Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • May 21, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 13 classes, walking/jogging paths and Wi- Fi remain alluring, business center and pet-friendly amenities, like dog parks, trails and pet-grooming stations, are gaining in appeal, the NAA study found. "Residents fall in love with the whole amenity package, with some leaning towards what they believe they will use most,'' said Laurie Waddell, senior property manager of Spectra on the Plaza. Among other perks offered at the Hartford apartment complex are a 46- seat theater; gym with a half basketball court; and a library-business center. A bonus for Spectra residents, Wad- dell said, is that they will have access to amenities, including a rooftop patio and a bocce ball court, in a pair of former Pearl Street office buildings that Spec- tra's landlords — New York developers Girona Ventures and Wonder Works Construction and Development Corp. — are converting into 290 apartments, with the first due on line in 2019. Girona Ven- tures and Wonder Works also recently acquired the adjacent 100-unit Trumbull On The Park, now Spectra on the Park. Latest fixtures The Tannery, a 250-unit luxury Glastonbury community developed by Kenny, has pet-grooming and pack- age-holding stations, and offers — for a fee — doorside garbage pickup. Sim- ilar amenities are available at Kenny's other new luxury apartment commu- nity, Windsor Station. Kenny, too, says amenities will be a big draw for his next planned apartment development, The Borden, in Wethersfield. He has joined other U.S. landlords looking for ways to monetize their housing spaces. One is to outfit their community-center spaces with bars and café-restaurants, landlords say. In June, a 180-seat restaurant, The Beam House, will open in 5,000 square feet of leased space at The Tannery. "We think that will be the crown jewel when it opens,'' Kenny said. In addi- tion to serving Tannery residents, the restaurant can be a magnet, exposing area residents to The Tannery's other amenities, he said. "There's no better showcase for people who don't live there,'' Kenny said of the converted former mill site. The Tannery charges dog and cat owners $450 a year, mainly to cover the cost of cleaning indoor and outdoor spac- es pets frequently encounter. Residents of the 48 units at Colt Gateway, on down- town's southern edge, enjoy free use of its fitness and game rooms, among other on-site ameni- ties. Indeed, Colt Gateway landlord Larry Dooley said, "we've found that the most impor- tant 'amenities' for our tenants are the supporting retail like Thomas Hooker Brewery at Colt and Tom & Sam's Café." Some devel- opers are adding larger community spaces with bars, fixtures and kitchens as potential profit centers but Colt Gateway prefers to partner up with professionals like Hooker Brewery "so we can focus on development and proj- ect management," Dooley said. Meantime, Bloomfield's Heirloom luxury apartments offer residents a golf-driving simulator and detached- garage parking. Townhome perks In Ellington, longtime local builder Santini Homes Inc. is finishing the last of its 200 luxury, two-story townhome-apartment rentals in Deer Valley North Townhomes, the second of two adjacent luxury communities there. The other is 257-unit Deer Val- ley Townhomes; both are nearly full, said owner Kevin Santini. "Our main amenity is our clubhouse facilities,'' Santini said. There, along with a lavish commu- nity room, the space offers a popular fitness center and a swimming pool manned with lifeguards that appeal to his tenant mix of young and mid-age professionals and retirees, he said. Outdoors, the community space fea- tures a large outdoor fireplace and chaise lounges. Indoors, all Deer Valley town- homes come with washer-dryer, 9-foot ceilings, cherry cabinets and granite countertops. Some units even have eleva- tors and all have fire-sprinkler systems. Santini says nearly all its amenities are covered under Deer Valley's rents, ranging from the $1,475 to $2,595 a month. Each unit has attached one- or two-car garages. "We feel like that our customers pay a good, fair rent and they deserve amenities,'' he said. But the flip side to offering so many amenities, landlords say, is that main- tenance and upkeep for them all is challenging — and costly. For instance, in season, Santini work crews daily tend to the pool, straight- ening cushions for the chaise lounges and cleaning around it. As careful as pet owners try to be, treating or replacing dam- aged shrubbery and grass is a constant, land- lords say. Still, desired amenities, images of which often dominate apart- ment-communi- ties' marketing homepages and brochures, can be the difference between a fully rented apartment community and one struggling to fill inventory, landlords say. "So many young people, more often than not,'' Kenny said, "have no problem committing remote- ly to a major lease without ever setting foot inside.'' Top amenities desired by apartment renters The National Apartment Association surveyed rent- ers of more than 100,000 U.S. apartment units in 35 states and identified residents' most-preferred amenities. Here are the top 10: Fitness center Business center Clubhouse Common areas for socializing Pet-friendly Landscaping in common areas Swimming pool Outdoor kitchen Playground or play area Package-holding area Source: National Apartment Association Among his downtown Hartford apartment's many amenities, Spectra on the Plaza resident John Lundeen most enjoys relaxing in the spacious community room of the high-rise building overlooking Constitution Plaza. An on-site café, its newly opened Bar5, plus attentive management, make urban life "enjoyable,'' Lundeen says. Shown clockwise at right are Spectra's other amenities, including a mini- basketball court, lounge, game tables, and a 46-seat movie theater. also has a pet-grooming station. (Above, center PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED

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