The New Britain Department of Planning and Development has announced it will release a request for proposals in August for a developer to build single-family homes in the city’s Eastside neighborhood following the demolition of the old St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
The city said a developer is scheduled to be selected in October and the project will break ground soon after.
The city announced plans in the fall of 2021 to use the land for the construction of single-family homes for first-time homebuyers. Since the announcement, city officials said crews have completed the school’s demolition and are currently hauling the materials off-site.
The next step in the construction project is to have crews start the grading process, which will involve backfilling the site with structural fill and then grading the material, city officials said.
The entire 2.2-acre site will be subdivided into 11 lots for 11 single-family homes. The homes will be constructed on Sheffield, Kelsey, and East streets.
The project is being funded by a combination of city money and federal HOME grants and American Rescue Plan Act funding, as well as other sources. City officials said it’s too early to estimate the exact cost of the project.
Mayor Erin Stewart said the new homes will go a long way to revitalizing the neighborhood.
“We have been transforming our neighborhoods block-by-block, and this project is a significant part of New Britain’s exciting transformation,” the mayor said in a statement. “The removal of a dangerous, blighted building has made way for beautiful single-family homes that will attract more families into our great city to grow our tax base and expand our thriving community.”
