SENATORS LIEBERMAN AND DODD SECURE $2 MILLION FOR NEW STORRS CENTER PROJECT
Author: LeylandAlliance LLC
07/26/2006
Storrs, Conn. (July 26, 2006)- The town of Mansfield is to receive $2 million earmarked for a new parking facility that will serve the Storrs Center “Main Street” redevelopment project. This grant was announced on July 21st as part of $18 million in federal funding that Senators Joe Lieberman and Chris Dodd were able to secure for Connecticut transportation and urban development projects. Senator Lieberman has previously shown his support for the Storrs Center project in the past by securing a $2.5 million grant in August of 2005 for road improvements and sidewalks for Storrs Road.
The funding for the new parking structure is a significant step in advancing the master plan for Storrs Center, a mixed use development to be located on 15 acres within an approximately 51-acre site across from the entry to the University. Plans call for an ambitious mix of retail, restaurants and residential buildings. The balance of the land will be maintained in a protected natural state.
Mansfield Mayor Betsy Patersen, who sits on the Board of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, the group that is spearheading the Storrs Center project, states, “Senator Lieberman has been greatly supportive of our project since the outset. First with the $2.5 million in the federal transportation bill earmarked for Storrs Road improvements and now with this funding for a critical parking structure to serve the new community. Storrs Center is a “smart growth” development that strives for the efficient use of limited land resources in support of an active, sustainable and livable town center. A central garage facility is an essential aspect of the land use strategy necessary to attain these goals.”
Macon Toledano, who is leading the project for master developer LeylandAlliance adds, “The new garage is a key component of the infrastructure that needs to go in early in the project. Construction of the garage must take place prior to other surrounding structures. And parking facilities must be in place before buildings can be opened. This grant is a major step in the right direction as we move forward towards the completion of the approvals and the start of construction.”
Back to News