Searching for Downtown Storrs

By Perry Robbin

There are over 20,000 University of Connecticut students in Storrs, thousands of faculty and staff, and over a thousand students at nearby E.O. Smith High School, across Route 195 from Mansfield’s downtown. Many do not have easy access to a car, but most students find the current downtown underwhelming.
The Mansfield Downtown Partnership (MDP), representing interests from UConn and the town, plans to revitalize the area with Storrs Center, a mixed-use town square with business and infrastructure improvements. Yet despite years of planning, $18 million in grants and businesses signing up for the new storefronts, there has been little physical progress downtown.
Seven students were recently interviewed on how they felt about the downtown area. Three lived next to the downtown in Buckley residence hall in their freshman year and the juniors all spent two years on campus. They all now live off-campus.
The group as a whole said they weren’t overwhelmed when they first saw downtown Mansfield, although most said they like the plazas anchored by Starbucks and Friendly’s, south of the Store 24 building. These two plazas operate near full capacity and will remain when Storrs Center is built.
Similarly, none of them were particularly impressed by the physical appearance of the area, least of all the Store 24 building. Shannon Wright said the building is “grimy,” while Mike Segelka said it looks “ratty.”
Variety was a big concern. Matt Wisnesky said he spends too much on groceries because, lacking a car, he is forced to buy them at convenience store prices. Wright and Pearce Kisby said they would like a grocery store as well, while Nick Horvath wants a big box store. There hasn’t been a grocery store in the area since the 1970’s.
Many said they would like to see more entertainment in the area. Cegelka and Nick Horvath both specifically mentioned a sports bar, and Wright and Tyler Wagoner said a bar would draw them to the area as well. There was a bar beneath Store 24 decades ago that was large enough to host bands and entertainment, that space is still vacant. Tequila Cove was a popular destination for students in the downtown, but was closed due to code violations in 2007.
“[I want] a bar where you can get a real glass of beer,” Kisby said.
Parking was a common concern. Brian Keenan, Wright and Kisby all said the parking situation downtown is poor. Wisnesky and Kisby also bemoaned the state of the pavement, saying it wasn’t good to drive, or even skateboard, on. Storrs Center will expand parking in the area with a multi-level parking garage, but the cost will be passed on to business owners and customers.
The feelings of this group of students mesh with many of the important concepts that will differentiate Storrs Center from the current downtown. A diverse selection of shops and food, along with a general mixed-use theme, and increased, improved parking are big parts of the Storrs Center idea.
Storrs Center will likely be an upgrade over the current state of downtown Mansfield and provide a lot of things that are missing from it. When the changes will actually come is the concern.