Storrs, CT – Imagine a university town without a downtown. This was the case in Storrs, Connecticut, home to UConn, the state’s flagship university. Having no downtown made it hard to recruit students and staff, but even worse, there was no central gathering space for the university community or the townspeople to come together to celebrate, dine, shop, or take care of everyday needs, such as grocery shopping or doctor visits. There was no downtown. This all changed with the completion of Storrs Center in December 2016, when a brand-new, walkable downtown was delivered after six years of construction, preceded by five years in the approval process and a delay of the market crash. A new downtown was born.
Storrs Center is a result of a public/private partnership involving the Town of Mansfield, the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, master developer LeylandAlliance LLC, and its co-developer, EdR. The project was executed in five phases over six years and delivered 11 mixed-use buildings containing 626 high quality retail apartments; 140,000 SF of commercial space (retail, office, and restaurants); 42 townhouses and condominiums, and a half-acre town square as the public centerpiece.
Storrs Center has quickly become the center of the community, enjoying a seamless connection to the town hall, recreation center, regional high school, and university. All buildings work together to create a well-defined sense of place in a livable public realm. Designed based on time-tested urban design principals, special design district zoning, and strong sustainability guidelines, Storrs Center is a vibrant, walkable downtown where people come together to live, work and play.
Storrs Center was named one of twenty-two real estate developments selected as finalists in the 2015 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Awards for Excellence. The competition is widely recognized as one of the land use industry’s most prestigious award programs by recognizing real estate projects that achieve a high standard of excellence in design, construction, economics, planning, and management.
“This year’s finalists were selected from an impressive group of international submissions that have each added value to their larger community,” said jury chair Michael Covarrubias, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TMG Partners, San Francisco, California. “This diverse group of projects illustrate how the intersection of financial feasibility, design, and a vision for comprehensive development define essential qualities of life in the neighborhoods and areas they serve.”
“We are thrilled that Storrs Center was selected as a finalist for the ULI Global Awards for Excellence,” said Lou Marquet, Principal of LeylandAlliance LLC. “It is a significant honor for Storrs Center to be recognized as one of the finest new real estate projects in the world. Credit goes to our entire development team, our great partners at EdR, the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Town of Mansfield, University of Connecticut, and the entire community.
Leyland Alliance has additional land contiguous to Storrs Center on which additional development is planned. For more information about Storrs Center and the LeylandAlliance team, please visit www.storrscenter.com and www.leylandalliance.com.
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