City explores acquiring former UConn property

University officials negotiating

TORRINGTON » The city is exploring the possibility of acquiring the former UConn-Torrington property — a move that could return a piece of land donated with hopes of aiding Torrington residents back into service for the people of the city.

The City Council has approved Mayor Elinor Carbone to enter into negotiations with the University of Connecticut, Carbone said Monday.

The 90-odd-acre plot of land was bequeathed to the University of Connecticut in 1960 by Julia Brooker Thompson, who do-

nated the property in her will with the requirement that it be used for the creation of an educational institution.

The campus was opened in 1965 and remained in operation for more than 50 years.

The UConn Board of Trustees voted to close the campus in April 2016, beyond an existing agricultural extension program.

At the time, university officials cited the low level of student enrollment, a lack of tenure-track faculty and the associated cost of future capital improvements as reasons for the closure.

University officials approached the city about the property while the campus was still open, according to Carbone. The city was not receptive at that time, she said, preferring to lobby to keep the branch open.

Now, with the campus closed, the possibility of the city taking over the property has been re-opened, she said. The idea is to bring the property back into local control, as opposed to leaving it with the state, Carbone said.

“The future of that property should be controlled by the city of Torrington,” said Carbone.

Negotiations are still in the early stages, Carbone said, with a number of steps to go.

The UConn Board of Trustees would have to vote to allow university officials to enter into further negotiations with the city for the idea to move forward, Carbone said, and a legal judgement would have to be made on the future educational use of the property and the classroom on site.

The state Office of Policy and Management would also be consulted about the terms of any agreement, Carbone said.

Tom Breen, deputy spokesman with the University of Connecticut, said Tuesday that the university is no longer using the property and has approached the city about the potential change in ownership.

The Board of Trustees is expected to consider a nonbinding term sheet with the city on Aug. 2, Breen said, and consider whether to permit the negotiation of an agreement.

The university had explored selling the property on the open market, Breen said, but had not encountered significant interest. Working out a deal with the city is currently the main priority on the table, he said.

“We’d like the city to have the property and find an appropriate use for it,” said Breen.

If a deal is reached, Carbone said, possibilities for the property include an educational use — which would likely be required in some fashion, due to the terms of Brooker Thompson’s bequest — redevelopment, trails and the preservation of open space.

“The opportunities are boundless, to be honest with you,” said Carbone. “There are so many opportunities up there.”

The property was last appraised at a value of $6.44 million, according to city property records, with $5.2 million of that tied up in the buildings on site.