Hartford City Council on Tuesday approved the $350M "sweeping development plan to bring housing, retail, a brewery and a 9,000-spectator minor league ballpark to long-vacant land north of downtown," according to Jenna Carlesso of the HARTFORD COURANT. Six city council members voted in favor of the plan and three abstained, "capping four months of public debate." Some council members said that the project, which would bring the Double-A Eastern League New Britain Rock Cats to Hartford, is a "step forward for a city in need of additional revenue and a shot of vibrancy in an area that has been empty for decades." The project "still must clear a series of smaller hurdles." Developers must "seek a special permit from the planning and zoning commission to build the stadium." The commission also will "consider a series of proposals to relocate city streets to accommodate the ballpark." Under the plan, the city will "lease the ballpark from a group of developers known as DoNo Hartford LLC and then sublease it" to the Rock Cats. The council on Tuesday "approved multiple leases: a 25-year lease between the city and the Rock Cats; a 25-year lease between the city and the developers in connection with the stadium; and the leasing of various parcels to the developers on which they will build housing, retail and commercial space and at least one parking structure." Construction on the ballpark is "expected to be completed" in April '16 (HARTFORD COURANT, 10/15). In Hartford, Jeff Jacobs writes under the header, "After Nauseating Bickering, Give Stadium A Chance" (HARTFORD COURANT, 10/16).
