The 80-acre property is seen as promising for future redevelopment — given its location on the river — and now, so are more than an estimated 1,000 acres to the south and west that all could become part of a massive, new redevelopment district in Hartford’s gritty South Meadows. The district, part of a bill in the legislature this session, would include a wide swath of land between the Connecticut River and Wethersfield Avenue, taking in not only the trash-to-energy plant but also the Connecticut Regional Market and Hartford-Brainard Airport. The proposal for the new development district was tacked onto a bill that seeks to transfer control of the trash-to-energy plant to the Capital Region Development Authority to guide its future redevelopment. Closing an airport requires the approval of the General Assembly and the backing of the Federal Aviation Administration. If approved, a closure could take years. A $1.5 million legislative study last year recommended keeping the airport open, but it did outline possible alternatives should the decision be made to close it.
Hopes are high for redevelopment of CT trash-to-energy plant. Now 1,000 acres are being looked at