West Hartford Fellowship Housing announced that they have closed on the financing of Phase II of their redevelopment project.

Fellowship Housing. Photo credit: Red Skies Photography. Courtesy photo

By Ronni Newton

Earlier this summer West Hartford Fellowship Housing celebrated the completion of the first phase of a major redevelopment project, and on Thursday the nonprofit announced another exciting milestone with the official closing of financing for Phase II and the commencement of demolition of eight of the old buildings to make way for the new units.

“This is a momentous step forward for the entire Fellowship Housing community,” Mark Garilli, CEO of WHFH, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to see our residents thriving in the new Phase I apartment homes and to now begin the work of transforming the next section of our campus.”

Demolition in progress as West Hartford Fellowship Housing Phase II underway. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

With the completion of Phase I, 65 brand new, state-of-the-art, energy efficient, affordable apartments were made available to West Hartford residents – 22 more affordable residences than the outdated buildings that the new structure replaced. Phase II will add 77 new units to West Hartford Fellowship Housing by the end of 2026 – one- and two-bedroom units that will be available to seniors and individuals with disabilities with limited incomes. The apartments will have in-unit laundry facilities and modern features the older buildings lacked, as well as accessibility to the communal amenities that were built as part of Phase I.

Completed Phase I of West Hartford Fellowship Housing. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

As was the case with the first phase of redevelopment, residents of the buildings that are in the process of being demolished have been relocated to other apartments on the property.

It’s been more than 11 years since the board of the nonprofit WHFH decided to redevelop the out-of-date property on town-owned property on Starkel Road in Bishops Corner.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, the older buildings 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.

Demolition in progress as West Hartford Fellowship Housing Phase II underway. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

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.

Phase I, a modern and fully-accessible four-story building that includes in-unit laundry facilities in all 65 units, also has community spaces such as a roughly 2,800-square-foot multipurpose room – named the Shari G. Cantor Community Room in honor of the mayor – cafe, conference room, fitness room, art room, and clinic. There is also a communal laundry area with large-capacity washers and dryers, which also serve as the transitional laundry room for those still living in the older units.

In April 2025, WHFH announced it had been awarded Low Income Tax Credits, a key element of the financing for funding of Phase III, which will deliver another 77 units that they expect to be completed in late 2027.

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.

“WHFH would like to thank its development team, business partners, residents, staff, and the Town of West Hartford for their continued support throughout this transformative process,” the organization wrote in their recent announcement. WHFH also noted in a Facebook post that they “were thrilled to partner with the West Hartford Fire Department” which used the vacated buildings in Phase II for training exercises prior to the start of demolition.

West Hartford Fellowship Housing has also stated that they will be opening the wait list and accepting applications for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit apartments located on Starkel Road. Interested applicants may apply online at between Sept. 2, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. and Sept. 22, 2025, 11:59 p.m.  Applications are also available at the leasing office at 20 Starkel Road.

For more information on the redevelopment project or to learn more about WHFH, visit the website whfh.org or contact the office at 860-523-0881.

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

West Hartford Fellowship Housing Phase 1 Grand Opening Celebration. June 12, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)

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