Jump to content

PROPOSED: North Downtown/Baseball Stadium Development


Recommended Posts

Is this a maneuver aimed at bypassing the PZC approval. My understanding was that this proposal came before the commission last month and the applicants (the private developer) ended up withdrawing the application because it appeared they wouldn't have the votes?  By having this project developped by a city-backed authority, is PZC approval now moot?

 

If they do need commission approval, I have no idea how they would get the green light by February.  Frankly, I haven't even heard about a construction manager or architect being lined up for the project so I have no idea how they think a February groundbreaking is feasible. 

 

Here's the schedule as found on page 38 of the Do No proposal.  Line 68, Construction. Duration 63 wks. Start 1/16/15. Finish 3/3/16

 

This is a big file over 200 pages http://www.hartford.gov/images/Planning/Centerplan-PPP-Submission-2014.pdf

 

I don't know if they need PZC approval or not. They absolutely need 63 weeks to build the ball park according to their proposal. On page 12 they list the architect as Peter Stevens of JCJ. They also list a pre-construction manger, Robert Landino and a construction manager, Michael Lombardi.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


they have approval at zoning for the most part already.  I get the invites to meetings and updates as such.

 

That initial ruling was not actuyally formal, but rather a reccomendation which was published in the paper because they were trying to make the "protests" seem more warrented.  its all kinda silly really because their objection was over the stadium not conforming with the suggestion by the One City one plan... as someone who contrinuted to OCOP, I can say that no one ever at any time said they didnt want a stadium there... just that we all wanted mixed use mid rise development there.  had a stadium been mentioned, I am certain the folks involved, myself included would have said.. Yeah, but only if it includes mixed use development and ideally a lot of it and ideally a grocery store....

 

since then they have gotten the full proposal and they approved most of the motions accordingly.

 

Regarding a construction manaher and Architect, they have that already.  it was front page in the paper when centerplan teamed up with some stadium designer early in the process.

 

 

I am confident that this is happening and thankful as such.

 

taking a dead area and adding 650 apartments and retail would have been fantastic all by itself.

 

adding a grocery store and  the brewery will act as attractions to the area also....  

 

the stadium is the biggest win of all.  75 home games a year at a time when we have no basketball or hockey... 75 home games where there are thousands of parking spaces right near by.

 

 

my only concern about the whole thing is that the project might not include a new city hall and consolidated offices.  to me the maximum density that would include the city hall and all city offices is critical.   This would create so many efficiencies that the city CLEARLY lacks today... and it would allow the Wadsworth to acquire the current city hall.

 

this would not only allow Wadsworth to expand to a more appropriate size for its collection, but also to preserve and protect this amazing building from the ravages of daily use as an office.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excerpted from the Courant - (bold is mine)

 

 

HARTFORD — The city's planning and zoning commission voted on Thursday to grant a special permit to the developers of a $56 million minor league baseball stadium to be built just north of downtown.

The permit allows the developers to build the stadium near the intersection of Main and Trumbull streets. City officials have said they are aiming for a groundbreaking next month on the ballpark, where the New Britain Rock Cats would play.

 

Before the commission's unanimous decision Thursday, the developers, collectively known as DoNo Hartford LLC, had withdrawn their application for the permit to make amendments. Modifications were made to landscaping, accessibility, retail plans and the number of bike racks, among other things, and it was resubmitted, said Robert Landino, the chief executive officer of Centerplan, which is part of DoNo Hartford.

In addition to the stadium, the overall plan for downtown north includes, retail, housing, office space, parking and a brewery.

 

Commission members said they were happy with the improvements. Chairwoman Sara Bronin said members had reviewed hundreds of pages of documents and listened to hours of public comment......

 

The commission on Thursday also approved permits for the other parcels included in the project, on which residential units, a grocery store, a fitness center, parking structures, a brewery and more would be built.

Before ground is broken on the stadium, ownership may change hands. Under the current plan, the stadium would be built and owned by DoNo Hartford, which would lease it to the city. The city would then sublease it to the Rock Cats.

But last week, city officials announced a plan to form a municipal authority that would own and finance the ballpark. The authority would borrow the money needed to build it, and the cost to borrow would be lower for the authority than for the developer — a move that could save the city millions, they said.

 

Under that proposal, the city's payments would go to the authority — instead of the developer — and would total less than it would have paid DoNo Hartford.

The plan is being considered by the city council. A public hearing is planned for Jan. 20.

Edited by beerbeer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Feb 1 start date is the target from the builder accrding to the HBJ

 

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20150112/PRINTEDITION/301099938

 

I really have to say that this is pretty damn awesome to think we went from nothing, to a possible grocery store/ apartment building

 

to a baseball stadium only

 

to a baseball stadium, apartent, grocery and many aan additional 500 or so apartments and a brewery.

 

all since June 2nd

 

not too shabby Hartford.

Edited by The Voice of Reason
Link to comment
Share on other sites

based on thsat giant PDF this is what I have taken away.

 

They provide breakouts on the structures including floors, retail space, units per floor etc...  REading this it lists a building at 4 stories... but holding 11 units per floor and a total of 45 apartments..   the building also has 25000 SF of retail which is a bit larger than the floor plates..

based on this info I am assuming its 4 floors of apartments above the retail, and therefore actually a 5 story building.

see the breakout below and the phases of each

 

Phase 1: Parcels A & E

 

Baseball Diamond  - Permits 1-15-2015

   The stadium will have a sunken field which is nice.  Not sure, but some of the concourse vendors might be open on non game days as a result because they are at street level etc..

 

Includes Parking garage 420 Spaces S of Stadium West of Raddison Plaza hotel

 

E Block buildings  - Permits 6-1-2015

E1: 5 stories      45 Apartments 25,000 SF retail -Grocery Store

E2: 6 stories    104 Apartments 20,800 SF retail

E3: 6 stories      88 Apartments 17,600 SF retail

 

In total the first phase includes 237 Apartments and 63,400 SF of retail including the 25,000 SF grocery store.

 

E1 is located on Ann street and the road that sits along the Northern Edge of 84

It includes a parking garage also which contains parking for the 3 apartments and the grocery store/retail

totals 375 Spaces

 

 

Phase 2:  Parcels F & G

 

Parcel F   Permit expected 1-1-2017

210K sf Office for a city hall with 24000 SF of retail space

This block is what connects the ball park to downtown as does 1000 Main.

Until Parcel F and 1000 Main are developed, the ballpark will absolutely be kinda floating out in limbo.

 

 

Parcel G   9-1-2017

The area they call Parcel G is the data center they bought.

Parcel G includes the brewery a garage and what will become an apartment building

The apartment building will have 228 units

 

 

Phase 2 should be complete by Feb 2019

thats a damn long time from now...

thats all I gotta say abhout that.

 

I wonder of Hooker will have to wait that long or if they are more incorporated into the ballpark than the G apartments

I have to assume its the stadium

 

 

 

Phase 3   Parcels B,C,D

no guarantees at all that these building will be built as planned or at all even.

but...

most are pure residential with no retail.  and stand 4 stories

B-1 50 units

C-1 50 Units

D-1 84 units

 

D-2 is on the corner of Main and pleasent so it has retail.  Still 4 stories, but its 8000 SF retail with 3 floor of apartments totalling 24 units above.

 

These 4 buildings are all on the small side and are to be built at once.

 

Completion date  7-1-2020

 

 

Now obviously we will never know until they are built, but this is pretty much what is proposed

I can see alterations to Phase 2 and 3 depending on market conditions, but I suspect Phase 1 is pretty well ironed out and nearly guaranteed to come out as indicated at this point.

 

 

how and when Phase 2 is implemented is really what will make or break this whole thing.

 

that Parcel G is really alot of the housing component (228 Units)  and the Municipal office building adds some height and therefore connects downtown across the highway.  it also connects through the retail space and the ofice workers that would be there

 

1000 Main street is going to see some development pressure as is the surface lot that church uses over on Ann

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

VoR, do you have any idea which parcel includes 220 High St. It must be either B,C, or D.  Based on the design in that area, it seems like it wouldn't be to difficult to incorporate the historic building in the redevelopment.  I think its important that Hartford try to save its historic structures, even if they are fairly nondescript.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Had to load that huge thing up again :)

Its C-1

which honestly I agree with the article is a nothing special building with surface parking.  they could easily change the alignment and build on the corner between the building and north chapel(I 84)  and along that road. 

 

since this phase is ages off, they need to protect the building and to be frank demand a redesign of the bluck nbecause its the lamest part of the development and is suburban in nature.  it needs to aim a little higher in my opinion and needs to include the existing historic buildings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I think there are a couple of things in here.

 

http://www.courant.com/real-estate/property-line/hc-downtown-north-affordable-housing-subsidy-20150206-story.html

 

First.--Robert A. Landino, chairman of Middletown-based Centerplan Cos., said Friday the original plans for DoNo called for all the apartments to be market-rate. But some city council members pushed to have some rentals set aside for low- and moderate-income households, which carry lower rents. "Our original pitch was not going to require any subsidies," Landino said. "With affordable housing, there is a gap between the cost of development and the revenue generated, and we would be looking to fill that gap."

 

Not sure adding low income units is such a good idea. Many of the other developments in the city already provide some low income rate apartments.

 

Second.--DoNo Hartford hopes to begin construction on the first phase of housing this fall. Those buildings would be located across Main Street from a minor league stadium and include 300 apartments, a grocery store, street-level shops and parking.

 

Good to see construction on those items while the ball park is being built.  It jump starts the development of a real neighborhood. No long wait for phase two while the ball park sits alone.

Edited by beerbeer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beerbeer,   not sure its 300 apartments.   when I went through that giant PDF this is what it said about the residential component in phase 1

 

E Block buildings  - Permits 6-1-2015

E1: 5 stories      45 Apartments 25,000 SF retail -Grocery Store

E2: 6 stories    104 Apartments 20,800 SF retail

E3: 6 stories      88 Apartments 17,600 SF retail

 

In total the first phase includes 237 Apartments and 63,400 SF of retail including the 25,000 SF grocery store.

 

E1 is located on Ann street and the road that sits along the Northern Edge of 84

It includes a parking garage also which contains parking for the 3 apartments and the grocery store/retail

totals 375 Spaces

 

so, its 237 apartments but maybe someting has changes

the timing has not though, and I suppose thats good!

 

regarding the low income component, I agree, its absurd that every building needs low income in a city dominated by rent subsidized apartments.

 

Market rate is what we need to subsidize

Edited by The Voice of Reason
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My guess is that Landino was generously rounding up when he said 300 apartments. Regardless, if they break ground on what they call lot E later this year, that would be a very, very good sign. 

 

I am also wondering if the "New Proposal" item on the CRDA Housing Committee agenda (from the Residential thread) listed as "1279 Main Street" was referring to this parcel.

 

The point about the market rate apartments is that they require no subsidy.  Then subsidy is only needed if the low rent apartments drag down the profitability of the new apartments. I find the request very strange and not to the city's benefit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They broke ground, next milestones.

 

Work on a parcel that would include the grocery store, a fitness center, retail, residential units and mixed use retail and on another parcel that would include residential units, the brewery, possible office space and a parking structure must commence by Nov. 1.

 

Construction on a parcel that would include ground floor retail, a parking structure and residential units must commence by Jan. 1, 2018.

 

Work on parcels that would feature residential units, commercial and retail spaces and parking must commence by Jan. 1, 2020, according to city documents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

yeah, Id agree, but minor league teams are always named stupidly

 

someone did an op ed in the paper about Hartford Senators... which of course they didnt fact check... already exists in Harrisburgh

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Minor_League_Baseball_leagues_and_teams#Eastern_League

 

rubber ducks, flying squirrels...

 

 

so, Ill say it here and maybe regret it :P

the stupider the better

 

I vote yard goats

no idea what that even references... none at all

 

I think the best might be hound dogs, because its fun to say and I have a hound dog of my own...

river hogs is the most hartford name I think

and honeybadgers would be amusing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Creamer said he won't post it if he doesn't trust the source. I can only hope that the source is just trying to stir up some rants. You'd think the selection committee might take it as seriously as they did for the Hardware City Rock Cats moniker.


Centerplan has put a webcam on the Ramada Plaza roof to watch the construction. The link I got from Dean Z @ the RC is down. Waiting to see if they just need CP to log back in. URL: https://www.workzonecam.com/projects/centerplan/hartfordballpark/workzonecam

Edited by Hollin.Tolland
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.