The University of Connecticut has withdrawn its opposition to a proposed 358-unit multifamily housing development in Storrs, following backlash from Mansfield town officials.
UConn officials said they will also work with Mansfield on local housing and economic development initiatives, following a meeting this week between UConn Interim President Dr. Andrew Agwunobi and Mansfield Mayor Toni Moran and other town officials.
“UConn deeply values our partnership with the Town of Mansfield, and we believe that whenever possible a collaborative approach to local residential and commercial development will yield the best results,” Agwunobi said.
The detente between the university and town came after Moran publicly blasted UConn in July for “blindsiding” the town by purchasing a parcel of land on which the town was expecting an affordable housing project that could have added $2 million per year to the municipality’s tax rolls.
UConn’s Board of Trustees on June 30 approved the university’s $4.2 million purchase of a 19.4-acre parcel in Mansfield’s Four Corners section, adjacent to the UConn Innovation Partnership Building — known colloquially as the UConn Tech Park.
Alabama-based developer Capstone Collegiate Communities was in the advanced design stages on a proposed 358-unit multifamily housing development on that land, which would have included 30 units for low-to-moderate income residents, Moran said. UConn last year filed suit against Capstone and the town, arguing the project would interfere with plans to fully develop the Tech Park.
Moran said in addition to the lawsuit, UConn threatened it would block the development from access to the new $9 million Four Corners sewer and water system, $3 million of which was paid through state funds. The mayor said UConn’s actions could have a chilling effect on the town’s ability to attract developers for housing projects.
However, following the meeting with Agwunobi and UConn withdrawing its lawsuit, Moran said the mixed-use development plan could get back on track, and the town’s relationship with Connecticut’s flagship university is in a better place.
“With UConn dropping the opposition to the Haven mixed-use housing and development proposal, our process of review can continue on its course,” she said. “We are eager to focus on this joint approach to development with UConn that serves the best interest of our town and its future.”
