State does not recommend funding needed for Enfield Mall redevelopment

ENFIELD, Conn. (WFSB) - The I-Team has learned that the big plans to demolish and improve the Enfield Mall were not given the go-ahead by the state.

It was announced in May a developer wanted to buy the mall, tear it all down except the Target, and then build retail, restaurants, 2 hotels, and 450 luxury apartments. At the time, the developers said the current mall is 85% vacant.

However, the developer said the plans were contingent on getting a $20 million grant from the state through the Community Investment Fund. It was announced Tuesday, September 24th that the Enfield project was not recommended for funding.

A spokesperson for Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development provided the below statement:

Yes, the Town of Enfield submitted its application for Community Investment Fund Round 5 on time. This application was reviewed along with the other CIF Round 5 applications. The Community Investment Fund 2030 is a highly competitive program. For Round 5, eligible applicants submitted 137 projects for a total request of $441,031,179.

The Town of Enfield’s application was not recommended by the CIF Board to the Governor for funding in Round 5. CIF allows for resubmission of all applications in future rounds.

The next round of funding will not be awarded until March 2025. The original timeline for the Enfield Mall project was to break ground before then.

The I-Team left messages for Enfield’s mayor, town manager, and the developers to find out what today’s news means for the future of the project but has yet to hear back.

An I-Team investigation in May found the mall’s current owners were violating town ordinances by not maintaining the mall property. In 2022, Enfield also had to pay more than $100,000 of its own money to make the mall safe after parts of it were collapsing.