Hannah Real Estate unveils Stamford's first loft project.

Seth G. Weinstein, principal of Hannah Real Estate Investors, announced plans for his latest collaborative project, The Metropolitan. Weinstein has joined with partners Paxton and Ray Kinol and Summer Partners, LLC to develop The Metropolitan at 1515 Summer St. in Stamford.

The building will provide Stamford with its first urban loft experience by converting an empty 66,000 s/f office building into 44 luxury condominiums. Twelve town homes will be built adjacent to the main building. Conversion of under-utilized office buildings to residential uses has been a trend in Manhattan, but The Metropolitan represents one of the first projects of this kind in Stamford.

"We are thrilled to be developing Stamford's first cutting edge urban living environment and believe that the Metropolitan will appeal to both young professionals and empty nesters."

"We have already received a very positive pre-development response and expect that both the condominiums and town homes will sell out quickly," said Paxton Kinol.

Construction on the project is scheduled to begin this fall, with condominium occupancy planned for the summer of 2006. The town homes will be ready in the late fall of 2006.

The 44 condominium homes will contain 10 one-bedroom, 32 two-bedroom and two three-bedroom rent spaces above three stories of parking. The 12 four-story townhouses, with two to three bedrooms each, will be built on what is now an empty parking lot on First Street.

The new facade of the Metropolitan will be ultra-modern. The building will be completely resurfaced in soft gray tones and fitted with panoramic windows. Residents and their guest will arrive via a new porte-cochere entry. The modern entrance lobby will feature blue Florentine glass, metallic-colored ceramic tile walls and ceramic flooring.

Amenities will include a club room, a fitness center and a common roof terrace. A new 2,000 s/f commercial office suite will be offered. Incorporated into the project will be two below-market-rate units. These BMR residences will be made available through Stamford's affordable housing program.

The loft condominiums will feature 10-11 foot ceilings, expansive windows and hard wood and the floors. Several penthouse units will have large private terraces and views overlooking the city center. The kitchens will have custom cabinets, top-of-the-line appliances and stone or concrete countertops. The bathrooms will feature glass or ceramic tile and elegant fixtures.

The townhouses will come with spacious kitchens, first floor parlors and open plan living spaces. Each condominium or town home will have two reserved parking spaces. Prices will range from the mid-$400,000's to $1.5 million.

Sales for The Metropolitan will be handled by the new homes division of William Ravels Real Estate.