In 1999, officials from the Town of Mansfield and the University of Connecticut began an improbable task: To create a vibrant, walkable, mixed-use downtown adjacent to campus for residents, students, and visitors to enjoy as one community.
FAST FORWARD 25 YEARS:
After nearly two decades of planning and construction, the new development in Downtown Storrs was completed in 2017. New civic space, multi-use buildings, a residential neighborhood, and a parking garage are interwoven with previously existing commercial buildings and residences, the post office, regional high school, municipal buildings, and community center.
Over seventy businesses call Downtown Storrs home, as do over 1300 residents. UConn students, faculty, and staff meet and mingle with Mansfield residents of all ages. Thousands of visitors from across Connecticut, New England, and the globe flock to Downtown Storrs for world-class entertainment and athletic events, scholarly conferences and workshops, outdoor recreation, and events on Betsy Paterson Square, the civic space which is the centerpiece of the downtown.
“Downtown Storrs “is one of the best good-news stories statewide, especially for those people who were surrounded by skeptics 10 years ago”
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LEARN MORE ABOUT Downtown Storrs
When the Town and UConn first began discussions to redevelop Downtown Storrs, they formed the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, a non-profit organization, to oversee the project.
To learn more about the history of the planning and development of Downtown Storrs, please visit the Mansfield Downtown Partnership's website.
Top photo: ©Levin Aerial Works