Hartford evolves into college town

Downtown Hartford is about to get a shot of energy and urban renewal from the expansions of three colleges and universities, which could elevate the center city's status to a college town, officials say. “They will provide — and they are providing as this evolves — a foundation to basically rebuild the downtown community,” Michael Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority, said of plans by the University of Connecticut, Trinity College and the University of St. Joseph to expand their presence in the center city, which is already home to Rensselaer and Capital Community College. The projects will put more feet on the street during the day and after 5 p.m., fill up more apartment units, and support local businesses, Freimuth said. The schools also bring students closer to corporate and government employers for lectures, internships and future jobs, bolstering the local economy. Freimuth said “eds and meds,” or educational opportunities and medical institutions, are two growth sectors in urban renewal around the country. Greater Hartford already has a substantial medical and biomedical presence. “You see the elements coming together to really reposition Hartford for the long-term and I think the colleges are a big component of that,” Freimuth said. Also, college graduates become the innovators, small-business startups and new entrepreneurs “and you want them in your cities,” he said. Flagship university presence UConn is making the biggest splash downtown with its $115 million plan to relocate its West Hartford campus to a remodeled Hartford Times building and erect an adjoining five-story facility. UConn also plans to partner with the Hartford Public Library and Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art to share facilities and pump about 2,300 students and 250 faculty and staff into the downtown core. The campus' architectural plans were designed to open the school to the streets, encouraging walking and exploring. “One of the things that we really wanted to do was bring more life to the city by designing a neighborhood campus” for students, faculty, government and industry, said Laura Cruickshank, UConn's master planner and chief architect. Colleges' impact on the future development of downtown is still unfolding, said Thomas Deller, director of the city's Department of Development Services. “The real question is with UConn coming downtown and the amount of space that they're taking and the way they're designing the classrooms and space, trying to force students out of the building to walk around and connect, will we see the spinoff benefits of small commercial shops and things of that nature develop?” he said. “And will we see students seeking to move downtown and move into some of these apartments that are being built? That's still something we're not sure of.” But Deller said he's optimistic the campus will spur additional growth, development and connectivity, which the city wants. Some small businesses already are expressing interest in being downtown, he said, and the city is talking with Zipcar about expanding there. “Ultimately, people are waiting to understand what the flow is and the demand is, but I think that the action, the growth, the universities coming downtown bringing the students, the housing that's happening, it is starting to create the mass that's necessary for some of this growth,” Deller said. St. Joseph expansion The University of St. Joseph, which already has its pharmacy school in the XL Center, plans to start a physician-assistant program downtown, hopefully by fall 2016, which will require leasing additional space in the XL Center or elsewhere, said Rhona Free, university president. That will bring more students downtown, where St. Joseph has upwards of 300 pupils in its three-year pharmacy program. “It's obviously been a real asset for us in terms of students being able to live within walking distance of where they're working and studying, so that's been wonderful,” Free said. “Our students like being downtown. I think the faculty members also like being downtown.” Beyond the physician assistant plans, St. Joseph sees a chance for more program expansion downtown, including management, accounting and social work, Free said. With the rising cost of college, students want to maximize their investment, so being in an urban environment offering closer connections to internships and employers is advantageous, as is proximity to public transportation, she said. She thinks downtown is evolving towards a college town. “I think the city will reach that tipping point where businesses will start to adjust the way they operate to accommodate college students,” as seen around schools in other cities, she said. College towns also have to be pedestrian friendly, she said, expecting Hartford to trend more that way as increasing numbers of students and faculty use the city's improved public transit. She also expects to see more cultural activities pop up that college students enjoy. Once the city gets to that critical student mass, “it's a sort of self-perpetuating process — more and more businesses come in, more students want to be there, faculty want to be there,” Free said. Robert Corbett, director of regional projects and development for UConn, said he hopes the school's project swings that pendulum. “There's been a tremendous amount of effort over the last decade to two decades to really change the culture in Hartford,” he said. “I think the university is hoping it's the tipping point that kind of gets the whole culture changed.” Jason Rojas, chief of staff to Trinity's president and a state representative serving the 9th Assembly District, senses that momentum, too. Trinity bought the former Travelers Education Center at 200 Constitution Plaza and hopes to revive it by the end of next spring through its own use and by leasing out space, including for offices and retail. Trinity is still studying how it will use the building, but expects to use one or two floors of the five-story office tower. Rojas said he hopes college campus expansions help build connections between Hartford neighborhoods and downtown and build a stronger sense of city. “This is an opportunity to connect Albany Avenue to the University of Hartford, Broad Street to Trinity, Asylum Avenue to St. Joe's, particularly around transportation,” he said.  Return to Sept. 28, 2015 higher ed focus section Read more Berger-Sweeney makes most of first year as Trinity head Retiring Talbott makes her last strokes as the Atheneum's chief