Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • August 24, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 3 $50M apartment proposal at Showcase Cinemas site leads E. Hartford development project trio By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com F or most development directors in Connecticut, having one major project in the pipeline is a big deal. East Hartford Development Direc- tor Eileen Buckheit has three. But don't expect all of them to come online soon. That's not the way economic development — especially in the Land of Steady Habits — works. Buckheit, who has been in her cur- rent role for seven-and-a-half years, said getting major developments off the ground can take up to a decade or longer, and in the meantime it takes many small steps — from making changes to plans of conservation and development to gaining local approv- als and funding sources — to get major projects off the ground. And that's precisely what she's been working on in her time in East Hart- ford, which has three major develop- ments in the works: potential rede- velopment of the former Showcase Cinemas site into apartments; a new commercial building being erected by Good- win University as part of a larger master plan; and the addition of a large potential apartment com- munity at Founders Plaza. "My philosophy is to keep march- ing forward, keep pushing and taking the next step," Buckheit said. "These are projects that we've been building for the last 7.5 years." Buckheit said the town faces a few obstacles to economic development. First, it doesn't have a ton of open space so new projects tend to be redevelopments of already existing sites. Second, there is some pushback against new apartments, particularly at the site of the old Showcase Cine- mas, where long-established residents think a big-box retailer should go. "East Hartford is transitioning into something that is more urban, but it's facing a lot of resistance," she said. "But if all these projects happen, it's a game changer for us." Here's an update on the three ma- jor developments in East Hartford: Former Showcase Cinemas site After remaining a vacant eyesore for nearly 14 years, the town of East Hartford in early 2020 finally razed the former Showcase Cinemas build- ing on Silver Lane in hopes of clearing the path for a potential mixed-use residential development. The town recently completed a re- quest for proposals and received one bid to potentially redevelop the site. East Hartford Development Co. LLC — led by Domenic Carpionato, a principal at Rhode Island-based real estate development company Carpio- nato Group — responded to the RFP proposing a $50-million, mixed-use residential development, Buckheit said. Phase one would include con- struction of 204 market-rate apart- ments (131 one-bedroom and 74 two- bedroom units) and 72,000 square feet of commercial space that could be ready for development next year. A second phase would include an additional 108 apartments (76 one- bedroom and 32 two-bedroom units) on acreage that leads to Forbes Street. Both phases would have access to modern amenities, including a club- house, pool, dog park, etc. Buckheit said the land is most suitable for apartments, even though some town residents would prefer to see another theater or big-box retail. "That logic is flawed," she said. "Big box is not where the retail mar- ket has taken us." Buckheit said the town hasn't had new apartment construction since the 1970s putting it behind its neigh- boring communities — including Manchester, Glastonbury and Hart- ford — which have all built new resi- dential projects that have attracted Millennials and empty-nesters. The redevelopment of the site is critical to the revitalization of the Silver Lane neighborhood, Buckheit added. She points to the success Hartford has had in building new apartments that have been leased up. She said East Hartford would differentiate itself by offering more of a suburban lifestyle. The town bought the Showcase Cinemas property in early 2019 for $3.3 million. The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) is helping out on the project. Goodwin University commercial building Goodwin University recently secured Rebel Dog Coffee Co. as the second ten- ant for its $8-million, 25-000-square- foot commercial building meant to expand and revitalize the East Hartford school's riverside campus. Rebel Dog Coffee, which operates locations in Plainville and Farmington, signed a lease to occupy roughly 2,500 square feet of ground-level space at the three-floor commercial building. 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Experts in: Design/Build, Pre-Construction Service LEED Capabilities 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com MECHANICAL | ELECTRICAL | PLUMBING | SHEET METAL | BUILDING AUTOMATION | FACILITIES SERVICES License #'s: E1-0125666 S1-302974 P1-203519 F1-10498 SM1-192 MC-1134 NEMSI HBJ_QtrPg Ads_200117.indd 2 NEMSI HBJ_QtrPg Ads_200117.indd 2 1/17/20 1:31 PM 1/17/20 1:31 PM Eileen Buckheit, Development Director, East Hartford RENDERING | CONTRIBUTED A rendering of potential apartments that could be built on the former Showcase Cinemas site in East Hartford.

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