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Updated: October 28, 2019 The Real Deal

Ex-New Britain Mayor Stewart’s newest gig: commercial realty agent

By Joe Cooper

Former New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart has found a new job in familiar territory.

Timothy Stewart, Commercial Real Estate Agent, Reno Properties Group

The 58-year-old this summer earned his real estate and sales license and was recently hired as a commercial real estate agent by Newington-based Reno Properties Group, which manages more than 1.5 million square feet of commercial properties in central Connecticut.

Stewart said his previous experience spearheading large developments — during eight years as mayor and another five-plus years leading the city’s chamber of commerce — has made the transition to his new career easier.

He had to enter the job market in February after suddenly resigning as chamber president, following backlash from a Facebook post he made that was widely denounced as misogynistic.

Reno surfaced as a potential landing spot for Stewart, the father of current Mayor Erin Stewart, after he reconnected with a few longtime friends affiliated with the firm, according to managing broker Michael Gallon.

“I’ve been involved with the real estate world for a while, and I’ve been friendly with the folks at Reno for a long time, so I gladly accepted,” Stewart said. “I have a significant contact portfolio of folks in the central Connecticut region, and I’ve done various deals through the city and chamber.”

Rendering | Contributed
A rendering of the $80 million “Columbus Commons” development being built in New Britain.

Gallon said Stewart’s initial task is soliciting retail tenants for a new $80-million mixed-use development — known as Columbus Commons — located near a downtown New Britain CTfastrak bus station.

Stewart, a former New Britain engineer and fire marshall in his formative years, said he is familiar with the project because plans for it actually surfaced while he was still mayor. Columbus Commons broke ground in 2017 on the first of two retail/apartment buildings on Columbus Boulevard, site of the former New Britain police station.

Columbus Commons’ first building will include 80 one- and two-bedroom apartment units and more than 11,332 square feet of ground-level commercial/retail space when completed in January. The second building will comprise another 80 apartment units.

Xenolith Partners and Dakota Partners, which has been active building apartment units in downtown Hartford, are the developers.

“There will be mixed income levels for renters,” Stewart said. “We see in the marketplace that renting units to people of varying incomes creates a nice dynamic of properties.”

Deal Roundup

Swiss industrial-power/technology conglomerate ABB Inc. has completed its purchase of an 85,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Bloomfield where it plans to establish a North American product-development center.

AAB acquired the facility at 45 Griffin Road South from Lanakam LLC for just over $3.1 million.

Built in 1986, the building, sitting on 9.2 acres, was expanded in 2000 from 60,000 square feet to its current 85,390 square feet.

• • •

Twenty Seven Whitney Associates has sold a 1,928-square-foot office building in Hamden for $350,000.

The building at 1227 Whitney Ave., was purchased by the Play More Chess Academy, which plans to move its classes and monthly tournaments to the space by November.

O,R&L Commercial LLC represented both the buyer and seller.

Joe Cooper is HBJ’s web editor and real estate writer. He pens “The Real Deal” column about Greater Hartford’s commercial real estate industry. Send him real estate tips and deals at jcooper@hartfordbusiness.com.

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