beerbeer

The ball park effect is already taking hold.

360 Main also goes by the name Adrian's Tower. Since it is already an apartment building...?

FYI New Richmond downtown ball park to include supermarket as part of development. http://www.richmondb...-on-developers/ Mayor Dwight Jones has made his ceremonial first pitch for a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom, and local developers have more than $100 million in nearby projects on deck. Jones on Monday unveiled plans for a more than $200 million ballpark village development slated to include 750 apartments, a hotel, a Kroger grocery store and a slavery museum site, all centered around a new baseball stadium for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

FYI New Richmond downtown ball park to include supermarket as part of development. http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2013/11/12/ballpark-plans-roster-heavy-on-developers/ Mayor Dwight Jones has made his ceremonial first pitch for a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom, and local developers have more than $100 million in nearby projects on deck. Jones on Monday unveiled plans for a more than $200 million ballpark village development slated to include 750 apartments, a hotel, a Kroger grocery store and a slavery museum site, all centered around a new baseball stadium for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

I lived two blocks from Wrigley Field in Chicago. There was a Jewell Supermarket across the street from my apartment. That article is complete bull. BTW, the architectural drawing for the supermarket looks like it was done by a second grader. There is no way this project was ever real.

When people pooh pooh the ball park, I use Rentschler Field as an example. We build the Rent. Then, to partially take advantage of the football crowds Cabela's put in a large store (all new construction). And because that store has proven profitable, there is huge outlet mall going in, which will be followed by housing. It took the $90 million dollar stadium to jump start all the development. It would be an empty field if we never built the Rent. Site 12B has sat empty for 30 years. No development, providing no taxes or benefits to the city. Build the ball park. And the same process will play out. In fact, it should be easier because they will be at least 70 events a year probably many more. Retail or entertainment will come first. Housing will follow. The ball park will turn empty lots into developed property that pays taxes and pays back the investment. How can people watch it happen before their eyes in East Hartford and not believe its possible for Trumbull Street? It defies logic. Same with the Convention Center. People went negative, said no one would hold a convention in Hartford. Said it was a waste of money. But it holds hundreds of events a year. Then when Front street was started. People went negative. Said it would never work. It had years of false starts but now the place is booming and housing is being built. It full of restaurants and a theater and music venue that all will be returning what was spent back into the city coffers as taxes and the city is much better off for it. It just took the Convention Center (which draws lots of people like a ball park) to jump start it. It happens in front of people's eyes and they still whine that it can't work. Amazing.

Heck, they don't even have Ted's on that map and that's open. And where does the Seafood place go? Good problems to have.

Major construction underway at the UHC site. http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2014/06/bioscience-connecticut-2300-jobs-over-two-years/

I think the 60 jobs number is realistic though it has meet some skepticism in the press. The 25 players are jobs. Kick in a manager and few coaches, a GM and front office staff, that gets you to over thirty before you hire a single person to take care of the park on game nights (ticket takers, concession workers, ground crew, security, etc). The really good part is that many of those employees will have their salaries come from out of town. Many will be paid by the parent ball club so it is net new income brought into the area, that would not be true of major league team that would have to generate all its own income from the market. Plus there should be a halo effect for surrounding businesses. An extra waiter and bartender here or parking attendant there on game night. These are NOT numbers pulled out of the air, there are 170+ ball parks around the country. The numbers are based on demonstrable experience.

According to the attendance chart I posted the Charlotte Knights are drew 3,800 a game in 2013 the worst in the IL.

Here is a list of attendance numbers in 2013 for all 176 minor league teams. http://ballparkdigest.com/201309096619/attendance/news/2013-affiliated-attendance-by-average The Rockcats check in at #58 averaging just under 5,000 a game. The best was over 11,000 a game, the worst Eastern League team came in at 2,800. The Eastern League plays 71 home games every year. Clearly, there is the opportunity to drive some traffic to Hartford business. It also provides a nice amenity for city residents. 5,000 folks coming 70 times a year is a nice bump for restaurants. The big plus it that it will come in the summer months and augment, rather than compete, UConn and hockey in the winter. Besides, summer weather may produce crowds that come earlier and leave later. If Hooker Brewery is still nosing around the city, the corner of Main and Morgan or, perhaps, Trumbull and Morgan would be a great place to to place a brewery/restaurant/bar for maximum effect. Here is a look at the proposed numbers for building the stadium itself.

Apartments were considered at one point. But they downsized the development. Both UConn and the apartment building will bring the site some height but building over the existing retail portion of Front Street would be an expensive proposition especially since something like fake upper floors would provide no revenue.

Big price tag, $60,000,000

Ripken Stadium in northern Maryland would be a good example of what is needed for success. Besides the state of he art baseball facility which seats over 6,000, there is an accompanying Marriott hotel. This is to help with over night stays for baseball camps. Rather than just use the stadium for their minor league team, the baseball camps provide additional income from the stadium. In today's dollars such a stadium would cost $24 million.

There are twelve teams in the tourney next year but it's a long trip for many of the fans. Memphis which is more centrally located did quite well this year. Kevin Kane is president and CEO of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’re in a sold out situation. The hotels are filled from one end to another and it’s about $15 million to the local economy. We are very blessed and fortunate that Memphis was chosen,” Kane said. That is more that Hartford can expect but there will be thousands who need hotel rooms.

I was in town for the UConn spring football game. Stayed at the Marriott and had dinner at Capital Grill. I also took a walk around town on Friday night about 7 PM. It was raining lightly but there was still pedestrian traffic around the city. The construction at the Sonesta is a little under the radar as it's all inside. The Front Street apartments are still at at ground level. And 777 Main hasn't started. So while those projects are significant, they don't represent activity for the average passerby -yet. Front Street was active with the Capital Grill and Spotlight looking like they are both doing very good business as was the Arch. Same on Trumbull Street, the restaurant and bars near the park were very full. The retail stores on the ground level of On the Park were completely occupied. If they ever get 111 Pearl off the ground this will be a major locust of activity. Next year at this time, there should be an incremental increase in street life.

The XL Center has napped the 2015 AAC Tourney. A very nice get. http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-mens-basketball/hc-aac-basketball-hartford-0415-20140414,0,4311095.story Not sure how far along the renovations will be by then. Hopefully there will be something to show off.

US Air already flies to Bradley out of Reagan, six non-stops a day. United flies to Bradley out of Dulles three non-stops a day. Jet Blue going to Reagan should bring down prices.

Couple of really nice things about this project. First, it livens both Main and Trumbull Streets by putting feet on the street and cash in local businesses. Second, it takes a huge amount of square feet (300,000) off the office vacancy number.

Do you know when this project will actually kick off? With that kind of dough in hand, there isn't much reason to wait.

There's nothing like a tall blond Hooker, ale that is. Pretty good beer. Great name.

While the CRDA has declined to identify the tenant interested in occupying the building, a member of the authority’s board told me today the tenant would match the area’s entertainment focus. “It is a use that would fit in with what is happening on Front Street,” Thomas E. Deller, the city’s development director and a CRDA board member, said. A brewery would do that. The current venues are restaurants and entertainment. A hotel? Apartments?

If I was the Marriott, I would go batship if they put another hotel over there. Besides, I'm pretty sure they have an exclusive agreement and they have the right to build east of the present hotel. So I can't imagine its a hotel that is being explored.

That would be a dynamite spot for the brewery. They were very interested in the Times Building. This spot would suit them just as well. That's not a bad guess, you may be right on the money. I still like the idea of the brewery going into the horseshoe nail factory. But adding a brewery across from Front Street really adds a dimension to it as an entertainment district. The place would be jumping.

Will Front Street jump over Columbus Avenue? http://courantblogs.com/ct-real-estate/more-development-possible-near-hartfords-convention-center/