Two major companies — Bloomfield-based health insurer Cigna and New Britain-based tool and storage giant Stanley Black & Decker — are making loans totaling $1.7 million through the Capital Region Development Authority. Bronin said the city and CRDA, which helps finance projects with state taxpayer-backed loans and equity investments, have had conversations with corporate leaders in recent years about the goals of redevelopment in the city, especially around increasing housing to make downtown and the city’s neighborhoods more vibrant. The loans signal that large corporations are getting increasingly comfortable with the city’s redevelopment strategy, and its results since CRDA was formed in 2013. The redevelopment loans open a new investment front for the city, but Bronin and others say the corporate community has been active for years in supporting the city in other initiatives.
https://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-hartford-redevelopment-corporate-investment-20210926-4uj5ii4zufcp3dxw2cez6azjmq-story.html