Developer looks to build high-end apartment complex in West Hartford
WEST HARTFORD — A developer is proposing a 26-unit luxury apartment complex at New Britain Avenue and Berkshire Road, the second time such a plan has been put forward.
This version includes two apartments set aside for workforce housing, and should be more acceptable to neighbors — and more attractive to the town — than the one that failed two years ago, developer Joe Calafiore said Friday.
“We spent quite a bit of the last year trying to answer some of the concerns. Weworked with the design team, and I feel we’ve made changes that are beneficial,” Calafiore said.
Calafiore’s development firm, 47 Pratt Street LLC, will present plans for The Residences at Berkshire Road to the town council on Nov. 10.
The plan is for 23 two-bedroom apartments renting for $2,000 to $2,200 monthly, and a one-bedroom unit at $1,800 to $1,900 a month. Twoadditional one-bedroom units will be reserved for people making no more than 80% of the local median income; the monthly rent currently is projected at $1,061.
The project would be marketed to “empty-nesters looking to downsize but still maintain a residence in West Hartford, and young professionals,” according to Calafiore’s plan.
A group of homeowners in the neighborhood objected to a version of the
same plan in 2018, and the town council narrowly voted it down. Opponents cited traffic and noise as two concerns, and said buildings would not fit the neighborhood’s character.
Calafiore said he spent more than a year trying to market the property for seven single-family homes, but got no serious offers or deposits in that time. He reworked the apartment complex plan to add the workforce housing component, which could provide local housing to teachers, firefighters and local workers who might not otherwise be able to afford living in town, he said.
The driveway was shifted away from a nearby property owner. Part of the building closest tooneexistinghomewasreducedfrom twostoriestoone, andthenewplansubstitutes
hip roofs for gable roofs to further reduce the visual impact, according to the plan.
“Wemade changes so it’s more in character with the neighborhood. I hope the neighbors consider these changes to be pluses,” Calafiore said.
He is seeking a zone change to allow multifamily housing on the site. If it’s approved, construction could start mid-year in 2021 and end around the summer of 2022, he said.
Chuck Coursey, the project’s outreach coordinator, already held two Zoompresentations for neighbors. He is inviting anyone interested in learning more to contact him at chuck@courseyco.com.