HARTFORD — An appellate court ruled Wednesday that the city of Hartford can now develop the land around Dunkin’ Donuts Park.
“We are in the final stages of negotiating a development agreement with RMS Companies, and this decision fully clears the way forward,” said Mayor Luke Bronin. “We are looking forward to pursuing the vision for Downtown North that was always promised to Hartford residents.
In 2015, the city committed to building a baseball stadium and contracted with the company, Centerplan, to do develop the land.
It soon became clear to the city that Centerplan was months behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget.The city negotiated a new deadline and gave the developer a second chance.
Centerplan missed that deadline and was fired by the city. The insurance company stepped in to spend more than $30 million to finish the park.
RMS was hired to complete the project.
Mayor Bronin announced back in August that the Superior Court ruled that the city was clear to start development. That decision was appealed until Wednesday’s ruling.
“We made a tough call three years ago to fire the developer we inherited and protect taxpayers, and it is a big win for the City of Hartford to now open a new chapter,” said Bronin. ” I want to again thank our entire legal team and city staff who have worked hard to put us in this position.”
