IN PROGRESS: Front Street @ Adriaen's Landing

[The Voice of Reason]

Some nice details in the CRDA meeting minutes regarding the campus and a phase 4  so its cool that ther eis now offically a phase 4 and its actually a requirement

 

they adend the retail requirements but im not sure what that means exactly. 

the developer did 65K in Phase one

is building 15K in phase two

and 20K in Phase three

for a total of 100SF..  what weird is that the adendum says they need to do 100K sf.  so I dount thats 100K more.  and the onld plans was for Nitkin to do 150K total.  so who knows.  

 

 

ANYWAYS!!!!!

Phase IV Commencement Date to be no later than Dec. 31, 2019;

Such date, reflects the Campus Construction Period plus a 30-month option

period for the Developer;

 

 

 

Memorandum of Understanding relating to a proposed UConn Parking Lease

 

• non-exclusive right to park up to 2500 vehicles (with no more than 850 automobiles at a

given time);

• Staff/Faculty/Students will pay a monthly fee of $45 per space, adjusted periodically;

• UConn agrees to utilize alternate parking locations on dates in which the CTCC garage is at

capacity.

• parties agree to cooperate in the management of (1) traffic, (2) security, and (3) the

potential use of the South Garage.

 

[Luca Brasi]

Well that was quick...! Steel has already gone up.

[The Voice of Reason]

I saw the crane I wanna say on the weekend

 

so I am glad they got right to work with the steel.

 

[Hollin.Tolland]

I remember initially the design plan on the Eagle Rock Retail (now Blackline RE) and the stale frontstreetdistrict.com showed a later Phase 4 with a few more square feet in the current Arch Street Tavern parking lot. That seems to be the only portion not built, building or to be built. Lolks like its still there. Havent seen any ideas for that space anywhere though.

Thoughts anyone?

http://frontstreetdistrict.com/siteplan.html

[beerbeer]

I remember initially the design plan on the Eagle Rock Retail (now Blackline RE) and the stale frontstreetdistrict.com showed a later Phase 4 with a few more square feet in the current Arch Street Tavern parking lot. That seems to be the only portion not built, building or to be built. Lolks like its still there. Havent seen any ideas for that space anywhere though.

Thoughts anyone?

http://frontstreetdistrict.com/siteplan.html

 

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.

Edited June 16, 2014 by beerbeer

[Hollin.Tolland]

I'm imagining I won't be able to afford one caviar egg at Nix's. Looks to be about the same progress there as at Infinity Hall next door. Still doing electrical and HVAC. I try to look in over at the new Bear's Smokehouse being built out in the other half of the carriage factory building on Arch Street but its hard to tell how far along they are.

[Luca Brasi]

Walked down Prospect today, and the new apartment building is right up to the sidewalk. All other buildings (Hartford Club, Elks, Times) maintain a uniform street wall about 20 ft from the road. Weird that they designed it like this.and broke the continuity.

[The Voice of Reason]

Hmm

 

interesting.   I think it makes sense because it is store frontage

but also kind of a shame because those set backs make that street VERY nice.

 

i will have to see when its more complete as to how it affects the area.

 

also, I noticed on Monday evening that they were up 2 floors and I think starting the 3rd from the East.  Im sure they are well into the 3rd by now

 

 

 

 

Luca, for retail, I prefer fronting the sidewalk.    but I hope they have enough sidewalk space here for outside seating.

 

who knows...

 

 

the iQuilt future plans though make the entire area a plaza, so I suppose it will remain very nice

[gtru1981]

Nixes opens up at the end of this month and the music hall opens up at the end of next month!

[HartfordTycoon]

Very excited for Nixs. I really like the design and am curious to see what having an actual lounge on Front Street does for the atmosphere. They'll be open until 2 on the weekends, so they'll provide some actual nightlife on Front Street.

[The Voice of Reason]

The Ted's Bar actually is well designed to be a hangout as well.   its not atypical corporate resturant bar, its tucked away and has its own obvious space

 

Im certain they would be open later if demand warrented it

[Hollin.Tolland]

Chatted with a project manager at Nix's this morning. They have their inspection today and are hoping to open in 13 days. They are conducting interviews on site. That's about 2 weeks after they told CTNow.com they'd open the doors at the beginning of July. But, the fences are down and the furniture is out on the patio. The menu is posted, but still no prices. They also note that they will have bands, but nothing posted yet. http://www.nixshartford.com/

 

I can't remember if anyone posted this, but opening week at Infinity Hall Hartford is 8/28-8/30 with Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Outlaws, Aztec Two-Step. http://www.infinityhall.com/Events/#Calendar, The Bistro Menu isn't up yet. It looks to me like they just need carpeting. There's a second floor there that looks like office space, but I'm curious to see what it is anyway. I've never been to an Infinity Hall show, but the woodwork looks really cool at the Front Street one. If you walk down front street and go through the arched public via to the North Garage you can see inside really well but not into the main theater. If the semi-sheer curtains are open a bit, you can see into Nix's too across the hall.

 

I agree with The Voice of Reason that Ted's seems to be quickly becoming a good Happy Hour spot. It was really packed during World Cup games even early day games. Their HH prices are decent but not super cheap. The cookies are really good. The drink specials are a little better at Front Street Bistro and they have a patio which Ted's skipped. At the South Windsor Ted's in summer, their patio is part of the attraction, whereas in winter its nice down at the end of the bar where you can watch them cook your food. Also something different from Front Street Ted's, BUT the feel of the place is the same to me, at a table or at the bar.

 

Lastly, while Bear's BBQ isn't technically part of Front Street, I think it's close enough to be part of the neighborhood. I had lunch their last week. They have 4 different barbecue sauces you can pick ranging from wimpy to ballsy (sweet Kansas City, Texas pepper, hot Sriracha, grizzly ghost pepper). They serve Hosmer Mountain Soda from the soda fountain. The lines were literally out the door at 12:30. Hopefully that will keep up. There's a balcony with extra seating and Jamie the owner said he's considering opening the roof if things keep up. Its slightly more informal than the Cookhouse over the bridge (http://thecookhouse.com/), but the pulled pork is just as good.  http://www.bearsbbq.com/menu/. The pulled pork sandwich, fries and drink were $11, I think. Aramark charges the same for two slices of cafeteria pizza and a fountain drink in the Travelers Plaza cafe.

[gtru1981]

^^^^^^

And I thought Aetna's caff was bad! At least people around that area have SO many choices to go out and eat. I also been seeing a lot of food trucks around the downtown area.

One of the biggest things that sucks working on Farmington Ave.

[The Voice of Reason]

try working in Farmington.

[Hollin.Tolland]

New pics from Nixs and Infinity Hall.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php/gallery/image/3385-nixs-hartford-08072014/

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php/gallery/image/3384-infinityhall-hartford-08072014/

[HartfordTycoon]

Nixs is a nice addition and Infinity Hall is simply amazing. They did a fantastic job building out that space. It's really pretty special.

[beerbeer]

Nixs is a nice addition and Infinity Hall is simply amazing. They did a fantastic job building out that space. It's really pretty special.

Is Infinity officially open?  I thought the date was the 21st.

 

Answered my own question, yep it was yesterday.  http://www.courant.com/business/hc-infinity-hall-grand-opening-hartford-20140821,0,3288332.story

 

Tickets will range in price from under $20 to $90 or $100, Hincks said. Infinity Hall expects 250 shows a year, with about 80 already booked for the coming months, into 2015. Parking in either Front Street garage is $5 after 5 p.m.

Infinity Hall will feature all genres of music, from blues, jazz and rock to country and pop. Toad the Wet Sprocket will be the first concert, on Aug. 28, with Paula Poundstone, Herb Alpert and Suzanne Vega also booked.

Thursday's mood was certainly celebratory. Guests sipped on "Purple Haze" Champagne cocktails — a concoction of Champagne, lemonade and strawberry liqueur — and admired the maple-paneled walls and proscenium of the main concert hall. Hincks gave tours showing off a room for private events, decorated with a guitar signed by Bo Diddley, on loan from a private collector.

Edited August 22, 2014 by beerbeer

[Siedler von Hartford]

So I was out at Teds on Friday night and wow! The addition of Nixs and Infinity Hall have really added energy to the street.  I'm starting to get the feeling that once the apartments are built, making front street again easily accessible from prospect via vehicle or walking,  this will be the "it" section of downtown (even before uconn is moved in). 

 

I got to speak to a friend heavily involved with the UConn programs moving downtown, and she reiterated the excitement that leadership has over the relocation, especially the use of shared space (ie Infinity Hall, Wadsworth) and opportunites for better collaboration with arts organizations and employers in the general vicinity.  Just a couple interesting takeaways from our conversation:

• It appears a chipotle is moving in next to Ted's.  I haven't been able to verify, this but that would be a great addition.  Some fast-casual dining is needed over there to round out the space, making it a more diverse environment, capable of drawing in college crowds (and their limited budget) as well. 
• UConn had recently met with city leaders to discuss their space/surrounding area and at least from this conversation it doesn't seem a done deal at all that the city is keeping offices next to the Wadsworth.  Whatever happens, apparently the Wadsworth has first right of refusal (I did not know this but I'm guess you did Voice of Reason?) 

[The Voice of Reason]

 

• It appears a chipotle is moving in next to Ted's.  I haven't been able to verify, this but that would be a great addition.  Some fast-casual dining is needed over there to round out the space, making it a more diverse environment, capable of drawing in college crowds (and their limited budget) as well. 

 

• UConn had recently met with city leaders to discuss their space/surrounding area and at least from this conversation it doesn't seem a done deal at all that the city is keeping offices next to the Wadsworth.  Whatever happens, apparently the Wadsworth has first right of refusal (I did not know this but I'm guess you did Voice of Reason?) 

 

Chipotle is perfect. and honestly it just makes perfect sense.

The lease plan shows it as a cafe, but clearly a lease is a lease and no landlord would turn down a national brand fast casual over principle

 

http://www.blacklinere.com/Flyers/Front-Street-District-Lease-Plan.pdf

 

City hall and wadsworth: A million years ago(marybe 10 years)), it was agreed to and there were even renderings of an expansion.  Not sure what all happned or if anything is actually binding, but the building has very few uses other than as a city hall type edifice or a museum.

 

be careful of those "done deal" comments though   they might shorten your political career.

 

Regarding the city leaving people at 550 main, It think its obvious that the new building would need to include all offices.

the one plan notes 220K SF city hall.  This is more than enough for the outlying city offices, and could absorb the current city hall too.

 

the thing about the current hall is that it is terribly inefficient as far as office space because it is so damn nice as a fancy edifice.  its a few Hundred K of space but likely much less in terms of actuall useful office space and meeting rooms.  

 

The RFP for the replacement said the current rented space costs 4 mill a year, and the bonds required to build a new space would be about 5 mill

 

where is the delta?

 

its the current owned building.

Say the city can sell it, and say the annual manitenance on that is factored it.  I I gotta think a new city hall might be worth the effort purely on a financial basis, let alone a functional one.

[HartfordTycoon]

Chipotle is perfect. and honestly it just makes perfect sense.

The lease plan shows it as a cafe, but clearly a lease is a lease and no landlord would turn down a national brand fast casual over principle

 

http://www.blacklinere.com/Flyers/Front-Street-District-Lease-Plan.pdf

 

City hall and wadsworth: A million years ago(marybe 10 years)), it was agreed to and there were even renderings of an expansion.  Not sure what all happned or if anything is actually binding, but the building has very few uses other than as a city hall type edifice or a museum.

 

be careful of those "done deal" comments though   they might shorten your political career.

 

Regarding the city leaving people at 550 main, It think its obvious that the new building would need to include all offices.

the one plan notes 220K SF city hall.  This is more than enough for the outlying city offices, and could absorb the current city hall too.

 

the thing about the current hall is that it is terribly inefficient as far as office space because it is so damn nice as a fancy edifice.  its a few Hundred K of space but likely much less in terms of actuall useful office space and meeting rooms.  

 

The RFP for the replacement said the current rented space costs 4 mill a year, and the bonds required to build a new space would be about 5 mill

 

where is the delta?

 

its the current owned building.

Say the city can sell it, and say the annual manitenance on that is factored it.  I I gotta think a new city hall might be worth the effort purely on a financial basis, let alone a functional one.

 

I agree VoR. If the city can sell city hall at fair market value, they should be able to get a good amount of money for it. I don't think they should be overly generous. It's a beautiful, historic building in what will be a very up and coming section of town. If the Wadsworth wants it, or UConn they should have to pay for it.

[gtru1981]

According to both sites there's 3,400 to 6,400 feet still available. I think a few more places have been leased that we don't Know about yet.

On black lines and http://frontstreetdistrict.com/leasing both state that the rest of spaces from Ted's and Infinity Hall area are reserved so I have a feeling they have been leased out.

One of the sites but I don't see it anymore had the small space next to Teds as a yogurt place and I swear I saw before the space next to infinity hall has a national chain similar to chipotles. I can't find it anymore but they were there at one point.

The one thing the area does need in my opinion is a bank, would make sense.

[The Voice of Reason]

no bank.  entertainment districts dont needs banks.

 

 

aws far as the site plans, the reserved for tag is not new.  I think the first plan had a brewery on there,.    these were not based on any actual interest, just a concept of the developers/leasing agent to drive interest.

 

Id think that the area has most of what it needs.

 

Movie theater, check

live music hall, check

high end steak Check

high end seafoood, check

family burger, check

BBQ joint check

and then add in the resturant at Infinity hall, Arch st tavern, and the bistro at the theater, three American resturants.
 

add a fast casual option or 2, and a coffee place and I think you are well covererd.

Id personally like to see some other things like a nice beer bar, or an Irish pub as they would be a nice contribution to the mix but of Chipotle is real, thats most of what was missing.

[beerbeer]

I think as Froyo makes pretty good sense.

 

Perhaps a Dairy Queen or Friendly's, when UConn opens with 2,000+ students I think that type of place would do well.

Edited August 27, 2014 by beerbeer

[The Voice of Reason]

Froyo works.

 

not sure if Hartford is ready... or if its overdue

[beerbeer]

Froyo works.

 

not sure if Hartford is ready... or if its overdue

 

Or Ben and Jerry's.