Berlin and Newport Realty Group make progress on Steele Center

Berlin, CT According to mayor Mark Kaczynski, Newport Realty Group LLC and its affiliates have purchased 861 Farmington Ave. and 903 Farmington Ave. from the town.  Newport Realty is the firm that was chosen by the town to develop four town-owned parcels adjacent to the Berlin Train Station.  

Newport Realty will be renovating the building at 861 Farmington Ave. to create one first floor commercial unit and one second floor apartment. The existing façade and historic attributes of the 861 Farmington Ave. building will be retained. 903 Farmington Ave. will initially be developed with a brand new 21,000 s/f mixed-use building with retail and restaurant space on the first floor and 16 apartments above. Work began on the 861 Farmington Ave. restoration project in August and work on the new construction at 903 Farmington Ave. will begin in the fall. Steele Center @ Farmington Ave. is a three-phase transit-oriented development project that will ultimately include 76 market-rate apartments and 19,000 s/f of medical office, restaurant and retail space. The mayor also announced that the town has signed the contract with Guerrera Construction Co. of Oxford to build Steele Blvd. in order to connect Farmington Ave. to the Berlin Train Station to support the Steele Center redevelopment as well as facilitate future development in the Train Station area. The boulevard project is funded by the town and by multiple grants from the state. 

Commenting on these developments, mayor Kaczynski said, “The Steele Center project will bring new residents and businesses to Berlin and more ‘feet on the street’ to support our stores and restaurants on Farmington Ave. Many challenges have been overcome to bring these projects to the development stage and I thank Newport Realty, the state of Connecticut, town boards and commissions and town staff that have all worked diligently to make this project a reality.”

Newport Realty Group is a real estate development, management and brokerage firm located in Plantsville, Connecticut. Principals are Mark Lovley and Tony Valenti.

A groundbreaking will be scheduled later to celebrate the kick off of this important Transit-Oriented Development project.