Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 18, 2024 9 DEAL WATCH | BUYERS & SELLERS completed retail component, is being led by Executive Auto Group owner John Orsini. Construction on the residential portion is just getting underway. Plans have also been approved for Riverwalk Berlin, a 200-unit luxury apartment development that will be located on the Berlin Turnpike. Work has not yet started on that project, but Rocky Hill-based contractor, builder and manager Commercial Services Realty is already taking lease applications. Another developer has proposed a four-story, 100-unit multifamily devel- opment at 522 Berlin Turnpike. Workforce housing Meantime, even in a commu- nity receptive to new housing, challenges remain. Another developer, Pat Snow, founder of Premier Building & Devel- opment, recently sued the town of Berlin, claiming the Planning and Zoning Commission illegally rejected his plan to build a 52-unit, mixed-in- come apartment project on the Berlin Turnpike. He proposed to replace the decades-old Plaza Motel property with the six-building Spruce Brook Apartments, which would include 16 affordable units. Snow's limited liability company, 1906 Berlin LLC, sued the town, arguing the Planning and Zoning Commission failed to properly apply the state's affordable housing law, known as 8-30g. The law allows developers to sue towns that reject certain affordable housing projects. Municipalities are exempt from legal liability if 10% of their total housing stock is affordable. Town officials declined to comment on the pending suit. However, Berlin Economic Devel- opment Director Chris Edge said the town has focused on encouraging affordable housing. Since around 2019, the town's Planning and Zoning Commission has been asking for at least 20% of units in new apartment projects to be set aside as affordable "because we want to provide workforce housing," Edge said. Edge said Berlin is about 50 units short of meeting its 10% affordable housing threshold. New housing development is a win for Berlin, Edge added, because it can help the town attract new workers who can fill open positions at various local employers, especially manufacturers like AVNA industries and Tyler Manufacturing. "It's a perfect fit, because right now homeownership is incredibly challenging throughout Connecticut," Edge said. "So, this gives people an opportunity to live in town, work in town and then, who knows, long term, maybe buy a house (in town)." National Development is putting the finishing touches on this 1.2-million-square-foot warehouse at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, which has been leased to online furniture retailer Wayfair. HBJ PHOTO | ANDREW LARSON CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT GENERAL CONTRACTING DESIGN / BUILD Healthcare · Commercial · Education · Food Service Hospitality · Manufacturing · Municipal · Retail milestonecsllc.com 442 Forbes Avenue New Haven, Connecticut 06512 203-691-6876 Rock solid, every step of the way.. Massive East Hartford warehouses receive green light for occupancy E ast Hartford's building inspections office recently issued temporary certifi- cates of occupancy for two ware- houses — totaling a combined 2.5 million square feet — that Massachusetts-based National Development began constructing a little more than a year ago at Rentschler Field. The buildings are leased to online furniture seller Wayfair and home-improvement retailer Lowe's, which can now begin moving equipment into the facili- ties and hiring. A final certificate of occupancy will be granted once some minor outstanding work items are completed. National Development paid $78.47 million for 300 acres at Rentschler Field in January 2023, with plans to build the warehouses and two additional 100,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing buildings. There has been no word on potential tenants, or a construction start date for the manufacturing properties. HARTFORD Developer Randy Salvatore showed off his latest downtown Hartford project, debuting sleek new apartments in space that formerly served as guest rooms inside the Hilton Hartford hotel. The $29 million redevelopment included converting the top 11 floors of the 22-story building on Trumbull Street into 147 modern apartments. "The Revel" apartments include a mix of studios and one- and two-bedroom units, with panoramic views of the city. The first tenants are expected to move in next month. The building's bottom floors are now home to a DoubleTree by Hilton Hartford hotel, which has 170 guest rooms. The former Hilton hotel, which struggled financially for years, especially during the pandemic, had 393 guest rooms. Salvatore partnered on the project with the Waterford Group, which owned the Hilton hotel since 2005. BRISTOL The city of Bristol is looking for developers interested in revitalizing the old J.H. Sessions industrial building as a workforce housing centerpiece to its larger downtown improvement project. City officials hope to turn the remediated 3.5-acre property and abandoned mill building, at 273 Riverside Ave., into "a vibrant work- force housing apartment community," with roughly 60 mixed-income units. The 80,000-square-foot former industrial building has high ceil- ings, wooden floors and exposed beams. The city will accept rede- velopment bids through April 16. More information can be found at bristolct.gov/bids. NEW HAVEN A development team is looking to convert a semi-vacant New Haven building near the Winchester Center mixed-use project into self-storage units. The five-story, 128,000-square- foot building at 89-91 Shelton Ave., is largely vacant but contains a rock climbing gym and several small spaces that have been used by businesses and local groups. Applicant Diamond Point Develop- ment LLC, based out of Georgia, is a national builder of self-storage facil- ities. It wants to transform five floors and the basement into self-storage units and keep the rock climbing gym. If approved, construction on the storage conversion would start this spring and finish a year later. Chris Edge

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