© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WNPR News sports coverage brings you a mix of local and statewide news from our reporters as well as national and global news from around the world from NPR.

In Hartford Eminent Domain Case, Property Owner Wants More Money

An attorney for the land owner said the city is low-balling his client.

The real estate investor who owns land the city wants to take for its $350 million baseball stadium development project said the city's $1.9 million offer is "wholly inadequate."

In documents filed in Hartford Superior Court, an attorney for the Covered Bridge Ventures said that his client is "aggrieved by the statement of compensation." That is, the city isn't paying him enough for the 14 properties he owns and that it is taking.

Reached this week by phone, attorney R. Bartley Halloran said the city is low-balling his client. "We think it's worth considerably more," he said. Halloran also filed paperwork with the court asking that it release the $1.9 million to his client. 

"As a result of the condemnation, the applicants will sustain a complete loss in business on the aforementioned property, making the immediate receipt of funds a critical issue," Halloran told the court.

Credit City of Hartford
/
City of Hartford

Last month, we reported that the city had filed to take the properties in question -- not for a baseball stadium, but for a planned mixed-use development across the street.

Although the city never executed a purchase and sale agreement with the landowner, it said the parties had agreed on a $2.5 million price. In fact, the city council approved the purchase over the summer.

But then, the city said, the landowner changed his mind, and wanted to sell the city less land at a higher price per square foot. That's when negotiations broke down, and the city decided to use eminent domain to take the land. 

In its filing to take the land, the city made no mention of its statutory authority for doing so. It also didn't mention something else: it's taking the land so it can build housing, retail, and office space as part of its stadium development to bring the New Britain Rock Cats to town.  

Credit City of Hartford
/
City of Hartford
City-owned parcels in Downtown North highlighted in a development plan. The area has left some parcels to be purchased or otherwise acquired for a stadium development.

Instead, the city said it wants to take the property "to create a development which would complement the newly constructed Public Safety Complex." (See some photos of the complex here.)

So far, Covered Bridge Ventures doesn't appear to be questioning the city's ability to take the land. But even the city has acknowledged that it may be in court for a while fighting over the price. In the end, whatever price the court decides the land is worth is the price the city will have to pay.

Jeff Cohen started in newspapers in 2001 and joined Connecticut Public in 2010, where he worked as a reporter and fill-in host. In 2017, he was named news director. Then, in 2022, he became a senior enterprise reporter.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content