West Hartford Inn May Become Affordable Housing

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Town officials this week have approved the backing of a developer's efforts to transform a local hotel into much-desired affordable housing.

In doing so, the West Hartford Town Council unanimously voted Tuesday to authorize West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith to seek $998,000 in state funds to environmentally rehab the West Hartford Inn site at 900 Farmington Ave. in preparation to develop affordable housing there.

Ledwith told council members Tuesday the town would seek the money on behalf of the developers, WHI Camelot LLC, which would then use the funds, if approved, to clean up the site.

The grant being sought is through the state Department of Economic and Community Development's Municipal Brownfield Grant Program.

Such funding, Ledwith said, is only available to municipalities and its goal is to help towns aid in the development of properties requiring any environmental cleanup.

Applications for the brownfield funding are due by Friday, Sept. 23, with an announcement of grant recipients expected in December.

The town is supporting the development project because it will increase affordable housing stocks in town, something highlighted in the town's plan of conservation and development.

In addition to the West Hartford Inn site, the developers would build apartments at the site of an abandoned restaurant nearby, the Los Imperios restaurant.

"We're very excited to talk about this particular resolution," Ledwith said prior the town council vote Tuesday.

Ledwith said WHI Camelot plans to build 44 units of "mixed-income housing," with 80 percent of the units being deed-restricted for those with varying incomes.

"This project is critical to supporting diversity of housing stock, specifically in an area of town that is experiencing significant increased market rate and luxury units through approved and proposed developments," wrote Ledwith to the council.

He added the West Hartford Inn site is ideal for affordable housing due to is proximity to West Hartford Center, Blue Back Square, major bus lines and the Trout Brook Trail, which can take users to both express bus lines and rail lines nearby.

Housing diversity is seen as key to future economic development.

Town officials emphasized Tuesday's action was just a single step in a long process that could take a couple of years to complete, namely the transformation of a hotel into affordable housing.

West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said diversifying housing stock is a good reason to be "enthusiastic" about the development, but there's some work to be done.

"There's still along way to go to have this project be a reality," Cantor said at the meeting. "But this is a step."

The situation, however, has not been without a bit of controversy.

CTInsider reported Friday he West Hartford Republican Town Committee posted a Tweet before the vote saying the town needed to curb property taxes to make the town affordable, not allow for affordable housing "slums."

The post, CTInsider reported, was taken down Wednesday, but the local GOP did own up to it.

To watch the Sept. 13 West Hartford Town Council meeting, click on this link.

To see an agenda packet of the West Hartford Town Council meeting, click on this link. (The West Hartford Inn materials start on page 264.)

For the full CTInsider report, click on this link.