New Jersey Developer Plans 150 Units in West Hartford

West Hartford’s new transit-oriented development district is about to get its first test, nearly a year after it was adopted by the Town Council.

New Jersey businessman Sami Abunasra applied to develop a five-story, mixed-use building at 1051-1061 New Britain Avenue in the town’s Elmwood section, the Hartford Business Journal reported. The 205,000-square-foot development would include 150 apartments and 17,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

Only a couple of football fields from CTfastrak rapid busway, the development qualifies under the zoning district adopted in June. Under the district’s rules, developers can include greater multifamily density near mass transit.

An advantage of the district is that proposals will be reviewed by an administrative staff instead of appointed boards, potentially allowing approval to happen in as few as 65 days. Preference will also be given to projects with affordable housing, green energy and underground parking.

The proposal on New Britain Avenue includes 128 underground parking spots and a dozen ground level spaces. There will also be a few dozen spaces for the two restaurants and three retail spaces expected to occupy part of the development.

A majority of the units will be one-bedrooms, though there will also be studios, two-bedrooms and three-bedrooms available.

Abunasra purchased the three-acre property in 2020 for $1.1 million. At first, the businessman converted it to an Ashley HomeStore furniture location, but shifted to a mixed-use development after discussions with town officials.

West Hartford is home to several significant development projects as of late. West Hartford 1, led by investor and developer Domenic Carpionato, is planning a 492-unit project on a 58-acre site that formerly housed a University of Connecticut campus. The mixed-use project includes boutique retailers, restaurants, a medical office, a spa and a neighborhood market.

Separately, Continental Properties paid $10.6 million for a four-acre site of the former Children’s Museum. The New York-based firm plans to build a 172-unit luxury complex there.

— Holden Walter-Warner