State officials say it will save more than $7 million in five years by relocating some 160 state workers mostly in downtown Hartford to newly renovated offices on Capitol and Farmington avenues.
The moves, led by the Office of Policy Management (OPM), Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget office, and the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), will bring workers from adjacent buildings at 30 and 18/20 Trinity St. to either 165 Capitol Ave. or 55 Farmington Ave. beginning in September and through the start of 2021, DAS announced Tuesday afternoon.
The state is also shedding two leased offices at 330 Main St., which was recently acquired by a prominent Hartford developer-landlord, and 2275 Silas Deane Highway in Rocky Hill. Workers at the former offices will also be moved to Capitol and Farmington avenues.
A projected $7.1 million will be saved in operating and lease costs over a five-year period, DAS said, as it will also avoid the need to invest up to $80 million to rehabilitate the Trinity Street offices over the next decade. Instead, the Trinity Street buildings are expected to be transferred to the quasi-public Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) for redevelopment.
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In a statement, CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth said the Trinity Street buildings offer an opportunity to boost the so-called Bushnell South redevelopment project of the former state parking lots across the street from The Bushnell Performing Arts Center.
“Coupled with CRDA’s ongoing development of a new district garage as well as recent private acquisition of 55 Elm for residential/mixed-use development by the Spinnaker Group, the Trinity properties provide the next phase to rebuild the neighborhood along Bushnell Park, ultimately stretching into the south end of Hartford and the hospital district,” Freimuth said.
DAS said 163 employees will be impacted by the upcoming moves in the following state offices/agencies: Office of Chief Public Defenders; Board of Firearms Examiners; Judicial Selectmen Commission; Office of the Child Advocate; State Contracting Standards Board within the Office of Governmental Accountability; State Elections Enforcement Commission; Department of Administrative Services Print/Mail services; The Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity; the Freedom of Information Commission; and Office of State Ethics.
