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June 15, 2023

Developer unveils nearly $100M mixed-use vision for Hartford’s Bushnell South zone 

By Michael Puffer

A New Jersey developer picked to redevelop a 2.8-acre parking lot south of Hartford’s Bushnell Park presented tentative designs to the Capital Region Development Authority Board of Directors Thursday, outlining 233 apartments and several townhouses.

Costs for the development are “approaching $100 million,” CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth said.

This is scaled back from the initial, $130 million concept of 345 apartments and 15 townhomes that Michaels submitted when it was initially chosen last November as the preferred developer by the CRDA.  Officials were clear at the time that Michaels was selected for its vision and capabilities – not the scope of its initial presentation – and that the final design could vary in scope.

The proposal outlined by Anthony J. Amenta, of Hartford-based Amenta | Emma Architects, includes an eight-story apartment building, five-story apartment building and three, three-story, townhouse buildings. The townhouse buildings appear to offer 12 units, all of which are meant to be owner occupied. The plan includes 3,500 square feet of retail space. 

The buildings ring the periphery of the lot – which is bounded by West and Buckingham streets, Capitol Avenue and a 1-acre park adjacent to a state office building at 165 Capitol Ave. Inside this square of buildings is a 100-space surface parking lot.

The design offers a first for Hartford. The eight-story building has a “mass timber” design using “cross-laminated timber” or a “CLT” floor system. This allows for greater achievable heights with the traditional wood-frame multifamily buildings. The technique uses engineered wood beams and has been gaining steam in the U.S. following its popularization in Canada and Europe.

Traditional wood-frame design is a “proven solution” for mid-rise structures up to six stories, according to a 2014 article published by the American Institute for Architects Continuing Education Center for Architecture and Engineering. Mass timber is a possible solution for even taller buildings, according to the article.

The mass timber and CLT design allows for rapid construction and appealing wood aesthetics, Amenta said. The design also uses an exterior skin that hangs on the side of the building, rather than running floor to floor. That allows for larger spans of glass, Amenta said.

“We are obviously trying to push the envelope on the marketplace,” Freimuth told his board. “This would be a higher-end building taking on some new technologies. It would be a green building. What it allows us to do is get greater scale on this site, which gives us greater architectural flexibility.”

Board members were generally complimentary.  

Board member Robert E. Patricelli mingled compliments with some concern the exterior’s modern design would be a departure from surrounding architecture.

“It is likely to be a bit challenging to look at,” Patricelli said.

Patricelli was also surprised to see such a large surface parking lot.

Michaels Director of Development Geoff Lewis said underground parking would be prohibitively expensive, but the design is meant to hide the surface lot from view.


 

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