East Hartford’s campaign to revitalize the badly worn Silver Lane corridor advanced another step when Nam Hue 351 LLC won approval for a 35-unit apartment and commercial building that he plans near the Pratt & Whitney campus.
The plan is for a three-story building with second- and third-floor apartments above two ground-floor shops .
The site, 351 Silver Lane, is less than a block from East Hartford Boulevard and Roberts Street, considered an important gateway to the town. Nam Hue 352 LLC will build on a vacant 1-acre lot on the south side of Silver Lane between Warren Drive and the Creative Collaborative Community building.
East Hartford for years has wanted to promote redevelopment of that type of unused or underused property on the town’s chief commercial strip. A report by the Milone & McBroom consulting firm in 2018 recommended infill redevelopment along Silver Lane specifically in the Roberts Street area, but investors have shown little interest until recently.
But with the demolition of the eyesore Silver Lane Plaza and plans for more than 300 apartments at the long-vacant Showcase Cinemas property, there has been fresh interest.
Nham Nguyen, the principal in Nam Hue 351 LLC, told The Courant on Wednesday that the project is attractive because East Hartford has begun making progress toward refreshing the entire Silver Lane corridor. He plans a meeting with his contractor this week to discuss a work schedule, and hopes to have the building completed in late 2025 or early 2026.
“This development will provide an opportunity for a mixed-use multi-family residential housing community with ground floor shops and restaurants. The parcel is in a prime location that affords pedestrian connectivity to the nearby Charter Oak Greenway, Rentschler Field, Pratt & Whitney and Silver Lane’s commercial corridor,” according to Nam Hue 351 LLC’s application for zoning permits.
The building will have 25 one-bedroom apartments and studios, and 10 two-bedroom units, according to Luke Mauro of Solli Engineering, a company working with Nam Hue 351 LLC. In response to a commissioner’s question at a meeting last week, Mauro confirmed that all apartments will be rented at market rates.
The roughly 12,000-square-foot building will have a total of 67 parking spaces for residential tenants and business customers. The plan includes an outdoor bike rack and an indoor bike storage room.
“The buildings are designed to be energy efficient to exceed code requirements. Installation of solar PV systems on the roofs may be incorporated if found to be feasible from an economic standpoint,” according to the developer’s application. “The site has been designed to provide an efficient layout while maximizing greenspace.”
The developer has promised to replace and widen the Silver Lane sidewalk in front of the building, and plans a sidewalk network connecting the parking lot behind the building with the street.
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