The CRDA will get $20 million more that usual for the next two years; that money is to be spent on development outside of the city center.
As part of the special legislative session that just wrapped up, lawmakers approved an extra $20 million for economic development in the city of Hartford.
Typically, the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) gets $30 million from the state each year to invest in housing and infrastructure projects in the city's downtown core. But, in this budget, it will get $20 million more for the next two years -- and that money is to be spent outside of the city center.
"The new allocation has been expanded with the same $30 being targeted downtown, but with $20 million additional being targeted to work with projects in the greater city," said Mike Freimuth, the head of the CRDA.
Of that new money, half will have to be used north of I-84. The rest can be used anywhere in Hartford. Democratic State Representative Matt Ritter praised the new funding.
"The city has had wonderful investments made in it by the legislature before," he said. "I think what makes this unique, from our perspective, is it reaches into the neighborhoods."
Earlier in the session, lawmakers debated efforts to get state funding to help the city pay for its new $60 million minor league baseball stadium. Ritter says this money is not intended to pay off the city's stadium debt.
