Manchester’s planning and zoning commission has approved zoning amendments sought by a developer seeking to build multifamily homes and commercial properties on Manchester’s long-vacant Broad Street Parkade.
Dallas, Texas-based Anthony Properties has signed a development agreement with the town to build a complex of 300 apartments, operating through APR Manchester LLC. That agreement came in the wake of litigation over a previous agreement with another developer.
The Parkade site, which once hosted a shopping mall, has been targeted for redevelopment since 2008.
At a planning and zoning meeting Monday, the company requested permission to change the configuration of some roads on the site, and to increase the maximum height of the planned four-story apartment blocks. They also want to lower the elevation of the first floor relative to the street in some places.
“I’m very happy to see further development and potential ideas coming to fruition at the Parkade site,” said commission chairman Eric Prause. “We’ve always considered that we would need to make zoning regulation amendments because what we had originally thought was going to be the plan would have to change based on practicalities.”
The town last year settled litigation brought by another developer that signed a contract with Manchester in 2021 to redevelop the area. That agreement was broken by the town the following year, claiming that financing was not secured in a timely manner.
Anthony has described itself as a build-and-hold company, operating the multifamily properties that it develops around the country.
The company also gave updates on two other developments that it has in the works in Connecticut. A planned multifamily housing development in Newington near the CTfastrak station should break ground in late fall. In Southington, the company is looking to break ground on a similar project next year.
Article Source: https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/manchester-approves-zoning-changes-for-parkade-redevelopment-developer-eyes-apartments