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July 30, 2024

‘Indoor playground’ Level99 proposed in West Hartford’s The Corbin Collection

HBJ PHOTO | DAVID KRECHEVSKY Level99, an indoor playground, is seeking approvals to add a location in this building at 1445 New Britain Ave. in West Hartford.
Contributed An artist's rendering shows signage and other façade changes proposed for a new Level99 location in West Hartford.
By David Krechevsky

A challenge-based indoor “playground,” restaurant and bar proposed for New Britain Avenue in West Hartford hopes to clear its first hurdles next week.

The Town Plan & Zoning Commission will discuss an application for a special use permit for the project during its regular monthly meeting on Aug. 5, while the Town Council will conduct a public hearing on Aug. 6 for an application seeking to modify an existing Special Design District (SDD) to allow for “façade, signage and minor improvements” to the property.

The entertainment facility, known as Level99, would be developed on the second floor of 1445 New Britain Ave., which formerly was the longtime home of a Sears building before it was demolished in 2017 to make way for The Corbin Collection, a new retail plaza.

The Corbin Collection includes three separate properties occupied by tenants that include Shake Shack, REI, OFF Fifth Saks, Club Pilates, Tavern in the Square, Ivy Rehab and Olive Garden. The property is owned by SF WH Property LLC, and is separate from the nearby Corbins Corner shopping plaza, which has separate ownership. 

Level99, which opened its first location in Massachusetts in the Natick Mall in 2021 and has a second location in the Providence Place Mall in Rhode Island, describes itself as “a first-of-its-kind social gaming playground featuring over 50 real-world physical and mental challenges and games, craft drinks, and elevated dining.”

According to an overview of the proposed project submitted with the applications by Glastonbury law firm of Alter & Pearson, Level99 would use about 785 square feet of lobby and vestibule space on the first floor of 1445 New Britain Ave. as its entrance, and occupy the 41,428-square-foot second floor.

According to the Level99 website, the facility includes “dozens of unique challenge rooms” for teams of two to six players to test their “body and mind” by completing challenges in only one to four minutes. Player-vs.-player competitions are also offered.

Level99 also promotes local artists, with its existing locations featuring over 50 pieces of “local one-of-a-kind art.”

The restaurant, meanwhile, offers “Detroit-style” pizza, farm-to-table All-American wagyu burgers and “curated craft cocktails.” 

The Town Plan & Zoning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. on Aug. 5, while the Town Council will conduct a public hearing on the application at 6 p.m. on Aug. 6.

Editor's Note: This article was updated to reflect that Level99 is not only for adults.

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