New Britain officials and development team representatives toss shovelfulls of dirt during a ceremonial groundbreaking for WinnDevelopment's conversion of the former Landers, Frary & Clark factory into housing. Photo courtesy of WinnDevelopment
Local and state officials joined executives from affordable housing developer WinnDevelopment in New Britain Monday to break ground on an $85 million project that will see a defunct factory near the city’s downtown become 154 apartments.
The remaining buildings at the 115-year-old Landers, Frary & Clark plant will be adapted into 79 one-bedroom, 59 two-bedroom and 16 three-bedroom apartments geared toward young professionals, middle-income households and fixed-income seniors. Prices will be set at levels affordable to renters earning 30, 50, 60 and 80 percent of area median income.
Landers, Frary & Clark was one of the first manufacturers of electric appliances in the United States, including the popular “Universal” brand of appliances, as well as coffee percolators, irons and waffle irons. The The company closed its doors in 1965 and the multi-building site had sat partly vacant until now.
“This year marks our 40th anniversary of developing affordable housing in Connecticut, so the start of work on this development is a great way to celebrate that milestone,” WinnDevelopment President Larry Curtis said in a statement. “We’re pleased to partner with state and local officials, as well as private funders, to preserve and convert this historic remnant of New Britain’s industrial past into a modern apartment community that will serve the working households fueling the city’s future.”
Construction on the 200,000-square-foot adaptive reuse project is expected to complete by early 2025. Amenities will include a fitness room, community room, game room, flex workspaces, outdoor seating areas, 230 parking spaces, and on-site leasing, maintenance, and management offices.
Not quite half the financing was provided by $4 million in Connecticut Department of Housing FLEX funding, a $3.85 million in federal funds though the National Housing Trust Fund, $950,000 in money from the city of New Britain and Connecticut Housing Finance Authority-provided tax credits, tax-exempt bonds and Opportunity Funds. The remaining part of the project’s capital stack is coming from LIHTC and other tax credits bought by Bank of America.
BofA is also providing the construction loan, and the state provided a brownfield cleanup loan. The state Department of Housing will also provide 11 Section 8 vouchers for future residents to help maintain deep affordability levels in some of the units. BlueHub Capital, a nonprofit CDFI based in Boston, has provided a bridge loan, while Eversource is purchasing the state historic tax credits involved in the development, as well as providing energy rebates related to its environmental sustainability features.The completed building will feature a 150-kilowatt solar array to provide energy for the community, as well as electric vehicle charging stations.
“The redevelopment of this historical Landers, Frary & Clark factory building into housing for elderly and disabled residents is helping fill a critical need within our community,” New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart said in a statement provided by WinnDevelopment. “This building is a symbol of the manufacturing industry that helped build our City’s past but will now be transformed into a beautiful housing option for some of our most vulnerable populations, allowing it to serve as a critical piece of building our City’s bright future for all our residents.”
Massachusetts-based Keith Construction is the general contractor, and JCJ Architecture of Hartford is the architect. Collective Design Assoc., of Westpor and Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, of New Haven, are providing engineering services.
