The Municipal Redevelopment Authority, or MRDA, was established in 2019 to mirror CRDA’s efforts statewide. However, the initiative never took hold, after MRDA failed to receive funding and state and local officials became distracted by the pandemic. Last year, lawmakers quietly tried to address those issues by approving funding for MRDA — $600,000 in fiscal years 2024 and 2025 — to hire staff, and eliminating membership mandates and restrictions, opening up the program more broadly. Last year’s state budget also allows the Bond Commission to authorize up to $60 million to capitalize MRDA. The funds would allow the quasi-public agency to help finance development projects, likely through low-interest loans. “Connecticut is gaining population and I have to make sure that keeps going, and we can’t do that without housing. And we need all types of housing, single-family, workforce, affordable…,” Lamont said. MRDA’s main purpose is to assist in local development and redevelopment efforts, with a particular focus on new housing.
https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/lamont-looks-to-replicate-crdas-success-with-statewide-development-agency-tasked-with