A Glastonbury-based real estate investment firm has submitted an application in West Hartford seeking to convert the former Hoffman Summerwood senior housing community at 160 Simsbury Road to non-age-restricted multifamily housing with 108 units.
On Tuesday, the West Hartford Town Council acknowledged receipt of the application from Oceanport Realty Capital LLC and OP 160 Simsbury LLC, both of which share the same address, 624 Hebron Ave. in Glastonbury, and same principal owner, Jeremy Browning.
The application describes OP 160 Simsbury LLC as the “contract purchaser” of 160 Simsbury Road and states that it’s seeking an amendment to existing Special Development District (SDD) No. 106, currently known as Hoffman Summerwood and Henley Woods.
The application seeks to amend the approximately 9.9-acre Summerwood parcel to allow for expanded parking and drainage and site improvements “to support a change of use of the existing building from age-restricted multifamily to non-age restricted multifamily housing units.”
Summerwood — owned and operated by Hebrew Life Choices Inc., an affiliate of Hebrew Senior Care — announced in March that it planned to close by this fall and sell the property. At the time, President and CEO Denise Peterson said the organization had a sale agreement in place, but she did not identify the buyer.
Town property records do not yet show that the property has been sold, with Hebrew Life Choices still listed as the owner. The application includes a letter supporting the proposal that is signed by Peterson.
A narrative included with the application states that Hoffman Summerwood and Henley Woods district comprises “two contiguous properties under separate ownership” — a 9.9-acre parcel containing Summerwood and a 38.7-acre parcel containing Henley Woods, a 64-unit, age-restricted open space condominium development.
“The site accommodates the three-story, 108,159-square-foot Summerwood building originally constructed in 2000 and expanded in 2008 for a total of 108 units,” the narrative states.
The proposed amendment would allow for expanding the existing parking by 46 spaces and authorize improvements to the building and property.
Adding 46 parking spaces would bring the total to 144.
The property is zoned RM-4, a multifamily housing zone, the narrative states. Town property records, though, show the parcel is zoned R-13, which is also a multifamily zone.
The narrative notes the applicant intends to retain “the attractive architecture” the town originally approved for Summerwood and that only “limited exterior architectural changes are proposed.” Those changes would eliminate a service garage door on the west side of the building and replace it with French doors to provide access to a new plaza and courtyard.
The applicant also states it will retain the existing 108 apartment units — including one-, two- and three-bedroom units — and that 8% of the units will be deed-restricted for 30 years to remain affordable for residents with family incomes at or below 80% of the area median income. The applicant adds that it also intends to seek funding via the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) that would make it possible to increase the percentage of affordable units.
The application proposes new interior building amenities, including “a club room, training kitchen, conference center, Java-Bar, game room, we-work area, wellness spa, fitness center and library.”
In accepting the application, the Town Council referred it to the Town Plan & Zoning Commission, Design Review Advisory Commission, Capitol Region Council of Governments and the town of Bloomfield, and scheduled a public hearing for 6:30 p.m. on June 24.
