Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 8, 2025 13 public pocket park. Lewis noted that Center Park Place represents the first new luxury condo- miniums in downtown West Hartford since Blue Back Square opened nearly two decades ago. D'Addabbo said property values in town have soared as new restaurants and shops have opened and local officials invest in infrastructure. "It's very intentional, and it's working," she said. 'The place people want to be' Lewis is also preparing a $1 million overhaul of his 1985-vintage, three- story office building at 1001 Farm- ington Ave., to accommodate Ernst & Young. The accounting firm, which has Connecticut offices in downtown Hartford's Stilts Building and Stam- ford, signed a 10-year lease for 14,235 square feet, according to land records. Lewis will upgrade the property's windows, elevators, rooftop HVAC units and façade. That work is slated for completion in March 2026. After that, Ernst & Young will undertake extensive inte- rior renovations, he said. "It will be a modern, jewel-box building," Lewis said. "It's pretty noteworthy to bring Ernst & Young into West Hartford." Attempts to reach an Ernst & Young representative for comment on this story were unsuccessful. Nearby, Blue Back Square — the mixed-use retail, residential and entertainment complex in the heart of West Hartford Center — recently filled its 239,000 square feet of office and medical space. Blue Back, which has about 450,000 square feet of space overall, now has a waitlist for the next available office space, due to open in 2028. That's in stark contrast to neigh- boring downtown Hartford's much larger office market, which is grap- pling with significant vacancies. CBRE reported Hartford's Class A office availability rate was 28.3% in the second quarter, but other estimates place it closer to 41% when including sublease space and leases set to soon expire. Hartford's largest office tower — the 38-story, 1.1 million-square-foot City Place I skyscraper — was less than half occupied this spring. West Hartford's office vacancy rate stands at just 6%, according to Gorski, the town's economic development chief. Most available spaces are under 1,500 square feet, while town staff continue to field calls from brokers and companies looking for 8,000 square feet or more, Gorski said. According to CoStar, West Hartford has just over 2 million square feet of office space, while Hartford has over 24 million square feet of total inventory. Larry Levere, director of office brokerage for Sentry Commercial, said downtown West Hartford office space commands rents of nearly $40 per square foot — $10 higher than other area markets. "For whatever reason, it's the place people want to be," Levere said. "There is a great retail environment. If you work there, anything you want to accomplish on your lunch hour is within walking distance. It's a great place to hang out after work." Levere said he's had difficulties finding space for a client seeking a 5,000-square-foot office in downtown West Hartford. Investing in the future Those same forces are driving multifamily development in town, officials say. Developers currently have 687 apartments under construction in West Hartford, with another 551 units in the development pipeline, according to Gorski. "Businesses want to attract workers with a place that has a lot of amenities, and West Hartford Center is that place, Blue Back Square is that place," said Mayor Shari Cantor. Cantor said the launch of Center Park Place reflects the town's long and careful, yet robust, strategy fostering downtown vibrancy. "We are really thrilled we are at this point and financing has been secured," Cantor said. "It represents a real investment in the heart of our town, creating the vibrancy, the energy and the foot traffic that will help our businesses every day." The town is also investing in infra- structure, with a $10 million street- scape overhaul backed by federal American Rescue Plan funding. Work is underway along LaSalle Road and will expand to Farmington Avenue next year. "Infrastructure investments, while a pain to go through, like redoing your kitchen, it does show the town is investing in this area," Cantor said. A rendering of the Center Park Place condominiums, which will be built at the corner of LaSalle and Arapahoe roads, in West Hartford Center. Contributed Image

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