Long-Vacant West Hartford Office Building To Be Demolished

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A long-vacant office building will soon come down following recent action by West Hartford officials, possibly paving the way for new development.

At their last meeting on Dec. 17, members of the West Hartford Town Council unanimously approved a proposal to knock down 2558 Albany Ave., a two-story office building that has been vacant for more than 20 years.

Specifically, the council voted 9-0 in favor of an amendment to an application granted in the town's "Special Development District."

Any changes to sites in this district, per local rules, require town council approval, hence the council's vote last month.

The site is owned by 2558 Albany Avenue LLC, and the location is comprised of a 1.074-acre parcel with a two-story, 2,389-square-foot office building, parking lot, and two sheds.

According to attorney Meghan A. Hope of Alter, Pearson & Hope in Glastonbury, who was hired by the applicant, the owner has struggled to find tenants for the past two decades.

"Since 2005, the owner has been unable to find an office tenant to occupy the premises and the building has been vacant," wrote Hope to the council.

She cited reduced visibility from the road, restricted site access, and an antiquated building layout as being the primary issues.

According to Hope, the site owner wants to knock down the building and backfill the parcel with 4 inches of riprap material.

The existing driveway will remain the same, and the site will have necessary sedimentation and erosion control measures.

"The applicant believes that if it demolishes the building, the site will become more conducive for redevelopment," wrote Hope.

The zoning history of the site dates back to 1981, when the town approved rezoning the site from residential to business office and, eventually, into the special development district.

No members of the public commented during the public hearing before the vote outside of Hope and other applicant representatives.

Hope told the council that demolition would take about a week to do, with the actual project starting later this winter.

"We'd have to get the demo permit first. We would not need to necessarily wait until spring," Hope said. "It's not weather-related."

Once the hearing was closed, the council approved the measure after it finalized various conditions of approval.

West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor reflected on the building and what it meant to her.

"I will say, has anybody ever been in that house?" she said. "I did an accounting internship there many, many years ago. So, watching it deteriorate has been kind of sad."

"I know they worked hard to sell it, but it didn't work out," Cantor said, adding that foxes have actually been living in the building in recent years.

For the minutes of the Dec. 17 West Hartford Town Council meeting, click on this link.

For the project narrative on the demolition of 2558 Albany Ave., click on this link.