Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 2, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 3 East Granby eyes apartment development By Greg Bordonaro gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com A zone change is largely a mundane task that repre- sents the basic blocking and tackling of most planning and zon- ing commissions. But sometimes it can symbolize something of greater importance, including a vision for the future. That's the case in East Granby, where the planning and zoning com- mission recently approved changes to the town's Commerce Park Tran- sitional Zone, opening up 264 acres of vacant land to new mixed-use development opportunities, includ- ing apartments and retail. Already at least two landowners in the zone are considering apart- ment projects, trying to take advan- tage of the multifamily development boom that has taken hold in Greater Hartford — and nationwide — in recent years. The zoning change is part of a lon- ger-term vision for the bucolic town of around 5,200 people to become more than just a bedroom commu- nity that hosts thousands of workers during the day who leave at night for homes in nearby suburbs, said Gary Haynes, East Granby's director of community development. "We want to hold onto that small town character, but at the same time no one wants to be that bed- room community either," Haynes said. "The town wants to have an identifiable center and in order to do that you need people in that center." The transitional zone sits adjacent to a commerce park zone, which includes manufacturing, warehouse and other commercial spaces, and the town's village center near Route 187 and Route 20. East Granby's small population makes it difficult to attract ameni- ties like a grocery store or even a pharmacy so it's looking to build population density in and around its town center, currently home to small shops, eateries and profes- sional service firms, Haynes said. The town's housing stock is domi- nated by single-family homes so it's eyeing new apartments with mod- ern amenities to attract Millennials who are not ready to own a home, or empty nesters looking to downsize and simplify their lifestyle. "Both demographics desire a lively village center area with shops and restaurants within walking dis- tance," Haynes said. The town doesn't have to look far away to see that modern multifam- ily developments can work even in rural communities. Neighboring Granby, which has around 11,000 residents, has become an apartment-development hot spot in recent years with nearly 400 rental units that have either come online, or are in the planning pipeline. In May, the 130 units at Granby's The Grand at Ridgewood apartments sold for $33.3 million, or $256,000 per unit. "The housing market has changed," Haynes said. "We already have a lot of single-family residential stock. We are looking to encourage a diversity of development to help suit the needs of the community and help make the economic viability of a village center zone come to fruition." Two properties within the tran- sitional zone — 73 Rainbow Road and 13 Nicholson Road — are being considered for apartment develop- ment, Haynes said. The 7.82 acre Rainbow Road property, owned by Ted Brown, is currently listed for sale at $925,000. Brown, who runs the Peter L. Brown Co., a home-improvement construction business founded by his father, said he started having conversations with a developer about building apartments on his land before the pandemic hit. One of the attractions is renting units to nearby companies so they can house business travelers who fly in and out of nearby Bradley Inter- national Airport. COVID-19 has slowed the momen- tum a bit, but Brown has hired an engineer to do a site plan, which es- timates the land could accommodate Up Front Continued on page 4 >> TOWN PROFILE: EAST GRANBY SINGLE SOURCE DESIGN/BUILD EFFICIENT. QUALITY. COST-EFFECIVE. The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For over 50 years, our clients have trusted us to provide sustainable, more efficient, greener facilities. 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 Nearly 8 acres at 73 Rainbow Road in East Granby is for sale for $925,000. The property owner wants to build a mixed-use residential building. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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