Mixed reviews for Glastonbury project
Officials, residents weigh in on proposed apartments, retail space
“This town is losing its farms, charm and historic integrity as we continue to allow commercial builders in that don’t meet the needs or character of what this town requires.”
— Glastonbury resident Jennifer Haffner
The developer of Hartford’s Front Street entertainment district has proposed a mix of apartments and retail shops in Glastonbury center — a project that received mixed reviews from town officials and residents who had concerns about the project’s density and parking. A pre-application submission from Greenwich-based HB Nitkin shows four buildings on the 9.7-acre site at Main Street and Hebron Avenue. Commercial uses would be on the ground floors with apartments above. The company has purchased the properties for a total of about $4.55 million, assessor’s records show.
Existing commercial buildings totaling 28,500 square feet would be demolished, to be replaced by new retail space totaling 28,958 square feet. The approximately 171,000-square-foot project also would include 157 apartments, 110 of which would be one-bedroom units, 42 two-bedroom units and five studio apartments.
Developers’ representatives presented the proposal to the plan and zoning commission this week. Some commission members and residents applauded the concept, while others called it overwhelming and out of place.
Commission member Sharon Purtill said she was “disappointed” in the proposal, saying the project would exacerbate the downtown parking problem and appears to be driven by the residential piece.
“I think this is what the town center needs, especially if we want to keep the small, local retail shops open and thriving in a post COVID environment.”
“I don’t think we need another apartment building, particularly in the central business district,” Purtill said.
But resident Joseph Munro wrote in a submitted comment, “I think this is what the town center needs, especially if we want to keep the small, local retail shops open and thriving in a post COVID environment.”
“I think this development overall speaks to the current expectations of the majority of Glastonbury residents,” Munro wrote.
Commission member Keith Shaw praised the development’s “magnificent design,” but said he had concerns about the number of apartments, parking and the traffic impact. Resident Jennifer Haffner said the planned development does not fit the character of a historic New England town and looks instead “like it belongs in a Florida city.”
“This town is losing its farms, charm and historic integrity as we continue to allow commercial builders in that don’t meet the needs or character of what this town requires,” Haffner said.
A representative of the developer could not be reached.
Assessor’s records show H.B. Nitkin, or limited liability companies linked to the developer, bought properties at 228389, 2333 and 2341-2355 Main St. within the past two years.
2283-89 Main St. is appraised at $1,022,500 and was sold in September for $1.3 million. The property includes an 8,798-square-foot building built in 1900 and a 954-square-foot house from the same year on about ½ acre.
2333 Main St. is appraised at $2,188,700 and was sold in January last year. The property was sold in March 2019 for $1,885,000. The property incudes a 17,192-square-foot building erected in 1956 on a 4.17-acre lot. 2341 Main St. is appraised at $1,621,500 and was sold in March 2019 for $1.36 million. The property includes a 9,990-squarefoot building built in 1896 on a 2.6-acre lot, according to assessor’s records.
Buildings would be a mix of architectural styles, including a red brick “mill” building, another with a roof deck and other structures with gable fronts, dormers and balconies.
The development would skirt the Main Street historic district. Project architect Robert McCall told the commission that the architecture is not an attempt to mimic the area’s historic buildings, but rather intended to reflect materials and aspects of those buildings.
The layout is designed to be pedestrian-friendly, with plazas, outdoor dining spaces and most of the parking hidden from Main Street, McCall said. Parking spaces would total 387, with 329 on the site — many of those under the buildings — and the rest on Main Street and Rankin Road Extension, according to the preliminary proposal.
Commission Chairman Robert Zanlungo Jr. stressed that the proposal is preliminary “and some or none of this may come before us in an application.” Attorney Peter Alter, representing the developer, promised to return with comments from the meeting in mind.
HB Nitkin has developments throughout the state. Front Street development in Hartford is a mix of restaurants and entertainment venues, including Infinity Music Hall, a regional UConn campus and about 200 apartments.
— Joseph Munro, Glastonbury resident