The West Hartford Town Council previously held a lengthy public hearing, and late Tuesday night voted 7-2 to approve the application to develop Heritage Park at 1800 Asylum Avenue.

By Ronni Newton

It’s been more than a dozen years since the University of Connecticut’s announcement, in November 2012, that it would be relocating to space in downtown Hartford, and after countless hours of discussion and debate, multiple sales of the property, and several failed proposals – as well as a postponement of the final vote following the closing of a lengthy public hearing on Feb. 11 – the latest plans by West Hartford 1 LLC to redevelop 1800 Asylum Avenue as the 33.5-acre mixed commercial and residential development Heritage Park will move forward, following a 7-2 vote of the Town Council late Tuesday night.

All six Democrats – Mayor Shari Cantor, Deputy Mayor Ben Wenograd, Deb Polun, Tiffani McGinnis, Carol Blanks, and Barry Walters – as well as Republican Mark Zydanowicz, voted in favor of the proposal, while Republicans Mary Fay and Alberto Cortes voted against it.

“We have been talking about this particular development for years,” said Cantor prior to the vote Tuesday night, noting that since UConn relocated in 2017, the property has been left fallow.

“It’s overtime to do the right development there,” said Cantor, and to remediate the property. She noted that the application voted on Tuesday night had been through 13 study sessions with the Design Review Advisory Committee (DRAC), and because of the collaborative effort between the applicant and the town, the plans look very different from what was first proposed.

Cantor highlighted the applicant’s commitment, not only through the donation of the ballfields at 1700 Asylum Avenue to the town, but also the commitment to maintaining 40% of the property as “privately-owned public space” – including what will be known as the “Heritage Park’s Trout Brook Trail Extension” – and other items on a lengthy list of conditions of approval that include public safety and road safety improvements and future traffic study and parking analyses. The conditions include posting a performance bond or other surety in the amount of $250,000 to guarantee and off-site traffic or parking improvements are completed.

“I’m really excited to be at the point where we see what can be,” Cantor said.

“Heritage Park is going to be a great place for the people of West Hartford to live and enjoy,” Domenic Carpionato, principal of West Hartford 1 LLC, said in a statement to We-Ha.com late Tuesday night after the vote to approve the application. “Tonight our vision to restore an abandoned property to a welcoming neighborhood village where people can live, visit, shop for groceries, dine with family and friends and walk the trails and meadows has gained final approval, and we are eager to move forward to deliver its environmental, economic and cultural value to West Hartford,” he said.

“We are grateful for the Town Council’s affirmative vote tonight, and thank the Town Plan & Zoning Commission, Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Agency, Design Review Advisory Committee and the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce for their support and the ways they and the town’s land use staff helped improve our plans and ensure that we conform with the town Plan of Conservation and Development,” Carpionato added.

 

With the approval of 1800 Asylum, there are now plans for the entire 57-plus-acre former campus to collectively become the Heritage Park neighborhood village that the Carpionato and the rest of the development team envisioned.

Plans for the roughly 23-8-acre eastern portion of the former campus were approved last year – with 14.87 acres set to become the Residences at Heritage Park, now owned and being developed by Garden Homes, and the rest of the property, now owned by the Town of West Hartford, remaining ballfields and a playground.

The Town Council had already concluded a three-and-a-half-hour public hearing on the application for 1800 Asylum on Feb. 11, 2025. Following the developer’s presentation a dozen people provided testimony that was largely supportive of the plans – although many highlighted a desire to have a greater number of affordable rental units.

Members of the Town Council also had the opportunity to question the development team on Feb. 11, but the vote was postponed until Feb. 25 in order to finalize the conditions of approval.

The final plan kept the percentage of affordable units at 1800 Asylum at 5% of the rental units, with the developer committing to five residential rental units – two one-bedroom units and three two-bedroom units – to be leased for 30 years as affordable at 80% of the lesser of the area median income (AMI) for the Town of West Hartford or the statewide median income as published by HUD.

What does the plan for Heritage Park include?

The Council’s vote was to approve the application “filed on behalf of WeHa Development Group, LLC, owner of 1800 Asylum Avenue, for change of zone of approximately 33.5 acres of the site from a R-10 single-family zone to a BS shopping center zone with Special Development District Designation (SDD) overlay for the redevelopment of the site into a new mixed-use development of commercial and residential uses along with associated parking and site amenities.”

WeHa Development Group’s plans for 1800 Asylum – an investment of several hundred million dollars – call for demolition of the remaining buildings that were part of the former UConn campus and environmental remediation of PCBs and other contaminants, and construction of 11 new buildings of one to four stories.

Included in the plan for Heritage Park are 93 one- and two-bedroom residential rental apartments. The plans also include a total of 25 townhomes available for purchase, six of which are duplex townhomes along both Lawler Road and Asylum Avenue, 90 units of assisted living, a 26,488-square-foot organic grocery store, roughly 42,800 square feet of restaurant and retail space, and a 42,600 square foot spa.

Council vote

Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting didn’t begin until 10:55 p.m., following a lengthy public hearing on another application – a rezoning and Special Development District proposal by Vessel Technologies for 29 Highland Street. That hearing has been continued to March 11, 2025, and will be voted on at the Council meeting later that night.

Before voting, each Council member shared some comments.

McGinnis said there are very few mixed-use developments in this area, but they are successful models and are much more common in the south, where she lived previously. “I feel very confident in this plan,” she said, which includes everything from public space to native plantings.

Cortes said the proposal was for an “exciting project” that solves some issues in town such as the lack of homes for sale. A lot was accomplished in the past two weeks when the conditions of approval were finalized, but, he said, the “last time we saw something this exciting was Blue Back Square.” And there’s a lot of vacant space in Blue Back Square, he said, and a lot of empty space in a project also developed by Carpionato – Avon Square –  just seven miles away.

Cortes said in the end the developer did not increase the level of affordable housing or incorporate senior housing that’s not assisted living for the “missing middle” cited by some residents. While the Council may be tired and ready to move on, “I think if we support this project as is we’re settling,” Cortes said before casting his nay vote.

“I’m tired, but I’m not settling,” Wenograd commented, adding that the lateness of the evening did not impact his vote.

Wenograd said he’s part of the original Council group that has looked at this development since the beginning, and “this is a high quality project from a developer who has bent over backwards” to meet the many conditions – even some that may be unreasonable. They’re improving the wetlands, donated the ballfields, will extend the Trout Brook Trail.

“It is complicated to build on this site. … They figured out the way to do it to make this work,” said Wenograd, even after they were dragged through the many sessions with DRAC, which added to their cost. Blue Back Square, he said, would have probably benefited from more DRAC sessions.

“I think it is time to move it forward. No more delays,” said Wenograd. “This is really everything we could have hoped for. It is a smart development … let’s not delay this anymore.”

Zydanowicz said it’s been a long road, with many changes, including “the iterations, everything they went through with DRAC.” While he doesn’t like the fact that they didn’t increase the affordable housing at 1800 Asylum, he did vote in favor of the proposal.

“I think this project really demonstrates what’s great about government at its most local level,” said Polun. The final proposal was molded through input from DRAC and town staff as well as from the community. “

“I’m really excited about this,” she said, noting that she drives by what is currently a “desolate property” every day and is looking forward to the ponds being redesigned and rebuilt, and for the introduction of types of housing such as townhomes that the town is really lacking.

Fay said that while there are a lot of things she likes about the project, some of the problems with the property are because the state failed to take care of it “after they bailed” and relocated the UConn campus. “I’m just concerned about the density of it,” she said, noting that it doesn’t provide options for downsizing for seniors who are not ready for assisted living. “I think there were other alternatives that I think I brought up and they weren’t considered,” Fay said.

She also said while she doesn’t want to dispute the traffic studies, there are cumulative effects of development all over town and this development, with a destination spa and grocery store, will add to it. “I’m not convinced that we’ve covered all possibilities that would benefit our town,” Fay said.

Blanks said the property has been blighted for years, and she thanked the developers for collaborating to get the project right.  “I think that time is now, and we have to strike a balance… it’s transformative,” she said, and will bring more home ownership opportunities for people who want to live in West Hartford, will extend the Trout Brook Trail, and “offers improvement that is long overdue.”

The “highest and best use of land” is a principle of urban development, said Walters, and 1800 Asylum is a piece of land that’s in disrepair, contaminated, with wetlands that have been filled in. The plan for Heritage Park will get rid of invasive species, rebuild the wetlands, and develop the property to make the community more successful.

In response to comments about the retail vacancies in Blue Back Square and elsewhere, he said, “That’s capitalism, baby,” adding that developers wouldn’t build it if they didn’t think they could make money, and West Hartford doesn’t make it easy on developers. “We make them jump through hoops.”

While he would have liked to see more affordable units, Walters said the developer has done a lot to work with the town.

Before putting the application to vote, Cantor thanked the staff and volunteer boards for their countless hours working on this application. One of the things that was a priority when the most recent Plan of Conservation and Development was adopted was expansion of green space, and she said one of the unique things about this project is “for somebody else to be maintaining the green space and opening it up to the entire community.”

TPZ and DRAC review

In August 2024, the Town Planning and Zoning Commission (TPZ), in its capacity as West Hartford’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency (IWWA), approved the wetlands application for 1800 Asylum, the western portion of the former UConn campus, but as part of the rezoning and SDD process the TPZ must vote to determine whether or not the proposal for Heritage Park is consistent with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD).

TPZ conducted a detailed review of WeHa Development Group’s application at its Feb. 3, 2025 meeting, voting 4-1 to recommend approval of the application to the Town Council “finding it consistent with, and furthering, the overall vision of the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD).” TPZ specifically noted that the development is consistent with the goals and strategies under the “Neighborhoods and Housing” section which encourages diversity, access, and availability of housing options to current and future residents, including revising zoning ordinances if necessary. TPZ also found the application consistent with the “Open Space and Environment” goal of preserving, protecting, enhancing, and promoting open space; and consistent with the “Transportation” sections goal of integrated systems, complete streets, improving accessibility, and extending the Trout Brook Trail system.

TPZ did recommend increasing the number of affordable housing units at 1800 Asylum to be consistent with POCD goals, and recommended that the applicant address concerns raised by town staff regarding traffic, bicycle, and pedestrian safety.

Also as part of the required process, the application was also officially referred to the Design Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) which on Nov. 14 voted unanimously, 5-0, to recommend approval of the project. DRAC had previously conducted 13 study sessions as part of the informal review process, and the recommendation letter praises the willingness of the applicant to incorporate many of the revisions suggested by DRAC during the review process.

DRAC’s recommendation letter said the “the relationship of the proposed buildings to the site and adjoining neighborhood is appropriate,” noting that while the “collective buildings are substantial,” they are compatible with their surrounding due to the placement of the largest buildings in the central part of the site, most distant from surrounding residential properties. In addition, DRAC’s recommendation states the “townhomes’ height, scale, and placement along both Asylum Avenue and Lawler Road provide for a suitable transitional response to the neighborhood” and “the commitment to providing meaningful publicly accessible open space amenities throughout the project area allows for the creation of generous planted buffers.”

Public comment

There were 17 emails or letters submitted by the public regarding the application, Town Clerk Leon Davidoff said at the Feb. 11 hearing. All were generally supportive, but nine of the comments mentioned increasing the percentage of affordable housing at 1800 Asylum from 5% to 8%, to match the percentage of affordable units at The Residences of Heritage Park which was approved last summer for the eastern portion of the former campus. The other eight letters were supportive of the project.

Ten of the 12 who testified in person at the Feb. 11 hearing – most of whom said they had lived in West Hartford for decades – were also supportive of the project, but many also expressed a desire for a greater percentage of affordable units.

Details regarding the public hearing can be found here.

Ballfields, Residences at Heritage Park on eastern portion of former UConn campus, and history

It’s been more than three years since West Hartford 1 LLC finalized the purchase of the former UConn campus property, on an “as is” basis, from then-owner Ideanomics, for $2.75 million, on Dec. 29, 2021. Dominic Carpionato is the principal of West Hartford 1 LLC, and WeHa Development Group East LLC and WeHa Development Group LLC were established for the purpose of developing the separate portions of the overall property.

In August 2024, what had been 1700 Asylum Avenue was split into two parcels, and 14.866 acres were sold for $22.7 million to a newly-created entity, West Hartford Developers LLC, which is managed by Eli Pechthold of Garden Homes.

That newly-created entity will be developing the 322-unit multifamily residential development The Residences at Heritage Park – which now has the address of 1360 Trout Brook Drive – that will include four buildings as well as a community green and a variety of amenities for residents and the public. Eight percent of the units will be set aside as deed-restricted affordable housing.

In April 2024, the West Hartford Town Council approved, 8-1, an application to establish a Special Development District for the entire 23.787-acre property of what was then 1700 Asylum Avenue. At the same time, 14.866 acres of the northern portion, most of which is currently an 1,100-space parking lot, was rezoned as RMMS (residential multifamily, multistory). The rezoned portion of the property will become the 322-unit multifamily residential development The Residences at Heritage Park, while the southern portion of that property, which is 8.921 acres, will remain a residential zone R-10, with approved use as ballfields, playground, and associated parking.

In December 2024, the Town Council voted unanimously to accept the donation by West Hartford 1 LLC of the ballfields and playground, and associated parking.

UConn first announced plans to vacate the campus in 2012, and opened the new campus in Hartford for the fall 2017 semester.

In November 2015, UConn officially decided it would sell the property, and because statute requires that state-owned property first be offered to the town in which it is located, West Hartford began considering a purchase. In January 2016 the Town Council authorized then-Town Manager Ron Van Winkle to negotiate with UConn and conduct environmental studies, but then in February 2016, Weiming Education Group, an international school based in China, expressed a desire to purchase the property.

In March 2016, Weiming made an offer to purchase the campus from UConn for $12.6 million, and under statute the town was then given the right of first refusal. At a public information session attended by hundreds in May 2016, that was intended to be about whether the town should exercise that right, many residents instead took the opportunity to express passionate opinions about the proposed sale to Weiming. Most who spoke said they preferred having the town purchase the campus. A week later, the town negotiated a deal to purchase the campus for $5 million – the lower price in part because of uncertainty by UConn about Weiming’s ability to get its plans approved by the Town Council, which is the ultimate land use authority.

Fast forward to December 2017, the discovery of greater-than-expected PCB contamination, a revised purchase price of $1 million, seven extensions of the due diligence period, and the town terminated its purchase and sale agreement with UConn.

It was purchased by Ideanomics from UConn in 2018, but plans to build Fintech Village were later scrapped and the property was sold to West Hartford 1 LLC. For more information and background about West Hartford’s previous history with the campus, click here.

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