Rezone Hearing For Massive West Hartford Development Pushed Back

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A public hearing regarding a zone change for a massive development project at the former University of Connecticut site in West Hartford will have to wait.

The West Hartford Town Council, which weighs in on zone change proposals in town, was slated to have a special public hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 19, regarding 33.5 acres of land at 1800 Asylum Ave.

But West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith said Wednesday this hearing would be opened and immediately continued to February to give the developers more time to finalize aspects of the application.

The delay will allow for updates on the project's traffic and parking studies, Ledwith said.

He said the public hearing scheduled for Thursday will be continued to Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in Room 314 at West Hartford Town Hall.

As a result, no public comments or applicant presentations will be heard at Thursday's meeting, which will likely be brief.

“I appreciate the applicant’s ongoing collaboration with town staff to ensure the town council and the public have all the necessary information to fully evaluate and discuss the merits of the application,” Ledwith said in a statement.

“Delays like this are common with large-scale projects, and I look forward to future discussions about the potential redevelopment of this property.”

Plans call for the complete demolition of all buildings on the Asylum Avenue site and building 12 new facilities for commercial/mixed-use residential developments, a new private roadway, and parking lots.

This aspect of the development would be at 1800 Asylum Ave.

The developer, "West Hartford 1," purchased the 58-acre UConn site in January 2022 and has filed applications under the names WEHA Development Group LLC and WEHA Development Group East LLC.

The 1800 Asylum Ave. portion comprises 33.5 acres subject to proposed rezoning from residential to business (shopping district).

The working name for the project is "Oakwood Park."

Facets of the development include multi-family residential housing; boutique-style retail components; restaurants; medical offices; a spa; an organic neighborhood market; public parks; walking areas, trails, and ballfields; and a structured parking component.

So far, only wetlands permits have been approved for the huge development project.

On Aug. 5, the West Hartford Plan & Zoning Commission voted 4-1 to approve a wetlands permit associated with the 1800 Asylum Ave. component.

In West Hartford, the PZC acts as the wetlands agency when it comes to wetlands permits.

Another component is at 1700 Asylum Ave., which calls for the construction of four multi-story residential apartment buildings.

The wetlands permit for this aspect of the project was approved last January.

Following town council input, the PZC then has jurisdiction over the UConn site project, with necessary land-use permits to be decided, likely sometime next year.

For all documents related to the rezone application at 1800 Asylum Ave., West Hartford, click on this link.

From Aug. 26: 'Large West Hartford Development Clears Another Land-Use Hurdle'