Dakota Partners in partnership with Xenolith Partners and the city of New Britain, CT are well underway with construction on Columbus Commons, a mixed-use project that will transform the currently underutilized urban brownfield and former site of Stanley Black & Decker factories into a vibrant downtown, transit-oriented development.

In addition to 80 new apartment homes, the project will activate street space with over 10,000 SF of commercial storefront for local, small neighborhood businesses. Residents of the community will enjoy access to numerous facilities including a fitness center, community gathering space, and bike and tenant storage.

Located in the heart of downtown New Britain, this pedestrian friendly project offers an attractive urban setting convenient to shopping, municipal services and direct CTFastrak access – connecting New Britain to downtown Hartford by a 15 minute express bus ride.

The development will be six stories in height and built according to Passive House standards — a set of energy efficient building principles that utilizes heavy insulation, airtight building envelope and heat-recovery ventilation systems to reduce overall energy consumption. According to the Passive House Institute US database, Columbus Commons will be the first mixed-use, multi-family community built to Passive house standards in the state of Connecticut.

Site remediation began in late 2018 followed by the foundation structural steel erection and wood framing. Topping off is expected in spring 2019, and completion expected by end of 2019. The building will be ready for occupancy by first residents in early 2020.