Connecticut State Council on Environmental Quality

1. Notice of Proposed Land Transfer of the Former University of Connecticut Greated Hartford Campus

Complete Address of Property: 1700 and 1800 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT

Number of acres to be transferred:  57.46 acres, total. 1700 and 1800 Asylum Avenue consist of 23.56 acres and 33.9 acres, respectively.

Click to view map of property location

 Description of Property

Brief Description of Historical and Current Uses: Before 1964 the property was undeveloped.  It was acquired by the State for the University of Connecticut. The University of Connecticut operated its Greater Hartford campus on the property from the mid-1960’s until the fall of 2017 when the campus moved to downtown Hartford. UConn Law School shared the campus from 1964-1984.

The 1700 Asylum Avenue location consists of parking for the campus.  It also includes recreational ball fields leased to the Town of West Hartford. 

The five buildings and main portion of the campus are located at 1800 Asylum Avenue. Currently all of the buildings are vacant and unused except that the UConn Agricultural Extension Center’s Hartford County office currently operates in the small building at 1800 Asylum Avenue (The “IT Center” shown on Figure 2 below).  That function will be relocated by the fall of 2018.

The property to be transferred contains the following:

Buildings in use
Buildings not in use
Wooded land
 Nonagricultural fields
 Active agriculture
 Paved areas
 Ponds, streams or other water

Water Supply:   Public water supply   On-site well    Unknown
Waste Disposal:    Served by sewers    On-site septic system    Unknown

Click to view aerial view of property

The property is in the following municipal zone

Not zoned
Residential
Industrial
 Commercial
 Institutional
 Other: 
 Not known 

Special features of the property: 1800 Asylum Avenue includes four academic/education buildings and a facilities support building (approx. 193,000 square feet, total).

Value of property: The University of Connecticut and the proposed recipient entered into a purchase and sale agreement for a sale price of $5.2 million.  

Links to other available information: Additional information about the property can be found at the University’s web site.  The link is: http://updc.uconn.edu/west-hartford/ 

Type of Sale or Transfer:

Sale or transfer of property in fee

Sale or transfer of partial interest in the property (such as an easement). 

Proposed recipient, if known: Seven Stars Cloud Group, Inc.

Proposed use by property recipient: The University has been informed by the proposed recipient that intends to use the property for office use, likely using some or all of the existing buildings.

The agency is proposing to transfer the property with the following restrictions on future uses:

If checked, the state is not currently proposing restrictions on future uses.

Reason the State of Connecticut is proposing to transfer this property: The University of Connecticut has relocated its Greater Hartford campus operations from the West Hartford location to its new facilities in Downtown Hartford. The University has no further use for the property.

Comments from the public are welcome and will be accepted until the close of business on: August 16, 2018

Comments may include information that you have about significant natural resources or recreation resources on the property, as well as your recommendations for means to preserve such resources.

Written comments* should be sent to:

Name:

Paul Hinsch

Agency:

Office of Policy and Management

Address:

450 Capitol Avenue MS#52 ASP

Hartford, CT 06106-1379

E-Mail:

paul.hinsch@ct.gov

*E-Mail submissions are preferred.

What Happens Next

When this comment period closes, the proposed land transfer can take one of three tracks:

1.   If no public comments are received, the sale or transfer can proceed with no further public comment and no further notices in the Environmental Monitor, unless the Department of Environmental Protection elects to conduct a review of the property (see #3).

2.   If public comments are received, the Office of Policy and Management will respond to those comments.  The comments and responses will be published in the Environmental Monitor.  Fifteen days after publication of the comments and responses, the proposed sale or transfer can proceed, unless the Department of Environmental Protection elects to conduct a review of the property (see #3).

3.   If the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) elects to conduct a further review of the property, it may submit to the Office of Policy and Management a report with recommendations for preserving all or part of the property.  The report and recommendations will be published in the Environmental Monitor, and there will be a 30-day public comment period.  The DEP will publish its responses to any comments received and its final recommendation about the property in the Environmental Monitor.  The Office of Policy and Management will then make the final determination as to the ultimate disposition of the property, and will publish that determination in the Environmental Monitor.  Fifteen days after publication of that final determination, the sale or transfer can proceed.