Brick Hollow Apartments  -  “Historic Revitalization”

Two years ago 12 vacant, blighted, boarded “perfect six” buildings stood on the Brick Hollow site contributing to the degradation of the neighborhood. These early 20^th century distinctive small apartment homes are contributing structures in a National Register of Historic Places in Hartford’s Frog Hollow Historic district.  In October 2005, the Brick Hollow Limited Partnership purchased 13 contiguous properties on Zion and York Streets and began to fully renovate ten of the “perfect six” structures.  Two unstable buildings on York Street were demolished and now provide 48 off-street parking spaces.  The remaining ten “perfect six” buildings have been reconfigured from 60 units down to 50 new affordable rental housing units.  The Brick Hollow apartments contain 30 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom units, offering larger living spaces and assisting in the de-densification of the neighborhood.  This development project has preserved and rehabilitated ten of Hartford’s signature “perfect six” buildings, which has significantly contributed to the revitalization of the Frog Hollow neighborhood. 

Zion Street Apartments  -  “Mutual Housing”

This recently completed project was sponsored by the Mutual Housing Association of Greater Hartford, Inc. - a local community housing development organization.  The project’s six-lot development site on Zion Street, just below one acre, contained three vacant, blighted, boarded dilapidated apartment buildings, which had to be razed for the new construction.  The newly constructed wood frame, brick-clad building with bay windows, porches and decorative cornices appear as four attached “perfect six” apartments – complementing the architectural style of the neighborhood.  The newly constructed 3-story building contains 22 three-bedroom units and 2 two-bedroom units.  The eight ground floor apartments are handicapped accessible.  The complex has 36 off-street parking spaces and a small playground behind the building.  This new development has significantly contributed to the revitalization of the Frog Hollow neighborhood. 

“Mutual Housing” provides families with an affordable alternative to traditional home ownership and a significant step up from rental housing.  Residents are members of the Association that owns the housing.  The Association is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of residents, and representatives from the private, public and community sectors.  Although residents cannot buy or sell their units directly, they do have a pride of ownership that is usually associated with home ownership.  Residents have a significant voice in decision-making, and have a lifetime right to live in the housing.

	35 Clark Street  - “Grandfamilies Housing”
	Historic School Renovation Underway

The Grandfamilies Housing development is sponsored by the Community Renewal Team, Inc. – a local community housing development organization.  The complex, on target for completion by the end of 2007, will provide 40 affordable rental units for low-income grandparent households who take care of grandchildren due to the absence of parental care and ‘empty nester’ grandparents/elders.  The housing development, located in the Northeast neighborhood, is on a 2.17-acre site at 35 Clark Street with the balance of the lot bounded by Capen and Barbour Street.  The new construction, which will be built for grandparents raising grandchildren, will consist of seven new structures offering 24 apartments – 8 of which will be handicap accessible.  These new units will be comprised of 6 two-bedroom, 14 three-bedroom and 4 four-bedroom units.

Redevelopment plans include the historic restoration and subsequent utilization of the three-story Clark Street School for 16 one-bedroom units of elder housing.  Eight units will be handicap accessible and eight units will be handicap adaptable.  These apartments will allow grandparents to continue living in the same neighborhood after they have raised their grandchildren and now live by themselves.  Support services and community spaces for the whole complex will be located on the ground level of the renovated school building. 

All of the Grandfamily Housing units will have project-based Section 8 certificates.  In support of this development, the City of Hartford applied for and received a waiver from HUD to utilize Section 8 project-based certificates.  This waiver application was necessary due to the fact that this census tract has a poverty level greater than 20%.