grock

The apartments Dennis was talking about are not in Adrian's Landing http://dennishouse.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/apartments-coming-to-constitution-plaza/

WFSB is reporting it is called Cinema Grill http://dennishouse.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/cinema-grill-to-be-first-front-street-tenant/

A movie theater and more housing? Cool! http://dennishouse.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/front-street-on-verge-of-announcing-first-tenant/

Just read on dennis house's blog on wfsb.com about possible tenants at Front Street, but nothing

ESPN will have some sort of venue there, though not a zone. There were some rumors the owners of Spris want to open a clothing store there. One of the owners also owns Brooks Brothers. There were also rumors Ruth's Chris Steak House was going to move there. The Berlin Turnpike isn't exactly an ideal location for an upscale steak house and with expense accounts Ruth's could cash in on conventions at the Connecticut Convention Center.

Saw a picture of Front Street on Channel 3 http://www.wfsb.com/getinthehouse/index.html

New ones were unveiled to the media today. Channel 3 was there so I guess it will be on their news tonight.

The renderings of Front Street look amazing.

I-91 tunnel http://www.wfsb.com/video/14654402/index.html

I guess it's not a secret. It was just on Channel 3 news. Representative John Larson was talking about it. The retailer is Brooks Brothers, I guess the owners of Spris own BB and they are putting a store there, and everybody knows about ESPN coming to Front Street.

Heard some scuttlebut on Front Street 1. Work on the site is being done now. 2. Final design will be unveiled in about a month. 3. Tenants will be more entertainment than retail, although at least one upscale national chain is already on board. 4. Retailer is looking at buying WFSB's Broadcast House. Not sure which retailer. 5. Talk that Front Street phase two will include a high rise on Prospect. 6. There is a top secret plan to bury I-91 from the Colt building to the flyover. May be proposed early next year.

I like that idea, and I think you should e-mail it to Brad Nitkin. As for the mayor scaring off investors, I believe there is some truth to that. City Hall has a reputation of being unfriendly to business, just ask ING, MetLife, Mass Mutual and WFSB. Throw the Wolmans in there too. What downtown development isn't the result of the state's help, and instead the city's?

Site work next week. Final architectural drawings by Thanksgiving.

Look for work to begin next week. Before Thanksgiving, we'll all get to see what Front Street will look like .

Waste of money. It should be a trolley or light rail.

I saw on Channel 3 a week ago or so that Bradley may change its name around, maybe "Hartford International Airport at Bradley Field," and they may also drop the Springfield from the flight name to just Hartford. The airport guy (forget his name) said it the Hartford-Springfield makes the airport sound like a small town airport.

Getting into a strange car late at night with four guys and you are by yourself? Sounds kind of strange. Drug deal gone bad?

Rumor has it construction will begin soon after Memorial Day.

I'm not sure how agressive these leasing agents are. There is no excuse for the empty storefronts on Pratt Street.

A year is a long time. The Bliss Market is a big tenant, and I'm happy about that, but the YMCA is just a relocation, and a poor one. The new Y lacks a pool, basketball courts, and racquetball courts. Spiritus is another downtown relocation. My concern is the empty storefronts, and the empty stores Sullivan is leasing on Pratt. I'm also concerned why Northland can't get some of the old Civic Center tenants back; B Dalton bookstore, GNC, TJ Maxx, etc. These stores did well and were kicked out for construction. There should be no reason for them not coming back.

It sounds like they are on the fence about leaving but that Northland is really wooing them. Regulars are disappointed. I'm really surprised the reporter didn't know it was Spiritus. Everybody is talking about it.

The liquor store really isn't a new business. H21 is trying to take Spiritus away from its location in SoDo, so it really isn't a gain. for downtown, just a new location. Sorry if the language was insulting in the title.

I'm a big fan of H21 and I hear the apartments are filling up, but it's been a year since the Y opened and it remains the only non-resident tenant. Is Sullivan/Hayes reputable in terms of leasing? They also have plenty of stores empty on Pratt.

The Convention Center was built that way to allow for expansion of the hall. Metro Hartford is a well to do region with expendable money. High end stores could do well downtown.

Front Street does need some high end retail to make it unique. Every city has a high end shopping area: NYC, Boston, Baltimore, etc. Hartford has more poor neighborhoods than most cities, so Hartford needs some high end to balance it out.