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January 6, 2022

$34M mixed-use apartment project eyed for former Puritan Furniture property in West Hartford 

COSTAR The New Britain Avenue property in West Hartford's Elmwood section, which is being eyed for a $34 million apartment redevelopment, was formerly home to Puritan Furniture.
By Greg Bordonaro

A developer has plans to build a $34 million mixed-use apartment project in West Hartford’s Elmwood section, in the property formerly home to Puritan Furniture Store.

The transit-oriented development, which needs town approval and will be dependent on a zoning change, would represent the third major apartment project to be located in West Hartford's New Park Avenue corridor near the Elmwood and Flatbush CTfastrak bus stations. It would include 131 mixed-income apartments and ground-floor commercial space at 1051 and 1061 New Britain Ave., according to Kristen Gorski, West Hartford’s economic development coordinator.

The developer is Sami Abunasra who bought the property in 2020 for $1.1 million, after Puritan Furniture announced it was closing following more than 70 years in business. Abunasra also owns and operates the Ashley HomeStore Outlet that currently occupies some of the more than 100,000-square-foot property. The outlet store would remain a tenant once the project is completed. There would also be space for a restaurant or another retailer, Gorski said.

Abunasra said the project is in the advanced stages of design; he's already hired an engineering and architectural firm. As long as the town approves a zoning change that would accommodate transit-oriented development on the site, construction, which would take about 18 months, could begin as early as this summer. 

“It’s a great area and we want to be the catalyst for the development of this area, ” Abunasra said, noting that he's targeting as apartment tenants young professionals who crave an urban environment located near public transportation and nearby amenities. 

The development has gained some early momentum. On Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont announced the project will receive a $953,646 brownfield grant, which would go toward cleaning up the 2.97-acre site. The property has several  environmental issues, Gorski said, including asbestos and underground storage tanks.

As part of the remediation process, the current property will be demolished to make way for a newly-constructed, four-story building, Gorski said.

“We’re excited for the grant and remediation of this property, and equally excited to see this level of investment in Elmwood,” Gorski said. 

If the project moves forward it would represent the third major apartment development in West Hartford’s New Park Avenue corridor. In 2018, 54 mixed-income apartments debuted in the property at 616 New Park Ave. Meantime, construction is underway on a $20 million project that will create 52 mixed-income apartments at 540 New Park Ave. 
 

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