American City & County has awarded the Town of Mansfield a Crown Community award for the development of Storrs Center. This annual award is presented to several local governments across the United States for execution of the most innovative and impressive community projects. Projects submitted to American City & County for award consideration are judged by uniqueness and value to the community, as well as effective financing.
In 2001, the Town, UCONN, and local businesses collaborated to prepare an action plan for the development of Storrs Center. Using the Mansfield Downtown Partnership as the catalyst to oversee the planning and development of the Center, stakeholders worked tirelessly throughout the years to gather community input about the project’s design and to organize its construction. “The public-private partnership approach we took was essential to construct the project according to our collective vision of a New Urbanist downtown,” Mansfield Town Manager Matt Hart says.
Fast forward 15 years and the final phase of development has been completed. The 47.7-acre, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented downtown district is now in full operation. On top of the abundance of both rental and for-sale homes, Storrs Center offers extraordinary opportunities to businesses looking to take advantage of premier proximity to UCONN, a uniquely captive market, and an aesthetically pleasing locality. Developed with a 671-space parking garage as well as a public transportation center, Mansfield’s new downtown district is an ideal place to congregate and come together as a community.
On behalf of the Town, Mr. Hart states “We are honored to receive the American City & County 2016 Crown Community award. The development of Storrs Center has been transformative for our community in many positive ways, and this recognition is something we can truly be proud of. Thank you to everyone involved in Storrs Center as well as those whom have supported us along the way.”