Two vacant Windsor office properties eyed for multifamily redevelopment, a Starbucks and new commercial building
An early rendering of the Windsor development proposed by Mark Greenberg and Citicore.
Two vacant office buildings just off Interstate 91 in Windsor are the focus of a planned development of around 201 multifamily units, a Starbucks and 9,200-square-foot commercial building.
Litchfield developer Mark Greenberg has teamed up with Florida-based retail real estate developer Citicore Development Group for the proposal. The plan is centered on redeveloping two empty office buildings at 1 and 10 Targeting Centre, along with a neighboring vacant lot.
The total area covers 11.6 acres.
“I’m very confident,” Greenberg said. “This is a great location right off the highway.”
Greenberg owns one of the office properties and is under contract to buy the second through a court-appointed receiver, although the current owner has objected to Greenberg’s $2.3 million offer in court. The 0.64-acre vacant lot is under contract to be purchased by Citicore, Greenberg said.
The project would be done in phases. The first would include construction of a single, crescent-shaped building with about 100 multifamily units to be built between the existing office buildings. There would also be a Starbucks location built at the corner of an Interstate 91 off-ramp and Bloomfield Avenue.
Later, the 97,256-square-foot, four-story office building at One Targeting Centre, and the 51,778-square-foot, three-story office building at 10 Targeting Centre, would be converted into multifamily units, and a 9,200-square-foot commercial building would be constructed.
Greenberg said it has not yet been decided if the units would be apartments or sold as condominiums. They are being designed to be larger units, between 1,200 to 1,400 square feet, to keep condominiums a possibility, he said. The total number of units is also not yet set in stone, he said.
Greenberg said he partnered with Citicore on the commercial buildings. For now, he plans to tackle the multifamily development alone, but that could change, he said.
The proposal is before the Town Planning and Zoning Commission, which could sign off on the site plan as soon as May 20. The project would also need approval from the Office of the State Traffic Administration. Greenberg said he hopes to break ground on a year-long construction of the first residential building at some point in 2026.
Once the first building is occupied and financially stabilized, conversion of the office buildings would get underway, Greenberg said. The entire project could be built out in three to five years, he said.
Greenberg said the development would include a rich lineup of amenities, including a pool, fitness center, theater, pet spa and more.
Court battle
A Greenberg-affiliated limited liability company acquired 10 Targeting Centre for $2.94 million in 2012. Vacant for several years, it had last been leased by the Capital Region Education Council for an elementary school.
The larger building at 1 Targeting Centre is owned by a Brooklyn-based limited liability company managed by Shaul Sprung and Joseph Thurm, according to court records. It had been occupied by San Antonio-based Valassis Direct Mail until 2017.
Last May, Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank, as trustees for holders of a $7.17 million mortgage on 1 Targeting Centre, filed a request for the appointment of a receiver of 1 Targeting Centre in Hartford Superior Court. U.S. Bank said the borrowers failed to pay off the owed balance when the loan matured on Feb. 1, 2024.
The receiver appointed by Judge James T. Graham, along with U.S. Bank, petitioned in late February to sell the property to Greenberg for $2.3 million.
The Brooklyn-based investor that currently owns 1 Targeting Centre objected, ultimately arguing that a Connecticut-based broker it previously hired to market the property believes a sale price of $4 million to $5 million is achievable with appropriate marketing.
James Cannon, advisor to Parsons Commercial Group, was engaged by receiver Trident Connecticut LLC to arrange a sale. In an affidavit submitted to the court, Cannon outlines five “competitive” offers ranging from $750,000 to $3 million. Marketing included “outreach” to over 80 potential prospects, listing the property on the online Ten-X real estate auction site and a call for offers, according to Cannon’s affidavit.
While the offer submitted by Greenberg’s LLC was not the highest, he would agree to close on the property immediately, with no contingencies. The $3 million offer, by contrast, sought to close following a permitting and inspection period of one year, or upon securing “unappealable” approvals for the project, whichever comes later.
Greenberg said he is confident the court will accept his offer and expects to close within about two months.
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