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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 4, 2024 19 GENERAL CONTRACTING • CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT • DESIGN BUILD PARTNER 21 DEMING ROAD, BERLIN, CT 06037 • (860) 610-1093 • WWW.OLSENCS.COM NEW CONSTRUCTION • TENANT FIT OUT • CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE • HEALTHCARE 182,890-square-foot office building at 20 Hartland St., which formerly housed Bank of America offices. Port Eastside last summer paid $4 million for the building and accompa- nying 7.3 acres. Reilly said the developers can't delay the project with the hope that the lending and interest rate environ- ments will improve because holding costs for the land are too expensive to keep it idle. Waterfront views, workforce housing The demolished office complex at 20 Hartland St. will be replaced by a 300-unit apartment building. Reilly expects construction to begin in the spring of 2025, and finish about two years later. The building would have four floors sitting over a 20-foot-tall ground level, divided among parking and commercial space. The raised ground floor will provide residents on the four upper floors premium river views. Most of the units will be market rate, but there will be a portion of "workforce housing," meant to encourage state investment in the project, Reilly said. The building will include modern, in-demand amenities such as a rooftop deck, dog washing area, common rooms and a fitness center. An early design concept calls for wings spreading toward the river. Outdoor amenities, including a pool and "quiet courtyard," would be placed between these wings. Reilly said Hartford HealthCare is in line to occupy the 20,000 square feet of commercial space planned for the first apartment building. This space will open toward a central courtyard on the side away from the river. Commercial spaces in future buildings would host restaurants, cafes and other appealing retail that adds vibrancy, Reilly said. There are also plans for a freestanding performance venue. Reilly said he also hopes the town will allow a portion of East River Drive that passes over a dike to be turned into green space that connects Port Eastside with the Great River Park along the Connecticut River. The original plan called for supporting the possibility of a new pedestrian bridge over the Connecticut River to connect to downtown Hartford. Now, Reilly said, Port Eastside won't be involved in pushing for the bridge, at least not until after the development site has been built out. A transportation center mixing public and private transport options is also out of the updated plan. Those projects are dependent on significant ($100 million) local, state and federal funding, and the devel- opment group will leave it to other nonprofit groups, like Riverfront Recapture and the iQuilt Partner- ship, to spearhead moving those efforts forward. There will be a bus stop, however, Reilly said. East Hartford Mayor Connor Martin said his administration is "very committed" to supporting the updated vision for the Port Eastside project. That includes approaching state, federal and local agencies seeking development assistance. "I think every great and transfor- mative project like this starts with a vision, but at the end of the day has to be manageable and reasonable," Martin said. PORT EASTSIDE - RESIDENTIAL APARTMENTS 300 East River Drive East Hartford, CT 01/19/2024 3D VIEW 1 3D VIEW 2 An early concept design for the first 300-unit residential building to be developed in the Port Eastside project. RENDERING | CONTRIBUTED Connor Martin