West Hartford’s Town Plan & Zoning Commission (TPZ), in its capacity as the town’s Inlands Wetlands and Watercourses Agency, will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, beginning at 6 p.m., to consider the wetlands application for 1800 Asylum Avenue.

By Ronni Newton

Roughly six months after West Hartford’s Town Plan & Zoning Commission (TPZ), in its capacity as the town’s Inlands Wetlands and Watercourses Agency (IWWA), approved the wetlands application for the eastern (1700 Asylum Avenue) portion of the former UConn campus property, TPZ/IWWA will meet on July 17 to consider the wetlands application for the western (1800 Asylum Avenue) portion of the property.

Wednesday’s meeting, which includes the opportunity for public comment, will begin at 6 p.m. with a presentation by the developer, West Hartford 1 LLC.

The wetlands application for 1800 Asylum was submitted on April 19, 2024, shortly after the Town Council, by an 8-1 vote, approved formation of a special development district and zoning changes allowing the Residences at Heritage Park, with four buildings and a total of 322 units, to be developed on the 1700 Asylum Avenue parcel.

If the wetlands application for 1800 Asylum is approved, the developer has indicated that plans will then be finalized and an application submitted for creation of a special development district and change in zoning to accommodate creation of the rest of the proposed neighborhood village, to be called Heritage Park.

In an update sent out late last week as neighborhood outreach by the developer to property owners and residents within 500 feet of the campus, West Hartford 1 LLC noted that the “design and character of the project” has been improved through input received from TPZ/IWWA and the Design Review Advisory Committee (DRAC), which held its 10th informal study session on the project on June 27, 2024.

Town staff as well as the wetland and soil scientist from SLR International Corporation that the town has contracted with to provide expert advice, have conducted extensive review of the wetlands application, and multiple rounds of questions and responses as well as clarifications have been provided, with the most recent updates posted to the town’s website on July 12, 2024.

According to West Hartford a LLC, the total area of wetlands on the site is approximately 8.9 acres, and the total upland review area (land that is within 150 feet of wetlands) comprises roughly 17.78 acres of the roughly 33.5 acres at 1800 Asylum Avenue. The two portions of the 57-plus-acre campus had originally been submitted to TPZ/IWWA together, but were officially bifurcated for consideration separately late last year.

Plans for 1800 Asylum call for demolition of the remaining buildings that from the UConn campus, and construction of 12 buildings of one to four stories, including a total of 211 residential units – reduced from an earlier submission of plans for 247 units on the western side of the development. Residential units include townhomes, apartments, and 90 units of assisted living.

The proposal also includes a 26,488-square-foot organic grocery store, several restaurants, and a destination spa. There have been discussions with DRAC about the orientation of the grocery store to minimize the sightline impacts to existing residences on Lawler Road as well as to the new townhomes proposed for Lawler Road, and DRAC has also recommended reduction in the number and size of the townhomes proposed for Asylum Avenue, with those changes appearing on the most up-to-date renderings. Several of the buildings have also been reoriented to increase the wetlands buffer.

The main roadway into the development has also been realigned in the latest iteration, to create an intersection with Fox Meadow Lane across Asylum Avenue – which was recommended by DRAC.

Some of the other revisions to the plans noted by the developer include:

• Formation of a comprehensive mitigation plan that will create new wetlands, restore developed lawn wetlands, enhance riparian corridors, enhance developed lawn upland buffers and establish a wetland walking trail with interactive signage.
• Increase in the wetland buffer enhancement areas and reduction of potential disturbances in the upland review areas by narrowing driveways and introducing permeable pavers where possible.

The proposal also calls for public walking trails “designed to invite people who live in the surrounding neighborhoods to utilize the park-like setting.”

“Our goal is to give West Hartford residents new options to live here in this welcoming, green, walkable village that will fit well into this location – a place where people in the new village and area neighborhood will be able to walk from their homes to the grocery store, enjoy the day spa, grab coffee, lunch or dinner, visit the small shops, use the walking trails or relax by the waterside,” the developer stated in the outreach letter to neighbors.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.