Vessel Technologies has won approval for its planned multi-unit apartment development in Rocky Hill.
The proposed two-building complex on a vacant site at 125 Henkel Way will contain 96 “attainably priced” homes.
The town Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the application. An earlier pitch by Vessel for a five-story building on Main Street with 30 units was denied after board members cited concerns with traffic flow, lack of sidewalks or greenspace, inadequate parking and electrical grid capabilities.
The property, at the intersection of Henkel Way and Brook Street, is nearly six acres of mostly wooded land in an office park zone, in close proximity to Interstate 91.
The new plans include 90 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units; 29 of the units, or 30%, would be deemed affordable.
Vessel is under contract to purchase the land from Corpridge Land Co. LLC, an affiliate of Lowell, Mass.-based Farley White Management Co., for an undisclosed amount following site plan approval. The land has a total appraised value of $704,400, according to town land records.
Vessel officials said they are hoping to start work on the Rocky Hill site in early 2024, and have it completed later that year.
The Rocky Hill complex would be the first two-building project by Vessel in Connecticut.
A 70-unit Vessel project, at 146 Realty Drive on a lot along Highland Avenue in Cheshire, has been approved.
Another project in Granby, at 37 Hartford Ave., is in the permitting process, Vessel officials said.
A Simsbury project was denied and an appeal has been filed.
A New London building, which was the first Vessel project approved in Connecticut, is expected to open in October.
The Vessel model looks to build small, energy-efficient apartments that are accessible to middle-income professionals like first responders, teachers and other residents who don’t qualify for subsidized housing but for whom luxury or even market-rate rents are out of reach, Vessel CEO and Founder Neil Rubler said.
Vessel RE Holdings is an affiliate of New York City-based Vessel Technologies.
