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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | J a n u a r y 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 19 EMCOR SERVICES NEW ENGLAND MECHANICAL We'll be there when you need us. With 50+ years of experience and more than 300 continuously trained, licensed, and certified facilities services technicians, we provide a wide range of building construction and facilities solutions across New England. COUNT ON NEMSI FOR: HVAC, Plumbing and Process Piping Design-Build Construction Electrical Services Energy Management Systems LEED Certification Programs Comprehensive Preventive Maintenance Programs 24/7/365 Emergency Response Call 860.871.1111 Toll Free 800.741.6367 Fax 866.481.3250 55 Gerber Road East, South Windsor, CT 06074 nemsi.com OFFICES IN Trumbull | New London | Palmer, MA | Albany, NY | Manchester, NH License #s: E1-0125666 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 • F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 friends, to walk outside, to be part of humanity as opposed to their suburban enclaves." More room From the get-go, Fowler's firm envi- sioned the third phase of its Audubon project — which is in the process of getting final approvals from the city and expected to begin construction by the middle of 2022 — as catering to the empty nester market. at's why it will include four new townhouses and 56 larger apartments with three or more bedrooms: they appeal to former suburbanites who may want more room aer living for years in single-family homes, he said. Jacob Feldman, a partner in MOD Equities, is also seeking to tap into the empty nester market. His firm is rede- veloping the former Church of the Holy Redeemer at 575 Whitney Ave., into 24 apartments aimed in part at older residents seeking to downsize. Partially in pursuit of those tenants, half the development's units will have three or four bedrooms, including duplexes, as well as more bathrooms. Feldman said that people transitioning from suburban to city life typically want more space than the average urban dweller, and his firm has designed 575 Whitney Ave., to provide it. "e way it's done, it's very livable in terms of size," Feldman said. "We're trying to give them a living experience where they could easily host a guest and not feel they're on top of each other." e development's location in the city's East Rock neighborhood, which has mostly single-family homes, pro- vides another likely source of empty nester tenants, Feldman said. e build- ing will allow older residents to sell their homes and remain in the vibrant, interesting neighborhood they love, he said. Meeting with neighbors, Feldman said he got a lot of positive feedback from older residents who viewed the development as an empty nester option. e Olive & Wooster Apartments, which recently began leasing, is another development that sees older trans- planted suburbanites seeking an urban lifestyle as potential renters, according to Darren Seid, a president of Epimoni Corp., which developed the project with Adam America Real Estate. Like Feldman and Fowler, Seid said his firm is trying to appeal to that part of the market. "ey make up a nice chunk of the pie graph when the marketing company comes and asks 'who is the building for,' " Seid said. "Empty nesters are near the top of the list." Empty nester amenities e desire of middle-aged and retired people to ditch their expensive, high-maintenance homes for a place in the city is not just confined to the New Haven area or Connecticut, said Seid, whose company is based in Manhattan. It's a common phenomenon in the New York area and nationwide, he said. All three developers agreed that, in addition to larger apartments, com- plexes looking to attract empty nesters must include certain things into their developments. Migrants from suburbia typically want more closet and storage space, larger kitchens and a good flow and use of space, Feldman said, all of which his firm is incorporating into 575 Whitney Ave. Amenities are also important, Fowler said. Communal gathering places, com- mon kitchens and fitness facilities are all popular with older residents and will be part of the Audubon's third phase, he said. n RENDERING | CONTRIBUTED A rendering of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners' Audubon apartments in downtown New Haven. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED A spacious Olive & Wooster apartment. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Empty nesters prefer more kitchen space.

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