Phase 1 of the redevelopment of West Hartford Fellowship Housing, located on Starkel Road in Bishops Corner, has been completed, and a grand opening and ribbon cutting was held on June 12, 2025.

By Ronni Newton

The first part of a redevelopment plan more than a decade in the making was celebrated Thursday morning with a grand opening and ribbon cutting for Phase 1 of West Hartford Fellowship Housing – which adds 65 brand new and state-of-the-art affordable apartments for seniors and individuals with disabilities as well as amenity spaces – and during the ceremony a surprise announcement and reveal took place for the “Shari G. Cantor Community Room.”

When Cantor, who was one of the speakers earlier in the celebration, first stepped up to the podium she was already a bit verklempt to see the completion of the first phase of what will ultimately be a four-phase project and overall roughly $100 million investment in redevelopment of the property on Starkel Road in Bishops Corner. Her husband and other family members were present in the room, “because they know how much this means to me,” but unbeknownst to her they had been invited for other reasons.

“This is really the heart of what we do, is make people safe and have West Hartford be the place that they want to be,” Cantor said. The project has been a mission supported by many who served with her and before her on the Town Council, dating back to when the town first leased the property to West Hartford Fellowship Housing (WHFH) 55 years ago for the purpose of creating affordable housing for seniors, and more than a decade ago when the plans began to take shape for the upgrade.

She expressed her gratitude to all who were involved in the completion of Phase 1 – including several current and former Town Council members such as Clare Kindall and Leon Davidoff, as well as Deputy Mayor Ben Wenograd and Counselor Alberto Cortes for serving on the Board of Directors. Kindall, she said, “had the passion, the commitment, the organization, and the real perseverance to get this done,” Cantor noted.

When he first stepped up to the podium, Davidoff spoke about his dedication to serving on the WHFH Board, and thanked all those who have spent countless volunteer hours, going above and beyond in their roles and pursuing the vision “to improve the quality of life for seniors from our community so that they could have first-class affordable housing like everybody else who calls West Hartford home.” He said he considers working to support the redevelopment become reality to be his greatest accomplishment of the past decade “because we have made generational impact to the lives and people who live here now and who are going to call this home in the future.”

Davidoff also had the honor of revealing the surprise. “When you think of an individual in our community who’s worked tirelessly for our West Hartford seniors for decades – not as a politician but as a concerned citizen, community volunteer – only one person comes to mind and that’s my good friend Shari Cantor,” he said, someone who has spent countless hours over the years the town’s senior centers, helping deliver meals, and volunteered so much more of her time. He said he gained the support of the Board of Directors who unanimously endorsed the plan – and applause rang out as the sheets covering the lettering for the “Shari G. Cantor Community Room” were pulled down.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Cantor, her voice cracking with emotion. “I am speechless but thank you so much for this honor and all I wish is that you use it good health and it brings community together and brings so much happiness.”

The entire celebration Thursday was held with great fanfare – including a ribbon cutting in the new courtyard outside Phase 1.

The work – and the mission – is far from over, however. “Very soon, we’re hoping July 1, we’ll be transitioning to the constriction of Phase 2, adding 77 units by the end of next year,” said Keith Robertson, WHFH Board president. “And then we’re also very humbled by our recent award of financing, for funding of Phase 3, which will deliver another 77 units that we expect will be completed in late 2027.”

Residents – including some who are moving into the brand new units – as well as state and local officials and representatives of WHFH attended Thursday’s ceremony. Applause rang out through the packed room as Robertson showed a heartwarming video of several residents seeing their new homes for the first time.

“If anyone wonders why we do what we do, that’s why we do what we do,” Robertson said after the video concluded. “The residents are first and foremost in our minds in really every effort that we put in here.”

Rob Michalik, director of Government Relations for the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA), commented that he’s spent a lot of time in West Hartford lately – including at the groundbreaking during the winter for The Elle on North Main Street and at the ribbon cutting for The Camelot on Farmington Avenue in May. CHFA plays a key role in the financing of affordable housing throughout the state through the awarding of federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) that spur private investment.

“More than anything else it is a testament to the commitment that this community, its elected leadership, have for providing safe, quality housing for the residents of West Hartford,” Michalik said. “And as far as I’m concerned there’s no greater sign of than this development we are celebrating here today.” The 65 new units, he said, are in the heart of West Hartford, near bus lines, cultural amenities, restaurants, shops, and more. And this is just the first phase of what will ultimately bring more than 300 modern and affordable units to the property.

Seila Mosquera-Bruno, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Housing, noted that housing preservation as well as the creation of new housing is so important. She congratulated the WHFH Board and staff for what they have achieved and the work that will continue. DOH, she said, is happy to be in the position to provide resources and collaboration on behalf of the state to support WHFH.

“I know that we have a lot more to do. We need to build more housing,” she said, noting that DOH has given about $25 million to West Hartford, and will continue to give more.

“West Hartford is a place with a big heart, and you can feel it in this room ad you can see it in this beautiful new housing,” said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz. “You could see it in the faces of the people who were looking at their new homes [in the video] and this is why the governor and I believe in the leadership of West Hartford. We’ve invested $25 million-plus, and I know the mayor’s got a list, right?”

Housing – and affordable housing – are critical to the state’s future, Bysiewicz said, to fill the 100,000 jobs that are open. “When it comes to housing, West Hartford gets it right, because they renovate, they repurpose, the reinvent, they reimagine what affordable housing can be. … West Hartford, everyone should take a look at what you’re doing and follow your leadership, because if they do they will have the same kind of vibrant, diverse, beautiful place as West Hartford.”

State Sen. Derek Slap (D-5th District) and state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest (D-18th District) also shared some remarks. “You have such strong community here, and what a great location,” Slap said to the residents who attended the ceremony.

Slap said he agreed with Bysiewicz that “this is also a model for the rest of the state. We have a housing crisis in Connecticut. We all know that,” with a need for 300,000 additional units of housing statewide. He said that 62% of the land in Connecticut is zoned for single-family housing on at least one acre, which chokes off opportunity.

Gilchrest echoed her gratitude to all “for such an important vision.”

Mark Garilli, CEO of West Hartford Housing Authority, offered closing remarks before the cutting of the ribbon, and noted he has been to a lot of graduations and award ceremonies recently where many have shared the same advice.

“And that was to be kind,” Garilli said. “In fact, it was above all others a piece of advice – to be kind. I believe that kindness is the common thread that brought us all together today,” but sometimes hard to come by. “For most of us in our industry, kindness is the ‘why’ we do what we do. … I can tell there’s no shortage of kindness in this room,” he said.

“Today is a dream come true, a vision that seemed beyond reach. Thank you to all our residents for your patience and perseverance, but most of all for your trust in us, and for believing that one day we would get the job done,” Garilli said, also thanking staff, the construction team, and all who provided financing and other support, as well as the “Paper Dolls” – a group of artists from the West Hartford Art League whose works grace the hallways.

It’s been more than 11 years since the board of the nonprofit WHFH decided to redevelop the out-of-date property on town-owned property on Starkel Road in Bishops Corner. Many of the buildings were constructed in the early 1970s, and while the property is not intended to be assisted living, they lack elevators and other critically important amenities and accessibility features.

The redevelopment of WHFH has been in the planning stages for many years, and was extensively reviewed, and unanimously approved, by the West Hartford Town Council in September 2019.

Phase I received $1.8 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits  in 2022 and further support from the Connecticut Department of Housing.

A ceremonial groundbreaking for the first phase of the redevelopment of WHFH was celebrated with great fanfare in November 2023, and the project’s first phase will create a total of 65 affordable units – 43 more units than were located in the buildings that it replaced – in a modern and fully-accessible four-story building that includes in-unit laundry facilities, community spaces such as a roughly 2,800-square-foot multipurpose room, cafe, conference room, fitness room, art room, and clinic. There will also be a communal laundry area with large-capacity washers and dryers, which will also save as the transitional laundry room for those still living in the older units.

When all four phases are completed, 23 of the existing 24 buildings that comprise West Hartford Fellowship Housing will have been replaced, expanding the number of affordable housing units on the property by about 40%, from 210 to 302.

To view images of units taken during a tour in December 2024, click here.

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