225-unit apartment complex OK’d
NEWINGTON — A Pittsburgh-based construction company has been given approval to build a 225-unit apartment complex on the southern edge of town.
Despite opposition from some residents, the Newington Town Plan and Zoning Commission voted earlier this month to approve a proposal to construct five four-story residential buildings on a 26-acre site at the corner of Culver and Deming streets.
Alan Bongiovanni, an engineer working on the project, said the apartments will be marketed as luxury units to young professionals and residents not interested in traditional single-family housing.
“We believe this is going to be the standard to which all other apartments are going to be measured in the town of Newington,” Bongiovanni said.
The brick buildings will be evenly split between one-bedroom and twobedroom units, according to documents submitted to the town. Each residence will feature a balcony, washer and dryer appliances, a walk-in closet, and a bathroom in every bedroom. The one-bedroom units are expected to rent for more than $1,500 a month.
The A.R. Building Co., which owns and manages more than 9,000 units of housing across the country, proposed the development at 258 Deming St., and 35, 67 and 69 Culver St.
At a public hearing last month, several residents who live near Culver street expressed opposition to the scale and location of the project.
William Sweeney, an attorney representing the developers, said the company will also manage the property and staff the onsite leasing office when construction wraps up.
“A.R. doesn't flip their projects, they hold them in their portfolio,” Sweeney said. “They'll own this project tomorrow, a year from now and ten years from now. When they enter a community, they are a part of that community for the long term.”
Site plans show the complex will also include a pool and a one-story clubhouse. Geoff Campbell, an architect who designed the buildings, said the clubhouse will feature a fireplace, lounge, fitness room, mail center and office space.
“It's a place where people can come together and meet their neighbors,” he said.
Much of the property, which was once home to a farm, will remain undeveloped land and accessible to residents. In addition to a stream, the site features a pair of ponds.
“Our proposal is to preserve all of those natural areas and all of those environmentally sensitive areas,” Bongiovanni, the project's engineer, said.
Once completed, the property will be accessible
from two entrances on Culver Street. The complex's parking lot will feature more than 370 spaces, up to 40 percent of which will feature charging stations for electric vehicles.
At a public hearing last month, several residents who live near Culver street expressed opposition to the scale and location of the project. One resident warned the new buildings would change the character of the neighborhood and another argued the units would increase traffic.
Sweeney successfully argued state law and local regulations give the property owners the right to develop the apartment buildings. He said construction is expected to begin on the complex sometime later this year.