The ballpark is the first part of a larger, $350 million development project in Hartford.
With the first pitch for the New Britain Rock Cats just 14 months away, Hartford's plan to turn an empty lot into a minor league baseball stadium is moving forward.
Contract documents between the developer DoNo Hartford LLC and the city could be signed as early as Wednesday.
"There is a pretty fair chance that we'll be signing documents tomorrow, but certainly by the end of this week they will be executed," said Bob Landino, a principal with DoNo. He added that a groundbreaking will likely happen by February 11 or sooner. "We're pretty much on schedule."
In an email, the city said the contracts would be signed "very soon."
Landino said the main delay in finalizing the deal came about as the city decided to change the way it financed the ballpark. The old plan was for DoNo to borrow the money to build it; under the new plan, the new Hartford Stadium Authority will issue the bonds to cover the no-more-than $56 million stadium. The city will then lease the stadium from the authority for more than $4 million a year.
The ballpark is the first part of a larger, $350 million development project in the city that will include not just a stadium, but also housing, retail, a brewery, and a grocery store.
The stadium is being built on city land. Unable to reach an agreement to buy roughly 14 parcels across the street from the venue, the city decided to use eminent domain and take the properties. Now, the city and the property owner are in court arguing over how much the city will have to pay. That land will be used for other parts of the project.
Last year, the Hartford city council decided to cap the cost of the stadium at $56 million. It also decided to mandate that the facility be built with union labor. At the time, Landino said that could add roughly 10 percent to the cost.
As a result, Landino said he's had to find savings throughout the project to keep the stadium under budget. Still, he said, it will be "one of the premier baseball parks in the country."
Not everyone thinks it's a great idea. Most recently, probate judge Robert Killian, Jr., who is considering a run for mayor, called the project "an insult" to the city's taxpayers.
