Developer Paul Butler has unveiled plans for the final 214-unit phase of his Bloomfield town center apartment development, which will include about $4 million in public improvements.
Butler presented the plans to the Town Plan and Zoning Commission Thursday night.
He said he expects to file a formal site plan application in late winter and aims to begin construction in the spring.
The project site is at the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Gabb Road. Butler said the building would be set back from the intersection to create a small park. The building would appear to be three stories tall at the corner, with the first floor below grade because of the site’s elevation.
The design would incorporate stone and wood elements, Butler said.
Much of his presentation focused on improvements beyond the project’s property lines.
He said the town has asked him to build a raised crosswalk on Gabb Road at a cost of about $250,000. The crosswalk would be part of a broader traffic-calming project for which Butler said the state awarded Bloomfield $913,000.
Butler also said Eversource has agreed, after three and a half years of negotiations, to a 200-year lease that would allow him to build a public dog park and public parking on a utility-owned parcel across Bloomfield Avenue.
Butler said the owner of the apartment building would be responsible for maintaining the dog park under a contract with the town. Also, he said 20 of the parking spaces on the parcel would be set aside for Bloomfield residents, in addition to the parking required for the apartments.
To help make the project work financially, Butler said he is seeking a tax agreement from the Town Council. He is working with Goman & York, the town’s economic development consultant, on the financing.
Butler told the commission he plans to include workforce housing or pay a fee instead. His current plans designate about 12% of the units as workforce housing.
Planning and Zoning Director Jon Colman said town staff supports the proposal, citing Butler’s willingness to fund the Gabb Road improvements and public amenities.
Butler has been developing the town center in phases under a master plan that called for 407 apartments along Bloomfield and Jerome avenues and Jerome Way.
The first phase, Heirloom Flats, is a 215-unit complex that leased up within a year and sold for $61 million in early 2019. A $9 million, 42-unit building on Bloomfield Avenue followed, and the third phase called for 129 market-rate apartments on Jerome Avenue.
Butler first proposed the fourth phase in 2020.
