Old West Hartford Synagogue Site May Become Apartment Complex

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A former synagogue site that shuttered in 2019 may soon rise from the ashes as a new apartment building.

A developer is proposing to transform the site of the former Agudas Achim Synagogue at 1244 N. Main St. into a multi-family residential complex featuring one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment units, 49 in all with some of the units being affordable housing.

Before that can happen, though, the proposal by Trout Brook Realty Advisors Inc. must navigate its way through the West Hartford Town Council, along with various land-use boards, including the West Hartford Plan & Zoning Commission.

With minimal comments on Sept. 12, the West Hartford Town Council voted 9-0 to get the project going by referring the application to town land-use boards and scheduling a town council hearing on the matter for Oct. 24.

That hearing is required because the developers are seeking a zone change within the town's "Special Development District," a step that also requires council review prior to land-use board review.

In addition, the council's approved motion sends the application for review by the town's Design Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) and the West Hartford PZC.

In addition, the Town of Bloomfield has been notified of the proposal given its proximity to the town line.

The council's next activity on the application is the Oct. 24 public hearing, which is slated for 6:30 p.m. at West Hartford Town Hall, 50 S. Main St.

Attorney Timothy S. Hollister, of Hartford-based Hinkley Allen law firm and a representative of the development group, submitted a detailed narrative to the Town of West Hartford on Sept. 1.

According to Hollister, the old synagogue dates back to 1887, when the congregation was founded in Hartford and was comprised of Romanian Sephardic Jews.

In 1968, after the 1244 N. Main St. site was built in 1967, the congregation moved to West Hartford.

From the 1970s to early 2000s, wrote Hollister, the congregation hit its peak, with 600-700 packing the site's assembly hall regularly and about 1,000 worshippers on the high holy days.

Attendance, however, declined rapidly in the 2010s, with an average of 100 to 150 attending regular services, wrote Hollister.

The synagogue also operated a full-time, accredited high school for grades 9-12, but that school shuttered in 2011, merging into the New England Jewish Academy in town.

Finally, in 2019, the congregation dissolved and the 1244 N. Main St. building has been vacant since.

Earlier this summer, Trout Brook Realty Advisors Inc. agreed to a purchase agreement with the synagogue, paving the way for its apartment proposal.

Now, Trout Brook is looking to turn the 1.83-acre site into 24 one-bedroom units, 23 two-bedroom units, and two three-bedroom units.

Some of the existing building will be re-used and repurposed, but much of it will be demolished to make way for new construction.

In his memo to the town, Hollister admitted the change in use from a synagogue to an apartment building is a complex one, but one that could serve the community well.

"Change in the landscape of a town is never easy and is even more challenging when a proposal is made to redevelop a religious institution that has served generations of families," wrote Hollister.

"Here, the change can be justified because the redevelopment will assist the town with bringing well-designed and carefully planned rental residential units to the Bishop's Corner area of West Hartford, and will be carried out by an experienced developer with a track record of creating well-received communities."

For the full project narrative, click on this link.

For the project's architectural plans, click on this link.

For the minutes of the Sept. 12 West Hartford Town Council Meeting, click on this link.