The Town Council gave developers the green light to construct a controversy-stirring condominium and mixed-use apartment complex that will rise six stories above West Hartford Center.
Representatives of the Arapahoe Group said they expect construction to start within the next six months on the development that will transform 3.4 acres of parking lot and office buildings along LaSalle Road, Arapahoe Road and Farmington Avenue into a six-story 58-unit condo building and five-story mixed-use building that will include ground-floor businesses and 25 apartments.
The Town Council voted 8-1 to approve the zoning changes needed by the Arapahoe Group for the construction.
The move came late Wednesday less than 10 days after a heated public hearing that lasted six hours and drew neighbors, business owners and residents both for and against the development.
Opponents had hoped that a protest petition with 284 signatories would trigger a supermajority vote against the Arapahoe Group’s application.
West Hartford Corporation Counsel Dallas Dodge, however, explained that in order to produce a supermajority, property owners representing 20% of all parcels within a 500-foot buffer zone of the development would have needed to sign the petition.
Dodge said Wednesday that only 18.4% of properties were represented in the petition — a number that would likely fall even further below the 20% threshold because the town charter requires signatures from each joint-owner of a parcel for the property to count.
Ultimately, the decision came down to a simple-majority vote by the Town Council.
Councilor Mary Fay cast the sole vote against the Arapahoe Group’s proposal. Before the vote, Fay said that she was not sure whether she would vote yes or no. Fay said that she was hesitant due to neighborhood opposition and concerns over the development’s scale and parking, but that she loved many other elements of the project.
Town councilors who voted to support the application lauded what they said was the beauty of the Arapahoe Group’s design. They said that the development would grow the town’s grand list, increase public safety, drive foot traffic to West Hartford Center businesses, create new living opportunities for downsizing empty-nesters or up-and-coming young professionals, as well as diversify and grow housing stock in the increasingly hot-market.
“People are moving from high-priced metropolitan areas to mid-size communities that are economically strong — and that’s what West Hartford is,” Mayor Shari Cantor said. “Our inventory right now is currently less than 40 homes for sale in the entire town, and typically it would be closer to 200.”
Cantor and others felt that the development is the right move for the future of the town.
“We feel that this investment will also lead to further investment in our Center and our town,” Cantor said. “Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim on the future, and that is what I think this project does.”
The Arapahoe Group application passed under several conditions. Notably, the Arapahoe Group must pay West Hartford a lump sum of $150,000 for traffic calming improvements off-site on Arapahoe Road and Woodrow Street. Additionally, the town will not issue a certificate of occupancy for the condo building until the developers have applied for a building permit for the smaller apartment and mixed-use complex and the traffic calming improvements have been completed.
“We extend our thanks to the Town Council members for the vision they demonstrated by approving this project. The town’s collaboration during this process has made the project even better. We’re excited to augment the vibrancy of West Hartford Center, provide more residential options, and make a significant contribution to the town’s grand list,” the Arapahoe Group said in a statement following the vote.
A Municipal Fiscal and Economic Impact Study conducted by the East Hartford real estate consultant Goman+York projected that West Hartford would earn an additional $1,661,755 in new real and personal property tax revenue for the project.
Additionally, Goman+York estimated that the new housing would generate consumer retail sales of more than $1,173,000 for businesses in town.
Arapahoe Group representatives said the company would continue to make itself available to West Hartford residents who want to discuss questions and concerns.
“We’re all local people and we care a lot about the center,” James Manafort of the Arapahoe Group said. “We’re committed to fully working with the town, with all the town agencies, and the neighborhood to assure that this project keeps the quality of life where it is with minimum impact, even during the construction period.”
The group said that they are “very excited” to hit the ground running after months of trial and error and dismissed applications.
“There’s a transformational element to what we’re doing in a parking lot,” Bruce Simons of the Arapahoe group added. “When you ask about all these kinds of trials and tribulations, I would say it’s a better project because of all of that. [The town] contributed to making it a better development.”
Once completed, the development will include 3,450 square feet of commercial space, underground parking, an outdoor pool, pollinator gardens, and landscaped green space and benches for public use.
The Goman+York report predicted the value of a one-bedroom 1,201 square-foot condo at $591,780. Price estimates for two-bedroom condos ranging from 1,454 to 1,760 square feet are $716,429 for the smaller and $942,180 for the larger unit.
Goman+York priced each rental unit at $3 a square foot. The monthly rent estimates for a 588- or 819-square-foot studio apartment are $1,764 and $2,457, respectively. One-bedroom apartments, which range from 932 to 983 square feet, fall at an estimated cost of $2,796 and $2,949 monthly.
However, four rentals would be reserved and priced affordably for tenants making at or below 80% of West Hartford’s median income for the next 40 years — something council members said is a step in the right direction but more could have been done.
Alison Cross can be reached at across@courant.com.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of East Hartford real estate consultant Goman+York.
