First Cathedral plans 146 housing units, daycare, new facilities in Bloomfield

June 25 review

Bloomfield’s Town Plan and Zoning Commission is scheduled to review the first phase of The First Cathedral’s redevelopment plan on June 25, putting the church-led project at its next major municipal checkpoint.

The proposal covers a 40.49-acre campus at 1151 Blue Hills Avenue and could ultimately bring up to 146 housing units, a daycare and expanded cathedral facilities to the site.

The project is being developed with Grow America, formerly the National Development Council. Town staff presented the broader master plan to the commission in November, and the commission unanimously approved a zoning map amendment and master plan at that time.

What is proposed

Phase one calls for 101 multifamily housing units in two five-story buildings. Those apartments are described as 100% affordable and targeted to households earning 30% to 50% of area median income.

Phase two would add 45 more residential units, described as a mix of affordable and market-rate housing. It would also include a daycare for up to 90 children ages 3 months to 5 years.

Phase three would add a two-story cathedral expansion and a sidewalk extension along Blue Hills Avenue. Phase four would add a private storage building and a 138-space overflow parking lot.

The church was previously known as The First Baptist Church of Hartford.

How the plan got here

The June 25 hearing is not a final construction approval. It is a review of the first-phase resubdivision and site plan application, which means the commission can still ask for revisions or attach conditions before the project moves forward.

That distinction matters because the first phase is the immediate test of whether the broader redevelopment can advance from concept into something closer to construction.

The project is unfolding on land long associated with the church’s Bloomfield campus, and the town’s earlier approval of the master plan gave the proposal an initial land-use green light. The upcoming review will focus on the site-specific details for the 101-unit first phase.

Why it matters

If approved, the plan would add new affordable housing in Bloomfield at a time when communities across Connecticut continue to weigh how to expand supply while managing site impacts.

It would also broaden the use of the same campus by pairing housing with church facilities and a daycare. That mix gives the proposal both residential and institutional components, which can affect how local officials evaluate access, parking, traffic and overall site design.

The daycare would add another public-interest element to the project by creating capacity for up to 90 young children on the site.

What comes next

The main open question is how the Town Plan and Zoning Commission will act on June 25. The commission could approve the first-phase site plan, request revisions or impose conditions before the project can move ahead.

Other unanswered questions include the final construction timeline and whether the full four-phase plan will change as it moves through local review.

For now, the project remains an early-stage redevelopment proposal with a clearly defined next step on the town calendar and a potentially significant impact on housing, daycare capacity and campus expansion in Bloomfield.