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Hartford Land Bank

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Hartford Land Bank

Hartford Land Bank, Inc. is a 501c3.

Hartford Land Bank identifies & acquires vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent and/or distressed properties in the City of Hartford, Connecticut, to steward their rehabilitation & return to productive community assets. The mission of the Hartford Land Bank is to identify, acquire, and redevelop – directly or through partnership with government, nonprofit, and private sector partners – vacant, abandone

d, tax-delinquent and/or distressed properties in the City of Hartford, where such redevelopment will: improve community and economic vitality of Hartford neighborhoods, ensure long-term sustainability of impacted properties, and enhance the quality of life for residents and businesses. Hartford Land Bank coordinates its activities with other community, regional and neighborhood partners that pursue objectives and goals complementary to that of Hartford Land Bank. The City of Hartford is a key partner and the Hartford Land Bank Executive Director will be the primary liaison to the City of Hartford.

08/11/2026

Last week, HLB Executive Director Marcus Ordoñez and Director of Operations Tyler Havens traveled to Waterbury for the inaugural Connecticut Land Bank Luncheon and Network Meeting. They joined colleagues from the Waterbury Land Bank Authority and New Haven Land Bank for a great exchange of ideas, experiences, and energy around the work of land banking in Connecticut.

With three land banks now operating in the state, there is a lot of opportunity to learn from one another and strengthen our collective work. We’re looking forward to continuing to share ideas and strategies for turning vacant and blighted properties into productive community assets across Connecticut.

07/21/2026

If you missed it in the July issue of our newsletter, HLB partner Housing Development Fund (HDF) produced a short video featuring HLB Executive Director Marcus Ordoñez, developers Annette Gaynor and Al Gary, and Broadview Terrace neighbors discussing the transformation of 647 Broadview Terrace and how this project is helping bring new investment and homeownership opportunities to the Behind the Rocks neighborhood. HDF helps make homeownership possible by providing counseling and financing that bridge the gap for first-time and income-qualified homebuyers. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX86Q-KpF-E

07/20/2026

Join us for a Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting at 647 Broadview Terrace - the first new construction project on a former HLB parcel!

Please join us for a Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting and Open House at 647 Broadview Terrace, on Thursday, July 23 at 11:00 a.m.

This former Hartford Land Bank (HLB) parcel in Hartford’s Behind the Rocks neighborhood was a vacant lot for thirteen years, since the original 1915 wood-frame house was torn down after a large tree fell on it in 2012. HLB acquired the property from the City of Hartford in October 2022 and sold it to Merestone, LLC in January 2025. A groundbreaking for the project took place in June of 2025. For this project, Merestone, LLC has partnered with Annette Gaynor, another Hartford-based developer who previously rehabbed another former HLB property at 156 Mather Street.

The new single-family home has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, granite countertops, central air, a full basement, a shed, and an attached garage. The simple farmhouse design is in keeping with the existing early-twentieth-century homes on this street.

This is the first new construction project on a former-HLB parcel, and is an HLB Homeownership Opportunity Property, meaning that the selected developer is required to either build or rehabilitate a property and sell to an owner who will themselves occupy the home for at least five years.

647 Broadview is the first of three new construction projects that paired an experienced developer with an HLB Developer Cohort Alumni. Joint ventures like this further HLB’s goal of supporting local developers and giving emerging developers experience with new construction.

Come check out this amazing transformation and stay tuned for more!

Please note that only street parking is available for the event.

03/19/2026

Welcome our two newest Board members! At its February meeting, the HLB Board elected two new members, Lillard Lewis and Mark Teare. Lillard is a commercial real estate executive with a background in business development and advising. He is a U.S. Army veteran and lives in Hartford’s West End. Mark has a background in commercial real estate and construction project management and lives in the South Downtown neighborhood of Hartford.

02/13/2026

🍿 HLB On the Screen:

Recently, HLB created a short video for a grant application highlighting our mission, past and current projects, and the community and funding partners who make our work possible. The process offered an opportunity to reflect on how far the Land Bank has come since acquiring its first properties five years ago… and to look ahead to our continued efforts to expand equitable homeownership opportunities across Hartford neighborhoods.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/1ryCNjvBsB0?si=Wlgz2LYKyWamkox5

02/12/2026

🚗 HLB On the Road:

Hartford Land Bank Executive Director Marcus Ordoñez & Director of Operations Tyler Havens recently presented to students at the UConn School of Medicine, introducing the role of land banking and its impact on housing stability and community health in Hartford. Marcus discussed factors contributing to the city’s low homeownership rate and highlighted former HLB properties and projects currently under construction. The presentation underscored HLB’s collaborative work with community and financial partners to return vacant and distressed properties to productive use and break the cycle of blight, followed by a question-and-answer session with attendees.

Marcus also presented an overview of HLB’s work to date to the Capital Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), where he is a member of their Advisory Committee. CRCOG has embarked on a multi-year Regional Housing Strategy to provide tools to assist municipalities with implementation of their local Affordable Housing Plans, provide training tools and resources, and explore regional roles in creating housing.

If your school or organization would benefit from learning more about HLB and land banks, please contact us. We have a limited number of spots open on our spring and summer calendars.

02/10/2026

🛠 Property Update: 102 Capen Street:

With five former HLB properties currently in various stages of construction or renovation, Director of Operations Tyler Havens regularly checks in with crews to track progress. At 102 Capen Street, interior painting and trim carpentry are underway now that exterior siding has been completed. Here are before-and-after photos of the home’s northeast corner, which suffered significant fire damage eight years ago.

Other property updates include:

🏠 102 Capen: Currently in the painting and trim carpentry stage, along with front and side porches being rebuilt.

🏠 98 Capen: In the insulation stage, along with front and side porches being rebuilt.

🏠 647 Broadview: Interior is completed. Exterior work, final grading, and front and back porches to be completed in the Spring.

🏠 602 Garden: Insulation is being installed.

🏠 597 Garden: Painting and trim carpentry stage.

01/12/2026

Construction Update: Garden Twins
Construction work continues at the two former HLB properties on Garden Street. These long-vacant lots in the Northeast neighborhood now each contain a two-family home, with each in a different phase of construction.

597 and 602 Garden Street have been vacant for roughly 25 years. HLB sold the two lots in January 2025 to Hartford developer Merestone LLC, which is constructing a two-family home on each site. For these projects, Merestone partnered with two alumni of the 2023 HLB Developer Cohort: Nathanael Johnson (597 Garden Street) and Tahara Chapman MSMOL (602 Garden Street).

The architectural designs for these two new homes take inspiration from the existing features of the neighborhood as well as its history. Both properties will have two units each, consisting of 3 bedrooms and 1.5 to 2 baths per unit.

These properties are the second and third (647 Broadview (see last week's post) was the first) new construction projects on former-HLB parcels, and, when completed, will be HLB Homeownership Opportunity Properties, meaning that the selected developer is required to either build or rehabilitate a property and sell to an owner who will themselves occupy one of the units for at least five years.

All three properties also pair a more experienced developer with HLB Developer Cohort alumni. Joint ventures like this further HLB’s goal of supporting local developers and giving emerging developers experience with new construction.

We look forward to sharing more progress photos as the work continues.

Images: recent framing work at 602 Garden Street, and a newly sheetrocked kitchen at 597 Garden Street.

01/08/2026

Despite snow, cold temperatures, and a busy holiday season, work continues on the former HLB property at 647 Broadview Terrace.

In 2012, the original 1915 wood-frame house on this lot was torn down after a large tree fell on it. For thirteen years, this property in the Behind the Rocks neighborhood sat empty, until HLB acquired it from the City of Hartford in October 2022 and sold it to Hartford-based Merestone, LLC in January 2025.

Over the past months, Merestone and partner Annette Gaynor (another Hartford-based developer who previously rehabbed a different former HLB property at 156 Mather Street) have been building a new single-family, 4-bedroom home, which is almost complete.

As noted in prior posts, 647 Broadview is the first new construction project on a former-HLB parcel, and, when completed, will be an HLB Homeownership Opportunity Property, meaning that the selected developer is required to either build or rehabilitate a property and sell to an owner who will themselves occupy one of the units for at least five years.

11/07/2025

Last month, HLB Executive Director Marcus Ordoñez and Director of Operations Tyler Havens joined housing innovators from the public and private sectors, developers, financial institutions, architects, local leaders, and state policymakers at Foxwoods for the 2025 Connecticut Housing Conference. The conference focused on the policies and programs driving construction financing, increased home ownership, homelessness support and prevention, and continued urban and suburban development.

HLB staff attends events like these to gain insights into urban planning, community engagement, and redevelopment strategies being used successfully by other land banks and development agencies. This is an important part of our commitment to reducing the number of vacant and abandoned properties in Hartford and returning them to productive community assets.

Address

1049 Asylum Avenue
Hartford, CT
06105

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18603350347

Website

http://hartfordlandbank.org/

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