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UConn Casting Wider Net In Downtown Hartford For Campus Relocation

by KENNETH R. GOSSELIN

January 24, 2013

The University of Connecticut said today that it is seeking proposals from downtown Hartford property owners and landlords who may have space suitable for the relocation of its West Hartford campus.

“The intention is to cast as wide a net as possible,” UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz told me this morning. “There may be properties out there that may be a good fit. There may be owners and landlords that haven’t thought of approaching the university.”

The campus could be in one or more buildings. Proposals could include undeveloped land, indicating UConn is open to building something new, Reitz said.

When the university disclosed plans in November to sell its West Hartford campus and relocate students and faculty to downtown Hartford, UConn expected the move to take place “within a year.”

Reitz said that could still happen, but an extensive renovation of an existing building or new construction could delay the move. Reitz said the university isn’t being more specific than that.

Proposals are due Feb. 27.

More information on the university’s requirements can be found on its web site here.

It was known that the university was actively studying the possibility of relocating the campus to the former Travelers Education Center on Constitution Plaza. The university hasn’t commented on any sites it is considering, but the board of trustees approved $243,000 for the study.

Reitz said the university first looked at properties that were clearly available and might fit the needs of the relocation.

Thursday, Reitz again declined comment on the education center or any other sites it may have already considered.

“Nothing is a front-runner and nothing is ruled out,” Reitz told me.

An advertisement that will appear in Monday’s edition of the Hartford Business Journal says the university is looking for 150,000 square feet of space for classrooms, laboratories, offices, conference rooms and other uses. Day and evening enrollment will be at least 3,100 students and 300 faculty members.

There must be parking for 850 cars during the day and 800 at night.