Update on Sportsbook & Bar @ the XL Center

[Hunt for 7]

For someone who left CT in 1991, I really find it sad how much downtown Hartford has dissolved. Such good memories of going bar hopping in the 80’s. And there was always somewhere to get good food. Tough to see anyway they can revive it to some degree. Real estate developers need to start over. Office buildings have to be converted to housing, retail services leaving much less office space. People don’t want to sit home all the time so there is opportunity….like what they did at Parkville. City planners need to do more of that as they reconfigure what/how our cities can function and thrive.

 

[HooperScooper]

Office buildings have to be converted to housing,

That's been happening downtown for at least 5-10 years. For example, the old Connecticut Bank & Trust building on Main Street is now apartments. But remember that not every office building has the ability to be converted to housing.

 

[zls44]

I had high hopes they’d turn this into a Vegas-style Sportsbook. But it ended up looking like Winners in New Britain.

Did you want a Beyoncé residency or something?

 

[BlueMAB]

For someone who left CT in 1991, I really find it sad how much downtown Hartford has dissolved. Such good memories of going bar hopping in the 80’s. And there was always somewhere to get good food. Tough to see anyway they can revive it to some degree. Real estate developers need to start over. Office buildings have to be converted to housing, retail services leaving much less office space. People don’t want to sit home all the time so there is opportunity….like what they did at Parkville. City planners need to do more of that as they reconfigure what/how our cities can function and thrive.

 

[CTBasketball]

Did you want a Beyoncé residency or something?

There’s no way in hell the Rio Sportsbook should be better than one built in 2023…who’s in charge of this project?

 

[zls44]

There’s no way in hell the Rio Sportsbook should be better than one built in 2023…who’s in charge of this project?

The CRDA, who stinks, but this also looks like every Vegas Sportsbook I’ve been in?

 

[Waquoit]

The CRDA, who stinks, but this also looks like every Vegas Sportsbook I’ve been in?

It has to be better than the sports book at Foxwoods.

 

[Deepster]

For someone who left CT in 1991, I really find it sad how much downtown Hartford has dissolved. Such good memories of going bar hopping in the 80’s. And there was always somewhere to get good food. Tough to see anyway they can revive it to some degree. Real estate developers need to start over. Office buildings have to be converted to housing, retail services leaving much less office space. People don’t want to sit home all the time so there is opportunity….like what they did at Parkville. City planners need to do more of that as they reconfigure what/how our cities can function and thrive.

Nah. Won't happen. Too many other non-Hartford options now. It's just not worth driving, parking and not being close enough to walk between establishments. And the remote work has drained what was left of any lunch/happy hour crowd.

And, I'll say it again. How long have the Yard Goats been around with that great stadium? And what else is there to do around that park? Nothing. They haven't put a single new eating or drinking establishment that takes advantage of it to this day.

 

[UConnJim]

Nah. Won't happen. Too many other non-Hartford options now. It's just not worth driving, parking and not being close enough to walk between establishments. And the remote work has drained what was left of any lunch/happy hour crowd.

And, I'll say it again. How long have the Yard Goats been around with that great stadium? And what else is there to do around that park? Nothing. They haven't put a single new eating or drinking establishment that takes advantage of it to this day.

That's a pretty negative view. Remote work is here to stay, but back to the office is a trend in every city right now. Being in the office 3 days a week is a strong trend with 4 days increasing as well. Stats back that up. Will office occupancy get back to pre-Covid levels? No, but they will be higher than what they have been.

In my opinion, what Hartford has lacked is a start up/growth company ecosphere. Growth companies drive employment, not mature industries like insurance. The Hartford area has a lot going for it with cheap housing and office rents (relative to Boston, NYC, Providence), a great location for outdoor recreation with the mountains and ocean very close, good schools in the suburbs,... I live in the Boston suburbs and a comparable house in West Hartford sells for less than half of what it sells for in my town and property taxes are half. And, West Hartford schools are better. Office rents are less than half of what they are in Boston. Putting apartments in Hartford is a start to rejuvenation of the city.

Development around the baseball stadium has been held up by the lawsuit which needs to be resolved.

 

[huskiemaniac]

I would love to see a sold out XL where everyone could bet the game. Would get loud. Hopefully at some point we will be able to bet UConn legally from in-state. I’d also love a few poker tables in there too.

We use Bovada to place UConn bets…

 

[Palatine]

Covid did a number on downtowns all around the country not just Hartford. Commercial real estate has taken a nose dive. In turn, many businesses that depended on office workers for a big part of their income have gone under. It will take a revived economy and an increase in back to the office trend to make a difference. Don't blame Hartford for a national trend.

 

[DSquiz]

Nah. Won't happen. Too many other non-Hartford options now. It's just not worth driving, parking and not being close enough to walk between establishments. And the remote work has drained what was left of any lunch/happy hour crowd.

And, I'll say it again. How long have the Yard Goats been around with that great stadium? And what else is there to do around that park? Nothing. They haven't put a single new eating or drinking establishment that takes advantage of it to this day.

The reason the ballpark hasn't developed more is the lawsuit with the previous developer that halted construction. There are massive plans for new restaurants and shops that will go forward as soon as the suit is resolved.

Pratt Street on the other hand is in the mist of a billion dollar development bringing hundreds of new apartments, a brewery, sports bar, and a bunch more shops and restaurants. You can check them out on Pratt Streets site or the CT insider article.

 

[Deepster]

That's a pretty negative view. Remote work is here to stay, but back to the office is a trend in every city right now. Being in the office 3 days a week is a strong trend with 4 days increasing as well. Stats back that up. Will office occupancy get back to pre-Covid levels? No, but they will be higher than what they have been.

In my opinion, what Hartford has lacked is a start up/growth company ecosphere. Growth companies drive employment, not mature industries like insurance. The Hartford area has a lot going for it with cheap housing and office rents (relative to Boston, NYC, Providence), a great location for outdoor recreation with the mountains and ocean very close, good schools in the suburbs,... I live in the Boston suburbs and a comparable house in West Hartford sells for less than half of what it sells for in my town and property taxes are half. And, West Hartford schools are better. Office rents are less than half of what they are in Boston. Putting apartments in Hartford is a start to rejuvenation of the city.

Development around the baseball stadium has been held up by the lawsuit which needs to be resolved.

I don't think it's negative. It's realistic. The back to work "trend" is 2-3 days a week at most and no one's going in on a Friday, then going out to eat and drink in town afterwards. That's reality.

I can see your point about a startup type foundation to get things back on the right path, but...at the end of the day, Hartford is set up poorly. For example, it's February and you are going to a UConn game. You eat at Bear's first. It's a pain in the neck to walk from Bear's to XL. You're at Parkville Market and you want to go to the Yard Goats. No public transit. Parking is a PITA. No real flow to the city's grid. No "core" or "heart" of the city that everything flows off of.

 

[CTBasketball]

And you'll be reminded again.



Pending litigation has halted development. And the trial isn't scheduled until 2024. They literally can't develop it any further until the suit/trial is resolved.

This has opened, with 75% of tenants coming from outside of Hartford "The building has a courtyard with a pool, two-lane bowling alley, sports simulator and ground floor retail space."

No one wants to build near Dunkin’ Park because if you stumble the wrong direction a few blocks you get shot.

 

[DSquiz]

You're at Parkville Market and you want to go to the Yard Goats. No public transit.

There is literally a bus that runs every 10 min that links both directly.

 

[BlueMAB]

No one wants to build near Dunkin’ Park because if you stumble the wrong direction a few blocks you get shot.

This would have been a dumb take before my post. But as a response to a post linking a story about luxury apartments literally right next to Dunkin Park it's actually impressive. Even for this place.

 

[BlueMAB]

There is literally a bus that runs every 10 min that links both directly.

It's almost like the most vocal critics basically have no idea what they're talking about.

 

[05Alum]

I read an article today in the courant that the venue only takes cash bets, even the kiosks. I realize its not the XL Center's fault and have to adhere to the provisions, but who's bringing cash to Hartford to make a bet at this thing and eat an XL Burger. This thing is destined to be an utter waste of space.

 

[CL82]

That's a pretty negative view. Remote work is here to stay, but back to the office is a trend in every city right now. Being in the office 3 days a week is a strong trend with 4 days increasing as well. Stats back that up. Will office occupancy get back to pre-Covid levels? No, but they will be higher than what they have been.

In my opinion, what Hartford has lacked is a start up/growth company ecosphere. Growth companies drive employment, not mature industries like insurance. The Hartford area has a lot going for it with cheap housing and office rents (relative to Boston, NYC, Providence), a great location for outdoor recreation with the mountains and ocean very close, good schools in the suburbs,... I live in the Boston suburbs and a comparable house in West Hartford sells for less than half of what it sells for in my town and property taxes are half. And, West Hartford schools are better. Office rents are less than half of what they are in Boston. Putting apartments in Hartford is a start to rejuvenation of the city.

Development around the baseball stadium has been held up by the lawsuit which needs to be resolved.

For what it's worth, a city near me had gone through the typical decline. The downtown hub was anchored by major department stores and Internet shopping was the last nail in the coffin. One such store occupied a full city block (think G Fox in Hartford). They put forth a development plan dramatically decreasing their footprint and opening up the rest of the space on the ground level to restaurants, and bars and the upper levels became upscale apartments. Although their initial pitch was to maintain some kind of footprint in the existing building, ultimately they sold off everything and all the space.

I was skeptical about the need for so much housing, but it ended up being a catalyst for the rebirth of the city. A lot of young singles moved in and that spurred the nightlife that was in part service by the new restaurants and bars in the building. The trend spread becoming a boon for further restaurants and bars and more development including redoing a block of brownstones as million dollar homes.

I understand that there has been conversion of old industrial buildings into apartments and condominiums in Hartford. The major difference that I see is that they are spread out away from downtown. So there really isn't that critical mass of people downtown to jumpstart a cycle of development and success. I think it can happen, but it will take really intelligent development. But that's my opinion from a few hours away. I'm sure you guys know better about what's going on there.

 

[CTBasketball]

I read an article today in the courant that the venue only takes cash bets, even the kiosks. I realize its not the XL Center's fault and have to adhere to the provisions, but who's bringing cash to Hartford to make a bet at this thing and eat an XL Burger. This thing is destined to be an utter waste of space.

It’s going to become a waste of space. They needed to style it like an actual Sportsbook. Good food, comfy chairs in a theatre setting, and huge TVs.

They built it like a kindergarten classroom for addicted adults. Who won’t mind it, don’t get me wrong. But it won’t bring the general public in after a few weeks.

 

[Waquoit]

I read an article today in the courant that the venue only takes cash bets, even the kiosks.

People who gamble know to bring cash. I don't know of a gaming machine in the country that takes a card.

 

[Waquoit]

No one wants to build near Dunkin’ Park because if you stumble the wrong direction a few blocks you get shot.

I thought you guys were afraid of getting knifed?

 

[CTBasketball]

I thought you guys were afraid of getting knifed?

It does sting a little.

 

[Palatine]

There is literally a bus that runs every 10 min that links both directly.

Stop confusing the doom sayers with facts!

 

[XLCenterFan]

We use Bovada to place UConn bets…

I have a place to bet on us as well. I just wish the general public and the crowd could easily do so. I don’t think many people do, but the environment would ratchet up a level if there was action in the crowd.

 

[XLCenterFan]

No one wants to build near Dunkin’ Park because if you stumble the wrong direction a few blocks you get shot.

Fake news. Random people don’t get shot in Hartford. When was the last time a suburbanite was shot downtown? Crimes get committed between people that actually know each other. And The Pennant across from Dunkin Park is filling up nicely. Place looks sweet.

 

[huskiemaniac]

I have a place to bet on us as well. I just wish the general public and the crowd could easily do so. I don’t think many people do, but the environment would ratchet up a level if there was action in the crowd.

Agreed!

 

[XLCenterFan]

The reason the ballpark hasn't developed more is the lawsuit with the previous developer that halted construction. There are massive plans for new restaurants and shops that will go forward as soon as the suit is resolved.

Pratt Street on the other hand is in the mist of a billion dollar development bringing hundreds of new apartments, a brewery, sports bar, and a bunch more shops and restaurants. You can check them out on Pratt Streets site or the CT insider article.

Went to the Goats game Saturday and ended up on Pratt for awhile after. Fun scene. I’ll be back. And oh my goodness, no one got shot.

 

[HCCForever]

Went to the Goats game Saturday and ended up on Pratt for awhile after. Fun scene. I’ll be back. And oh my goodness, no one got shot.

Pratt Street has always been one of my favorite streets in Hartford. I used to spend time at No Fish Today, Lord Jim's and Vaughan's before the first two closed. I was there last November before a UConn Men's hockey game using the tables near Vaughan's. And I agree it was a good way to spend some time before a game. But I grew up in Hartford so I have no issues with spending time there.

 

[Deepster]

There is literally a bus that runs every 10 min that links both directly.

LOL. Take a look in the window of any Hartford city bus. All you'll see is the doom and depression of the people forced to take it. And I'm not sure anyone's hopping on the bus with their date to go from Capital Grille to anywhere that's not in walking distance.