West Hartford Development Of UConn Site Hits Speed Bump

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Plans to transform the former University of Connecticut-Hartford campus into one of West Hartford's biggest-ever developments have hit a slight speed bump.

After 11 hours of testimony this week and, nearly, 15 hours of public hearing testimony total, the West Hartford Plan and Zoning Commission/Inland Wetlands Watercourses Agency officially closed one of the hearings in the two-component project Wednesday night.

In another major development, the wetlands application for the retail/commercial portion of the project, 1800 Asylum Ave., was withdrawn amid delays and questions from commission members and the public.

That left the 1700 Asylum Ave. wetlands application, the housing aspect, still before the town.

The PZC — operating in its wetlands board capacity — could have deliberated and voted on part of the massive commercial/housing/retail project Wednesday night, Dec. 13.

But citing the late night, additional information submitted and further concerns expressed by residents and legally defined "intervenors," that decision was pushed off to next year.

West Hartford PZC/IWWA Chairman Kevin Ahern said the item will be added to the commission's regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, at 7 p.m. at West Hartford Town Hall.

Exhausted commission members late Wednesday night said it wouldn't be fair to anyone to deliberate and vote on any application while the clock approached midnight.

"It's been a long haul," Ahern said.

When Ahern asked fellow commission members if they wanted to deliberate and vote, the message heard back was clear.

"Oh, I move we adjourn," said PZC member Elizabeth Gillette, with tired colleagues chuckling in the background.

Gillette explained circumstances like Wednesday night were not the time for a vote on such a massive project.

"I think it really takes some more thought and some more study and it would be a disservice, not only to the applicant, but to the public and to ourselves to make a decision on something like this at this time of night on something this large," she said.

As a result, the commission adjourned Wednesday night's meeting after five hours with an expected resumption of the issue after the holidays.

Lengthy hearings

Wednesday's proceedings were a continuation of multiple lengthy hearings on plans to transform the campus into the massive redevelopment.

Many speakers Nov. 29, Dec. 11 and Dec. 13 expressed concerns about the proposal's environmental and community impacts, worries that prompted both a delay in one application and the withdrawal of another.

Redevelopment of the site, which was the UConn-Hartford branch from 1970 to 2017, has been part of town conversations for years after the campus relocated to downtown Hartford.

In simplest terms, what was before the commission were wetlands applications for 1700 and 1800 Asylum Ave., addresses located near wetlands, resulting in the need for an IWWA permit.

Ongoing deliberations had nothing to do with any zoning or planning matters, Ahern emphasized.

With 1800 Asylum Ave. withdrawn, only 1700 Asylum Ave. is before the town, with the withdrawn application requiring an eventual resubmission after revisions.

The developer, "West Hartford 1," purchased the 58-acre site in January 2022 and has filed applications under the names WEHA Development Group LLC and WEHA Development Group East LLC. The working name for the project is "Oakwood Park."

The component at 1700 Asylum Ave., calls for the construction of four multi-story residential apartment buildings.

The 1800 Asylum Ave. component calls for the construction of 14 new buildings to have a diverse array of uses, ranging from mixed-use to housing to retail/commercial buildings.

Facets of the plan include multi-family residential housing; boutique-style retail components; restaurants; medical offices; a spa; an organic neighborhood market; public parks walking areas, trails, and ballfields; and a structured parking component.

What's next?

Once approved by the wetlands board, applications for the development would then go before those same individuals, who would then be acting as a planning and zoning commission.

Only when the PZC approves the necessary applications for the development can ground be broken.

With one component set for a decision early next year and the other component withdrawn, the timetable for zoning approval and an eventual ground-breaking remains uncertain.

From Dec. 12: 'Massive WeHa Hearing On UConn Site Development Continued Again'

To see all public documents regarding the applications, click on this link.