The West Hartford Chamber of Commerce hosted the town’s Economic Development Update Tuesday at a sold-out luncheon at the Pond House Café.

By Ronni Newton

In the year since the last Economic Development Update there has been an unprecedented level of investment in the town – and that was just one of the factors that Kristen Gorski, West Hartford’s economic development coordinator, highlighted as a reason why the town continues to be a place where businesses want to be, where developers want to build, and where people desire to live.

Speaking to a sold-out audience at the Pond House Café at the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce’s annual Economic Development Update luncheon, Gorski structured this year’s presentation by answering the question “Why West Hartford?” with the details behind nine key reasons.

Reason No. 1: We are seeing unprecedented levels of investment.

Gorski provided a snapshot of some major commercial property sales – including the purchase of the Big Y shopping center in Bishops Corner (by Big Y) for $22.4 million, the sale of the Bishops Corner West shopping center (where Target is located) for $76 million to First National Realty, and Continental Properties’ purchase from Kingswood Oxford of 3.4 acres of land formerly occupied by the Children’s Museum for more than $10 million.

Those are just sales – not the investments that the owners will also be making in those properties.

“I think it really is reflective of the fact that people want to be in West Hartford,” Gorski said.

Reason No. 2: The town is investing in affordable housing.

The West Hartford Town Council approved the establishment of the Affordable Housing Development Fund, allocating American Rescue Plan Act funds. “We really wanted to put our money where our mouth was,” she said of the $6 million fund established in December 2022.

To date there has been one grant, of $3 million, issued from the fund to the developer of The Camelot which will be developing the 900-904 Farmington Avenue property (West Hartford Inn and former Los Imperios) into a 40-unit multifamily residence, with 100% of the units affordable at some level. The town also applied for and received a nearly $1 million brownfield grant, which will be used to clean up asbestos and other contaminants on the property during the forthcoming demolition phase.

The Camelot project is being built in West Hartford Center, where there is very little affordable housing, she added.

In addition, “The Elle at North Main” is another affordable housing development on the horizon. The Elle, being developed by Trout Brook Reality Investors, will involve the transformation of the long-vacant Agudas Achim synagogue at 1244 North Main Street into 49 housing units, 80% of which will be affordable.

Not only is this project being proposed for Bishops Corner, a part of town where there is little affordable housing, but also unique os that the developer “will preserve the front of the building,” Gorski said, the beautiful stained glass wall and the foyer.

The Elle is set for a hearing before the Town Council on Oct. 24.

In addition, Gorski noted that 540 New Park is another recently completed and largely-affordable housing development that was celebrated with a ribbon cutting over the summer. It’s also a Transit-Oriented Development – “not just having residents who are going to own or drive vehicles live there but also folks who are going to take mass transit,” she said of the four-story, 52-unit development managed by the West Hartford Housing Authority that is 80% affordable and 20% market rate.

Reason No. 3: There is new multifamily and commercial investment everywhere you look.

A very long list of projects was highlighted by Gorski to back up this statement – and she said overall there are roughly 1,500 new housing units in West Hartford either in the course of constriction, approved, or being proposed.

Among the newly-completed and in-progress developments are:

• The Residences at Berkshire Road where 26 total units (two affordable) were constructed at the corner of New Britain Avenue and Berkshire Road where there was formerly a single-family home. The project is now fully leased, Gorski said.
• One Park, at the corner of Park Road and Prospect Avenue, which is nearly complete and the roughly $70 million investment will include 295 units on the site of the former Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambery property. Gorski said this was a “really tough project” that had many stops and starts and hurdles over the past decade. Lex-Laz, LLC and Corridor Ventures closed on the financing for the project at the corner of Park Road and Prospect Avenue in the summer of 2021, and Gorski said of Marty Kenny, the founder of Lexington Partners who died unexpectedly just a few weeks ago: “When everyone else said no, he said yes,” she said. One Park includes 30 units for the remaining members of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambery, and “there has been a lot of demand and excitement” regarding the leasing of the rest of the units. Included are 30 affordable units, managed through a partnership with the West Hartford Housing authority.
• The Byline, at 920-924 Farmington Avenue, “will be a five-story, 48-unit luxury apartment building in West Hartford Center,” Gorski said. There has been significant progress on the substantial project, which is under development by Jasko Development, and which will also include 10,000 of commercial space on the ground floor.
• Continental Properties has removed all of the existing structures at 950 Trout Brook Drive, and will construct a six-story, 172-unit apartment building on the site.
• “It’s great to see folks finding properties that are really needing reinvestment,” Gorski said of Center Park Place, the infill development that received approval from the Town Council for what is currently parking lots bordered by Arapahoe Road, LaSalle Road, and behind Farmington Avenue. The Arapahoe Group plans are to construct a four-story, 25-unit apartment with some affordable units and commercial occupancy on the first floor of what is currently the Webster Bank parking lot. While a tenant has not be identified for the commercial area, “I think that space will not stay vacant for very long,” Gorski said. The other part of the development is a five-story, 56-unit condominium building above stuttered parking. “We’re excited to see this move forward,” she said.

• The former site of S.K. Lavery, at 1003-1007 Farmington Avenue, is being marketed by the owners, Stone Point Properties, as a “trophy office/retail opportunity in the heart of West Hartford Center.” Plans are to do significant facade improvements, and if possible find a single tenant for the second-floor office space. “Fleet Feet will stay,” Gorski said.
• The former UConn campus – 1700-1800 Asylum Avenue – has been a topic of discussion at the Economic Development Update for years. The owners, West Hartford 1 LLC, “are furthering development plans on this site,” Gorski said, with plans for a mixed use development “very heavy on housing.” The project is currently “continuing to move through our process very informally,” Gorski said, with ongoing discussions but no formal plans other than a wetlands application – currently scheduled for consideration by the Town Plan and Zoning Commission on Monday, Oct. 23 – have been submitted. Gorski said she thinks that the plans will still “change a lot” before being formally submitted to the town.
• Elmwood Lofts, at the former Puritan Furniture site at 1051-1061 New Britain Avenue, was “the very first application we have received under the Transit-Oriented Development District,” Gorski said. The site plan, which requires only administrative approval under the terms of the ordinance, should be approved by the end of October, she said. The project includes 150 residential units and about 23,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The town received a brownfield grant of roughly $950,000 for this project, and Gorski said she expects demolition of the existing structures to begin by the end of 2023.
• The Jayden “likely could be our second Transit-Oriented Development Zone application,” Gorski said. The Design Review Advisory Committee had an informal review of new renderings last week. If approved, the project will involve demolition of the existing building and construction of 70 apartments and about 3,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space.
• The Corbin’s Corner shopping center owned by Regency Centers received approval for improvements in 2019, but COVID delayed the work. It’s now complete, with a new facade, seating areas, and other updates.

Reason No. 4: When it comes to professional services, we have thriving office demand.

While there is transition in the office market locally, regionally, and nationwide, in West Hartford, especially in the past year, “we have really hit our stride and we’re doing incredibly well when others are really struggling,” Gorski said. Office space in town is roughly 94% occupied while many communities have double-digit vacancy rates.

The positive occupancy rates in West Hartford extend throughout town – and include newly opened businesses like Verogy, Pregenzer Urology, Skyline Mortgage Service, Rize Mortgage, Tidewater Wealth Management, Elle Mental Health, Camden Grace Interiors, NFP, Bergenn Financial Group, and Johndrow Wealth Management.

In Blue Back Square, “they have been doing a fantastic job recruiting,” Gorski said of owner Charter Reality. Spaces has welcomed Hunter Design Studio, TIAA has a new location, and GYL Financial Synergy has relocated within Blue Back Square to a greatly-expanded 9,000 square foot space.

Future new office tenants have signed leases and will bring another 500 employees to Blue Back, Gorski said, and they include financial management firm Ares which is relocating from Simsbury, Beazley which is relocating from Farmington, and “another coming soon” which can’t be revealed but has leased 22,000 square feet of space for occupancy in 2024.

The Aurora Women and Girls Foundation recently had a ribbon cutting for new offices on Park Road, and at Corporate Center West (450 South Main Street), not only has owner Figure 8 Properties significantly reinvested in the atrium and other areas of the property, but there are new tenants as well.

Reason No. 5: We have a wide variety of shopping and dining to meet all our needs and wants.

From one end of town to the other, there have been new retail and restaurant businesses that have opened in the past year, and Gorski highlighted many of them – including Chop’t Creative Salad in Bishops Corner, Bohdii in the Center, and Le Mazet, the French country style restaurant that opened last month and still provides access to products sold by Arethusa which was the former tenant in the space.

Also newly opened in the Center are Green Tails Market and Lil Hope – both of which are owned by West Hartford residents – and MORE Italian Pasta Lab, owned by a family that approached Gorski and the Chamber about their desire to relocate to West Hartford from Rome, Italy. “It’s a really great concept and definitely a labor of love,” Gorski said of MORE’s homemade pasta.

Bean Restaurant Group reinvented the Wurst Haus space as Halfway, and the NY Deli and Grill is currently being built out in the former Oggi space on LaSalle Road.

In Blue Back, highlights over the past year include the opening of Kilwins and Rosa Mexicano, the transformation of Flora to Birdie Lounge (now underway), and the opening this week of Boqueria. “Another first for West Hartford,” Gorski said of the tapas restaurant at 46 South Main Street, which is the only Connecticut location.

Chip City has announced plans to open late this year or early in 2024, and while “everyone was very disappointed when Spot Coffee closed,” Gorski provided a sneak peek at plans submitted for The Bakery by The Place 2 Be, which is being built out in that space. “There’s a really incredibly cool vibe going on here,” she said of The Bakery.

On Park Road, River Bend Bookshop opened late last year, and Americana opened in April. Two small restaurants – Portobello and 1001 Mexican Bites, have “both posted 5-star reviews” on Yelp, Gorski said.

West Hartford is currently permitted by the state to have two adult-use cannabis retailers, and Budr opened in July at 1037 Boulevard. The second retailer, Sweetspot, is being built out in the former Caribe restaurant space at 2 Park Road.

Newly approved by the Town Council at Prospect Plaza is a 5,000-square-foot outparcel building that will house Chipotle with a drive-through and two smaller businesses. “They’re hoping to start construction later this year,” Gorski said.

Across Kane Street, West Hartford’s first Starbucks with a drive-through opened this year, and IHOP opened in the former Goldroc Diner space.

On New Park Avenue, Honduran cuisine can be found at 504 Restaurant, WeHa Candle Company now has a brick and mortar space at 635 New Park, and Perkatory relocated from GastroPark to their own space at 625 New Park. GastroPark quickly back-filled the vacancy with Alvarium Roasting Company, Gorski said.

At 984 New Britain Avenue, an application was approved in 2021 for an outbuilding and O’Reilly Auto Parts is now constructing a 7,600 square foot building, while Cha Papi – which is getting “such outstanding reviews” and often has a line out the door, is now open in the Shield Street Plaza.

In the heart of Elmwood, Zaytoon Mediterranean Kitchen has a second West Hartford location that opened this year, and Soul Bowls – owned by a team “born and raised in West Hartford” is expanding from Hartford with a soul food restaurant that should open in mid November in the former CT Organic Pasta space, Gorski said.

She also noted plans to construct a Starbucks (also with a drive-through) at 450 South Main, the opening of Crumbl Cookies at the Corbin Collection, and the opening later this week of furniture and decor retailer Arhaus at Westfarms. “That’s a really significant space for Westfarms,” Gorski said.

Reason No. 6: There are an array of health and wellness professionals focused on helping you feel your best.

Health and wellnesses businesses have opened or expanded throughout town, and include Hair Noir which relocated from the shared space at Salons by JC to open their own location at 1000 Farmington Avenue. SDSS is now open on Farmington Avenue, and the Chamber has had ribbon cuttings this year for other Center businesses including Hibiscus & Honey and Ignite Med Spa & Wellness.

In Blue Back, Awaken 180 Weightless, Greenwich Med Spa have opened, and Muse Painter is “working to build out a much more prominent tenant space,” relocating to the former Charming Charlie space at 77 Isham Road.

WeHa Fit and Honest Beauty have opened on Park Road, WIP is under new ownership, and Planet Fitness, Central Rock, Arsen’s Gym, Club Pilates, and Studio 310 have all opened this year.

Reason No. 7: We’re working to enhance navigation and improve connectivity throughout town.

“We’re going to welcome a plethora of new residents to town,” Gorski said, with all of the new residential units under construction. The town has been working with consultant Merje on a plan for comprehensive signage.

“What is our brand? What will it look like?” Gorski said the plans for wayfinding and other signage, which have been developed through extensive outreach and input from stakeholders, are 50% complete and will address not only entries to town but also parks, parking, and other needs for navigating the town.

Reason No. 8: We support our businesses!

One of the ways in which West Hartford has supported its businesses is through the establishment of a COVID-19 recovery grant program for small businesses and nonprofits. The Town Council allocated $2 million in ARPA funds to the program, and eligible businesses and organizations could apply for one-time grants of up to $10,000 to recoup losses due to the pandemic. “We are proud to have awarded $1.1 million in grants through this program,” Gorski said.

Gorski also highlighted programs, events, and partnerships with other organizations, including the Community Job & Resource Fair, small business forums, and even the launch of a conversation with the South African Consulate about the possibility of collaboration.

Reason No. 9: This is a place your business can grow and succeed!

Gorski ended her presentation by noting several significant milestone anniversaries celebrated by West Hartford businesses over the past year. They included Cafe Louise Catering (30 years) and Har-Con (75 years). United Tool & Die last week celebrated its 100th anniversary, and Lux Bond and Green is this year celebrating its 125th year in business.

Chamber of Commerce Director of Programming and Development Kate Kobs and Board Chair Chip Janiszewski also addressed the crowd at the luncheon. Denisa Kami, Senior Manager for M&T Bank, which was the presenting sponsor of event, introduced Gorski.

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