HARTFORD–After months of negotiations and City Council meetings, Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra announced that a final agreement has been reached for the development of Downtown North.
The city and DoNo Hartford, LLC, the developer of the project, will hold a ceremony for the groundbreaking on February 17 at 1:30 p.m.
The project is expected to create 1,800 jobs during construction and more than 1,000 sustainable jobs once it is fully developed, according to a report from the University of Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis.
The Downtown North project will not only include the highly advertised minor league baseball stadium, which will be the new home for the Rock Cats, but will also include housing, retail, a 50,000-square-foot supermarket, a brewery and restaurants.
“A new Downtown North mixed-use neighborhood is even closer now to becoming a reality,” said Mayor Segarra. “The pedestrian-friendly development will grow the downtown area with new entertainment venues, restaurants, residential spaces and businesses. This means more jobs and opportunities for our Capital City. I look forward to seeing vibrancy in an area that has been blighted for too long and to seeing the vitality and economic growth it will bring to the city of Hartford.”
The agreement includes 30 percent revenue sharing for all non-baseball events held at the stadium, a project labor agreement, the guarantee of the Rock Cats remaining in the space for the term of the lease and preferential hiring for Hartford residents and minority- and women-owned businesses for contract work.
Josh Solomon, the owner of the Rock Cats, said, “We look forward to providing affordable, family entertainment during baseball season and year round activities for the entire Hartford community and the region.”
