Downtown Hartford development.

[Palatine]

It is pretty well demonstrated how these Hartford projects work. It ain't pretty but it ends up well.

Look at Front Street. They build the convention center, then wrangled about Front Street for a couple of years. The nay-sayers shouted it would never be done and if it was it would be awful. Now there is Bear's, Ted's, Cap Grill, Fast Food, Infinity Music, Movie Theaters, a book store that is part of UConn and two apartment buildings.

I expect a similar trajectory for the north side. They built the ball park, they will wrangle for a couple of years, the nay-sayers will have their day. Then the pieces will start to go into place, and over a few years there will be apartments, restaurants and some stores and the area will fill in. I suspect it will turn out fine.

 

[The Funster]

It's all about bullets and ballots, man,bullets and ballots.

 

[Greathusky]

Despite Early Interest, Only One Developer Steps Forward To Build In Hartford's Downtown North Neighborhood

Only one company answered the bid to develop the area around the Yard Goats Park.

I am gonna say this. I actually found myself looking forward to a couple games this year. With the attendance and buzz, how did no other companies not throw their hat in the ring?

The lawsuit by the previous developer who was kicked out of this project makes folks nervous.

 

[Deepster]

It is pretty well demonstrated how these Hartford projects work. It ain't pretty but it ends up well.

Look at Front Street. They build the convention center, then wrangled about Front Street for a couple of years. The nay-sayers shouted it would never be done and if it was it would be awful. Now there is Bear's, Ted's, Cap Grill, Fast Food, Infinity Music, Movie Theaters, a book store that is part of UConn and two apartment buildings.

I expect a similar trajectory for the north side. They built the ball park, they will wrangle for a couple of years, the nay-sayers will have their day. Then the pieces will start to go into place, and over a few years there will be apartments, restaurants and some stores and the area will fill in. I suspect it will turn out fine.

Do you feel like Front St is a success?

 

[UCFBfan]

I think there are a lot of things going into play with the development around DD Park. Many have stated the obvious, the current legal battle. However, I think there’s also uncertainty about what the decision will be with the 84 rebuild and how that will help or continue to hinder the separation of that part of the city from downtown.

Overall, I think there’s a lot of good things happening and developing in Hartford but they all seem isolated. Opening UConn will be a big help for Front Street but it’s a hike to go from there to anywhere else in the city and it’s not a welcoming, bustling feel walking from Front St to Pratt St or that area at night. I think that’s the biggest hindrance for Hartford.

I went to Front St for the first time a few weeks ago for a show at the Infinity theater. Was really impressed with the whole area and never knew it was like that. But it literally looks like they picked up a block of WH Center and plopped it down in the middle of a remote section of Hartford. I couldn’t see myself going to Bears and then walking to a bar in the middle of the city or even walking to a Yard Goats game in the summer. I know I could take a ride service or drive myself but a city the size of Hartford should be able to be walkable. It’s not there yet as a lot of the entertainment spots are on the outskirts and in the middle are empty business buildings with no activity at night.

 

[8893]

I went to Front St for the first time a few weeks ago for a show at the Infinity theater. Was really impressed with the whole area and never knew it was like that. But it literally looks like they picked up a block of WH Center and plopped it down in the middle of a remote section of Hartford. I couldn’t see myself going to Bears and then walking to a bar in the middle of the city or even walking to a Yard Goats game in the summer. I know I could take a ride service or drive myself but a city the size of Hartford should be able to be walkable. It’s not there yet as a lot of the entertainment spots are on the outskirts and in the middle are empty business buildings with no activity at night.

It's a much easier walk than you might think; they need to make that more apparent to people imo.

 

[UCFBfan]

It's a much easier walk than you might think; they need to make that more apparent to people imo.

Could be. It was also a mid January night when I was there so the idea of walking anywhere was not ideal!

I just always feel like there are these “dead” zones in the city at night and they are most noticeable around the Old State house area which you need to go through in order to get from Front St to anywhere else. I don’t think it’s unsafe because it’s well lit but the lack of foot traffic makes it feel desolate.

I’m a big Hartford supporter and want it to succeed and love going to things in the city. Just wish their luck would turn around at some point because they have some great things going on

 

[Palatine]

It's ten minutes straight down Main Street but there is no such thing as a short walk in Hartford during January.

Front Street is much better than what was there before. I used to stay in the Hilton when I visited Hartford. Now I stay in the Marriott. Is that success? I do know that they completely rented out the first apartment building they built there in about six months and are constructing another next to the Arch Street Cafe. That would seem to indicate that folks find the area desirable.

 

[Ha Who]

It's a much easier walk than you might think; they need to make that more apparent to people imo.

The walk itself is easy. It’s the pockets of isolation that is the problem

 

[huskysupporter]

Development in downtown Hartford is very active. Those parking lots will be turned into something valuable and then people will still complain and say they can’t find a place to park anymore. Typical snobby Connecticut negativity.

It’s funny I was thinking the same thing when I went to several games last year. Love that parking is so close and plentiful by the stadium right now. But the area needs development.

Looking forward to going to more games this year. I was nervous after all the issue getting the Park built. But it is such a beautiful stadium.

 

[dennismenace]

Keep in mind, Hartford is now entering the third season on that park with absolutely nothing around it. How many years before you have anything more than parking lots?

How about some shooting ranges?

 

[Hoophound]

Until Hartford either has great public schools or a voucher system for schools in surrounding towns, successful redevelopment is limited. You need people in their 30’s and 40’s with kids and cash to really stabilize the city. They want good, safe schools and I don’t mean decent, I mean excellent. It is a very difficult thing to fix.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

It is pretty well demonstrated how these Hartford projects work. It ain't pretty but it ends up well.

Look at Front Street. They build the convention center, then wrangled about Front Street for a couple of years. The nay-sayers shouted it would never be done and if it was it would be awful. Now there is Bear's, Ted's, Cap Grill, Fast Food, Infinity Music, Movie Theaters, a book store that is part of UConn and two apartment buildings.

I expect a similar trajectory for the north side. They built the ball park, they will wrangle for a couple of years, the nay-sayers will have their day. Then the pieces will start to go into place, and over a few years there will be apartments, restaurants and some stores and the area will fill in. I suspect it will turn out fine.

Tie it together with a free "trolley" loop that runs Front Street, Bushnell, Union Place, Dunkin Donuts, XL Center and makes downtown an entertainment district. Adjust operating hours as needed, fully supporting people coming in by train from New Haven & Springfield, and even the FastTrack bus. It wouldn't be the first city to do this.
Then again, there are also many American cities that have simply captured surrounding towns and reincorporated to address shared regional public needs that wealthier suburbs prefer to avoid. Even Stamford has profited from a smaller version of this.

 

[UCFBfan]

Until Hartford either has great public schools or a voucher system for schools in surrounding towns, successful redevelopment is limited. You need people in their 30’s and 40’s with kids and cash to really stabilize the city. They want good, safe schools and I don’t mean decent, I mean excellent. It is a very difficult thing to fix.

The problem here is what others have said, Hartford itself is small. It’s very easy to get a good education for your kids by living in West Hartford or Glastonbury and still have the ease of getting in and out of Hartford to use its amenities.

I think the boom of 20 something year olds is what is going to really push this city. If they can get those folks to live downtown and work downtown, there will be the demand for more things to fill the isolated areas and create foot traffic at night. That is the age bracket that Hartford needs, and seems to be getting with all of the new apartments.

 

[Hoophound]

The problem here is what others have said, Hartford itself is small. It’s very easy to get a good education for your kids by living in West Hartford or Glastonbury and still have the ease of getting in and out of Hartford to use its amenities.

I think the boom of 20 something year olds is what is going to really push this city. If they can get those folks to live downtown and work downtown, there will be the demand for more things to fill the isolated areas and create foot traffic at night. That is the age bracket that Hartford needs, and seems to be getting with all of the new apartments.

I introduced this concept to the board. Cities like Cincy and Nashville encompass West Hartford, Glastonbury, Easy Hartford Wethersfield, South Windsor, Windsor, New Britain and Bloomfield. Hartford needs school vouchers to other towns.

 

[UCFBfan]

I introduced this concept to the board. Cities like Cincy and Nashville encompass West Hartford, Glastonbury, Easy Hartford Wethersfield, South Windsor, Windsor, New Britain and Bloomfield. Hartford needs school vouchers to other towns.

I hear ya but I think the size portion will always be an issue. I'm not even sure where you'd live to raise a family in Hartford even if the schools were great. I have a friend who lives in the West End and is raising two kids and does well for himself. He is not the norm and will likely never be. It's why Hartford will need to focus on the younger, singles or newly married population to fuel it's growrg

 

[gioff23]

Until hartford starts taxing, nothing significant will happen. Hartford should charge city workers a 0.5 city wage tax. They could go to 1%, but start slow. Enough of having folks drive in, drive out and contribute little. Once you get a revenue stream away from taxing the hell out of residents and the city can grow. Until then they’re completely dependent on shady developers to build a city that lacks cohesiveness

 

[Robertelamin]

Until hartford starts taxing, nothing significant will happen. Hartford should charge city workers a 0.5 city wage tax. They could go to 1%, but start slow. Enough of having folks drive in, drive out and contribute little. Once you get a revenue stream away from taxing the hell out of residents and the city can grow. Until then they’re completely dependent on shady developers to build a city that lacks cohesiveness

I wonder how that would even work. You need to physically work X amount of days in Hartford and then required to pay the tax?

 

[pick6s]

Tie it together with a free "trolley" loop that runs Front Street, Bushnell, Union Place, Dunkin Donuts, XL Center and makes downtown an entertainment district. Adjust operating hours as needed, fully supporting people coming in by train from New Haven & Springfield, and even the FastTrack bus. It wouldn't be the first city to do this.
Then again, there are also many American cities that have simply captured surrounding towns and reincorporated to address shared regional public needs that wealthier suburbs prefer to avoid. Even Stamford has profited from a smaller version of this.

They have the Dash shuttle.
https://www.cttransit.com/sites/default/files/PDF_files/dash_online_oct17.pdf

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

They have the Dash shuttle.
https://www.cttransit.com/sites/default/files/PDF_files/dash_online_oct17.pdf

Thanks, interesting. I had no idea.

I know it says extended hours for special events, so I won't jump to a negative conclusion and call it dumb for being 7-7 on weekdays, but as a New Haven resident, I could imagine a weekend day and/or evening in Hartford, traveling on the new train line in a time frame not unlike going into NYC from LI, NJ, CT, Westchester.

For a specific event at XL, Infinity Hall, Hartford Stage, Yard Goats, Convention Center, Bushnell (Park or Hall), Meadows, it's not at all far-fetched. And some of these are things that New Haven doesn't offer.

With such accessibility, Hartford-New Haven can be related like Oakand-San Francisco, St Paul-Minneapolis, Dallas-Fort Worth, Raleigh-Durham, or no less than Boston-Providence, Baltimore-DC

 

[CL82]

Thanks, interesting. I had no idea.

I know it says extended hours for special events, so I won't jump to a negative conclusion and call it dumb for being 7-7 on weekdays, but as a New Haven resident, I could imagine a weekend day and/or evening in Hartford, traveling on the new train line in a time frame not unlike going into NYC from LI, NJ, CT, Westchester.

For a specific event at XL, Infinity Hall, Hartford Stage, Yard Goats, Convention Center, Bushnell (Park or Hall), Meadows, it's not at all far-fetched. And some of these are things that New Haven doesn't offer.

With such accessibility, Hartford-New Haven can be related like Oakand-San Francisco, St Paul-Minneapolis, Dallas-Fort Worth, Raleigh-Durham, or no less than Boston-Providence, Baltimore-DC

Boston-Providence?

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Boston-Providence?

Under an hour away, and sometimes offering something not available at home, including things on a larger scale.

 

[CL82]

Under an hour away, and sometimes offering something not available at home, including things on a larger scale.

I get the proximity I have just never heard them associated together in the same way the other cities are.

 

[Ha Who]

Until hartford starts taxing, nothing significant will happen. Hartford should charge city workers a 0.5 city wage tax. They could go to 1%, but start slow. Enough of having folks drive in, drive out and contribute little. Once you get a revenue stream away from taxing the hell out of residents and the city can grow. Until then they’re completely dependent on shady developers to build a city that lacks cohesiveness

I’m as big of a booster of making Hartford great again, but I am taxed plenty by the state and it goes to the city and their schools. Also, I know part of West Hartford’s high taxes goes toward needing to pay for increased crime coming over the city line. Getting more businesses to Hartford is the trick. If there are more companies, some of those workers will live in Hartford and the demand for apartments and foot traffic will increase making it possible to make the short stroll from Front Street to the dunk plausible.

 

[uconnphil2016]

I’m as big of a booster of making Hartford great again, but I am taxed plenty by the state and it goes to the city and their schools. Also, I know part of West Hartford’s high taxes goes toward needing to pay for increased crime coming over the city line. Getting more businesses to Hartford is the trick. If there are more companies, some of those workers will live in Hartford and the demand for apartments and foot traffic will increase making it possible to make the short stroll from Front Street to the dunk plausible.

Part of it is also a need for apartments that are both nice and affordable. Any decent apartment complex in Hartford is absurdly expensive, and there's no good reason to live in Hartford unless you're getting a good deal compared to places like West Hartford or Glastonbury. I'd be interested in living in Hartford, but it's the same price as objectively nicer places