Moving past Kelo
Development may finally be happening in the Fort Trumbull area of New London. Of course, false starts have happened before, most recently when plans for the 103-unit Village on the Thames residential plan collapsed in 2013 as the groundbreaking approached, four years after the proposal surfaced.
That is why it is wise to temper excitement concerning the plan by A.R. Building Co. of Pennsylvania to build a 104-unit apartment complex. On Friday, the Renaissance City Development Association tabled until next week a motion to enter into exclusive negotiations with the developer.
The project is consistent with development plans and getting some forward momentum going in Fort Trumbull could serve as a catalyst for further growth. Vast expanses of the peninsula have sat vacant for a decade since the city won a pyrrhic U.S. Supreme Court victory that allowed the development agency to seize several houses through eminent domain. Those properties are not included in the latest plans.
Instead of paving the way for the envisioned corporate redevelopment of the parcel, the ruling in New London v. Kelo made the city a source of nationwide criticism for undermining private property rights, leading to laws reforming eminent domain in many states, though not Connecticut.
New London, desperate to expand its tax base, must move past Kelo. This week there was other good news on that front. Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio said he is ready to abandon his plan to transfer property controlled by RCDA - and development responsibilities - to his administration.
It's a pragmatic decision. "The votes aren't there … and I don't want to hold up development," said Mayor Finizio, acknowledging he does not have the council votes to approve the property transfer. The mayor has failed to make his case as to why the change would improve chances for development.
We would welcome the mayor and RCDA working together rather than being at odds, something Mayor Finizio said is already happening. The mayor, who campaigned in 2010 against the abuses of eminent domain, wants at least a small victory: a commitment from the development agency that the properties seized will serve some public purpose and not be sold to a developer.
Though the mayor is not negotiating from a position of strength, the request is reasonable and both sides should seek compromise, then work together to continue development efforts in the rest of the Fort Trumbull area.
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