There's been a flurry of substantial investment in Connecticut's downtowns recently. UConn's decision to move its West Hartford campus to downtown Hartford, and Trinity College's $2 million purchase of the former Travelers Education Center as part of its plan to expand its campus into downtown Hartford have both garnered a lot of press recently.

Beyond the headlines, many of Connecticut's colleges and universities are engaging in a wide array of activities and entering partnerships with municipalities and main street organizations to improve the areas surrounding these institutions of higher learning. Recognizing that a robust community is a draw for students and faculty, while the impact these campuses (which are often mini-cities in their own right) can have on a local economy is potentially significant, these groups have begun partnering in exciting, mutually beneficial endeavors.

CMSC will explore how these relationships are taking root and growing here in Connecticut during our next Downtown Revitalization Institute workshop on March 13th. Building Lasting DownTOWN/Gown Relationships will explore the ins and outs of these initiatives and their results through a case study and panel discussion. There'll also be an opportunity for attendees to brainstorm how town/gown relationships can be built in their own communities.

Click here to view the flyer for this event.

Click here to register.

As you may recall, last November CMSC held a workshop on Tax Increment Financing (TIF), a funding mechanism where anticipated future increases in property taxes are used to repay debt issued for current development and redevelopment. There was general consensus among the over 80 attendees that new, expanded TIF legislation would enable our communities to undertake a greater array of revitalization and development efforts.

Since then, CMSC has formed a coalition with the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA), the Connecticut Economic Development Association (CEDAS), Pullman & Comley LLC and other interested parties to pursue changes to Connecticut's existing TIF legislation. The goal is to make TIF more readily available to communities for a wider variety of projects, especially mixed-use and transit oriented development. The group has begun drafting proposed language for the bill and meeting with legislators to engage their support.

As the legislative session moves forward CMSC and its coalition partners will continue to meet with legislators, including leaders of key committees, as well as relevant state agencies and others to gather support for the TIF legislation, a tool that will aid all of Connecticut's communities in their downtown revitalization efforts.