Massive two-tower Manchester apartment project ready to move forward

A rendering of Avery Hall’s proposed project. (BizSense file photos)

A massive multifamily development in Manchester is set to begin construction. 

Avery Hall Investments confirmed last week it has secured financing for its 550-unit apartment development at 301 W. Sixth St., clearing the way for the project to break ground. 

Avery Hall founding partner Brian Ezra said the firm expects to start site work and construction this spring. He declined to identify the lender, stating only that it’s a Canadian firm and that the development’s cost surpasses nine figures. 

“We’re motivated and excited to build,” Ezra said. “We do believe we’ll deliver the highest-quality (apartment) building in the Richmond area.”

The development is planned to span two buildings, one reaching 16 stories and the other 17, along the riverfront. The two towers, which would be linked by a four-story parking deck, would be the tallest new-construction apartment buildings to rise in the city in recent years. 

Based out of New York, Avery Hall has been plotting the project for around three years after another proposed development for the site, River’s Edge II, fell through. After buying the 3-acre parcel in a record-setting $17 million deal in 2022, Avery Hall got city approval for the development a year later. 

The 3-acre site is just north of Legend Brewing Co.’s taproom.

Ezra said the goal is to complete the project sometime in 2027. KBS is the general contractor and Avery Hall’s in-house architecture firm is the designer. 

During the city approval process, Avery Hall’s proposals drew some pushback from locals who were upset that the two towers would obscure some of the downtown view from neighboring Legend Brewing Co.’s deck. The developer wound up tweaking the design in an effort to better preserve sightlines. 

That effort may prove moot, as Legend has listed its 1.3-acre parcel for sale with an asking price of $4 million. Bruce Milam of Bruce Commercial Realty has the listing. 

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