Hartford Business Journal

16 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | October 24, 2022 Economic Development Series will also add value to the broader redevelopment around the campus neighborhood, school officials said. "We are hoping this marina project can springboard us into attracting some interest from real estate investors and developers to hope- fully do some other things," said Goodwin Senior Vice President Todd Andrews. "It is a premier location that is hard to find in the Hartford area, particularly with riverfront access. If we were to build out this plan, it could be a very, very vibrant area." Goodwin moved to its new campus in 2009, following a $34 million construction project on what had once been a jet-engine testing center. The effort was accompanied by a $10 million environmental cleanup of oil depots on adjacent riverside property. "I think it was the vision of our president (Mark Scheinberg) to be able to see past the oil tanks, to what could happen here on the riverbanks, because the rest of us, we kind of stepped back and looked at it and said: 'Wow, that's a big undertaking,' " said Bryant L. Harrell, Goodwin's senior vice president of facilities, security and information tech- nology. "But we did it." Harrell said the appeal of a river- side campus, a place where students want to come to learn, made the effort worthwhile. Around its campus site, Goodwin has acquired dozens of properties — mostly residential — in the neighborhood between Riverside Drive and Main Street. The school is working its way through a plan to transform the area with market-rate multifamily housing, commercial development and new magnet schools. In 2021, Goodwin completed a 25,000-square-foot office complex at the corner of Ensign and Main streets, an entrance leading into the university-owned neighborhood. On the opposite corner of the intersec- tion, the school plans a commercial building mixing office, retail and restaurant space. Goodwin's master plan calls for a mix of redevelopment along Ensign Street as it pushes toward the riverfront and campus, including multifamily housing, retail, office, educational spaces and enter- tainment, along with museum and events space. At present, Goodwin is preparing a site at 339 Main St., for a 13,888-square-foot office building. This will be leased to the U.S. Geological Survey, which uses Good- win's campus for lessons. University leaders say economic development plans around the campus will provide an important boost to the town's economy, and also restore long-lost access to a section of the river. Anybody can park at the campus and visit the water's edge, they say. "I think we are better stewards of the environment than we used to be," said Mark McGovern, Goodwin's director of economic development. "We have this incredible resource near us and now we need to utilize it in the best way possible. Recre- ation, absolutely. But also, through responsible development to create a destination on that resource is a high priority for people and it's an opportunity for us as a university to be a convener." Drawing economic benefit from cleaner rivers a 'delicate balance' By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com E nvironmental experts say developments taking advantage of Connecticut's improved river quality come with risks and rewards. David Anderson, land campaigns manager with Save the Sound, said development can eat into critical buffer zones that protect water quality. It can also create large imper- vious surfaces, meaning water rushes into rivers without first soaking into the ground. That can sweep in harmful pollutants and cause erosion. "With development along rivers, it's really a balance of making sure you are providing public access, and at the same time protecting it," Anderson said. "We wouldn't want to see development along an entire river corridor. We would want riparian buffers and smaller devel- opment opportunities. It's a delicate balance and I think every project needs to be scrutinized to make sure the resource is, one, protected and number two, to make sure the public can enjoy that resource." Save the Sound advocates for redevelopment in areas that don't require new roads or infrastructure, or where new construction is kept tightly packed, with the majority of property maintained as open space. Alicea Charamut, executive director of Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, said it is possible to responsibly develop near rivers, but all too often stormwater manage- ment is treated "as an afterthought." Runoff management has become more important in an era where climate change has already put rivers under pressure from extreme swings in water levels, Charamut said. "As long as we can keep that focus, we can have river-friendly development along the river with the understanding that some things have to be different than they were in the past to ensure we can adapt to climate change and ensure we are not damaging the resource," Charamut said. Rivers Alliance advocates for open public access to rivers as well as water-quality protections. Rivers Alliance Board President Dwight H. Merriam, an attorney and land-use planner, said devel- opment and environ- mental protection can be symbiotic. Unfortunately, Merriam said, the state's Department of Energy and Envi- ronmental Protec- tion doesn't have enough staff to adequately plan or monitor water quality and developments that can impact it. Phil Birge-Liberman, associate professor of urban and commu- nity studies at UConn's Hartford campus, said there are other risks to be mitigated. Middletown's plan to create parks, new housing and commer- cial opportunities on 220 acres of derelict industrial land could bring an influx of wealthier visitors, creating a risk of changing the culture and costs of the area, Birge-Liberman said. That could increase prices and bring competition that drives out "mom and pop" shops, he said. A bigger risk is that approved development plans are later modi- fied to shrink the amount of park- land and green space, as happened in Boston's harbor-front redevelop- ment, Birge-Liberman said. "Places where parks were supposed to be an important part, you see them go from multiple acres to a half-acre," Birge-Liberman said. "I'd hate to see the green space get squeezed out because you want to have more commercial space here." Middletown's master develop- ment plan hinges on parks and public spaces. The document repeatedly stresses the need to consult with, and cater to, the city's existing population. Birge-Liberman also acknowl- edges potential benefits. New York's success with the High Line linear park redevelopment of a former freight rail line has grabbed the attention of other municipalities, sparking similar efforts, he said. "What attracts members of the creative class to a particular place is having entertainment as part of a city, but also having access to green space," Birge-Liberman said. "There is this push to have this environ- mental amenity of green space coupled with commercial activity that would ideally improve the value of the local economy." Dwight Merriman Phil Birge- Liberman GOODWIN UNIVERSITY MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN RENDERING | CONTRIBUTED

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