It is found and declared that the general welfare, health and prosperity of the people of the state of Connecticut will be promoted by the holding in the vicinity of its capital city of Hartford of university sporting events, other athletic contests, entertainment events and other public activities; that a multipurpose sports stadium in East Hartford for such events and activities will serve the interests of the university, promote tourism, contribute to the economic base of the state and stimulate needed redevelopment in the area in which it is located; that United Technologies Corporation, to commemorate the seventy-five-year history of Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Company and its founder, Frederick R. Rentschler, has offered to donate approximately seventy-five acres of real property at Rentschler Field in the town of East Hartford for use as the stadium facility site and, in connection with such donation, to license for use in connection with stadium facility events for one dollar per year approximately sixty-five hundred additional parking spaces on its campus in the town of East Hartford, which will save the state costs related to securing adequate parking for stadium facility events; that the interests of the university and the state will be served by the acceptance of such offer; that a convention center, related parking facilities and associated housing, entertainment, recreation, retail, hotel and office development in the capital city of Hartford will stimulate the needed redevelopment of said area as envisioned by chapter 588x and will complement other substantial private development activities in downtown Hartford that are contemplated by said chapter 588x; that such activities and development in and near the capital city of Hartford are matters of state-wide concern and the provisions of sections 32-650 to 32-668, inclusive, relating to municipal powers are necessary to effect the purposes hereof; that the success of the convention center and the other public improvements in the city of Hartford provided for in public act 00-140*, and the achievement of the objectives of chapter 588x and public act 00-140*, are dependent upon the integrated development and completion of the associated housing, entertainment, retail, hotel and office development; that the acquisition of property and the preparation of suitable sites for such associated private development, particularly in an urban area, often cannot be accomplished through the ordinary operations of private enterprise, and therefore state participation and assistance in site acquisition and preparation are necessary inducements to such activities and development; that expedited site acquisition, site preparation and construction of such convention center, related parking facilities and associated housing, entertainment, recreation, retail, hotel and office development for such purposes is for the public welfare and is a public use for which the power of eminent domain may be exercised and public land may be made available; that the development and operation of the stadium facility, convention center, related parking facilities and other related public improvements and state participation in and assistance to such associated private development are significant governmental uses and functions for which the exercise of state power may be exercised and are public purposes for which the borrowing power of the state may be exercised; and that, therefore, it is necessary and in the public interest and for the public benefit and good that the provisions of sections 32-651 to 32-668, inclusive, are declared as a matter of legislative determination.

(P.A. 99-241, S. 26, 66; P.A. 00-140, S. 5, 40.)

*Note: Public act 00-140 is entitled “An Act Implementing the Master Development Plan for the Adriaen's Landing Project and the Stadium at Rentschler Field Project”. (See Reference Table captioned “Public Acts of 2000” in Volume 16 which lists sections amended, created or repealed by the act.)

History: P.A. 99-241 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-140 revised the scope and details of the legislative findings in accordance with the substantial changes from the former Hartford Sportsplex project to the Adriaen's Landing and Rentschler Field projects, effective May 2, 2000.