May 4, 2010

HOUSE BOOSTS GOODWIN COLLEGE PLAN
TO USE APARTMENTS AS HOUSING

By Anne W. Vandermey, Hartford Courant

East Hartford — A plan by Goodwin College to rehabilitate part of a state-subsidized housing complex for use as student housing got a boost Tuesday when the House voted to relax regulations regarding the sale of some units.

The bill is on its way to the Senate, which has until the end of the session at midnight tonight to act on it.

Goodwin has its eye on the nearby King Court, an 80-unit complex that was built in 1952 and is in need of renovation. The college hopes that a partnership with the town will lead to the modernization of some of the 30 vacant units, along with the updating some of the rest of the housing.

The college would use the units, which are near its campus, to provide family-friendly housing to its mostly mid-career student body.

Democratic Reps. Henry Genga, Jason Rojas and Timothy Larson, all of whom represent East Hartford, co-sponsored the bill. In the Senate, Democratic Sen. Gary LeBeau is pushing for its passage.

"The bill represents a big step toward neighborhood revitalization in a part of town that needs investment," Rojas said in a statement.

Larson said the bill had the potential to create "a new and exciting partnership between housing and education."

Any action by Goodwin is still a long way off, though, said Todd Andrews, Goodwin's vice president of college relations and advancement. The town/college partnership has been in the works for three years, and it may take several more years for Goodwin, a commuter school, to offer on-site student housing.

Any Goodwin College students who move in probably would have to meet low-income housing guidelines to live in King Court. That may not be a significant hurdle, though, as many of Goodwin's students have families and would already meet those requirements, Andrews said.