Surprise! Developer cancels plans to build an outlet shopping center at Rentschler Field

[Urcea]

Fine by me - I like the parking space

 

[Excalibur]

You ever been?

I have, and I have no desire to spend much time in that area. Pretty country, but way too remote, and Winston-Salem is the South's Hartford so I wouldn't cite proximity as a positive. City is a ghost town on weekends. Ultimately, though, it's just personal preference -- for me if there's no salt water within a 40 minute drive (in retirement that will become 15 minutes), it's off the list.

 

[buddy]

It's okay not to say every pointlessly mean thought you have out loud.

I live in NYC. Going to that remote area would be the equivalent of death to me.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I live in NYC. Going to that remote area would be the equivalent of death to me.

Cool. It sounds like you're having such a ball that I'm surprised you even have time to tell everyone how terrible everywhere else is.

 

[Uconnalliance]

You know the Governor overcame extreme dyslexia and that's why he stutters, right?

Do you make fun of people in wheelchairs, as well?

Easy easy relax moe

 

[Redding Husky]

Hate to see my home state struggling economically like this, but I sure am glad I got the hell out.

Me, too. I moved to Texas on 2/1/86 (yes, I remember the date) and I never regretted it. But I still love CT.

If I won the lottery, I'd probably move back. Or to Nantucket.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Me, too. I moved to Texas on 2/1/86 (yes, I remember the date) and I never regretted it. But I still love CT.

If I won the lottery, I'd probably move back. Or to Nantucket.

Where in Texas? The gf is looking at a position in Ft. Worth but we've said we didn't think we could live in Texas (we're both really far left). Whats it like there?

 

[Tex-Lager93]

Originally from Atlanta - and decided to attend UConn...which was a great choice / it's a beautiful State with access to everything...major metros to the E and W, the ocean, the mountains, etc. I ended up working in Stamford for about three years after UConn...and was ultimately struck by the fact that everything costs more - housing, consumer durables, packaged goods, recreation and on and on. You could say the same about Boston and NYC - but then you get all of those benefits associated with that high cost. There is so much potential in CT - would love to see a renaissance driven by some emerging industry.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Where in Texas? The gf is looking at a position in Ft. Worth but we've said we didn't think we could live in Texas (we're both really far left). Whats it like there?

Dallas/Ft Worth metro has almost 7 million people. You'll have no problem finding plenty of left leaning friends and activities to do within those numbers.

 

[Biggie1083]

Loop - appreciate your passion. One anecdote. In 1990 I was named to a Business-led commission to 'attract and retain young professionals'. While I have long grown out of that demographic, from time to time I see similar efforts come and go - Metro Hartford Alliance, Rising Star, etc. etc. Many of us, for a long time have worked hard for that to happen but I came to the realization that it was a losing battle since the underlying conditions did not exist for us to be successful and the state legislature was too busy protecting the 167 fiefdoms in the state t0 care. The State lacks vision, a true strategy and the collaboration to make it happen. I wish it were different

You can see that with what happened with the baseball stadium and the area surrounding it in Hartford. Something that was only supposed to take about 10 to 12 months to build took almost 2 years to finish, and it went over budget by over $10 million. Also they haven't even started working on building the apartments, shops, restaurants, or grocery store that were part of the plans. Hooker Brewing was kicked out and replaced by the Hard Rock, and now they're out of the picture as well.

It's like they all have good intentions with the things they're doing, but they just can't seem to get it right. Either it takes longer than it should, it goes way over budget, or it hurts the people that want/need to have the thing that is being built. I don't know if it will ever be fixed either since the people have changed but the problems are still the same.

 

[ZooCougar]

Retail doesn’t work unless it is compounded with Entertainment and Dining. They need a developer to bring in a nice big movie theater a Dave and Busters and a Sky Zone. Stuff like that.

 

[Waquoit]

We owe it all to governor stutterface

I never heard Rowland called that before.

 

[Uconnalliance]

I never heard Rowland called that before.

Maybe because he was in jail then, talking about the current one who also can’t add

 

[uconnphil2016]

Retail doesn’t work unless it is compounded with Entertainment and Dining. They need a developer to bring in a nice big movie theater a Dave and Busters and a Sky Zone. Stuff like that.

A movie theater? No one goes to the movies anymore. And there's a Dave and Buster's 10 minutes from that spot--no way there's a demand for two Dave and Busters in a ten mile radius

 

[Scrutineer]

Have Yale and UConn in the same state but have no industry it's truly an incredible feat.

Silicon Valley grew out of Stanford and many tech companies have grown out of MIT and others in the Boston area, but where are the startups spun out of Yale and UConn and the other colleges in CT?
Maybe all these economic development agencies operating in the state haven't bothered to visit successful, growing, vibrant, smaller metro areas to find out what they and their states offer as assistance. Or maybe they don't look at the effect of taxes and regulations. Whatever they do, it doesn't seem to do much to grow businesses in the state.

 

[polycom]

Silicon Valley grew out of Stanford and many tech companies have grown out of MIT and others in the Boston area, but where are the startups spun out of Yale and UConn and the other colleges in CT?
Maybe all these economic development agencies operating in the state haven't bothered to visit successful, growing, vibrant, smaller metro areas to find out what they and their states offer as assistance. Or maybe they don't look at the effect of taxes and regulations. Whatever they do, it doesn't seem to do much to grow businesses in the state.

Yeah, I agree. That’s why I said it’s incredible that not much has come out of Yale and UConn compared to other schools of their size and rank. Cambridge did invest a lot into the area around MIT and Harvard to help make sure those areas were attractive to young people

 

[ZooCougar]

A movie theater? No one goes to the movies anymore. And there's a Dave and Buster's 10 minutes from that spot--no way there's a demand for two Dave and Busters in a ten mile radius

Or something like it... good grief. CT has no shortage of small time thinkers.

 

[Scrutineer]

Yeah, I agree. That’s why I said it’s incredible that not much has come out of Yale and UConn compared to other schools of their size and rank. Cambridge did invest a lot into the area around MIT and Harvard to help make sure those areas were attractive to young people

The schools are one thing, but the business climate, taxes and common sense are others.

We retired to SC in 2011, travel a lot and marvel at the growth here and elsewhere in the South and Southwest. On a visit to Charleston a couple weeks ago we saw 7 of those large construction cranes building apartments/condos, commercial buildings and a parking garage. All organic growth, not the subsidized development of living spaces and commercial properties the "leaders" in Hartford seem to specialize in. Also, lots of gentrification of the old houses on small streets in the downtown area. Sort of like you see in Boston, Georgetown and other areas that are vibrant and growing.

You need a vision and long range plan, favorable regulations and a tax structure that encourages growth and expansion. People here are upbeat, friendly and welcoming of businesses and growth. An anecdote about taxes that our friends back in CT can't believe: a year or two after we moved here the sales tax rate went down one percent because the capital projects for which the increase was approved BY THE VOTERS were completed.

Consider that Charleston and Hartford have a lot in common. Both have great history but Charleston has a wonderfully developed tourism industry that has packaged and better marketed its assets. Both cities have colleges/universities but almost all in Charleston are right downtown and add to the talent base for local businesses as well as serving as a large pool of customers for the very vibrant restaurant and nightlife scene. Both have water, Hartford the river and Charleston several rivers and the Atlantic. Both also have major industry. Hartford with aerospace, insurance and medical centers and Charleston with its port, aerospace (Boeing plant building composite fuselage sections for the 787), auto (new Mercedes and Volvo plants) and the Medical University of South Carolina.

The result: Hartford's population decreased from 1960 (162,178) to 2016 (123,243) while Charleston's increased from 1960 (60,288) to 2016 (134,385). Accidental? The weather? Maybe to some degree but more likely it's due to business conditions and foresight, plus leaders who have taken better advantage of the area's assets.

 

[Redding Husky]

Where in Texas? The gf is looking at a position in Ft. Worth but we've said we didn't think we could live in Texas (we're both really far left). Whats it like there?

Wow. I could go on and on about Texas. Fort Worth is definitely conservative, but liberals are tolerated. People are very friendly here and anyone with a tough New York attitude is considered to be a jerk. The weather is great except for July and August when every day is 100 during the day and 80 at night. Spring and fall are gorgeous. Winters are cool, not cold. We don't see a cloud from mid-June until late September. We have textbook suburban sprawl. The entire DFW/North Texas region is roughly the size of MA, CT, and RI combined. Home prices are low, but have been increasing the last four or five years (especially north of Dallas, which is booming). Most homes are on a 60' x 120' lot. Getting an acre or two is not easy; you probably have to move out into a more rural area. If you like chain restaurants like Outback, this is the place for you. We have hundreds of them. I hope that helps. If you have a specific question, let me know. I'm sure there's a way to get a private message to me.

 

[Redding Husky]

Where in Texas? The gf is looking at a position in Ft. Worth but we've said we didn't think we could live in Texas (we're both really far left). Whats it like there?

I'm in Collin County, about 35 miles straight north from downtown Dallas. One great thing about Texas is the food. The Italian and seafood restaurants are below average, but we have Mexican, Tex-Mex (which is essentially Mexican with meat), and the best BBQ on the planet ... brisket, ribs, sausage, etc. We have no state income tax, although property taxes and sales taxes are a little high. Things here are very informal. Even at the best restaurants, very few people wear ties. Cowboy boots are acceptable in nearly any social situation. We have pro teams in all four sports and they're all popular. The Cowboys still own this town: imagine combining the interest in the Yankees and Giants in NY and that will give you an idea how big the Cowboys are here. Ugh. I could go on forever ...

 

[Redding Husky]

Dallas/Ft Worth metro has almost 7 million people. You'll have no problem finding plenty of left leaning friends and activities to do within those numbers.

DFW has over 7 million. It's up to the #4 metro area and it's on schedule to pass Chicago for #3 by 2035.

We add about 150,000 people every year to the metro area. It's crazy.