Eventually there will be a random-draw lottery done to determine the housing waiting list.
But for now, applications are open for The Elle at North Main, which is scheduled to be open in spring in West Hartford with 49 designed apartments, with 80 percent of those listed as affordable.
The Elle will accept applications until a Jan. 5 at 11:59 p.m. A lottery to select the residents from those applications will take place after that deadline with a projected opening in the spring, according to the town.
According to West Hartford Economic Development department, “rents will range from approximately $1,187-$1,424 for a one-bedroom, $1,424-$1,709 for a two-bedroom, and $1,975 for a 3-bedroom unit, depending on household income level.” Those numbers are subject to change.
Household minimum and maximum income limits are considered for eligibility for the units under the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and DOH HOME/FLEX Programs, according to the town.
The income limits for units include $53,172 for one person, $60,768 for two people, $68,364 for three people, $75,960 for four people, $82,037 for five people and $88,114 for six people.
The Elle is located at 1244 North Main St. in West Hartford, and the property was previously home to the Congregation Agudas Achim Synagogue. The 28,000-square-foot building building has been vacant for several years.
The developer is Trout Brook Realty Advisors. The property will be managed by the West Hartford Housing Authority.
The $27 million project broke ground in January and the application process began on Nov. 4. Applications should be submitted at ElleNorthMain.com. Appointments are available during the application period to provide assistance; however, appointments are done at the management offices. Applicants are asked not to visit the property or management office without an appointment.
Connecticut Housing Finance, the state Department of Housing, the town of West Hartford, the state Department of Economic and Community Development, M&T Bank, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have collaborated on the project.
A random-draw lottery system will be used to determine the order of the waiting list. Management will start reaching out to applicants through email or by phone for application prescreening in January or February, according to the town.
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor has said she’d been looking for this sort of redevelopment of the property for years.
“This is adding 49 homes for people in a wonderful community that’s in walking distance to schools and it’s preserving a historic building with tremendous history,” Cantor has said. “The legacy is something I know they are proud of.”
This kind of project has become more popular in the past decade as communities are pressed increasingly for more housing, new housing and affordable housing. At the same time, builders in heavily developed towns and cities struggle to find affordable locations, while the supply of abandoned or under-used churches rises.
The building was owned by the Agudas Achim congregation but had been out of service for years after a merger with United Synagogues. Agudas Achim began in the 1880s in Hartford, and for several decades operated out of a synagogue on Greenfield Street there. It left that building in 1969 after constructing the West Hartford synagogue.
According to the West Hartford Economic Development department, project “does not discriminate in admission or access to its housing or programs. Any eligible individual with disabilities will be served. Those who have visual or hearing impairments will be provided with the necessary information to understand and participate in the program.”
For those with disabilities and require reasonable accommodation are asked to call (860) 734-7844 or email [email protected].
Previous reporting by Dom Stacom is included.