Town of Simsbury, The Hartford to Collaborate on Development Plan for Simsbury Campus

Article written and reported by the Town of Simsbury

First Selectman Mary Glassman announced today that the Town of Simsbury and The Hartford are prepared to collaborate on development of a plan for the long-term use and development of The Hartford’s Simsbury property on Hopmeadow Street. 

The proposed collaboration was endorsed and recommended by The Hartford Land Use Study Committee – created by the Board of Selectmen to work directly with The Hartford on its sale of the property – at the Committee’s first meeting on April 4, 2013. 

The Board of Selectmen will vote on the proposed public-private partnership at its meeting Monday night.  

As part of preliminary discussions, the Town and The Hartford propose to commission a charrette process to identify the best possible uses for The Hartford’s extensive property which consists of 172 acres and a 640,000 square foot building. 

This inclusive process would encourage input from a wide range of stakeholders in the community and would strive to build consensus on a range of available options.  The cost of the charrette is estimated to be about $175,000. The Town has budgeted $30,000 for consultant services. The Hartford will contribute the remainder of the expense.  

 “We expect the charrette will be a valuable tool in this undertaking by making the property more marketable to a broader group of potential buyers,” said Glassman. 

“The same approach was used for the highly successful Town Center Charrette in 2009 with excellent results.  In this case, we will receive significant assistance and support from The Hartford. The Town is grateful to The Hartford for participating in a public-private partnership which will result in creation of a long-term vision for this important commercial property.”  

“We are pleased with the Town of Simsbury’s partnership in marketing the facility, including the charrette initiative,” said Simsbury resident, Alan Kreczko, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at The Hartford.  “We remain focused on finding an attractive buyer for the community, and are optimistic that the charrette will help us achieve that objective.”  

If approved by the Board of Selectmen, officials expect to begin the charrette process immediately with the issuance of requests for proposals to hire professional consultants to oversee the process.

Once consultants have been selected, a review of the site including economic and traffic impacts will be conducted. According to Glassman, the public will be involved throughout the process, which is expected to be completed by September.  

Glassman noted that “The Hartford has long been a valued corporate citizen of the Town of Simsbury and we are appreciative of the company’s commitment to creating a plan that benefits both The Hartford and the Town.  We are confident that the information gathered through the charrette will result in a win-win plan for everyone involved.” 

The Hartford recently announced its intent to sell the Simsbury campus as part of its plan to consolidate real estate holdings in Connecticut.