With unanimous approval from the Town Council, WeHa Development Group will grant ownership to the town of the property at 1700 Asylum Avenue currently used as a Miracle League field and other ballfields and playground.

By Ronni Newton

The Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to accept property donated by the Heritage Park developer, West Hartford 1 LLC, and the Town of West Hartford will become the owner of land at 1700 Asylum Avenue that currently includes the Miracle League Field as well as several other ballfields, a playground, and basketball court – ensuring continued use of those facilities for the public.

The Town Plan & Zoning Commission (TPZ) unanimously authorized acceptance of the donation at its Dec. 2 meeting, finding that taking possession of the property is consistent with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). TPZ’s authorization paved the way for the Town Council to vote on the resolution to accept the 8.921-acre parcel at 1700 Asylum Avenue, the southeastern portion of the former UConn campus. With the unanimous 9-0 vote Tuesday night, WeHa Development Group East LLC, the entity that is the legal owner of the property, will file a quitclaim deed, granting the property to the Town of West Hartford.

“From day one, we promised to continue the town’s uninterrupted use of the ballfields, and we felt donating them to the town of West Hartford is the best way to fulfill that pledge and to ensure their future upkeep and care for generations to come,” Domenic Carpionato of West Hartford 1, LLC said in a statement provided to We-Ha.com. “We’re very happy to have been able to ensure that the ballfields endure in the open, walkable neighborhood village that we hope will soon begin to take shape here.”

The sports complex at 1700 Asylum includes Little League fields. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

Mike Michaud, in his role as Executive Director of the Miracle League of Connecticut and also representing West Hartford Little League, spoke during the Public Forum session of the meeting, stating that was very much in favor of the donation of the property. “It’s a long overdue resolution to our ongoing problem there,” he said, noting that five-year leases and then temporary shorter leases of six months on the property has brought uncertainty. “It is the best resolution possible in our minds,” he said about the town gaining ownership.

Michaud did note some concern, that he had raised during a past hearing, about the amount of parking that will be provided for the ballfields. There are a limited number of spaces, only three of which are designated as wheelchair accessible.

“The Miracle Field, as you know, is a facility that was built for people with disabilities and to have the bare minimum of ADA requirement for spaces there is not a good idea in my mind and hopefully in yours,” Michaud said. While there are plans for overflow parking to be located at the adjacent University of Saint Joseph, those who use the Miracle League are often children on the autism spectrum who are “known to bolt,” he said, and it would not be safe to require them to walk along Asylum Avenue.

Ledwith said the town is thrilled to receive the donation of the fields and to secure permanent ownership.

“This gift represents a significant contribution to our community, providing a lasting space where residents of all ages and abilities can come together to enjoy sports and recreation,” Ledwith said. “The Miracle League in particular holds a special place in our hearts as it serves our youth with disabilities, offering an inclusive environment to participate in sports.” Owning the fields will strengthen the town’s “commitment to accessibility, inclusivity, and community togetherness for generations to come,” he said.

Ledwith said he has been having conversations with the developer and Michaud since he became town manager in 2022, and from the beginning the developer was committed to ensuring the fields would end up under town ownership at some point. “It took a couple of years, but we’re very glad to be here today,” he said.

Both 1700 and 1800 Asylum Avenue were originally part of the 57-plus-acre former UConn West Hartford campus. The parcel of land at 1700 Asylum, on the northeast side of Trout Brook Drive, was until recently owned in its entirety by WeHa Development Group East LLC. In April 2024, the West Hartford Town Council approved, 8-1, an application to establish a Special Development District for the the entire 23.787-acre property at 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) while the southern portion of that property, which is 8.921 acres, remains a residential zone R-10, with approved use as ballfields, playground, and associated parking.

Lot split approved for 1700 Asylum. Town of West Hartford document (we-ha.com file photo)

In August, 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.

Rendering by Minno and Wasko of the Residences at Heritage Park at 1700 Asylum Avenue. Town of West Hartford website image

When the lot was split, WeHa Development Group East LLC retained ownership of the portion of the property that includes the ballfields and playground, which is now being donated to the town.

The fields are important to Garden Homes as well, Ledwith said Tuesday night, and access to the fields is being incorporated into their development.

“We will continue to work to Mr. Michaud’s concerns about parking, particularly handicapped parking,” Ledwith said, to increase the number of spots at the site and additional parking at the University of Saint Jospeh. “We’ll come up with a creative solution,” he said, and will keep the Council updated.

Cantor said that Michaud, in his work with the Miracle League and Little League, has “changed lives and you’ve made an incredible difference, and we understand and will do our best to alleviate those concerns.”

Councilor Alberto Cortes said his oldest son played in the Miracle League and the field is such a special place. “It’s good to see there’s not that limbo that we’ve had over the past years over what’s going on with that UConn property and how it’s going to impact that,” he said.

An application for the proposed mixed-use village that Carpionato and his partners would like to develop at 1800 Asylum is currently under consideration by the town. The Town Council had initially set a public hearing for Dec. 19, but while it’s still on the official schedule, due to some outstanding information that needs to be reviewed, the hearing will be opened on that date but immediately continued to a date in either January or early February. A date for the hearing should be announced next week, Ledwith said.

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