A group led by major Hartford employers Connecticut Children’s, Hartford Hospital and Trinity College is planning to conduct a study to determine how best to use ongoing investments in the city’s south-central region to spark additional economic and social growth along the Washington Street corridor.
For nearly 50 years, these three institutions and local representatives have collaborated through the Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance, or SINA. That group is preparing to conduct a planning study for the Washington Street corridor, which is poised for significant new investment in the months and years ahead, headlined by CT Children’s ongoing $326 million campus expansion.
On Thursday, the Capital Region Development Authority agreed to chip in $25,000 for the planning study, making it the biggest donor so far.
Other contributors include Liberty Bank ($15,000), the LAZ Foundation ($7,500) and Webster Bank ($5,000), resulting in $52,000 in total pledges.
The planning study will look at several possibilities for the area, including the creation of a med-tech corridor, new housing, business attraction, streetscape upgrades and community partnerships, according to material prepared for Thursday’s CRDA Board of Directors meeting.
CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth said the aim is to create links between these “large anchors in the neighborhood” and other key points in the city through investments and initiatives that complement Connecticut Children’s expansion.
