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Progress on construction of The Elle, Oct. 22, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)
Pre-applications for the affordable housing units at The Elle, currently under construction at 1244 North Main Street, West Hartford, will be accepted through Jan. 5, 2026.
Progress on construction of The Elle at 1244 North Main Street, West Hartford, October 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
By Ronni Newton
The West Hartford Housing Authority this week began the pre-application process for apartments at The Elle, which is currently under development at 1244 North Main Street, which celebrated a groundbreaking in January and is expected to be completed in mid-2026.
Applications must be submitted by Jan. 5, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. through the website www.ElleNorthMain.com via computer, tablet, or smartphone, and a random draw lottery system will be used to establish the waiting list for the property.
The $27 million project – an adaptive reuse and redevelopment of the former synagogue – will transform the vacant building into 49 units of housing, 80% of which will be affordable. The project is being developed by Trout Brook Realty Advisors and when complete The Elle will be managed by the West Hartford Housing Authority. Trout Brook Realty Advisors purchased the property, which includes the synagogue building and 1.83 acres of land, from Congregation Agudas Achim in December 2024 for $1.6 million.
Rendering of The Elle, to be constructed at 1244 North Main Street. Courtesy image (we-ha.com file image)
Once complete, The Elle will include 24 one-bedroom, 23 two-bedroom, and two three-bedroom apartments. Of the 39 that are deed-restricted as affordable, six units will be reserved for residents at 60% AMI (area median income), 20 units will be at 50% AMI, and 13 units at 30% AMI. The remaining 10 units will be market rate rentals.
Rents for the affordable units will be set depending on the family size and income, and in accordance with Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) income and rent restrictions. According to the West Hartford Housing Authority, eligibility is subject to household minimum and maximum income limits and other eligibility criteria under the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and DOH HOME/FLEX Programs.
Rents are dependent on household income level, and while subject to change will range from approximately $1,187-$1,424 for a one-bedroom unit, $1,424-$1,709 for a two-bedroom unit, and $1,975 for a three-bedroom unit.
Currently, maximum income limits for the project, based on family size, are: 1 person – $53,172; 2 persons – $60,768; 3 persons – $68,364; 4 persons – $75,960; 5 persons – $82,037; and 6 persons – $88,114.
Those who need assistance in completing the pre-application can make an appointment with the management office. If you have a disability and require a Reasonable Accommodation, please call 860-734-7844 or email [email protected].
According to the West Hartford Housing Authority “only one pre-application per family will be accepted; duplicate pre-applications will be disqualified.” Once the pre-application is successfully completed, a confirmation will be issued and can be printed.
Application pre-screening will begin in January or February 2026, and management will begin reaching out to applicants via telephone and/or email to begin the process.
The West Hartford Housing Authority stated the following: “The Elle at North Main does not discriminate in admission or access to its housing or programs. Any eligible individual with disabilities will be served. Those who have visual or hearing impairments will be provided with the necessary information to understand and participate in the program. Efforts will be coordinated to comply with the nondiscrimination requirements of the Fair Housing Act. This is an equal opportunity housing development.”
The site where The Elle is now under development was for more than 50 years the home of Congregation Agudas Achim – a congregation first founded by Romanian Sephardic Jews in Hartford in the late 1800s. The congregation merged with United Synagogues in 2018, and the property was put up for sale. The application for The Elle was approved in an 8-1 Town Council vote in October 2023.
In addition to financing support from DOH and CHFA that generated private investment for the project, The Elle has also received funding through the Town of West Hartford’s Affordable Housing Development Program, a $660,096 Brownfield Grant for environmental remediation, and support from M&T Bank and Eversource.
Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz joined state and town officials and the West Hartford Housing Authority for the groundbreaking of The Elle at 1244 North Main Street in West Hartford. Photo credit: Ronni Newton (we-ha.com file photo)
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