State Senator Donald E. Williams, Jr.
May 14, 2008
Williams Hails State Investment in Mansfield Downtown Center
Landmark $10 million investment brings town, university together
Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) announced today that the State Bond Commission is expected to approve $10 million in state bonding for the creation of a parking facility at the long-planned 'Storrs Center' village development in Mansfield, an investment which will help leverage $180 million in private real estate investment and bring an estimated $2.5 million in additional tax revenue to the town when the project is complete.
Sen. Williams, who has been advocating for state bonding for the parking garage for several years, attended a 12:30 p.m. press conference today at Mansfield Town Hall announcing the state bonding with Gov. M. Jodi Rell, state Rep. Denise W. Merrill (D-Mansfield), Mansfield Mayor Elizabeth C. "Betsy" Patterson, and other state and local officials.
"This is one of the most significant developments ever between the Town of Mansfield and the University of Connecticut," said Sen. Williams, whose 29th Senate District includes Mansfield. "It's the missing link between all the improvements that we have been making to UConn over the years and the questions from Mansfield residents and students who have been asking, 'What is there to do downtown?' This town center is the answer to that question. It is truly an historic opportunity and a landmark step in linking the university with downtown Mansfield."
The Storrs Center project will be a mixed-use town center and Main Street corridor at the crossroads of Mansfield and UConn. Located along Storrs Road (Route 195) and adjacent to the university, the Town Hall, the regional high school and the community center, the planned town center will knit architecture, pedestrian-oriented streets, small lanes and public spaces into a series of neighborhoods that combine retail shops, restaurants and professional offices with studio apartments, town homes, and condominium and rental apartments. There will also be a parking garage (paid for in part with state bonding) and surface parking.
The 17-acre town center development will be situated on an overall 47.7-acre site that is currently zoned for mixed use and residential development. Other than the existing post office and few other existing retail buildings, the remaining 30 acres will be preserved as open space and a conservation area.
Sen. Williams also expressed his gratitude today to Gov. Rell, Rep. Merrill and Mayor Patterson for bringing this state bonding to fruition.
It is estimated that the completed project will feature 200-300 units of market-rate rental properties, 400-500 units of for-sale residential properties, 150,000-200,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 40,000-75,000 square feet of commercial office space, and 5,000-25,000 square feet of civic and community space.
Storrs Center is being developed by Storrs Alliance LLC (an affiliate of Leyland Alliance LLC of New York) in public partnership with the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc. which is a municipal development agency charged with the development of Storrs Center on behalf of the Town of Mansfield.
Construction is expected to begin this year and be completed in 2014.
For more information, visit: www.storrscenter.com
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