Municipal Redevelopment Authority outlines opt-in program to help Connecticut towns boost housing and downtown development

David Kors, executive director of the Municipal Redevelopment Authority, briefed the Commerce Committee on the agency’s statutory authority, outreach and early activity, saying the authority is a voluntary, flexible tool that municipalities may invite to help accelerate housing and downtown redevelopment.

Kors told the committee the Municipal Redevelopment Authority (MRDA) was first established in statute in 2019 and later amended to enable partnerships with municipalities outside the Capital Region Development Authority’s territory. "We are voluntary, we are flexible, and we are very broad in terms of the ways in which we can support communities," Kors said, describing a four-step process that begins when a local legislative body passes an opt-in resolution following a public hearing.

The nut of MRDA’s work, Kors said, is targeted geography: the authority will certify zoning only for areas within a half mile of a passenger rail or bus-rapid-transit (BRT) station, existing or planned, or within a statutorily defined downtown. "We certify whether or not their zoning will likely facilitate a substantial increase in the number of dwelling units," Kors said, noting that what is "substantial" can vary by community size.

Kors walked the committee through how MRDA evaluates a partner town’s zoning and possible outcomes. Some communities already meet the authority’s objectives and receive certification; others receive recommendations on items such as density or building siting. Municipalities retain local control — they may accept, decline or negotiate recommendations — and MRDA can provide drafting assistance, renderings, fiscal-impact analysis and other consultant support when requested.

On funding, Kors said MRDA currently has a $60 million bond authorization and that a budget proposal before the General Assembly would add $30 million, bringing potential capital to $90 million. He said the authority can provide grants (likely for municipal infrastructure) and loans (more likely for private developers), and that investments can be structured to capture upside where appropriate — for example, nonvoting equity to retain financial return without governance control.

Kors described two additional, aspirational areas of value: marketing/matchmaking between developers and communities, and a district-scale approach to state permitting for predictable, up-front identification of cumulative infrastructure needs. "What we want to do is take a district scale approach to some of our permitting processes," he said, citing examples such as flood management certification and traffic administration as state processes MRDA would seek to coordinate at neighborhood scale.

On early results, Kors said MRDA has been operating about six months and began sending a template opt-in resolution to interested municipalities in mid-January. He said 28 municipalities have requested the opt-in resolution and that, as of one day before his testimony, three municipalities — Naugatuck, Derby and New London — had joined.

Committee members asked how MRDA would help smaller towns that lack sewer or other infrastructure. Kors said MRDA can help municipalities make the case for prioritized infrastructure investments, consider alternatives such as package treatment plants and support coalition building so multiple towns can advocate for needed sewer, plant expansion or other work. On brownfields, Kors said MRDA would not typically perform environmental testing but would use consultants to help municipalities understand the remediation needed, the costs and the scale of development required to justify infrastructure and cleanup expenses.

Kors also described the agency’s board composition and interagency coordination: seven commissioners or designees representing the Office of Policy and Management, the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Department of Housing, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation, public health and labor serve on the MRDA board, and MRDA staff said they are talking closely with DECD and other state partners.

Committee members requested ongoing updates and encouraged MRDA to flag any statutory or procedural changes that would ease state-local permitting and project delivery. Kors said MRDA expects to be a pilot for district‑scale approaches and that if successful the model could be scaled as appropriate.

The presentation closed with committee members expressing general support and asking for further coordination with DECD on grants and CIF-style prioritization work.

Looking ahead, Kors said MRDA will continue outreach, provide the opt-in template to interested towns, and accept project applications for infrastructure and gap financing once a district’s zoning is certified.