Challenges facing the economically diverse, historically blue-collar town of East Hartford were not far from view Tuesday morning as Walsh toured two state representatives and a small clutch of journalists through several sites targeted for ambitious redevelopment projects. The tour began at the Silver Lane Plaza, a 22-acre site where two of three deteriorating retail buildings stand empty amid cracked and pitted parking lots, then wound through several sites where retail, office and residential developments are planned on sites that haven’t seen investment in several decades.
East Hartford is tapping $10 million through the state-funded Capital Region Development Authority for the Silver Lane Plaza project. About $4.5 million went to the prior owner as part of the eminent domain taking completed early this year, Walsh said. The remainder will be used to demolish buildings and resettle about a dozen retail tenants hanging on in one of three buildings on the site.
https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/challenges-and-high-ambitions-on-display-during-tour-of-east-hartford-development-sites