Columbus Commons

New Britain, CT

Columbus Commons is a mixed-use housing project in downtown New Britain. This project has transformed the formerly underutilized urban brownfield and former site of the police station headquarters into a vibrant downtown, transit-oriented development.

The community features 80 new apartment homes and 10,000 square feet of commercial storefront for local, small neighborhood businesses. Residents of the community enjoy access to numerous facilities including a fitness center, community gathering space, and bike and tenant storage.

The new affordable housing community is six stories and was built according to Passive House standards — a set of energy efficient building principles that utilizes super insulation, airtight building envelope and heat-recovery ventilation systems to reduce overall energy consumption. According to the Passive House Institute US database, Columbus Commons is the second mixed-use, multi-family community built to Passive House standards in the state of Connecticut. In 2020, Columbus Commons was awarded a CT Green Build Council Green Building Merit Award.

Located in the heart of New Britain off Columbus Blvd, this new community offers an attractive urban setting with convenient access to shopping, municipal services, and CTFasTrak making it an easy commute to Hartford and surrounding areas.

Completion: 2020

Total Development Costs: $30 million

Project Highlights: New construction of 80 multi-family units; 10,000sf of retail space

Financing Partners: Bank of America, CT Dept of Housing (DOH), DECD, CHFA

Financing: LIHTC

Website: www.columbuscommonsapartments.com