Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | AUGUST 25, 2025 9 DE AL WATCH | BUYERS & SELLERS PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT www.wvfv.org R E G I S T E R T O D A Y JOIN US SEPTE MBER 22, 2025 LAKE OF ISLES AT FOXWOODS Proudly Presented By FortunatoConstruction.com/GreensForGood After original Westport mixed-use development was rejected, developer eyes affordable housing plan R oan Development Ventures is reviving a rejected Westport project with a new affordable housing proposal under the state's 8-30g statute, which requires 30% of units to be affordable and lets devel- opers bypass local zoning approvals. Roan Development's new plan calls for three buildings with up to 500 total apartments on a 3.38-acre site along the Saugatuck River. Roan's original mixed-use proposal, "The Hamlet," was denied by the Planning and Zoning Commission in July. It called for the construction of 10 buildings featuring a mix of hotel rooms (57), residential units (57) and commercial space. The new plan drops the hotel rooms and commercial space. Roan Development — led by founder Rodrigo Real — has appealed the rejection of its original proposal in state Superior Court, arguing the deci- sion was arbitrary and relied on subjective opinions about architectural style and building height. Rendering of Hamlet at Saugatuck, a Westport mixed-use development that was denied by zoning officials. WALLINGFORD A proposal to build a 66-unit housing development with 20 affordable units at 100 South Cherry St., in Wallingford, has been approved by the town's Planning & Zoning Commission. The project, which was proposed under the state's 8-30g affordable housing statute, is being developed by NextGen Development LLC of Fairfield. Veton Alimi, owner of Fairfield Building and Remodel, is a principal of NextGen Development. It acquired the 1.18-acre property for $610,000 in August 2024. The plan proposes erecting four, three-story build- ings. The largest building will have 26 units; the others will have 20, 14 and six units, respectively. Under 8-30g, at least 30%, or 20 of the units, must be desig- nated as affordable. ROCKY HILL Nearly 31,000 square feet of new leases and renewals have been completed over the past six months at a major Rocky Hill office building. With the lease activity, the 110,000-square-foot Corporate Ridge office building at 55 Capital Blvd., has increased its occupancy rate to 75%, according to building owner KS Partners and its leasing agent CBRE. The largest deal was with engineering firm HNTB, which expanded and extended its lease to more than 23,000 square feet, more than doubling its space. There were two new leases: office-furniture dealer John Watts & Associates now occupies 4,200 square feet in the building after relocating from downtown Hartford, and the Credit Union League of Connecticut signed for 3,000 square feet. The Class A office building at 55 Capital Blvd., which was erected in 1988, anchors the entrance to Corporate Ridge, a 230-acre business park located just off Interstate 91. The building includes recently updated lobbies and common area spaces, along with a new tenant lounge/bistro on the first floor, according to CBRE. BERLIN The town of Berlin's Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a stipulated judgment with a developer who appealed the commission's denial of a proposed 52-unit affordable multi- family development under the state's 8-30g statute. Called Spruce Brook Apartments, the proposed workforce housing would be on the site of a former motel, which has been demolished, at 1906 Berlin Turnpike. Originally, the plan included 16 affordable housing units. The stipulation allows the developer — Patrick Snow, principal of Cromwell-based 1906 LLC — to build 32 units on the property, of which seven, or 20%, would be set aside as affordable. Of the 32 units, 13 will contain one bedroom, 16 will have two bedrooms and three will contain three bedrooms.

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