The Manchester Redevelopment Agency has recommended a Dallas-based developer take over the city’s long-awaited Parkade property redevelopment on Broad Street, six months after nixing an agreement with the site’s former developer.
During its July 21 meeting, the RDA recommended the Board of Directors begin negotiations with Anthony Properties to redevelop the derelict 23.2-acre former Parkade site, Manchester General Manager Steve Stephanou said. The vote was 10-1 with RDA member Louis Spadaccini voting against, according to a draft of meeting minutes.
It’s not clear when the town’s board of directors will take action on the recommendations.
Manchester issued a new request-for-proposal for the project in March after announcing in January the town ceased its partnership with Manchester Parkade 1 LLC, the developer picked in 2019 to redevelop the area. Town officials cited numerous delays and an unclear timeline as reasons for moving on from the Easton-based developer.
The planned $140 million mixed-use project was expected to break ground on initial construction this spring.
The town first bought the multi-parcel property in 2011, after Manchester voters approved an $8 million bond to revitalize the Broad Street area. In 2019 the town named Manchester Parkade 1 LLC as the preferred developer for the site, and a development agreement was signed in April 2021.
That agreement was subsequently twice extended as the developer grappled with financing issues related to Department of Housing and Urban Development funding. Those funding issues were eventually resolved, the developer said.
In May, Manchester Parkade 1 LLC filed a suit against the town in Hartford Superior Court alleging they were wrongfully terminated from the project.
