107 replies to this topic

[The Voice of Reason]

Bill Mocarsky, on 02 December 2010 - 11:43 AM, said:

A lot of the Columbus Boulevard traffic is probably due to a lack of options. East-west traffic must use Columbus Boulevard to get over the river.

meh

really, it was designed to be a major N-S surface street for all the highway drivers coming to and leaving work.

its designed for high traffic and intersects multiple highways
Whithead on ramps accessing I-91S
the I-91 onramp heading N between the science center and convention center
Jewell St/Albany ave access to I-84 through the whitehead
I-84/RT 2 east from central row
I-84/I91 near morgan St Garage

and this road is where all of the neighborhood traffic was designed to flow towards in order to access these larger highways heading in all direction from downtown.

and honestly, it seems like Travelers produces most of it

[HartfordTycoon]

There is a renewed focus on getting Coltsville designated as a national park and redeveloped into a mixed use museum, residential, and commercial area. Hopefully this time around the stars align the right way and we can make this happen. It is one of the biggest missing peices of the puzzle regarding turning Downtown Hartford and it's periphy around.

Hartford Courant

The big change is that the National Park Service and the Obama administration are now expected to endorse the project. The park service's failure to back a previous proposal was a major setback in the past. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has also emerged as a strong supporter — with a promise of millions of dollars in economic development money to help restore the factory's east armory building as a museum.

"We have a governor excited about the prospect of a national park in Hartford, a mayor working with us to get this across the finish line, and a community dedicated to seeing this become a reality,'' U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman said in a statement released by his office.

[The Voice of Reason]

good stuff.  driving by this building every day I always look and wonder.

its just massive and if fully built out/occupied it would really really support the whole area.

[The Voice of Reason]

as many if you might allready know, the secretary of the interior was at coltsville last weekend meeting with the mayor and other state leaders like Sen Bluminthal.

He is now putting his support behind a national park!

in this Op Ed piece in the courant there was lots of good and interesting information

http://www.courant.c...0,6831808.story

I have noticed that the new magnate school has been done and looks like its been open since school started this year, so thats just solid good stuff!

but there was a good amount of other info in the op ed piece.

for one, there are At present, 420 people work in the brick buildings that made up the renowned 19th-century factory village in South Hartford, 80 children go to school there and 44 apartments are occupied, with six more coming on line this month.

Thats right from the article, so apparently the new owner is putting money into the project I was unaware of any new apartments being developed, but it seems with the lease of the 2nd school space the owner might be revenue positive, so he is adding apartments as he can afford them.  This is just awesome if you ask me because its sustainable.  they can slowly fill out the one building they have going now and then maybe someday start to address the main armory, or maybe even one of the other out buildings untill the main armory is les of an obsticle.

I drive by this building by highway and on street level quite often and i have to say the potential makes me shiver every time.

the article says it all hinges on the east Armory (onion dome) and that the govt would need a place for museum and such and well it needs the building fixed up.

the developer says the cost 24 million is something that would require public help, but I suppose the feds might help with that and so might the city.  If indeed something can be worked out we might be up to 260+ apartments in this location before you know it.

we will have to see if that congressional bill passes and if the city is able to help the developer move along.

in the mean time I hope the 6 apartments coming online are just a phase in wich others keep coming.

[beerbeer]

Is the Colt Firearms Collection to be part of this museum?

The Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company Factory Collection was given to the Museum of Connecticut History in 1957.  The collection constitutes one of the finest assemblages of early Colt prototypes,  factory models and experimental firearms in the world. The collection also includes Colt-made Gattling guns, shotguns and automatic weapons. In 1995 the original "Rampant Colt" statue that had adorned the Hartford Colt factory was acquired by the museum. The Colt Firearms Collection, coupled with historic photographs and other related materials, is a "must-see" for both firearms enthusiasts and students of American history.

     

This is a stunning collection.  I believe it is somewhat broken up with the Wadsworth owning part of it.

Edited by beerbeer, 29 September 2011 - 01:19 PM.

[HartfordTycoon]

This project is potentially one of the biggest game changers in the history of the redevelopment of this city. If we get national park status investment will literally flow into this area and the spill over effect will make the Convention Center much more marketable as well as Front St. It will help all of the historic sites in Hartford such as the Twain and Beecher-Stowe houses. I really don't want to get my hopes up about it. It just doesn't seem like something this good could actually happen in Hartford sometimes.

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

I saw them taking down all of those vertical ads on the facade facing I-91 today touting rentals/leases.... does this mean they are packing it in?  What's the vacacy rate there?

[The Voice of Reason]

From the most recent article I read, they opened the 8 new units bringing them up to 50 in total, and they only has 1 vacancy left, so I'd say demand has been quite strong despite minimal press.

Maybe they are taking all those signs down because they are about to start work on their upcoming projects...

Project 1:  finishing up the S Armory apartments.  They are getting a bunch of City bond money to finish off the 79 apartments remaining in the S armory.  they got 5.8 million I think.  So, this is very real and should be starting soon, just no clue when.

Project 2:  New roof for East Armory. (most likely candidate)  the State gave them 1 million to replace the roof of the East Armory.  this will surely require the removal of the banners and stuff so they dont get ruined.

other possibility....
They are getting old, or they want to save them for when they have more vacancies (after the renovations) or their new office tenant wants their sign up there(not likely)

yup definately not "packing it in"
I would more say ramping up!

EDIT:  vacancy rate was 98% (1 vacancy) in the last article I saw, but that could easily be full by now.
http://courantblogs....r-colt-factory/



I suppose it should also be noted that they are hoping that the East Armory can get built out after getting the new roof from the state and the new apartments from the city plus that new tenant.

Apparently if they get get those apartments built and stuff, they might be able to finance the East Armory project.  seems a stretch, but at the same time, even these baby steps are steps in the right direction.

Edited by The Voice of Reason, 08 May 2012 - 02:58 PM.