Massive WeHa Development Project Gets First Town OK

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The first of multiple municipal approvals required for one of West Hartford's biggest-ever development projects was granted unanimously Wednesday night.

The West Hartford Plan & Zoning Commission/Inland Wetlands Watercourses Agency unanimously voted 5-0 to approve a wetlands permit for the development of residential apartment buildings at the old University of Connecticut site at 1700 Asylum Ave.

In West Hartford, the PZC acts as the wetlands agency when it comes to wetlands permits, and the commission, in a special meeting at West Hartford Town Hall, was acting in that capacity.

West Hartford PZC/IWWA Chairman Kevin Ahern reiterated the IWWA was deliberating the project's impact on nearby wetlands and whether it met the regulatory criteria for a wetlands permit.

Other aspects of the development require further approvals later on, he said.

Commission member Gordon Binkhorst motioned for approval.

"Again, this was a long and complicated process and application. And I considered many different things in terms of the applicants' presentation," said Binkhorst. "In my opinion, I don't see where a significant impact to the wetlands and resources occur within our resources."

The project

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

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

Another component at 1800 Asylum Ave. called for the construction of 14 new buildings to have a diverse array of uses, ranging from mixed-use to housing to retail/commercial buildings.

However, the wetlands application for the retail/commercial portion of the project, 1800 Asylum Ave., was withdrawn amid delays and questions from commission members and the public.

The 1700 Asylum Ave. wetlands application, the housing aspect, was still before the town's PZC/IWWA and that was what the wetlands permit was for.

Long hearing

Wednesday's proceedings came after a lengthy public hearing that spanned three separate meetings.

Many speakers on Nov. 29, Dec. 11, and Dec. 13 expressed concerns about the proposal's environmental and community impacts, worries that prompted a delay in action.

The commission closed the public hearing on Dec. 13 but opted to push back deliberations and a decision until after the holidays.

That was pushed back further on Jan. 3 as the PZC grappled with a large agenda that night, resulting in the special meeting on Wednesday.

Some pushback

For the most part, commission members agreed on the merits of the application, but commission member Joshua Kaplan expressed opposition regarding plans to demolish Oak trees in that area.

He said those Oak trees play a role in handling water runoff and he feared that could create flooding issues during heavy rains.

Town staffers and his colleagues, however, said those risks were not deemed serious enough to merit denial of the application.

As a result, Kaplan voted "yes" when an amendment was added urging the developers to save some of the trees on a portion of the site.

"My concern with that is relative to the number of large-diameter trees that are being taken down within 100 feet of the upland review area," Kaplan said.

Next steps

Redevelopment of the area, which was the UConn-Hartford branch from 1970 to 2017, has been part of town conversations for years after the campus relocated to downtown Hartford.

What was initially before the PZC/IWWA were wetlands applications for 1700 and 1800 Asylum Ave., addresses located near wetlands, resulting in the need for an IWWA permit.

Eventually, a wetlands permit will be necessary for 1800 Asylum Ave. and a new wetlands application will need to be submitted.

Then, the commission — acting as a PZC — will address new applications on the zoning side, meaning construction is still a long way off.

As for this application, Ahern complimented the public, town hall staff, and his colleagues for how the approval process for 1700 Asylum Ave. went.

"I can say this, without a doubt, this has been some of the most prepared statements that I have witnessed, certainly regarding a wetlands application," Ahern said of the hearing testimony in recent weeks. "I'm greatly appreciative of that. I'm not sure other towns have that kind of input."

From Jan. 4: 'WeHa Wetlands Board Pushes Back UConn Site Decision'

For all of the latest documents related to this development, click on this link.