New London — The Renaissance City Development Association would need the approval of the state Department of Economic and Community Development to transfer title to land at the Fort Trumbull peninsula to the city, a DECD spokesman said Wednesday.

Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio, who in the last week has accelerated his push for the city to assume control over the future of the controversial land, has said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has agreed to facilitate the transfer.

But Malloy spokesman Andrew Doba would only say that the governor "is supportive of the idea and looks forward to working with the city and other stakeholders on the next steps."

On Monday, Finizio sent an email to the City Council reiterating his desire to have it authorize him to accept title to the three parcels of land on the Fort Trumbull peninsula not bound by federal Defense Base Closure and Realignment laws.

Some of the land must legally remain in the name of the RCDA because the Naval Undersea Warfare Center was located for many years on federal property on the peninsula.

The three parcels that could legally be conveyed to the city are parcels 3C, 4A and 5C. Parcels 3C and 4A were once the sites of homes, which were taken by eminent domain more than a decade ago to make way for developments that still have not been realized.

The mayor said he began conversations about the transfers with Malloy earlier this year. On Feb. 10, Finizio sent Malloy a letter asking that the state not object to the transfer of deeds for the Fort Trumbull parcels or to changes to the Fort Trumbull Municipal Development Plan. Finizio requested that Malloy provide him with a letter "clarifying the state's position relative to" the transfer.

Finizio said Malloy did not send a written reply but has agreed to facilitate the transfers.

In a May 28 letter to an RCDA lawyer about a proposed memorandum of agreement between the city and RCDA, city attorney Jeffrey T. Londregan wrote that Finizio "informs me that Governor Malloy would like this MOA finalized and executed sooner rather than later."

Finizio said he spoke with Malloy to verify his position on the matter during a campaign stop Saturday in New London.

"The governor has been clear throughout that as long as this is what the city wants to do, he will support the transfer," Finizio said this week. "Very definitively, Governor Malloy said he would not object ... and would proceed with the transfer."

When asked, Doba would not say whether Malloy has agreed that the state will not object to the title transfers. He also wouldn't say whether the state will object to reasonable changes to the Fort Trumbull Municipal Development Plan.

In his email Monday, Finizio also echoed his previous call for the council to act before the RCDA meets on Sept. 18.

"The November election could change the position held by various state leaders on this matter," Finizio wrote. "In order to effectuate a transfer by the election, if that is the desire of the council and the people of the city, the council should act on this resolution before September 18th."

Malloy, who Finizio said is "firmly committed" to approving the transfer, faces a rematch against Republican businessman Tom Foley in November's gubernatorial election. Malloy edged Foley by about 6,000 votes four years ago, but a statewide poll published Wednesday by Quinnipiac University showed Foley leading Malloy by 6 percentage points about eight weeks before Election Day.

Finizio said he was not necessarily implying that Foley would not support the transfer or that Malloy may not be as supportive if he is re-elected.

"I meant only that elections can change the politics of Hartford regardless of who is elected governor," he said. "What I know is we have the ability from the state to do this now. Whether or not that is still the case after the election would have to be determined, but if this is something the city wants to do, we have the opportunity to do it now."

Finizio said Tuesday only three things are now required for the title transfers to happen: the City Council must pass an ordinance authorizing the city's assumption of control of the land, the RCDA board of directors must agree to convey the parcels of land and Finizio must sign off on the transfer agreement.

The transfer would not be subject to a review by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, he said.

"If there are four votes on the City Council now, this will happen," Finizio said. "If there are not, it is uncertain if it will ever happen and it becomes increasing likely it would not."

City Council support for Finizio's request to act, and act quickly, appears to be lukewarm at best. The council will meet on Monday, but councilors have said they do not intend to act before the 18th.

RCDA board President Linda Mariani has said the RCDA's board of directors is open to discussing the possibility of transferring control over the Fort Trumbull land and has invited Finizio to attend its meeting on Sept. 18 to address its concerns about the necessity and feasibility of the transfer.

Finizio said the costs associated with the transfer would be "nominal" to the city because it would be a standard real estate transaction.

Securing the transfer of the deeds to land in the development area could effectively eliminate the RCDA and would fulfill a promise Finizio made as a mayoral candidate. A major part of his 2011 campaign platform was a vow to abolish the New London Development Corp., as the RCDA was formerly known.

c.young@theday.com

Twitter: @ColinAYoung