a dog-friendly community, developers
wanted to include a gated area for a dog park as well. Some commissioners
expressed concerns at the meeting about maintenance for the dog park and its
location over the infiltration system, but project developers said it would be
fully maintained by the property manager and are considering relocation of the
infiltration system.
Developers also told the commission they chose to add dens
because of the modern-day trend of working from home, and they wanted to create
an environment where renters could do that.
There is a lot of interest in financing the project, and
developers are applying for construction permits now and hope to see activity
this fall, they said at last week's meeting. The project is scheduled to be
completed in the spring of 2025, according to Skala Partners.
Meriden Housing Authority considers demolishing Community Towers
Mary Ellen Godin
MERIDEN — The Meriden Housing Authority Board of
Commissioners voted Monday to undertake a study to determine the costs of
completely demolishing Community Towers rather than doing a gut rehab.
The 11-story towers house low-income elderly and
disabled adults in 220 units at 55 Willow St. The housing project, the last
owned and managed by the MHA, has come under scrutiny after residents cited a
number of security concerns.
The request for proposals voted on by commissioners Monday
would determine whether it would cost more to gut the 50-year-old
towers or build new. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development gives housing authorities discretion over their capital facilities,
but plans must be approved by the regional HUD officials.
“Even if we repair it, it’s still an old building,” said
Robert Cappelletti, MHA executive director. “We expect the number to be
better if we knock it down.”
Residents have complained about trespassers, who are let in
by tenants, and deal drugs, deface property and sleep in
the hallways of the buildings. Outside the property fence, locals set up a
makeshift camp and loiter day and night under large trees.
MHA officials have worked with city police and fire
departments on safety measures for the towers. The shady lot was cleared
of trees and the camp is now gone. Doors and entry systems have been revamped
to improve security.
“They did a beautiful job of clearing it up,” MHA vice
chairman Scott Griffith said Monday.
According to minutes of the board’s June 23 meeting, plans
called for adding cameras both indoors and outdoors and installation of new
door locks approved by the city fire marshal.
“We are still having people enter the building,” Cappelletti
said. “We now only allow people to come through the front door.”
Tenants relocated during the demolition or rehab will be
issued Section 8 vouchers to find other housing and be invited to move back in,
once work is completed.
Cappelletti said the floor plan would be similar, but the
existing 350-square-foot units will be larger. However, if there is a
demolition, he is open to a redesign of the property including a change
from high-rise towers to mid-rise buildings of four to five stories each.
According to a HUD spokesman, public housing
agencies are afforded the opportunity to develop, modernize or reposition their
public housing inventory based on local housing needs and the physical
condition of specific developments utilizing their capital funds.
“Community Towers is being evaluated for renovation, which
may address some of the resident concerns,” said Bruce Brodoff, public
affairs specialist for HUD Region 1
26 acres in Newington sell for $2.3M to developer planning 225 luxury apartments
A planned 225-unit luxury apartment development in Newington
is regaining momentum after the withdrawal of a court challenge, which was
followed by a $2.3 million land sale.
In April 2022, Newington’s Zoning Commission approved a
special permit allowing Pennsylvania-based multifamily builder A.R. Building
Co. Inc. to build luxury apartments on a roughly 26-acre site along the Berlin
Turnpike.
A neighbor appealed that approval, claiming the Zoning
Commission acted contrary to regulations. That appeal was withdrawn June 6,
court records show.
Culver Street Apartments LLC, an affiliate of A.R. Building
Co., recently paid $2.3 million for undeveloped parcels at 35, 67 and 69 Culver
St., as well as a 1,152-square-foot, 1936-vintage house on 0.76 acres on Deming
Road. The sale of the properties, which tally about 26 acres, was logged
by the town in early July.
The seller was RD Three LLC.
Reno Properties Group, of Newington, announced Tuesday
morning it was the sole broker of the sale. Reno said the buyer plans to build
a Class A luxury apartment complex with a pool, fitness center and other
amenities. The development will be in proximity to a Walmart, Lowe’s Home
Improvement and other national retailers, according to the release.
“We pride ourselves on creating growth and expansion in
central Connecticut, especially when we can be the connecting factor between
buyers and sellers in complex transactions” Dan Garofalo, managing broker and
principal at Reno Properties Group said.
Attempts to reach a representative of A.R. Building Co. were
not immediately successful.
Planned $96M factory project in Windsor gets $1.5 million tax break
ABaltimore-based builder of prefabricated multifamily
structures has been approved for a $1.5 million state tax break in return for
112 hires it plans for a new factory in Windsor.
The loan committee of Connecticut Innovations, on Tuesday,
approved the tax break. The deduction will be applied against taxes
on the anticipated $96 million cost of the new factory for
Baltimore-based Blueprint Robotics Inc.
Blueprint, earlier this year, announced
plans to build on a vacant 62.5-acre parcel at 11 Goodwin Drive. The
company produces walls, floors, roofing systems and other building components
to customer specifications at its existing 200,000-square-foot Baltimore
facility, then assembles them on their customers’ sites.
The Windsor plant will serve a 300-mile radius and give
Blueprint the capability to produce its own cross-laminated timer, a key
component of modern mid- to high-rise buildings.
Phil Siuta, chief operating officer of Connecticut
Innovations, the state’s quasi-public venture investment arm, said Blueprint
will have three years following the issuance of a certificate of occupancy to
meet its pledge to hire the equivalent of 112 full-time employees at its new
Connecticut plant.
Speaking prior to the board meeting Tuesday morning, Siuta
said the tax break is offered through an incentive program meant to help
attract larger employers to the state, but was not a precondition for
Blueprint’s commitment to build in Windsor. He called it “a very minor ask” in
return for the investment in the factory and the creation of jobs.
The committee approved the request in just a few minutes Tuesday, heaping
praise on the project.
“I’m grateful for this kind of transaction,” said committee
member Bob Eick. “It’s exactly why we are here; it's a homerun for the state.”