The State Bond Commission on Thursday approved $10 million for the Silver Lane corridor redevelopment project in East Hartford.
The funds will help the town acquire multiple large, dated and underperforming buildings to create housing and support redevelopment.
East Hartford community members and town officials gave suggestions for redevelopment, including the possibility of taking the decrepit Silver Lane Plaza by eminent domain, as they discussed the state of the Silver Lane corridor Wednesday night.
About 20 people attended the public information session held by the Redevelopment Agency, including Mayor Mike Walsh, members of the Town Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission, and residents concerned about Silver Lane.
As the Stop & Shop on Silver Lane nears its permanent close, and the plaza it calls home gets closer to being sold, East Hartford’s new mayor is looking at ways to revitalize the important stretch of town.
The Stop & Shop supermarket in the Charter Oak Mall on Silver Lane is set to close Jan. 6, leaving the site with a large vacancy. In October, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts-based grocery store chain said the supermarket’s landlord would not grant a renewal of its lease.
Stop & Shop is due to shutter an East Hartford location soon, and Mayor Mike Walsh said he is concerned about the gap that will be left in the resurgent Silver Lane corridor.
The East Hartford Town Council will hold an executive session Tuesday night to discuss the possible acquisition of the mostly empty and dilapidated Silver Lane Plaza.
Mayor Mike Walsh, who will be present during the executive session, said “nothing is imminent,” and the meeting is only to discuss the matter. No purchase price has been discussed at this point.
The strip mall, located at 794-850 Silver Lane, is near the site of the former Showcase Cinema, which has since been razed and where New Britain-based Jasko Development plans to build a 360-unit apartment complex.