[mdovell]

Originally Posted by NewEnglandMan22

I totally agree!! The same folks always dogging Hartford are the first to discredit the state on the quality of its cities. If literally EVERY effort towards bettering Hartford has some crushing flaw or someone is frequently claiming its hopeless in Hartford you lose credibility fast! I feel like a big part of Hartford's problem has always been the bad press and naysayers.

I live in the Hartford burbs and go there just for a Goats game or a new restaurant all the time. When I worked in one of the insurance offices in Albany NY I was frequently asked if I wanted to "go in" on a group order for a new restaurant and when I joined an associate resource group we sometimes held meet and greets at a place in the area so I don't see why insurance companies in Hartford would be any different.

High agree. Even when I worked in suburbs often times we would have to phone in lunches ahead of time. That way we wouldn't wait five to eight minutes for people to decide. Plenty of people that work in offices across the country order out. It doesn't even have to be a huge office. I get asked time to time and we might only have a dozen people here. Sometimes it might not even be a restaurant. I'm a few blocks away from a really good deli. You wouldn't know it from the outside but it is. During functions we'll easily spend $100 on them and it's worth it.

As for parking lots vs empty lots I know of a empty lot being made into a parking lot. Doesn't sound like that big of development but it does bring in new lighting, potential sewer improvements, vegetation control and walkability. I'm not promoting parking as a form of development but sometimes empty buildings and lots just have to be dealt with.

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Not even close. Look at an aerial photo. There are a few in the core of downtown but not really that many. Also keep in mind that one of the largest parking companies in the country, Laz Parking, is based in Hartford and they own some of the lots so its unlikely you will see development on them. It is not their business model to do that. Jay

between Buckingham Street, Bushnell Park and the Rail Road Tracks about 1/2 the land in Hartford is vacant lots or surface parking lots.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

between Buckingham Street, Bushnell Park and the Rail Road Tracks about 1/2 the land in Hartford is vacant lots or surface parking lots.

That’s not downtown. That is the Capitol area and you are picking a very narrow area rather than a broad neighborhood. You could say that 3/4 of the area between Buckingham, Capitol, Elm and Washington is vacant too. Jay

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by JayCT

That’s not downtown. That is the Capitol area and you are picking a very narrow area rather than a broad neighborhood. You could say that 3/4 of the area between Buckingham, Capitol, Elm and Washington is vacant too. Jay

No that's Downtown+ Downtown North as defined by the City, I mean Bushnell Park as the western Boundary not the Northern One.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

No that's Downtown+ Downtown North as defined by the City, I mean Bushnell Park as the western Boundary not the Northern One.

What? Buckingham is south of Bushnell Park. Downtown North is north of I-84. No where near Bushnell Park. Yes Downtown North has a lot of parking lots but again that is not Downtown. Jay

[beerbeer]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

between Buckingham Street, Bushnell Park and the Rail Road Tracks about 1/2 the land in Hartford is vacant lots or surface parking lots.

The city of Hartford encourages empty lots by taxing them at a lesser rate than lots with buildings. Ths gives landowners an incentive to tear down old buildings for tax breaks.

It has nothing to do with the success or failure of the city. It is simply a response to the way the tax code is written.

Most of Hartford's problems stem from one party rule of the state and city which has lead to an economic crisis every couple of years. The problem with Connecticut and Hartford is the voters.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by beerbeer

The city of Hartford encourages empty lots by taxing them at a lesser rate than lots with buildings. Ths gives landowners an incentive to tear down old buildings for tax breaks.

It has nothing to do with the success or failure of the city. It is simply a response to the way the tax code is written.

Most of Hartford's problems stem from one party rule of the state and city which has lead to an economic crisis every couple of years. The problem with Connecticut and Hartford is the voters.

Actually I think the problem is that the Connecticut Republican Party (which I am a member of) has failed to provide an electable candidate that the voters feel they can vote for. Most people do not vote along party lines so a good Republican candidate does actually stand a chance in an election (look at Erin Stewart in New Britain). But if you look at the last Governor's election, the party stupidly nominated Tom Foley again. He lost four years before to Malloy. Not sure why they even considered him again. He was not electable 2010 and he wasn't electable in 2014. You can't expect people to vote for a man with his history and who is stupid enough to stand before a group of workers who are about to lose their jobs (with media cameras going) and tell they it is their fault. Those were wasted elections. Lets hope they learned their lesson but given recent actions by the leadership in the Connecticut House and Senate, I doubt it. The Republican Party just isn't showing any leadership. They are reacting not leading. It is long past time for a change. Lets hope they see that. Jay

[beerbeer]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Actually I think the problem is that the Connecticut Republican Party (which I am a member of) has failed to provide an electable candidate that the voters feel they can vote for. Most people do not vote along party lines so a good Republican candidate does actually stand a chance in an election (look at Erin Stewart in New Britain). But if you look at the last Governor's election, the party stupidly nominated Tom Foley again. He lost four years before to Malloy. Not sure why they even considered him again. He was not electable 2010 and he wasn't electable in 2014. You can't expect people to vote for a man with his history and who is stupid enough to stand before a group of workers who are about to lose their jobs (with media cameras going) and tell they it is their fault. Those were wasted elections. Lets hope they learned their lesson but given recent actions by the leadership in the Connecticut House and Senate, I doubt it. The Republican Party just isn't showing any leadership. They are reacting not leading. It is long past time for a change. Lets hope they see that. Jay

Malloy was elected, then punished the voters with the largest tax increase in Connecticut history. It solved nothing. The state was headed for another economic crisis as he ran for re-election and -he won again.

Talk about brain dead.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by beerbeer

Malloy was elected, then punished the voters with the largest tax increase in Connecticut history. It solved nothing. The state was headed for another economic crisis as he ran for re-election and -he won again.

Talk about brain dead.

Yes but he is stuck with the mess that previous administrations left him including paying the debt from Republican Governor Jodi Rell borrowing money to balance her budget. Talk about kicking the can down the road and burdening future generations. As I say here often, there is plenty of blame to go around. Jay

[beerbeer]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Yes but he is stuck with the mess that previous administrations left him including paying the debt from Republican Governor Jodi Rell borrowing money to balance her budget. Talk about kicking the can down the road and burdening future generations. As I say here often, there is plenty of blame to go around. Jay

Strongly disagree. He had a huge tax increase and it did nothing. BTW, Rell always had Democrat legislatures. They pass the bills.

Today, Malloy and the legislature are looking at five new bills that include family and medical leave, expanded paid sick leave, minimum wage hikes, and sweeping changes to the state's workplace harassment laws.

Those mandates could cost taxpayers and businesses as much as $530 million in implementation and compliance costs. That's as bad or worse than the tax burden. For the state and city rev up economically, this has to end. They are killing small business in the state and city.



Hartford has done amazing well considering it is always swimming upstream with taxes and regulations restricting business at every turn. Imagine if they had a government and legislature that actually helped business.