Hartford Business Journal

16 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 7, 2022 Windsor Locks First Selectman Paul Harrington said his phone has been ringing off the hook lately from developers interested in potential projects near the town's planned $65-million train station. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Growth Accelerator Hartford Line train stations spur major economic development opportunities for municipalities By Hanna Snyder Gambini hgambini@hartfordbusiness.com D evelopers over the years have shown interest building mixed- use projects in Windsor Locks' central village area, but few had ever come to fruition. Last month, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new $65 million train station, part of the state's transit-oriented development (TOD) investment program for the Hartford Line rail corridor. Since then, "the phone has been ringing off the hook," from developers looking for more information on poten- tial projects in Windsor Locks, said First Selectman Paul Harrington. It's a trend seen up and down the CTrail Hartford-Springfield line, from North Haven to Enfield, where the state TOD program has helped spur public and private economic devel- opment growth, including hundreds of millions of dollars in private invest- ment in new apartments and other mixed-use commercial properties. The TOD collaboration involves several state agencies — including transportation and economic and community development — and aims "to use transit centers to enhance economic development, job-acces- sible housing, retail amenities and quality of life in many of Connecticut's walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods." It started around 2015-16, when the state won a Federal Transit Admin- istration grant for the Department of Transportation to initiate a study of transit-oriented development opportuni- ties along the Hartford Line rail corridor. The Hartford Line, which debuted in 2018, is a 62-mile, high-speed rail service that connects New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, serving North Haven, Wallingford, Berlin, Meriden, Newington, West Hartford, Hartford, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Enfield. Town leaders and private devel- opers said the state TOD program is a carefully-crafted master plan that pulls together multiple components, from vision to planning, development strategies and funding options, to spur development of the train line and several town centers. Towns like Berlin have already seen concrete evidence of TOD-ini- tiated growth as brick-and-mor- tar, mixed-use developments are sprouting up around new state-built train stations. In Berlin's Kensington Village along Farmington Avenue, a new brewery occupies a historic building next to the train station that was completed in 2018. A new three-story, mixed-use devel- opment by Newport Realty Group and Lovley Development has 16 residential units almost fully leased, with a main-floor gastropub ready to open in early 2023. Federal funding helped reme- diate a nearby brownfield, open- ing up coveted land for more transit-central development. Tony Valenti of Newport Realty Group said the state, local and pri- vate collaboration works. Further, projects with collaboration, whether it's remediation through grants or strategic village center plan- ning, are more likely to show success due to the state and federal invest- ment, therefore they become more attractive to developers. "Berlin had an advantage because there was land available near the train platform, and that's not always the case in other areas," Valenti said. A train station puts a location on the map, and in Berlin, Valenti said the risk was greatly mitigated by the state's TOD partnership. "I'm not sure how we can't succeed there," he said. An increase in train ridership — another TOD goal — will likely come once these buildings are occupied, and people are using the rail line more often to get to places where they can live, work and play, Valenti said. Zoning regulations revamp In Enfield, the prospects of an economic development boom around a new train station are just starting to emerge. Town officials said the state DOT is crafting conceptual designs for a new $35 million station, with a public informational meeting planned for spring of 2023. In June, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced more than $13.8 million in federal grants for environmental review of the train-sta- tion site, which will be located near a 700-unit apartment complex called Bigelow Commons. This grant will also help officially begin engineering, final design, and construction of the new station, which will include a 500-foot boarding platform, utility building with a waiting area, and station parking. The project is part of the Enfield multi-modal transit center adjacent to the station site, with up to seven par- cels combined for 1.5 acres of rede- velopment area, town officials said. The town is currently seeking HARTFORD LINE TRAIN RIDERSHIP 2019 665,471 2020 264,192 2021 318,071 Source: Connecticut Commuter Rail Council

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