A $43 million redevelopment of Hartford’s former Fuller Brush factory into 155 apartments has encountered delays, pushing anticipated completion into early 2027 as lenders work with the developer on a plan to finish the project.
Shelbourne Global Solutions began its redevelopment of portions of the sprawling, 326,000-square-foot, 10-building complex in Hartford’s North End began in late 2023. At the time, representatives of Brooklyn-based real estate development and investment company anticipated the residential redevelopment would wrap up in about 18 months, around mid-2025.
Capital Region Development Authority staff said Friday that the redevelopment at 3580 Main St. is no longer expected to meet its most recent completion deadline of Nov. 30. Instead, construction is expected to wrap in the first quarter of 2027.
The project has encountered setbacks, prompting CRDA in recent months to waive penalty interest and late fees on $8.5 million in loans to the project, according to staff who updated the agency’s Housing and Neighborhoods Committee on Friday.
“The project has run into numerous delays as we’ve reported back to the board,” CRDA Deputy Director Anthony Lazzaro said.
CRDA has already disbursed the full $8.5 million in loans. The city of Hartford provided a separate $1 million grant.
The project is now drawing on financing from JPMorgan, which has taken the lead in discussions among lenders and the developer about how to complete the redevelopment, Lazzaro said.
“The various lenders are now meeting regularly with the developers and borrowers to discuss a plan or a workout to get that project completed as well,” Lazzaro said.
Lazzaro said Friday that the causes of the latest delays remain unclear. CRDA officials expect to learn more during a meeting with the developer next week.
During a February meeting of Hartford’s Northeast Revitalization Association, Shelbourne representatives attributed previous delays and cost overruns to unexpected underground pipes and utility problems.
At that time, Shelbourne representatives said the project was fully funded and construction activity had largely resumed. They were targeting a summer 2026 opening, with pre-leasing expected to begin over the summer.
Fuller Brush manufactured a line of brushes and household cleaning products at the 12.5-acre Main Street complex from the 1920s until around 1960, when the company shifted operations to a new plant in East Hartford. Later, the site served as home to a state welfare office and a number of small businesses.
Shelbourne paid $4.3 million for the Fuller Brush property in 2020, later announcing plans to redevelop it in phases into a mix of apartments, amenities and commercial space. That effort was launched with the apartment development, which involves about 175,000 square feet of the property.
The project has been championed by community leaders as an opportunity to bring new investment, housing and economic activity to Hartford’s North End.
