Wrecking Ball For West Hartford Museum Gets The OK

WEST HARTFORD, CT — While The Children's Museum in West Hartford preps to move into its temporary location at a local synagogue, developers for the former site cleared a key hurdle recently in their quest to build a large apartment building there.

The West Hartford Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency voted 4-0 last week to approve demolition of the old museum building at 950 Trout Brook Drive as a precursor to building a 172-unit apartment building there.

In West Hartford, the town's plan & zoning commission acts as the IWWA and its approval was required because project plans are within 5,750 square feet of land that is in an "upland review area" near Trout Brook.

The application was submitted by West Hartford Partners LLC out of New York, N.Y., which is developing the site.

It was made on behalf of the Kingswood-Oxford School, which owns the property and is planning to sell to the developers.

This action was just one step in the process and other town land-use boards will be required to act on the project later.

According to the project's narrative released by the town, "there are no wetlands on the property and there will be no direct impacts to any wetland areas."

The project is expected to include drainage improvements which town officials said would actually improve the water quality of the brook.

Prior to the building's demolition, however, the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District said a pest control assessment must happen to determine if the project would displace rodents to the surrounding neighborhood.

As for the museum, its last day at that site was Sept. 3 and it is currently in the process of moving and reopening to a temporary location at the Emanuel Synagogue, 160 Mohegan Drive, West Hartford.

It will stay there until it moves into a permanent location, a process the museum is currently looking to finalize.

From Aug. 22: 'West Hartford Children's Museum's Future Slowly Evolves'

For the minutes of the Sept. 7 West Hartford Plan & Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link.

For the meeting information packet of the Sept. 7 West Hartford Plan & Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link.