INTRODUCING
HERITAGE PARK

NEIGHBORHOOD & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT HELP RESHAPE AND REDUCE CAMPUS PLAN

We are happy to have met the people who attended our Neighborhood Meeting on September 26th. This meeting gave our development team a great opportunity to talk with and involve our closest neighbors in our planning process. We appreciate everyone’s feedback and we look forward to continuing to shape and evolve our project based on the ideas and concerns we heard.

Since that meeting, we have made changes to the designs we presented to reflect input received that night and from our ongoing discussions with West Hartford’s land use authorities.

These changes continue to improve the village character we are working to bring to the campus and will help blend a nature-focused experience into the existing landscape and the residences, shops and features we hope to bring to the campus. We believe the revised plans which we will be presenting at the November 6 public hearing before the Town’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency, are evidence of our continuing commitment to be responsive to comments to help us shape our vision to positively blend with the character of the neighborhood. Highlights, which we will soon post illustrations for, include the following:

Shrinking and realigning the assisted living facility: We have repositioned and reduced the size of the assisted living facility envisioned for the western side of campus, drawing it further away from wetlands and reducing the number of parking spaces needed. The building, which will shrink from 158,000 square feet to 108,000 square feet, with the number of units dropping from 158 to 117.

Reducing the number of townhouses:We have decreased the number of townhomes planned along Asylum Avenue and Lawler Road from 34 to 24, and have also set the Asylum Avenue units further back from the street.

Enhancing the natural landscape:We continue to work to enhance the natural landscape on the site and optimize it for those who will live in the new residences as well as for the benefit of those in the neighborhood. The site will have public walking trails designed to invite people who live in the surrounding neighborhoods to utilize the park-like campus.

Meeting West Hartford’s housing needs:The residences we are developing will help meet the housing needs of West Hartford. The one-floor apartment homes on the east side of campus will be particularly suited to provide the “age in place” independent living opportunities requested at the neighborhood meeting. Combined with the assisted living residences, the proposed residences will provide a continuum of living options for current West Hartford residents looking to downsize from large homes.

Providing walkable, welcoming neighborhood stores and shops: The inclusion of a small neighborhood grocery store is incredibly important to our village concept. People living within the development and in the surrounding neighborhood will be able to walk from their homes to the store for fresh meats, fruits, vegetables and other food items. The same goal—providing people with accessible, walkable and welcoming places to visit—is behind our plans for a coffee shop, restaurant and other commercial uses right in their neighborhood.

Stormwater improvements:With one of the rainiest summer seasons in memory, stormwater and flooding were a focus of discussion at the September 26th meeting. Our development will provide a comprehensive stormwater management system that will mitigate peak stormwater flows offsite and maintain the flood-holding capacity of 1700 and 1800 Asylum Ave. We are also working with West Hartford on a town-led project for culvert replacement in the neighborhood to improve the historic flooding issues.

Parking and traffic:We plan to have sufficient parking on site so neighbors are not bothered by people parking on their streets as we were told was the case when the UConn campus was open. It is our priority to properly address that—and all traffic concerns that might arise—in conjunction with an OSTA (Office of the State Traffic Administration) review and approval. We are preparing our traffic study which will be shared with the public once complete for filing with the Town.

We thank area neighbors and residents who have reached out with their comments of both concern and support, as well as their suggestions and ideas. We look forward to continuing the dialogue and moving to the next steps in West Hartford’s land use review process.

HARMONIZING WITH THE NATURAL FEATURES OF THE CAMPUS

We have been taking the time to come to know and understand the landscape and natural features of this site and achieve the right mix of recreational, residential and retail element to properly scale and blend HERITAGE PARK with the neighborhoods along Lawler Road, Trout Brook Drive, Asylum Avenue and their surroundings. We are also working with the town to ensure the proper maintenance of the campus as we resume the remediation work that will safely contain, remove and dispose of any remaining contaminants or building materials on the site that were identified by UConn.