The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Torrington, developer break ground on Riverfront
TORRINGTON — Pennrose, the Cloud Company, and the City of Torrington celebrated the groundbreaking of Riverfront, a mixeduse, mixed-income residential community replacing the former Torrington Manufacturing Company site on Franklin Street. The project is expected to be completed in 2022.
The project, dubbed Riverfront, will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units available for a range of incomes.
Of the total 60 apartments, approximately 75 percent will be reserved for households earning up to 70 percent of the area median income, and the remaining will be rented at market rate, according to Pennrose representatives.
Residents will have access to a variety of high-quality, on-site amenities, such as a roof top deck, outdoor playground and seating areas, fitness center, community lounge, resident storage, and full-time management and maintenance staff. With a focus on energy efficiency, the building will be designed to meet Passive House and Energy Star standards and utilize best practices for on-site stormwater management and roof-mounted solar photovoltaic systems, according to Pennrose.
“We are proud of the partnership that we established with Pennrose, The Cloud Company, and our state and federal agencies to bring this healthy, modern housing to a former industrial site that had been underutilized for decades,” said Mayor Elinor Carbone, in a statement. “What was once a blighted, contaminated site has been remediated and restored to a clean healthy condition, paving the way for new housing that will provide a higher quality of life for our residents. This is the type of investment that we needed to make to become an attractive community for young professionals. Its location along the river, in the heart of our city, will provide a safe comfortable environment for residents of all ages and bring vibrancy to downtown.”
Gov. Ned Lamont, state representatives and officials and Pennrose representatives attended the groundbreaking.
“Riverfront is designed to activate the vibrant, pedestrian-friendly downtown while also creating affordable housing tailored to meet the diverse needs of the local neighborhood,” said Charlie Adams, regional vice president at Pennrose. “We look forward to continuing the City of Torrington’s work to enhance the downtown area with walkability and amenities for the community to enjoy.”
In addition to the residential units, Riverfront will include 1,200 square feet of ground floor retail adjacent to the city’s newly completed Franklin Street Plaza improvements. The retail space will include additional outdoor seating available for customers on the retail plaza that connects to a newly constructed extension to the Naugatuck Greenway as part of the development, according to Pennrose officials.
“We are thrilled to work with the City of Torrington to bring new energy to a site that has been vacant for more than ten years,” said Sanford Cloud, Jr., Chairman & CEO of The Cloud Company. “The individuals and families who make their new homes here will provide a boost the city’s downtown.”