Uconn drops opposition to Four Corners housing plan
Move comes amid tug of war over development control in Mansfield
Uconn has dropped its opposition to the development of a Mansfield apartment complex that will boost the town’s stock of affordable housing — the latest chapter in an ongoing tug-of-war between the town and the university over who controls the agenda for development in the community.
Uconn and the town announced
Wednesday evening that the school will no longer oppose the town’s “Haven at Four Corners,” development on Route 195, a complex that will include about 400 apartment units with at least 10 percent set aside for affordable housing, along with 15,000 square feet of commercial space.
The announcement comes amid simmering tensions over local land ownership between the university and Mansfield that spiked in July when Uconn purchased nearly 20 acres across from the “Haven at Four Corners” project where the town was planning to build an additional 360 housing units.
Town officials said the university’s move undermined years of work and scuttled the “Villas at Four Corners” project, hurting the already limited affordable housing opportunities in Mansfield and costing the community millions in lost tax revenue. The land is Uconn adjacent to Parcel B of Uconn’s Tech Park.
In wake of Uconn’s purchase, Mansfield Mayor Toni Moran said town officials used “every possible mechanism we could think of to bring pressure on the university” for ending The Villas project, including contacting the Board of Trustees, Gov. Ned Lamont, the legislature, and the legal system.
“I think what occurred is an example of what can happen when there is not adequate oversight over property purchases by the state. That oversight is probably in place for good reason.”
— Rep. Gregg Haddad, D-mansfield
“My guess is the pressure came in on all sides,” she said.
The result, she said, was a meeting with Uconn President Andrew Agwunobi, after which Uconn announced its new position on the “Haven at Four Corners” project.
Agwunobi said in a statement that the school felt “it was critical that we send a clear signal and demonstrate the seriousness of our commitment to partnering with the town” by withdrawing opposition to the Haven project.
“Uconn deeply values our partnership with the Town of Mansfield, and we believe that whenever possible a collaborative approach to local residential and commercial development will yield the best results,” Agwunobi said. “We would like to immediately begin work with the town to create a shared framework to guide that joint approach. Such a framework would transparently reflect the goals and needs of both the town and the University.”
The announcement ended one chapter but there remains debate over how much control Uconn should exert over development in Mansfield.
Some lawmakers are calling for an end to a 25-year-old policy that allows Uconn to purchase property without being subject to the government oversight processes other state agencies must follow. The legislators plan to raise a bill on the issue during the upcoming February session.
“It really is a major state issue,” said Mansfield Mayor Toni Moran. “Can a state agency determine the policies of its local municipality?”
In 1995, Uconn became exempt from three specific steps that apply to state property purchases “for virtually every other state agency,” explained Rep. Gregg Haddad, D-mansfield: approval by the state Office of Policy and Management, review and approval by the attorney general’s office, and review and approval by the State Properties Review Board.
“I called the co-chairs of the Government Administration and Elections committee, and they agreed that they would raise a bill that would subject property purchases by Uconn to review by those entities when we reconvene in February,” he said, adding that he intends to follow through regardless of Uconn’s decision to drop opposition to the Haven project.
“I think what occurred is an example of what can happen when there is not adequate oversight over property purchases by the state,” he said. “That oversight is probably in place for good reason. … It probably ought to apply to Uconn as well.”
Haddad noted the “unusual” nature of The Villas situation: “I can’t think of another property purchase by the state that was executed not to do something with the property, but to prevent something from being done to the property.”
Moran said her Tuesday meeting with Agwunobi was “very friendly,” and while town officials were reassured of Uconn’s good faith, she remains somewhat concerned that the school may still attempt to block future local developments.
“But at the moment, I am very hopeful that we can make progress in [developing] Four Corners in a way that’s beneficial to the town and the university,” she said.