Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam is proposing that the city spend $50,000 to acquire a vacant, 5,839-square-foot office building just south of the downtown, describing the site as a key piece of long-term redevelopment plans.
“This property presents a unique opportunity to advance the community’s long-term vision through a creative adaptive reuse project laying the foundation for future development,” Arulampalam wrote in a memo to the City Council.
At its meeting Monday, the council referred the proposal to its Planning, Economic Development and Zoning Committee. A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 17.
The single-story brick building at 341 Main St., constructed in 1955, is owned by The Hartford Dispensary, a Manchester-based nonprofit that operates as The Root Center for Advanced Recovery. It provides mental health and addiction-treatment services across Connecticut.
Cristian Corza, Arulampalam’s deputy chief of staff, said city officials see an opportunity to remove a vacant eyesore from a key location along the Main Street corridor.
“It is just part of a long-term vision to transform all of Main Street,” Corza said.
City leaders have not yet determined how the property would be redeveloped if the acquisition is approved.
