The city of Hartford is looking to sell one of its underutilized Parkville neighborhood properties to a not-for-profit organization planning to build a $6.7 million senior-housing development on-site.
North Haven-based New Samaritan Corp., which calls itself Connecticut’s largest nonprofit developer of affordable senior housing, is proposing to buy 126 and 130 New Park Ave., 161 Francis Ave. and 8 Francis Court, for $87,000 in order to build a 22-unit housing complex there for elderly residents, city records show.
The sale price represents the fair market value of the property, according to the city’s assessor’s office.
According to plans, New Samaritan will construct 22, one-bedroom units at the corner of New Park Avenue and Francis Circle, adjacent to a Stop & Shop supermarket and CTfastrak station. The complex is expected to include a kitchen, activity area and rooms for physical and occupational therapy, among other spaces.
The hope is that tenants would receive rental assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
New Samaritan has committed $2 million for the proposed project, but still needs approval for more than $4.5 million in HUD funding before it moves forward with development. HUD is currently reviewing its request, and a decision is expected by year-end.
To date, the nonprofit has invested about $165,000 in the project via environmental studies, architectural work and consulting fees.
“The project is designed to support seniors as they grow older, enabling them to age in the community,” Mayor Luke Bronin wrote in a letter to the city council, which is being asked to approve the land sale at a future meeting.
New Samaritan has developed approximately 2,500 units of housing in Connecticut and Massachusetts since its founding nearly 50 years ago, city records show.
