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4 Hartford Business Journal • November 5, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com Briefs UConn trustees approve $45M hockey arena plan UConn's board of trustees has greenlighted construction of a $45 million hockey arena at the school's Storrs campus that will play home to some men's and all women's hockey games. The project will be funded by a private- public partnership. UConn, which will take a 49 percent equity stake in the arena, will seek a developer to design, build, own and operate the new 2,500- seat arena, to be erected adjacent to the existing Freitas Ice Forum. The men's team has played almost all home games at Hartford's XL Center since it joined the Hockey East Association in 2014. It would still play games in Hartford even after the new rink opens, possibly in 2021, the school said. UConn is required to replace the Freitas Ice Forum, a 1,650-seat arena built in 1998 because it doesn't meet Hockey East standards, which require all teams to have an on-campus rink with at least 4,000 seats. The conference is allowing UConn to build a smaller venue partly because the school draws strong crowds at the XL Center. Superior Court denies Hartford's request to control DoNo properties Hartford's Downtown North redevelopment efforts are in limbo after a Superior Court judge recently denied the city's request to control the properties in the area without interference from the fired developer of Dunkin' Donuts Park. The city in September asked the court to remove liens on the properties surrounding the baseball stadium so it can redevelop the area as part of a $200 million mixed-use project led by Stamford developer RMS Cos. The city hired DoNo Hartford LLC and its affiliate Centerplan Construction Co. in early 2015 to build the stadium and surrounding development, but the developer was fired in mid-2016 due to delays in stadium construction following a $10 million cost overrun. The companies subsequently filed a $90 million wrongful termination lawsuit against the city of Hartford, and a new contractor was hired to finish the ballpark. RMS Cos. was also recently chosen to take over the Downtown North development. The city argues it shouldn't have to honor a ground lease with DoNo Hartford /Centerplan because it terminated their stadium contract, but a Hartford judge wouldn't honor that request right now. It's not clear how the court's decision will impact the timing of the development. Building-materials distributor to close E. Hartford location A Dallas-based building-materials distributor expected to close its East Hartford location by year-end will begin laying off employees in late December, according to a Department of Labor filing. Builders First Source, a supplier of structural building materials and services to homebuilders and remodelers, notified the Labor Department it will begin terminating 46 employees as Week in Review TOP STORY Coca-Cola announces E. Hartford expansion, new CT sales hub T he Coca-Cola Bottling Co. said it plans to invest $22.6 million at its East Hartford production center and another $42 million in a new sales center nearby. New Hampshire-based Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Northern New England (CCNNE) announced its $64.6 million Connecticut investment as it shifts production volume away from its Needham, Mass., facility by year-end. The company said it is finalizing the permitting for a state-of-the-art sales center in Connecticut and will announce the location and projected opening date in the coming months. Coca-Cola will begin installing East Hartford's new production line early in 2019, with an expected completion about a year after, the company said. East Hartford's current 400,000-square-foot production, distribution and sales center employs 500 and produced over 30 million cases in 2017. In recent years, the national brand Coca-Cola Co. has been divesting its company-owned distribution facilities, including its East Hartford location, which CCNNE officially acquired in 2017. BY THE NUMBERS $162,700 The median price of a condominium sold in the state during the month of September, down 1 percent from a year earlier, according to the Warren Group. 44 Connecticut's ranking among 50 states in terms of credit quality, ac- cording to a new analysis by Hartford- based investment manager Conning. 17% The approximate decrease in 2019 workers compensation insurance rates in Connecticut, which repre- sents the fifth consecutive annual rate decline, according to state regulators. 77% The percentage of the 505 recently surveyed state residents who said they believe that overall business conditions in Connecticut are the same or better now than six months ago, according to a newly released poll by InformCT. TOP 5 MOST READ On HartfordBusiness.com • 1. Coca-Cola announces E. Hartford expansion, new CT sales hub • 2. Building-materials distributor to close E. Hartford location • 3. Law firm Akin Gump opens in Hartford • 4. CT gov't beats back $145M energy- raid challenge • 5. New restaurants eye downtown Hartford STAY CONNECTED For breaking and daily Greater Hartford business news go to www.HartfordBusiness.com HBJ on Twitter: @HartfordBiz HBJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HartfordBiz HBJ on Linkedln: www.linkedin.com/company/ the-Hartford-Business-Journal Daily e-newsletters: HBJ Today, CT Morning Blend www.HartfordBusiness.com/ subscribe UConn men's hockey plays most games in Hartford. Mike Defeo is the general manager of the Coca-Cola bottling plant in East Hartford. PHOTO | HBJ FILE PHOTO PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED