Town Manager Report for the week ending July 10, 2026
We had a very busy week addressing some of the larger issues currently on the forefront including the Redevelopment Plan that was sent to the Town Council from the Coventry Redevelopment Agency for approval and the Tax Stabilization Agreement proposal from Starr Capital for the Centre of New England property. Both of those items were on the Council agenda for a Public Hearing to discuss.
The Redevelopment Plan hearing was continued until our next meeting on July 28 to have our attorneys look into what we need to approve regarding the funding portion of the Plan. I believe at this point one of the options will be to go out to the voters in the future for a referendum to acquire/create recreational space. The other options would be designated grants or Town Capital Investment funds.
The Tax Stabilization Agreement and the accompanying resolution was also continued to the July 28 meeting to further discuss other financial options than the 15-year option that was presented by Starr Capital. The Council advised the applicant that they feel more comfortable with a TSA that runs 10-12 years with the allowance for some construction time up front. The Council also feels that the most important infrastructure need for the Centre of NE property that has remained uncompleted for the last 25-30 years is the wetland crossover road that connects Centre of NE Blvd to Hopkins Hill Rd. This is not only to relieve the traffic on New London Turnpike but is an essential public safety concern for access for both police and fire. As part of the road completion there would be the need to install a temporary traffic signal at Hopkins Hill Rd until the permanent one can be installed which we have had conversations about and that’s 9-10 months out. The Council made it clear that they feel the applicant needs to finance these improvements in order to make the whole Centre of NE projects viable.
At the Council meeting they appointed 7 members to the Charter Review Committee to begin the review of the Town Charter with two more selections being made at the July 28 meeting pending further interviews of applicants.
The Parks and Recreation Concert series starts tonight at the Town Hall Annex 1675 Flat River Rd from 630-800pm with Nickle Jukebox performing. The concerts continue all summer on Friday night. For more information please visit coventryrecreation.com.
National Night Out will be held on Tuesday August 4 with the Coventry Police and Parks and Recreation collaborating for a great time. More to come on that event.