Storrs Center: Putting The Town Back In 'College Town'

By: Kala Kachmar

Posted: 1/25/08

The University of Connecticut is known for preserving its rural, agricultural roots. The town of Mansfield is known for preserving its history and culture. But the together, the two lack something that many feel is needed in a college environment - a college town.

In 2001, UConn and the town of Mansfield came together to form the Mansfield Downtown Partnership - a collaboration that would plan for the construction of a town center to benefit the UConn community, the local community and university visitors.

The project, which officials estimate will be complete in 2014, will transform Route 195 near UConn's Fine Arts building and the Mansfield Community Center into vibrant, pedestrian-oriented college town that will include small neighborhoods, a town square and shopping areas that will foster a center of civic activity for the community. Locally owned retail operations, restaurants and other businesses will provide activities for locals and visitors. Traffic will be slowed, trees will be planted, sidewalks will be built and parking will be available both on the streets and in a new garage that will be erected, said Cynthia van Zelm, executive director of the Downtown Partnership. Mansfield downtown also includes plans for the transformation of King Hill Road and the four corners, where Routes 195 and 44 meet.

Part of the purpose of Mansfield Downtown is to bring economic growth to the area and provide a large tax base for the town, said Mansfield Mayor Elizabeth Paterson, who's been deeply involved since the start of the project and sits on several Downtown Partnership committees, including the board of directors. The plan is to bring a variety of non-corporate retail shops and restaurants to the center, in an effort to provide a destination for outsiders and a "place to go" for locals, whether they want to run errands, mail something at the post office or simply walk their dog, she said.

Local businesses will benefit from the growth of the area, said Tom Callahan, UConn associate vice president for administration and operation, Downtown Mansfield Partnership member of the board of directors and chair of the finance and administration committee. In the past, the summer has been a difficult time for businesses to survive, said John Ferreri, former owner of Storrs Drug on Storrs Road.

"Summers aren't as bad as they used to be," Ferreri said. "I think it will take time, but businesses will do much better when [Storrs Center] is built."

The downtown project will require businesses located in the strip mall on the corner of Dog Lane and Storrs Road to be relocated. The building that houses Storrs Automotive, which has been located at 4 Dog Lane for 32 years, will be torn down. Irene Schein, the owner of the garage, rounded up businesses to voice their opinions to the partnership, which led to the inclusion of a new building for relocated businesses, as part of the project. The partnership hired a relocation consultant to make sure the needs of the business owners were met, Callahan said.

"If they make it so that my business is bigger and better, I'll support it," Schein said. "They've been honorable, so I can't complain."

There has always been the need for a college town in Storrs, but with the development of the infrastructure through UCONN2000, the need became more prevalent as it began to transform into one of the more competitive public universities in the country.

"UConn offers a tremendous variety of cultural activities, athletic events and entertainment, but where do you go for dinner?" said Scott Brohinsky, director of University Relations.

Prior to UCONN2000, the biggest complaint from students and faculty was the poor conditions of the buildings, according to Rich Veilleux, a UConn spokesperson. Today, the main concern is the lack of off-campus activity.

"A decade ago, people didn't come to UConn for the condition of the campus," Brohinsky said. "But today, the campus sells itself. This downtown project makes sense as the university continues to grow."

Every year, Enrollment Management surveys admitted students who do not enroll at UConn asking them why they chose another school. Over the years, the surveys have consistently found that the number one reason students don't attend UConn is because of the lack of off-campus activities, according to Dolan Evanovich, director of Enrollment Management at UConn. The lack of a college town is also ranked No. 2 in the top three reasons why students don't stay after their freshman year, behind UConn's size.

"To the extent that Storrs Center makes UConn an even more interesting place, providing amenities that exist in other college communities but not here, we have a better opportunity to compete," Callahan said. "And the results redound not simply to the benefit of the institution, but to the broader interests of the state in educating and training a competitive workforce, developing new technologies and enhancing culture."

Prior to the inception of the Downtown Partnership, UConn had plans to develop a $35 billion animal vaccine research center with Pfizer, a major pharmaceutical company, Callahan said. In 1999, after the project failed, the Mansfield town council brought in planning firm HyettPalma to conduct an economic development study. Their recommendations included a partnership between UConn, the town and community members, and a redevelopment plan focusing on the Storrs Center area.

The project evolved to be a mix of a commercial, residential and retail-oriented village destination to service UConn and Mansfield. When the partnership was originally formed in 2001, there was a fair amount of distrust between the university and the town, according to Callahan.

"The reason it's been a success so far is because it's become been a patient, inclusive and transparent process," he said. "The university and the town needed to work together, or the project would have failed."

Community members have played a large role in direction the project has taken over the past few years, Callahan said. Initially, the potential development of Storrs Center raised questions about the environment from community members, especially those who live in neighborhoods near the site of development.

"I've been living here for more than 40 years and I was afraid they'd ruin the environment," said Ruth Moynihan, a long-time resident of Storrs, who now sits on the design committee for the Storrs Center project. "I felt like the university would be imposing on the town, like it had with the construction of the Hilltop dorms."

Moynihan was a founding member of Citizens for Responsible Growth, a group organized to ensure environmentally safe development in Mansfield. Her concerns were for the 47-acres of backland behind Route 195 that would be developed on, which includes a vernal pool, a seasonal body of water that serves as a productive biological resource for amphibians.

"They've scaled down the environmental degradation that was part of the original plan," Moynihan said. "They've also added elements of sustainable 'green' building practices into plans for the new buildings."

Environmentally, the project was designed carefully, Callahan said. Only about 17 of the 47 acres will be developed on and two to three of the acres will be re-developed on. The Partnership brought in an environmental expert, Michael Klemens, to assess the project with regards to the environment. He could not be reached for comment.

"Mansfield gives a big regard to open space, history and the natural environment," Callahan said. "We needed to let people understand those issues and then respond to their concerns."

The partnership is inclusive of community members and organizations, Callahan said. There have been more than 430 public meetings about the project.

"It's no longer the university forcing something on the community," Moynihan said. "It's a combined process where the local community - as well as the university - has a say."

Contact Kala Kachmar at

Kala.Kachmar@UConn.edu.