Developers hope to break ground by December on the first phase of the 255 Main St. project, around the same time as the scheduled opening of Windsor Locks’ new train station on the Hartford line. Image courtesy of Amenta Emma Architects
Where other passersby saw a 1980s-era strip mall in Windsor Locks’ faded former town center, Dan Drazen envisioned the opportunity to build a 120-unit apartment complex catalyzed by the upcoming opening of a new passenger rail station.
The 255 Main St. property stood out to the Trinity Development firm executive as a prime acquisition target during a tour of Windsor Locks in early 2023. The Boston-based company firm specializes in multifamily development throughout the Northeast, including an emphasis on transit-oriented projects.
“We’d been excited about the opportunity because the historic train station is a stone’s throw away from here,” said Drazen, Trinity Financial’s vice president of development.
The firm hopes to complete financing for the first 70-unit phase of the project and break ground by December.
Final approval from the Windsor Locks Planning and Zoning Commission in November laid the groundwork for the second multifamily development a short distance from Windsor Locks’ new train station.
Boston-based Beacon Communities redeveloped the former J.R. Montgomery Co. textile mill and wire factory into 160 apartments, in a $62 million project completed in 2019 at 25 Canal Bank Road.
Combined, the two projects total more housing units than the 194 units built in Windsor Locks between 2000 and 2015, according to data from the town’s 2020 Plan of Conservation and Development.
Town officials laid the groundwork in 2012, approving a Main Street overlay zoning district. The rezoning sought to encourage walkability and infill development, including multifamily housing, in an area that was dominated by small commercial buildings and parking lots.
State and Federal Funding for Rail Project
The $65 million new Windsor Locks is part of an $87 million Connecticut Department of Transportation project upgrading the Hartford line passenger rail in Windsor Locks, including reconstruction of Route 159 and 1.5 miles of track improvements. The project, which received $10.5 million in federal Amtrak funding, includes a new 510-foot-long platform next to the rail line.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation now estimates the Windsor Locks station will open by the end of the year, spokesman Josh Morgan said in an email.
The station will become the northernmost stop in Connecticut on the Hartford line, a commuter rail system which terminates in Springfield. Windsor Locks’ current station, located more than a mile south of 255 Main St., provided few opportunities for transit-oriented development in the immediate vicinity, Drazen said.
After securing the 255 Main St. site, Trinity Financial determined that a mixed-income project eligible for public subsidies was more feasible financially than a market-rate project, Drazen said. Estimated project costs are $92 million.
Trinity Financial received $2.4 million from the state’s Community Investment Fund 2030 program to offset the site acquisition costs.
The development costs will be offset by subsidies from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and Connecticut Department of Housing, Drazen said.
Trinity Financial also received $4 million in a state brownfields grant for environmental remediation work, which will be used to remove contamination from the property’s past uses including a gas station and coal yard.
Project Adds to Local Momentum
Beacon Communities’ nearby Montgomery Mill project includes 78 market-rate units and 82 income-restricted units.
The complex currently lists market-rate 1-bedroom units starting at $2,155. Beacon Communities executives didn’t respond to requests for comment about the project.
The CIF also awarded $2.4 million to the town for repairs to the 186-year-old historic train station, which is being transformed into a welcome center including rest rooms and tourist information.
The project adds momentum to the long-term campaign by local officials to restore vibrancy and attract investment around the new Hartford line rail station. Town officials are hopeful that other developers will acquire underutilized commercial properties near the station for mixed-use projects, including more housing, Windsor Locks First Selectman Scott Storms said.
“There’s an opportunity for someone else to come in here. Everybody is waiting to see what is opening on the other side of the street,” Storms said, referring to Trinity Financial’s project. “This is a vision that’s been coming together for the last 10 years.”
Pro-housing production group Desegregate CT sees more opportunities for transit-oriented developments near passenger rail.
The group is lobbying for passage of House Bill 6831, which would provide financial incentives for communities to create multifamily housing zoning districts within a half-mile of transit stations. The group was scheduled to make a presentation to the Windsor Locks Planning and Zoning Commission this week, said Peter Harrison, Desegregate CT’s director.
“There was strong support in both chambers last year, and we are frustrated it didn’t get passed,” Harrison said.
