CROMWELL - A developer is eyeing the Red Lion property for a tentative revitalization �" one driven by a combination of housing and a high-end restaurant.

       It’s the kind of mixed-use development Marty Kenny of Lexington Partners has become known for �" the Hartford-based real estate investment firm brought The Borden to the Town of Wethersfield and the Tannery to Glastonbury.

       Now he’s wants to build 260 apartment units, 24 townhouses, and a restaurant where the Red Lion Hotel currently stands. The site plan �" which has yet to hit the Town Planning and Zoning Commission as an official application �" would also include 12,000 square feet of amenities, such as a fitness center.

       “It was pretty impressive, what he was proposing for the site,” said Town Manager Tony Salvatore. “It is one of our top priorities to hopefully get the site up and running.”

       The Red Lion, with its spacious ballroom, was once a hotspot for event hosting throughout the region �" but in 2020 the Connecticut State Department of Revenue Services abruptly shut it down over delinquent tax payments.

       At the time, Salvatore said that the property was Cromwell’s third highest Grand List contributor.

       “That site is the No. 1 site in town,” Salvatore said recently. “The location can’t be beat. You’re right near Interstate 91. Route 9. Within 15-20 minutes you can be anywhere from Meriden to New Britain, to Hartford.”

       But among those that have expressed interest, Lexington Partners has been the most aggressive, the Town Manager says.

       Kenny, who gave an informal presentation to Zoning on December 7, has already purchased the abutting 15R Christian Hill Road property �" giving him a total of 12 acres for the apartments, townhouses, and envisioned 31,500 square feet of commercial space.

       The site plan would also accommodate 512 parking spaces.

       “I heard of people looking to retain its usage, but nobody has come forward like this group,” Salvatore said.

       He says the fact that the Red Lion will have to be demolished is his only regret �" with a 600-person capacity, the hotel’s ballroom was the third largest in the state.

       The only existing structure included in Lexington Partners’ vision is the parking garage.

       “I’m a little disheartened that we would lose the ballroom,” Salvatore said. “The whole facility actually, but the ballroom is a big generator.”

       Nevertheless, he says he hopes to see a formal application soon �" and he’s optimistic.

       “I think he’s very interested in it,” Salvatore said.

       Kenny did not return phone messages inviting additional comment.

       If all goes as the developer plans, the property will retain its name �" its former one, at least.

       The Red Lion first opened as the Lord Cromwell �" the title Kenny, a Cromwell resident, is giving his envisioned project.

       The site plan would have to go through both Zoning and the Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Commissions before construction can begin.

       The 100 Berlin Road parcel is zoned for mixed use, and Kenny told the TPZ that he expects his final site plan to align with those regulations.

       Lexington Partners is represented by attorney Peter Alter of the firm Alter and Pearson.

       The project architect is Ted Cutler of Tecton Architects.