Gov. Ned Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, and Mayor Shari Cantor were among the state and local officials at the groundbreaking on Thursday for Trout Brook Reality Advisors’ newest development in West Hartford.

By Ronni Newton

Standing in front of the stained glass façade of the former Agudas Achim synagogue – a feature of the building that will be preserved – Gov. Ned Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno, Connecticut Housing Finance Authority CEO Nandini Natarajan, and Mayor Shari Cantor were among the state and local officials gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking for The Elle on Thursday afternoon.

A note on the dais reminded speakers to be keep their comments brief since it was very cold outside, but that didn’t prevent the sharing of words of praise and thanks to all who have made the the project possible before shovels full of dirt were tossed into the air.

“West Hartford gets it right, and this is an example of getting it right,” Lamont said. “You want a community that includes everybody and that’s what West Hartford is all about.”

The $27 million project – an adaptive reuse and redevelopment of the former synagogue – will transform the vacant building into  49 units of housing, 80% of which will be affordable. The project is being developed by Trout Brook Realty Advisors and when complete The Elle will be managed by the West Hartford Housing Authority. Trout Brook Reality Advisors purchased the property, which includes the synagogue building and 1.83 acres of land, from Congregation Agudas Achim in December for $1.6 million.

Once complete, The Elle will include 24 one-bedroom, 23 two-bedroom, and two three-bedroom apartments. Of the 39 that are deed-restricted as affordable, six units will be reserved for residents at 60% AMI (area median income), 20 units will be at 50% AMI, and 13 units at 30% AMI.  The remaining 10 units will be market rate rentals. Rents for the affordable units will be set depending on the family size and income, and in accordance with Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) income and rent restrictions.

Financing a development that is primarily affordable housing is always a challenge, and speakers acknowledged the many components to the funding to make development of The Elle at North Main possible.

Thursday morning it was announced that the Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) signed financing agreements – $21.8 million in loans and grants from DOH and low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) through CHFA that will generate more than $55 million in private investment along with $61.5 million in first mortgage financing – for nine developments throughout the state, including in West Hartford, “that will contribute to the creation and preservation of 658 housing units, including 381 affordable units for low- and moderate-income renters.”

For The Elle, the announcement states that “CHFA is providing 9% LIHTCs that will generate $10.5 million in private investment alongside $5.53 million in Taxable Bond financing and $1 million in financing from the Opportunity Fund. An additional $5.5 million in financing is provided by DOH.” The project has also received funding through the Town of West Hartford’s Affordable Housing Development Program, a $660,096 Brownfield Grant for environmental remediation, and support from M&T Bank and Eversource.

Clare Dowd, chair of the West Hartford Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, said The Elle will be more than “brick and mortar and solar panels. It represents hope, opportunity, and belonging for the West Hartford community. Today we celebrate a vision that housing is more than a structure, it is a foundation for thriving lives and vibrant communities.”

The groundbreaking marks “the beginning of what I believe will be an incredible transformation in our community,” honoring the past and shaping a future for residents who will have access to everything that West Hartford has to offer, including highly-rated schools, said Jill Corrado, executive director of the West Hartford Housing Authority and CEO of Trout Brook Realty Advisors, who promised it would be warmer at the ribbon cutting. She told We-Ha.com that construction should be completed by April 2026, and expects a ribbon cutting by June 2026.

Corrado likened getting to this point to putting together “a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. … Each puzzle piece has to fit together in harmony, all equally as important as the next, with the goal of uncovering something beautiful.”

“Connecticut needs these units, needs affordability, and needs the opportunity to live and work in the towns they want to be in,” said Mosquera-Bruno, who would like to do more exciting and collaborative projects like this one in West Hartford.

Natarajan said she preferred calling a project like The Elle “lasagna, as opposed to a 10,000-piece jigsaw because I like food,” and she acknowledged all of the “layers of the lasagna” that made the project possible.

“The power of collaboration is only enhanced by the fact that this building represents a melding of the past with the present – recognizing that it was a symbolic and important institution in its time for this town, and recognizing that taking it further and preserving its heritage, but also finding a use for it in the 21st century, as we move forward to create communities that are inclusive and forward-thinking,” Natarajan said.

Cantor thanked her Town Council colleagues and town staff – many of whom were in attendance – for approving the project and using American Rescue Plan Act funds to establish the Affordable Housing Development Program that supported The Elle.

“It is really complicated to put together an affordable housing program that is quality,” Cantor said. “It takes such collaboration, and input, and support from so many people,” who are essential to the project. State programs that prioritize housing are also critical, she said, thanking Lamont and Bysiewicz for their support of West Hartford projects, and this one in particular.

“West Hartford is a thriving, desirable, highly-regarded, inclusive, and diverse community,” said Cantor. “In fact, the more development that we do, the higher we are regarded. The increasing diversity and affordability of housing remains one of our top priorities,” she said, noting that it is critical to expand affordable housing throughout town, including in Bishops Corner where most of the housing is market rate and single-family, and where there is access to public transportation, grocery stores, the library, schools, restaurants, parks, and library.

“I hope that every town and city across Connecticut is taking note of your vision and your leadership because what you are showing in West Hartford is if you build affordable housing in a vibrant place, everyone, regardless of background, wants to come and live in this beautiful place,” Bysiewicz said as she thanked Cantor and the Town Council for approving The Elle.

It took many state and local agencies and the private sector to get to this point, Bysiewicz said. She added her appreciation to DOH, noting that Mosquera-Bruno has a background in building affordable housing, which is what the state critically needs.  The contributions of CHFA, and the Department of Economic Community Development’s Brownfield program were also critical to reaching the groundbreaking stage.

“Look this lasagna, puzzle pieces, it’s not easy,” the governor said. In Connecticut, we need to preserve open space and reuse the space that’s not working. “We need housing, people want to be in Connecticut … people want to be in West Hartford, and that’s what this facility is all about. I love the fact that this facade is going to stay what it is,” he said.

“I think West Hartford’s a model for what we’re trying to do around the rest of the state, and that’s why I’m so pleased to be with you today,” said Lamont.

The site of The Elle, a former synagogue at 1244 North Main Street in West Hartford, was for more than 50 years the home of Congregation Agudas Achim – a congregation first founded by Romanian Sephardic Jews in Hartford in the late 1800s. The congregation merged with United Synagogues in 2018, and the property was put up for sale. The application for The Elle was approved in an 8-1 Town Council vote in October 2023.

Representatives of HUD, DECD, and M&T Bank also praised the project.

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