Riverfront Recapture will focus on adding a mix of multifamily housing, retail and restaurants on a portion of the 60-acre property it recently acquired along the Connecticut River on the Hartford-Windsor town line.
Conceptual drawings shared with the Capital Region Development Authority Thursday show a mixed-use development clustered along a 10-acre portion of the property furthest away from the waterfront.
The remainder will be new parkland, trails and a freshly dug, 9-acre lagoon for kayaking and other water activities.
“We are looking for something that would complement the new greenspace, the park we are looking to build,” Riverfront Recapture President Michael Zaleski, told the CRDA board during a briefing at its Thursday meeting.
Riverfront Recapture paid $625,000 for the property, located just north of Interstate 91, in a sale recorded in September 2019. The purchase was announced the following April.
East Hartford development consultant Goman+York was hired to sift through possible scenarios for a 10-acre piece of the property furthest from the river. The consultant considered hotels, industrial, logistics, entertainment and other potential uses before settling on a mix of multifamily, restaurant and retail space.
Mike Goman, principal of Goman+York noted this sort of development would best pair with the new park, which will include miles of trails connecting to a larger regional greenway, along with a newly dug, 9-acre lagoon for kayaking and other activities.
The plan is to target tenants who are recently divorced, recently retired, empty nesters or a couple with two incomes and no children. Goman said roughly 200 units would be needed to support the sort of amenity-rich multifamily development envisioned.
The proposal will require zoning amendments to be approved in both Windsor and Hartford, Goman noted. Next, a financial feasibility study will be conducted. And then the property would be marketed to potential developers.
The property, located just north of Interstate 91, is contaminated and will be remediated using state and federal funds allocated to Riverfront Recapture.
