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It’s going to be a great building, I think

The section along Howard will have 7,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor with condos above, while the section stretching back to the west will have residential in all three storeys. Most of the parking is in the back, unseen from the street. The prices for the mostly two-bedroom, two-bath units haven’t been set, said Renaud. He said interest isn’t only coming from older South Windsor residents looking to sell their houses and downsize.

“We have young millennials who have shown interest and a lot of long-time South Windsor residents — the Longfellow (Avenue) ranch types who want to get into something more simplistic.”

Committee members complimented the developers for mixing commercial with residential and providing a residential intensification to the neighbourhood that up to now has primarily had single-family homes.

“It’s going to benefit the neighbourhood, I just want to let you know that,” said Ward 4 Coun. Chris Holt.

Committee member Anthony Gyemi, an architect, remarked that the design transitions nicely from commercial to residential. The absence of any nearby residents opposing the plan Monday night is evidence of its merits, he said.

The Cabana/Howard area has had considerable commercial building in recent years, including several plazas with various amenities. A townhouse development is currently being built just east of Howard.

The new project will be called Soho Condominiums.

“It’s going to be a great building, I think,” Renaud said. “It’s going to be a really walkable situation which is not really common (in South Windsor), where you can walk out your door, do your banking, get your haircut and go out to dinner.”