Redevelopment of Martin Luther King Apartments
79 Van Block Ave, Hartford, CT 06106
MLK Apartments is a 64-unit townhouse complex built in 1969 as affordable housing for families displaced when Hartford neighborhoods were targeted for demolition and urban renewal. In 1996, Sheldon Oak Central (SOC) acquired and renovated MLK Apartments as part of a long-range plan of revitalization for the Sheldon/Charter Oak Neighborhood. Since then, SOC has re-developed and continues to operate three multi-family complexes in this neighborhood, comprising 216 family apartments.
In late 2019, SOC’s Board began planning to demolish the aging and outdated MLK complex and transform it into a more beautiful, denser, and pedestrian friendly urban community. To attract new residents of a mix of incomes, while ensuring no displacement of current residents, the SOC team developed a project consisting of 155 flats and townhouses, 95 of which will be affordable to low and moderate-income families, and 60 of which will be market rate unrestricted.
Construction on the new MLK will begin in late 2022. It will include 60 one-bedroom units, 75 two-bedroom units, and 20 three-bedroom units. In contrast to the old MLK townhouses, which were designed with second floor bathrooms and could not accommodate residents with disabilities, the new complex will include both townhouse style buildings and a three-story fully handicapped-accessible building with an elevator.
SOC’s redevelopments in Sheldon/Charter Oak have helped to catalyze significant private investment, including the re-purposing of historic factory buildings into market rate and mixed-income housing at Colt Gateway and the former Capewell Horseshoe Nail Factory. The neighborhood has riverfront access, a soccer stadium, and a newly designated National Historical Park encompassing the Colt Factory and Samuel and Elizabeth Colt’s mansion. The building heights and exteriors of the re-envisioned MLK Apartments will reflect the scale and design palate of the surrounding historic neighborhood. This redevelopment will help complete the transformation of the community begun in 1996 while adding a variety of additional housing options within walking distance of Hartford’s downtown.
In late 2019, SOC’s Board began planning to demolish the aging and outdated MLK complex and transform it into a more beautiful, denser, and pedestrian friendly urban community. To attract new residents of a mix of incomes, while ensuring no displacement of current residents, the SOC team developed a project consisting of 155 flats and townhouses, 95 of which will be affordable to low and moderate-income families, and 60 of which will be market rate unrestricted.
Construction on the new MLK will begin in late 2022. It will include 60 one-bedroom units, 75 two-bedroom units, and 20 three-bedroom units. In contrast to the old MLK townhouses, which were designed with second floor bathrooms and could not accommodate residents with disabilities, the new complex will include both townhouse style buildings and a three-story fully handicapped-accessible building with an elevator.
SOC’s redevelopments in Sheldon/Charter Oak have helped to catalyze significant private investment, including the re-purposing of historic factory buildings into market rate and mixed-income housing at Colt Gateway and the former Capewell Horseshoe Nail Factory. The neighborhood has riverfront access, a soccer stadium, and a newly designated National Historical Park encompassing the Colt Factory and Samuel and Elizabeth Colt’s mansion. The building heights and exteriors of the re-envisioned MLK Apartments will reflect the scale and design palate of the surrounding historic neighborhood. This redevelopment will help complete the transformation of the community begun in 1996 while adding a variety of additional housing options within walking distance of Hartford’s downtown.
