Construction update: Storrs Center

Storrs Center, located on Dog Lane near UConn’s music building, is looking more like a finished residence and shopping center and less like a busy construction site.

Storrs Automotive and Select Physical Therapy opened their new locations in Storrs Center this summer at 11 Dog Lane and 9 Dog Lane respectively. Travel Planners, whose Storrs Road location remains open, will soon relocate to Storrs Center as well.

Students can expect grand openings to be scattered throughout the fall, according to a construction blog run by the Mansfield Downtown Partnership.

The large center that was being built along Dog Lane last academic year will house apartments on upper levels and commercial spaces at street level this upcoming fall. Moe’s Southwest Grill, Subway, Husky Pizza and Geno’s, owned by Geno Aureimma, are among the six restaurants expected to open throughout the fall.

Sweet Emotions candy store, Insomnia Cookies, Froyo World frozen yogurt bar, Skora’s Barber Styling Shop, Body Language Tattoo and Piercing and Bank of America are also expected to open their doors to the public before winter, according to the partnership’s blog.

Mid-August will mark the completion of The Oaks on the Square apartments above the retail space, which are available to rent at a price of $999 to $2,654 per month. Adjacent to the new apartments will be a parking structure, which will provide parking for residents of The Oaks as well as hourly parking for visitors.

Construction on Storrs Road and improvements on Dog Lane, including new sidewalks and curbing, has continued throughout the summer. Currently, the bus stop located outside Mansfield Town Hall near the intersection of Storrs Road and North Eagleville is closed due to the construction. The partnership’s blog says to expect traffic delays along Storrs Road.

Construction began on mixed-use buildings this month. A new branch of the UConn Co-Op, which will be located next to the StorrsCenter parking garage, is expected to open in 2013.

Also planned for the Storrs Center is a Market Square Neighborhood, which will be located along Storrs Road and Charles Smith Way. This area will house mainly “service-oriented businesses” such as a grocery store, said Cynthia van Zelm, the executive director of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership.

Students can also expect to see Village Street Neighborhood, another commercial and residential area located just north of the Market Square. A residential-only space with townhomes and condominiums will be located on the east side of Village Street Neighborhood.

*Editor's Note: This article has been updated to correct several errors. Select Physical Therapy will be located at 9 Dog Lane, not 13 Dog Lane. The Market Square Neighborhood will not replace existing shopping centers as previously stated. Cynthia van Zelm is the executive director of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, not the department head. Lastly, Geno's restaurant will not be a new restaurant, not a branch of the Mohegan Sun restaurant. The Daily Campus regrets the errors.