Boston, MA (May 8, 2023) – Selectmen in the Connecticut town of Somers have designated WinnDevelopment, the development arm of WinnCompanies,to produce a mixed-income apartment community at the site of a former historic mill destroyed by fire in 2012.

The Somers Board of Selectmen voted Thursday, May 3, to designate the company as developer for the Somersville Mill site, a 5.3-acre parcel off Maple Street along the Scantic River, located on the Massachusetts border south of Springfield.

“The thoughtful redevelopment of the mill property has been a goal of the community for a decade to create an economic anchor for the village of Somersville and contribute to the town’s housing needs,” said Somers First Selectman Tim Keeney. “We’re excited to designate a developer with extensive, proven experience in creating successful, mixed-income residential communities that reflect and enhance their location.”

Built in 1879 by the Somersville Manufacturing Company, the mill was a key employer for hundreds of people for many decades, producing woolen fabrics used by high-end clothiers in New York and other fashion centers. A June 2012 fire gutted the building, the remnants of which were razed in 2017 due to public safety concerns.

The parcel forms the center of the Somersville Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The property has been the focus of a town-led community engagement process, as well as planning entitlements to promote redevelopment.

“This beautiful riverside site offers a number of options for new construction that aligns with the needs of the Town and the character of the surrounding Village,” said WinnCompanies Executive Vice President Michael O’Brien “We look forward to working with town planners, the Board of Selectmen and the community to bring forward a plan that meets or exceeds expectations for the rebirth of this historic property.”

The Board designated WinnDevelopment based on the company’s decades of experience transforming underutilized properties and historic structures into award-winning apartment communities; its expertise in carving out preferences for local residents, veterans and seniors; and its track record as a successful developer, long-term owner and operator of mixed‐income housing in Connecticut.

A private, family-owned company, WinnCompanies has owned, developed, and managed apartment communities in Connecticut for 42 years. It maintains a regional office in Hartford and has acquired and/or built eight apartment communities in Bristol, Broad Brook, East Haven, Thompson, Waterbury and Wethersfield.

ABOUT WINNCOMPANIES

WinnCompanies is an award-winning, national owner, developer and manager of high-impact affordable, middle income, mixed-income, market rate and military housing communities. Founded in Boston in 1971 and supported by 3,800 team members in 23 states and the District of Columbia, WinnCompanies is one of the nation’s leading multi-family housing managers with 105,600 residential and military apartment homes under management. It is a leading manager of affordable housing and privatized U.S. military housing in the United States. The company owns 125 apartment communities in 11 states and the District of Columbia.

MEDIA CONTACT

Ed Cafasso
edcafasso@gmail.com
Call or Text: (617)455-9651

Download Press Release