Newington, CT Anthony Properties (AP) in partnership with Perry Reid Properties (PRP) held the groundbreaking of The Spark on Cedar. The project will consist of 232 class A apartments at the former National Welding site along Cedar Ave. This project will represent the twelfth property which AP and PRP have co-developed. The development team has selected Callahan Construction Managers as the general contractor. Callahan is a full-service construction management company. 

The Spark on Cedar development is a public-private partnership with the town of Newington and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), and represents a collaborative approach to revitalizing the former National Welding property. The city of Newington procured a $2 million grant from DECD to support remediation of the brownfield site and attract developers capable of converting the underutilized parcel into a high-end transit-oriented development. With an extensive portfolio featuring residential and transit-friendly projects, the development team was a natural fit to oversee the site’s transformation. 

The project site is centrally located and offers future residents a wide range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options, along with proximity to many leading Connecticut employers. In addition, the nearby Cedar St. Station provides express service to downtown New Britain in 6 minutes and downtown Hartford in 20 minutes via the CTfastrack, Connecticut’s first bus rapid transit system. 

“From the outset, the vision which we had for The Spark on Cedar was to offer the residents of Newington a desirable rental housing option, one offering not only outstanding amenities but also superior convenience,” said Ross Anthony, president, Anthony Properties. “Thanks to the partnership from the town of Newington and the DECD, we are now able to realize that vision and also create opportunities for prolonged economic growth impacting at both the state and local levels.” 

Callahan Construction, along with architect Hensley Lamkin Rachel, Inc.?and engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill, was selected to oversee design and construction of the four-story apartment community which will consist of studio, one-, and two-bedroom units along with 301 parking spaces and amenities including a resort-style swimming pool, a dog park and pet spa, and EV charging stations. In addition to building the new residences, Callahan’s robust pre-construction planning services are being utilized to create a safe, efficient jobsite within a densely populated urban corridor. 

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to deliver a much-needed residential community to downtown Newington, and to do so as part of a dynamic team showcasing the impact of private-public partnerships,” said Dave Morrow, VP of NY operations for Callahan. 

“As a leading construction manager that has completed numerous residential communities across the northeast, we are confident that The Spark on Cedar will be source of pride for the City of Newington, our partners at Anthony Properties and Perry Reid Properties, and the residents that will soon call it home.”