Dozens of officials, builders, investors and others turned out Tuesday to celebrate a ribbon-cutting of sorts for the new 292-unit “One Park” apartment complex in West Hartford.
Built on 22 acres that hosted the provincial-style residence of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery, the project is the brainchild of Martin Kenny, founder of Hartford-based builder and investor Lexington Partners. Kenny got involved in the property in 2017, after another proposal to develop the property and secure a future for the aging community of nuns fell through.
Kenny died of a heart attack in September, and was remembered by West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor at Tuesday’s ceremony as a visionary, candid, and straightforward “change agent” who helped elevate the greater Hartford region.
“Hartford would not look like it does, the greater Hartford area would not have the vitality that it does, without Marty’s tremendous passionate vision,” Cantor said.
Cantor credited the development, located at the corner of Park Road and Prospect Avenue on the town’s eastern edge by the Hartford line, with reviving retail in the immediate area.
Kenny’s sons, Kevin and Patrick, helped unveil a new “One Park” sign above the entrance to the building Tuesday, accented by Martin Kenny’s own flourished signature in bold on one corner – much like an artist would leave on a painting.
“To unite a historic convent building with this larger building in a way that tastefully pays homage to the original use of the property is a great accomplishment,” Chris Reilly, president of Lexington, said to the crowd. “This is a special place that the neighborhood and the town of West Hartford can be proud of.”
Martin Kenny was partnered in the project with his longtime friend and recurring investment partner Alan Lazowski, who heads Hartford-based LAZ Parking. Avon-based Corridor Ventures is a principal investor in the roughly $90 million project.
The project began with renovation of the former home and headquarters of the Sisters of St. Joseph into 92 apartments, which began renting in May. The apartments in the larger building were completed within the last week, Reilly said. Some amenities, including a fitness center and pickleball courts in the former chapel are still under construction, as is a rooftop deck.
Today, the complex is about 35% occupied, Reilly said. He expects to reach full occupancy by next May or June.
The complex includes 90 studio apartments, 157 one-bedroom units, 41 two-bedroom and four one-bedroom units, with 10% set aside as affordable at 80% of area median income.
Rents run from $1,600 monthly for a studio to $4,300 for a two-bedroom, Reilly said. Three-bedrooms will start at $5,000 a month.
About two dozen nuns still reside on the property, in a 36-room section that was carved off as a condominium. The developers have the right of first refusal to buy that section should the order ever decide to sell.
The complex connects a modern, 200-unit building to the antique, brick, Sisters of St. Joseph building, preserving much of the Olmstead-designed grounds that are untouched. The development preserved some of the religious statues on the grounds and managed to incorporate the old power-house, with its towering, brick smokestack, as a comfortable poolhouse/lounge area.
“You see something on paper for so many years, then you see it completed and it’s amazing,” Kevin Kenny said.
