Metro Hartford Development (West Hartford, Windsor, Wethersfield: day care, broker, pollution)
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It strongly disagree. First of all, that area is not that bad and it has been improving. A block north of this site are some very nice buildings with some really good stores and restaurants (Rivals End, Ashley’s). Two blocks north is one of the city’s oldest and best restaurants, Peppercorns. To the south is the massive campus of Hartford Hospital with thousands of employees and a block south of that is the very highly regarded Institute of Living. As I said on another thread here before I have a family member whose office is in that neighborhood for several decades and they never had issues there. If any neighborhood is ripe for gentrification, it’s that one and this development on these long empty lots are just the thing needed to push it over the top.
Remember too that the developer, Spinnaker, is one of our state’s most successful developers. A couple decades ago they took a once decaying neighborhood and turned it into one of the state’s most vibrant and lively areas with hundreds of upscale apartments. That area is South Norwalk which was pretty seedy and crime ridden before it was gentrified. Today it has some of the best restaurants and bars in the state, hundreds of upscale apartments and one of the newest and most upscale shopping malls in the country, The SoNo Collection. Not bad.
Given all of this and the fact that developers have been buying up other properties in the immediate area and have proposed more developments of similar quality. I see it being a big step forward and a giant boost for the neighborhood and city. Jay
For the record Hartford Hospital is in the middle of a ghetto. Prime real estate does not sit vacant for 30+ years. If this area was viable it would have been developed years ago.
We're supposed to believe that Spinnaker is different from all the other developers that looked at this property over that last 30 years and they see profit/success.
If they want housing in that area make all the apts low income / moderate income. Yuppies are not going to pay top dollar to live on the edge of the ghetto in one of Hartford worst neighborhoods. (Frog Hollow) Ghetto people do not stay in their ghettos.
You know you are in the ghetto when all the stores are closed at 9pm. Drive in this area especially Park St at night and report back here. Tell us how many stores are open at night.
Also, there's no grocery stores in this area. LOL but but but there's one on Flatbush ave.
If they want housing in that area make all the apts low income / moderate income. Yuppies are not going to pay top dollar to live on the edge of the ghetto in one of Hartford worst neighborhoods. (Frog Hollow) Ghetto people do not stay in their ghettos.
Main/Park is not in Frog Hollow. The area around Hartford Hospital can be dicey in spots at night if you're out walking but is certainly nowhere near one of the worst neighborhoods in Hartford. For the record, it is known as South Green and it abuts Frog Hollow. If you want the classic quintessential worst neighborhood in Frog Hollow, it isn't adjacent to the hospital.
For the record Hartford Hospital is in the middle of a ghetto. Prime real estate does not sit vacant for 30+ years. If this area was viable it would have been developed years ago.
We're supposed to believe that Spinnaker is different from all the other developers that looked at this property over that last 30 years and they see profit/success.
If they want housing in that area make all the apts low income / moderate income. Yuppies are not going to pay top dollar to live on the edge of the ghetto in one of Hartford worst neighborhoods. (Frog Hollow) Ghetto people do not stay in their ghettos.
You know you are in the ghetto when all the stores are closed at 9pm. Drive in this area especially Park St at night and report back here. Tell us how many stores are open at night.
Also, there's no grocery stores in this area. LOL but but but there's one on Flatbush ave.
You guys are a riot.
MrG, normally you put the fun in funeral. What happened? why so down.
Yuppies (havent heard that in a while) are moving in to spiffy'd up ghettos nationwide.
For the record Hartford Hospital is in the middle of a ghetto. Prime real estate does not sit vacant for 30+ years. If this area was viable it would have been developed years ago.
We're supposed to believe that Spinnaker is different from all the other developers that looked at this property over that last 30 years and they see profit/success.
If they want housing in that area make all the apts low income / moderate income. Yuppies are not going to pay top dollar to live on the edge of the ghetto in one of Hartford worst neighborhoods. (Frog Hollow) Ghetto people do not stay in their ghettos.
You know you are in the ghetto when all the stores are closed at 9pm. Drive in this area especially Park St at night and report back here. Tell us how many stores are open at night.
Also, there's no grocery stores in this area. LOL but but but there's one on Flatbush ave.
You guys are a riot.
You do not seem to know this area that well. At least not what it’s been like for the past decade or so. It is hardly a ghetto. It’s not new and shiny and upscale but it’s not the North End either. And it hasn’t been bad for years now. As I said a family member has had their offices there for at least 28 years without issue.
A consultant I know had their offices on Cedar Street for many years without issues. They were a women-owned business, with mostly women employees. They would not have moved their offices there if this truly was a ghetto.
And as I pointed out, one block north of this site are two really good restaurants and two blocks north of this site is one of the city’s best restaurants, Peppercorn’s. In addition there is a fire station and many offices including the offices of the Capitol Region Council of Governments. It’s literally right there.
Despite what this article says, that site has not been vacant for 30 years. The family member whose office is there is my wife’s family and I have not known them that long. Plus I remember when the building on those sites burned down and talking to that family member about the fire and how bad it was. Again the couldn’t be 30 years ago. Maybe 20 years at the very most.
That said you have to understand how cities are required to redevelop publicly owned properties. The process takes many years. First the city must develop and advertise a Request for Proposals. What that is s a document that describes the property, the neighborhood and the city as well as things such as zoning, available utilities, access to the site and transportation, demographics, and other things that developers want to know to develop a project on the site. Developing that document can take a year or more.
The city will then advertise the Request giving developers a set amount of time to develop proposals of what they want to build on that site. This can take anywhere from one to six months depending on the size of the property and project. A city can get as many as fifteen proposals for a site. Those proposals contain information on what the developer wants to build, what the financial implications are (meaning what taxes it would generate), the qualifications of the developer, and other pertinent information that allows the city to make a decision on which is the best for the public interest. Usually the city has appointed a selection committee to review proposals and rate them. That review and selection can take months.
Once a city selects a developer, they will give them five years to get their local approvals, financing and start construction. There is normally a five year extension on top of that. The original selected proposal for that property was very ambitious calling for two 10 story buildings. I believe the developer was from New York and had some success in developing sites. It would have been a big project with hundreds of apartments and millions in tax dollars so I understand the city’s selection of it. Unfortunately the developer could never secure financing for the project. That said after ten years the city cut ties with that developer.
They then had to start the process all over again and I believe that occurred over two years ago. This time the city focused more on selecting a proven developer than the amount of taxes the project would generate. This time too there were less pie in the sky projects and more realistic proposals for the site and the very highly regarded Spinnaker was selected it was a good choice since construction is about to begin and with it will be several others planned nearby. Jay
MrG, normally you put the fun in funeral. What happened? why so down.
Yuppies (havent heard that in a while) are moving in to spiffy'd up ghettos nationwide.
Perhaps, but that's not happening in Hartford. Gays and artists are usually the trendsetters. When they move in I'll be a believer.
I put the real in reality. Things may be great in the stub, but the struggle is real in city of Hartford. These posters drumming up Hartford are uninformed, insane, and/or real estate agents.
When these posters move their parents and grandparents to these areas I'll be a cheer leader.
What this city needs is to demolish that monstrosity of a highway that is the 84/91 interchange, develop high rises in place of those hideous parking lots, a street car system connecting the surrounding towns and incorporate West and East Hartford to create the 3 boroughs of Hartford.
Car culture alone has decimated the city. How is it that this city is one of the strongest employment centers in the country, yet one of the poorest? Hop in your car and leave at 5 PM!
Despite what this article says, that site has not been vacant for 30 years. The family member whose office is there is my wife’s family and I have not known them that long. Plus I remember when the building on those sites burned down and talking to that family member about the fire and how bad it was. Again the couldn’t be 30 years ago. Maybe 20 years at the very most.
I believe its been over 30 years. I recall the buildings there coming down sometime in the 1980's. The first plans to build something on the lot, I believe, were in the late 1990's.
Perhaps, but that's not happening in Hartford. Gays and artists are usually the trendsetters. When they move in I'll be a believer.
Really, then who's moved in to those shiny new apartment complexes downtown that JayCT has mentioned here numerous times.
Sorry but I gotta go with what the 13 year City Data veteran, hall of famer and legend says. No one comes close to even scratching the surface of CT knowledge he has.
If have Covid questions I'll go to Dr. Fauci. If I have tax and accounting questions I'll send them your way. If you want to know anything about the New York Yankees, I'm your guy.
What this city needs is to demolish that monstrosity of a highway that is the 84/91 interchange, develop high rises in place of those hideous parking lots, a street car system connecting the surrounding towns and incorporate West and East Hartford to create the 3 boroughs of Hartford.
Car culture alone has decimated the city. How is it that this city is one of the strongest employment centers in the country, yet one of the poorest? Hop in your car and leave at 5 PM!
You have to understand how America began to suburbanize beginning really in the early 20th Century with streetcar suburbs. Basically streetcar companies built their lines radiating out from the city center and the suburbs were born. The dream of owning your own home on its own piece of land was born and the availability of home mortgages for the masses made that dream a reality. And the affluence of Hartford and other Connecticut made that dream a reality long before other states. In Hartford you see these early suburbs in West Hartford, Old Wethersfield and Windsor. All saw a lot of development in the 1920’s.
The Great Depression and World War II delayed a lot of development so there was a tremendous pent up demand after the war. Add to that, people made and saved a lot of money during war because there wasn't a lot to spend it on. Couple that with the availability of low cost GI loans and you saw a building boom that went on for several decades. The construction of highways that began before the war, opened up a lot of new areas for development that were previously inaccessible. It was the perfect storm for what America has become today. Jay
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