{"id":451132,"date":"2026-02-05T20:18:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T20:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/451132\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T20:18:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T20:18:18","slug":"after-3-years-demolition-begins-ambitious-ct-mega-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/451132\/","title":{"rendered":"After 3 years, demolition begins ambitious CT mega-project"},"content":{"rendered":"

The long-awaited Port Eastside mega-development<\/a> got under way in January when contractors began demolishing an empty Bank of America building while East Hartford applied for $15 million in state aid for the project<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Heavy equipment has been razing the multi-level concrete parking garage at 99 Founders Plaza<\/a> for the past several weeks, and then will tear down the 150,000-square-foot former Bank of America offices.<\/p>\n

Developers then plan to construct 300 apartments in a new five-story complex as the first phase of Port Eastside, East Hartford\u2019s biggest mixed residential and commercial project in recent decades.<\/p>\n

The long-term plan is to create as many as 1,000 apartments on more than 28 acres across the Connecticut River from downtown Hartford along with new restaurants and entertainment venues.<\/p>\n

\"DemolitionDemolition has begun at the Port Eastside mixed-use project in East Hartford on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Aaron Flaum\/Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n

But in the three years since a high-powered development partnership<\/a> laid out the sprawling concept for nearly 30 acres of prime waterfront property, progress has been measured entirely in paperwork: purchase contracts, financing agreements, tax financing district settlements and the like.<\/p>\n

The deployment of excavators, bulldozers and dump trucks at the bank site has given East Hartford residents a visual sign of change at Founders Plaza, a collection of office buildings that were modern a generation ago but in decline for the past 10 years or more.<\/p>\n

\"DemolitionDemolition has begun at the Port Eastside mixed-use project in East Hartford on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Aaron Flaum\/Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n

The concrete Bank of America office had been a vibrant employment hub after it was put up in 1971, serving as a regional check-processing facility. It\u2019s been empty for years, leaving nearly 8 acres of the town\u2019s most desirably located property wasted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe garage is already halfway down which is very exciting,\u201d Mayor Connor Martin told residents two weeks ago. \u201cThen 99 Founders will go down itself. That is to make way for 300-plus (housing) apartments down by the river.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Aaron Flaum<\/p>\n

The empty Bank of America at 99 Founders Plaza in East Hartford in 2023. (Aaron Flaum\/Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe clearing and cleaning up of these buildings is the first step in the multi-year transformation of East Hartford\u2019s side of the Connecticut River, and we are grateful for all that Mayor Martin, the town of East Hartford, House Majority Leader Rojas and the town\u2019s legislative delegation did to make today possible,\u201d Bruce Simons, a partner in Port Eastside, said in a written statement Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a great deal of work that needs to be done to prepare the site and build the infrastructure that will support the residences, businesses, and features here, and we are energized to take the first steps forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DemolitionDemolition has begun at the Port Eastside mixed-use project in East Hartford on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (Aaron Flaum\/Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n

The state last year put up $6.5 million in aid to cover part of the demolition and cleanup costs at 99 Founders, and the town is asking for another $15 million to help developers with the biggest component of Port Eastside: Transforming 111 Founders Plaza into upscale housing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project will convert the vacant 19-story office tower into approximately 240 to 260 new
apartments, along with energy-efficiency improvements and building systems upgrades. Interior renovations will create a mix of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units,\u201d according to a memo from town Deputy Development Director Steve Hnatuk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 111 Founders Plaza office tower in East Hartford that would be converted to apartments under the Port Eastside plan. (Don Stacom\/The Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe funding will help catalyze the overall redevelopment and reposition the site into productive use by supporting the replacement of the building envelope, a component needed for project\u2019s feasibility,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Hartford-based Tecton Architects recently submitted a report concluding the conversion appears feasible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe property is well-suited for conversion from office use to multi-family residential housing,\u201d the company wrote. \u201cThe existing tower possesses the structural capacity, efficient floor plates, and overall building configuration necessary to support a viable, high-quality residential redevelopment.<\/p>\n

\"BruceBruce Simons, a principal in the West Hartford-based Simons Real Estate Group and one of the partners in Port Eastside, shows the views from 111 Founders Plaza in East Hartford, on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. The Port Eastside group is redeveloping the East Hartford Side of the Connecticut River. (Aaron Flaum\/ Hartford Courant)<\/p>\n

\u201cOur analysis indicates that the building has \u201cgood bones,\u201d and possesses physical qualities that surpass other corporate office buildings\u2019 potential for viable conversion in today\u2019s context,\u201d it said, suggesting the project could accommodate 234 to 260 apartments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe riverfront tower would be quite marketable; floors five through 19 offer unobstructed views of the Hartford skyline and the Connecticut River Valley,\u201d it reported. \u201cA significant opportunity exists for a high-quality amenities package including a fitness center, club room, game rooms,<\/p>\n

The development partnership includes Harris and Bruce Simons of Simons Real Estate Group in West Hartford; Manafort Brothers President Jim Manafort; Peter Roisman, head of the Houston-based REV Leasing; Nicholas Michnevitz III of West Hartford-based MBH Architecture; Hoffman Auto Group Executive Chairman Jeffrey Hoffman; Chris Reilly, president of Hartford-based Lexington Partners, and Alan Lazowski, chairman of LAZ Parking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The long-awaited Port Eastside mega-development got under way in January when contractors began demolishing an empty Bank of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451133,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[211640,6761,14736,211638,2000,42033,15861,4779,211632,211634,8856,15862,97,252,253,211637,2053,211641,211639,983,211636,168221,211633,211631,16917,211635],"class_list":["post-451132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-alan-lazowski","tag-apartments","tag-bank-of-america","tag-chris-reilly","tag-connecticut","tag-connecticut-river","tag-ct-news","tag-development","tag-east-hartford","tag-founders-plaza","tag-hartford","tag-hartford-courant","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-hoffman-auto-group","tag-housing","tag-laz-parking","tag-lexington-partners","tag-local-news","tag-manafort-brothers","tag-max-image-preview","tag-mayor-connor-martin","tag-port-eastside","tag-residential","tag-simons-real-estate-group"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}