Harbor Point Developer Acquires Former Gen Re Building

, the developer behind the ambitious Harbor Point mixed-use redevelopment project in Stamford, has reportedly purchased the 614,000-square-foot office building located at 695 East Main Street, formerly the North American headquarters for General Reinsurance Corp.

According to a press release, BLT is planning an extensive renovation of the downtown office building, which is now being called the BLT Financial Centre. The release did not disclose the purchase price nor did it go into details about what the development firm plans to do with the building, which was acquired from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in a deal brokered by Cushman & Wakefield.

"The BLT Financial Centre acquisition is an extraordinary addition to our Stamford portfolio and we are excited about this opportunity to continue to deepen our roots in the city of Stamford," stated Carl R. Kuehner III, CEO of Building and Land Technology, in the release.

"We anticipate this office complex, once revitalized, will draw businesses to the Central Business District and, as with Harbor Point, will fuel Stamford's evolution as a modern live, work and play city,” Kuehner added. “Mayor Pavia and Governor Malloy, and their offices, are spearheading terrific programs to attract businesses and improve our cities."

"I am very glad to see the sale of 695 East Main Street to one of Stamford's major developers,” Pavia said in the release. “BLT's commitment to a significant renovation of the facilitiy is a welcome first step in attracting the corporate tenants Stamford has so successfully recruited in the past.”

Last week Stamford Patch learned that BLT has submitted a zoning application for a 15-story, 382,455 square foot, 226-unit apartment building at Pacific and Henry streets as part of the massive Harbor Point project, a multi-site plan encompassing more than 80 acres of prime commerical real estate in Stamford's South End. According to a report in the Stamford Advocate, the proposed apartment complex also calls for 295 parking spaces.

Since the estimated $3.5 billion officially began in 2008, Building and Land Technology has completed three major housing developments: The Lofts (225 units in the former Yale & Towne building), which opened in summer 2010; 101 Park Place (336 units), which opened September 2010; and LockWorks (329 units), which opened in October 2011, as per the Stamford Advocate report.

If approved, the proposed apartment complex would be one of several new buildings that will be soon be added to the city skyline: Last month Stamford developer Thomas Rich introduced a . The 226-apartment high rise, called "The Summer House," also includes 2,200 square feet of ground floor retail, according to a Stamford Advocate report.

In November submitted revised plans to build a hotel consisting of twin 22-story towers at the tip of Washington Boulevard and overlooking Stamford Harbor as part of the Harbor Point redevelopment project. If approved the new hotel buildings would have between 130 and 140 rooms as well as 60 condominium units, according to the Stamford Advocate.