beerbeer

Bradley needs to put in the hands of professional management. As long as it is in the hands of the CDOT it will be an underperforming economic asset. Rowland started the process of moving it away from the DOT, but there was no follow through.

That post looks like an eye test.

I like the idea of business men running for office. But Lamont is a member of the lucky sperm club, rich from the day he was conceived. So if his businesses failed, their was no risk. Love to see a real entrepreneur run for governor.

The Demcrats already own the northeast, why put money here. Competitive states like Florida will get the lions share. Politics plays a huge roll in these decisions.

Saw this on cceda today, looks fairly new.

Bank to lease H21 retail space. http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news11252.html

Do not underestimate the power of nail salons, they create more jobs than the stimulus package.

Absolutely agree, a city needs a little of everything, high rises, mid rises and low rises. The small scale of this project gives it a very good chance to succeed. Feet on the street with merchants and restaurants making a profit are the best things that can happen here.

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/10/mystery_grocery.php http://www.courant.com/business/hc-propertyline1020.artoct20,0,97999.story A couple of stories. They face some of the same obstacles as H21 in terms of attracting a grocer. Interesting read.

There have been a number of huge projects, CCC, CSC, H21, both types of projects are needed. And as I said, the most important aspect of any project is to be successful. let's give Front Street a chance.

Tough to worry about density when half of downtown is vacant lots. Hartford needs to in fill it's empty lots. Once it does it will make more sense to go up. Right now, anything that puts feet on the street is good idea. The fact that this project isn't too large enhances its chances of success. And if it is successful, others will flow. Baby steps. Baby steps.

I don't mind the scale of this project. It needs to prove itself. BTW, walked around Bethesda, Maryland yesterday. Very lively restaurant/retail area -- much of the r/r was in the same one story scale as Front Street.

I am currently in Phoenix where the new light rail system is a spectacular success that has transformed downtown for the better. People don't like buses. The Connecticut DOT is spending money on another bad project. That's what they do, they spend money. It's a shame.

Your post is a little confusing. You can be an owner and not an occupier, so the building could be mostly occupied but have a low owner occupancy rate.

For many years the hotel has had a sit down restaurant accessible from the terminals., these people have a memory of a nano-second.

I don't think these building can have basements. I think it is a brownfield and would need to meet hazmat standards if they started digging. Same reason the Science Center and Convention Center are all above ground. Looks like progress to me compared to a decade of nothing. Finish this up and then move on.

As I understand it, although the building is one-story, the outside facade rises over 40-feet in places. That should give the appearance of three or four story structure, giving front street a more urban, less strip mall feel. It also allows the stores/restaurants the ability to add mezzanines inside the structure. We won't have to wait long, it opens next May.

Given the small scale of the project, it should be completed by next summer.

Those $600,000 home values don't slide if Dodd and Frank don't push Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to cover the mortgages dictated by the Community Reinvestment Act. I don't blame the poor, they were just taking the money that the Dodd and Frank threw at them. Dodd and Frank thought this was a swell way to move votes to the Democratic party. They got the votes, (Obama got the donations) and we all got stuck holding the bag.

Dodd is corrupt, he gets special mortgages from the companies he oversees. Dodd and Barney Frank are directly responsible for the mortgage crisis. He and Frank forced financial companies to give mortgages to people who couldn't pay them (the poor) and when they defaulted the system fell apart. Dodd snuck in the language that protected the AIG bonus everyone went nuts over. Besides, if he is so powerful how come every year Connecticut gets back the least tax money from the Federal government of any state. Dodd does not bring home the bacon, he lets Connecticut et raped when it comes to tax fairness. Need more?

It's okay to have something on a small scale in the city. If you look at the footprint of the area as a whole, the progress is remarkable. The river plaza, the science center, the hotel, the convention center, two parking garages and the front street retail area cover up acres of -what a few years ago was- surface parking and one low rise building. It fills a tremendous hole in the city. If Front Street attracts pedestrians and the retail/restaurants are a success, it becomes a major plus for the city. The fact that it is small may turn out to be a benefit if it encourages other development with stronger private financing.

Front Street is being “well- received’’ in discussions between GVA Williams Group, a Stamford lease broker working for Nitkin, and prospective tenants for the eight storefronts, ranging from 4,500 square feet to 15,600 square feet, Christian said. He declined to say what vendors have signed on and for how much space in the 65,000-square-foot first phase, but hinted progress is slower than expected. “It’s just a difficult economic time for leasing,’’ he said. One familiar name most likely to have space on Front Street is ESPN. Christian insisted that the Bristol sports media company, contrary to previous reports, hasn’t wavered from its desire for a presence in downtown Hartford. ESPN at one time said it envisioned a shop retailing sports apparel and memorabilia — not one of its ESPN Zone restaurants — for Front Street. Design concepts for Phase II, including residential and additional retail, are being weighed, Christian said.

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editor...0,5321377.story

April 2009. Colt gets a new developer. AGAIN. Good news but there is a long way to go.

I believe the "GROVE STREET CONNECTOR" will connect the science center plaza with the upper level plaza at the Convention Center.