After a long history of trouble at the site, the now-vacant Los Imperios restaurant could soon be redeveloped as part of a 44-unit affordable housing project in West Hartford.
A developer is proposing to buy the West Hartford Inn, a downscale hotel along Farmington Avenue near the town center, and remodel it as apartments.
The proposal also includes building apartments at the former Los Imperios restaurant next door, which shut down in 2017 after state regulators refused to renew its liquor permit.
“To have a project like this with 80% deed-restricted affordable housing would be a tremendous opportunity for our town by providing residents with access to the town center, jobs, public transportation and schools,” Town Manager Rick Ledwith said Wednesday.
West Hartford is among many moderate and affluent Connecticut communities seeking to increase its affordable housing base, at least partly to meet state guidelines.
WHI Camelot LLC has an agreement to purchase the West Hartford Inn and former Los Imperios, both along Farmington Avenue just east of Trout Brook Drive. The town council this week agreed to seek a state brownfields remediation grant on WHI Camelot’s behalf; it could pay nearly $1 million toward the cost of asbestos or other environmental cleanup on the property.
WHI Camelot plans 80% of its apartments will be at affordable rates, with the remaining leased at market rates. The project will be contingent on the company getting financing through the state department of housing and the state’s housing finance authority.
“This project is critical to supporting diversity of housing stock, specifically in an area of town that is experiencing significant increased market rate and luxury units through approved and proposed developments,” Ledwith told the council in a memo.
The town reported that less than 8% of its housing qualified as affordable in 2018. The state government is pressing for at least 10% of every community’s housing to be affordable; in communities below that, developers can get the ability to skirt some local zoning regulations if their projects include enough new affordable units.
“We’ve been talking for maybe five years or more about that spot potentially being a great site for affordable,” Mayor Shari Cantor said Wednesday.
“After I found out a little while ago that the property was under contract, we talked about tax credits or what else the town could do to help,” Cantor said. “Then they did an environmental assessment, it turned out to be a little more contaminated than they expected. It’s important to get this cleaned up.”
If the state financing aid is approved in 2023, the project might be completed by late 2024 or early 2025, town officials said. But they noted that much has to be done before construction even begins.
“But this is a step. Honestly no matter what is developed there potentially, this is an important investment,” Cantor said.
“The reason we’re all so enthusiastic is the opportunity to bring a diverse housing stock to an area that is really seeing a lot of wonderful new investment rentals that are expensive,” she said.
“The property location is ideal for the planned redevelopment given its proximity to tremendous amenities throughout West Hartford Center and Blue Back Square,” Ledwith wrote in his memo. “It is also located on a major bus line, and has access to the Trout Brook Trail that provides a direct connection to the CTfastrak Elmwood station and the Hartford rail line less than two and a half miles away.”
The council unanimously approved authorizing Ledwith to seek the remediation grant; applications for the competitive funding are due later this month, and money will be awarded in the fall.
The five-story hotel has long been a target of Yelp and TripAdvisor reviewers. The restaurant and bar was the subject of neighborhood complaints for years over noise, fights and litter from late-night patrons, and had drawn similar complaints previously when it operated as Shish.
