Kathleen Mitchell pretty much sums up the apathy around here. The elected leaders mock the taxpayers and citizens with their waiting games and non-response to public oppinion or request. At least RCDA has started the default process.

deanaldenmorse, You know what I can smell?
The stench of rotting minds that have been spewing out the same boring ideas for over ten years now.

The proof that what has been presented to the citizens of this city so far hasn't worked doesn't seem to bother our elected officials in the least.

And why should it?

People write a few letters, make a few online comments and that's about the extent of the opposition.

Those in charge will just wait you out; that's if they even hear you or care what you think.

When someone(s) draw a line in the sand, maybe then things will change.

Scatter and Igor. The land being talked about in this article was formerly part of NUSC a Federal Facility. No one lived on that land.

Residential use of a portion of the former U.S. Navy (NUWC) land is a part of the Fort Trumbull MDP, approved in 2000. That NUWC property was not taken by eminent domain. The advisability of residential use of these parcels (as part of a an overall mixed use area) was confirmed in the Yale Urban Design Workshop study of 2011.

Jay Levin started all of this...

Not good for the city ..... understatement
Get rid of Italian Dramatic Club. Pay them no more than a DOLLAR. And with the all land .... DO not give it away sell it .............. preserve or enhance both existing marine uses. What has been done in New London's redevelopment has been stupid at best and most likely evil. These "mistakes" have cost the tax payers millions.

Try doing what the people want.

Not good for the city ..... understatement
Get rid of Italian Dramatic Club. Pay them no more than a DOLLAR. And with the all land .... DO not give it away sell it .............. preserve or enhance both existing marine uses. What has been done in New London's redevelopment has been stupid at best and most likely evil. These "mistakes" have cost the tax payers millions.

Try doing what the people want.

This project, Mr. Joplin, is not a good thing for the city. It is a waste of prime development land. There has to be something going on behind closed doors here. I can smell it. Is there some sort of kick-back going on to get his project passed? Kathleen Mitchell, where are you? I would bet my bottom dollar that you can smell this too.

What, Mr. Joplin and his gentrifying elitist cohort have no Jay Levin to "fix" things?

Think I'll put up on Facebook the photo I took at a New London Landmarks confab earlier this year of Governor Malloy and Robert Stillman standing at a window of the Fort Trumbull Conference Center, with Mr. Stillman explaining how pleased he was to fill those big shoes that Corcoran-Jennison of Beantown left behind when it picked up the only building worth keeping there, the one with a sweetheart lease by the federal government that pays the property taxes.

Who knows, maybe city historian Sally Ryan might want to add it to New London's archives for its redevelopment board games. When I took the photo, I was thinking of another one I took on a sunny day nearly forty years ago when Abe Ribicoff, august senator and governor, cut the ribbon for downtown's Captain's Walk, another scheme of failure brought to us by what we then but no longer refer to as a "blue-ribbon" group of important, powerful and wealthy personages.

Let's shift gears, shall we? If the city can't shut down NLDC/RCDA, perhaps state authorities can?

New London's community development staff working with the state's community developments staff sure seems a better bet than continuing with the facade of public authority put up like a movie set for the producers of the Fort Trumbull horror flick.

Those who set up the Fort Trumbull gentrification scheme assiduously arranged things to insulate elected officials as much as possible from its risk/benefit analysis. If ever the private sector's beloved "trickle-down," market-forced magic can be said to not have pulled a rabbit from its top hat, Fort Trumbull is it.

What's next? Donald Trump to the rescue?

Native, That was my point. The Fort was tore down for businesses that create jobs. It was not suppose to be used for another housing project. My other point was that before the Fort was taken away from us, we were already a hip little town. Joyce's cafe and Hughies brought people in from all over.

We need a commercial vision, not a rental housing vision. We need jobs and industry. One doesn't need to much imagination to see how the property is in a prime location. I95, Rail Access, Deep Water Port, etc.

We don't need to re-hash the history, we just need to get out of the rental real estate deal and get some capable developer in there.

Let's all try to do some homework about the history of the Fort. First assignment is to read The Little Pink House. Second assignment is to ask some of our elders about a woman named Claire Giordoni (wrong spelling of her name)Claire was some big wig from Ct. College that wanted to make New London a groovy little hip town. She was the driving force behind the Eminent domain issue. For some unknown reason she up and left her job at Ct. College (I think she was fired) and after the last building was smashed she left town. I'm sure people like Bud Bray and Kathleen Mitchell can tell you more about our hip little city. I think better yet you all should ask Mr. Joplin. I think the history of all the people involved will prove to all of you that this was a horrible decision from the start and we need someone strong enough to make it right again.

I may be wrong but I thought Mayor Finizios law degree was in Real Estate law. Maybe , just maybe he could get our land back from the NLDC. I will not call them by their new name because they are still the same old people doing the same old crap. Why does Mr. Joplin not hear what the people of New London want and do not want. WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER HOUSING PROJECT BUILT ON OUR LAND. IDIOTS GREEDY IDIOTS

The whole saga is laughable. Houses seized through eminent domain, only to be replaced by houses.

Meanwhile the people who originally lived there were still forced out of their homes.

I could be wrong, but I believe that the RCDA claimed a default. It would take a judge to affirm that claim. This is likely just the beginning of curative action or a lawsuit. At the end of the day, we should all hope for something positive to come from this saga.

I believe that their was a generous tax abatement Robert, Rentals are the last thing New London needs. Residential use is not what the Fort Trumbull neighborhood was gutted for. It was seen as a commercial enterprise for the property. The sooner the city severs ties to this outfit, the better.

This is a needed step in the Fort Trumbull saga.

Until the City takes back full responsibility for development of the Fort Trumbull/ NUWC properties, the NLDC/RCDA, acting as agent, must at the very least extricate us from this bad real estate deal.

Note one thing about how NLDC operates: The are a public authority when it comes to ownership of City or State assets, and negotiating deals. They are a private company when it comes to closed-door meetings, financial disclosure, and Freedom of Information.

Very slippery, and all the more reason to hold them accountable every chance we get, especially given their track record since 1999.

The Stillman deal was flawed from day 1. There were aspects of it I actually liked and supported. As time has progressed, deadline after deadline has been missed, nothing has improved in their financial picture, their demands have increased, and in spite of the city bending over backward to accommodate, it looks like they are completely incapable of carrying out even the watered-down plans.

Start over. Admit that this was a mistake. Seek a new developer. Sell the lots in a way that guarantees success for each one, to reputable local builders. Attach conditions that are achievable, and good for the city.

Last, really, stop worrying about whether these homes (whatever is ultimately built), are rented or not. Once a person holds title, he or she can do what they want with the property, and guess what? It pays the same property tax either way.

WOW....REALLY...RCDA...you boys are starting to look just plain foolish.

While I do not live in New London I can't believe the RCDA had the courage to send a letter & set in motion a timeline ! Years have passed & it's been the same old way of giving in. It's hard to believe this maybe a NEW START for New London ? Let's hope so.