Mansfield to Apply for $500K STEAP Grant for Storrs Center

Mansfield officials have plans to submit a 2013 STEAP grant application to the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development for the Storrs Center project in the amount of $500,000.

Earlier this week, the Mansfield Town Council authorized the submission of the Storrs Center grant application on behalf of the town.

If granted, the $500,000 would be used toward streetscape elements, such as benches, trees and decorative lighting for the , Town Manager Matthew Hart said Monday.

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“This additional funding is needed to complete the streetscaping and amenities to provide a fully functioning, attractive Wilbur Cross Way/Royce Circle area for shoppers, walkers, residents, and visitors,” Hart said in a July 9 memo to the council.

“The grant would help to defray real costs that the Town and the master developer Storrs Center Alliance will incur over the course of the project's development,” he said.

for "infrastructure improvements" along Village Street.

Village Street, part of the mixed-use town center currently under construction adjacent to the , has been designed to be “pedestrian-oriented” and accessible to buses, vehicles, cars and bicycles, according to a news release.

When completed, the $220 million project would give Mansfield new retail, restaurant, office and residential development. The first phase of Storrs Center is scheduled to open in mid-August.