IN PROGRESS: Front Street @ Adriaen's Landing

[GHartford]

This is a disgrace. Building a half baked version without any residential will be a disaster. I think they should look at a temporary use for now- perhaps an outdoor market-until the housing market heats up. This project needs to have residential and it needs to be done well. Building something just to build something will do more harm than good at this point.

[MichaelQReilly]

I tried to remain optimistic, but I agree, this is a horrible blow to the project. Not only does it further adulterate its urban character, it also sets it back even further. I think the best course of action might be to go back to square one again and get additional state moneys if necessary in order to ensure that this project gets done right.

[The Voice of Reason]

I'm officially losing the faith for this project. I've been patient and optimistic, but I agree with Mamul, I think we will end up with a strip mall now.

I am right there with you Chief!

I am utterly disgusted, and hope nothing happens rather than some half baked plan. I was not particularily pleased with a scaled down project to begin with, but to me this is a no go.

I am officially irritated to the point of writing letters to people in power.

[HartfordTycoon]

I am right there with you Chief!

I am utterly disgusted, and hope nothing happens rather than some half baked plan. I was not particularily pleased with a scaled down project to begin with, but to me this is a no go.

I am officially irritated to the point of writing letters to people in power.

Maybe Hartford UPer's should officially oppose this new scaled down plan.....

[The Voice of Reason]

Maybe Hartford UPer's should officially oppose this new scaled down plan.....

I sent my e-mail allready to the courant, the mayors office, and Northland, but would be happy to take part in writing/signing some kind of group statement.

70 million should be enough to force a developer to build housing.

It seems pretty simple to me

First you price out a development of the entire area as retail, parking and any office the developer wants to build. then add 70M worth of housing on top of that. Yes I know its an over simplification, but its completely absurd that they can not start the project becaus of 7M of HUD money. There is still 63M on the table!

Bring in a new developer. set minimum requirements for the property and wait!

[HartfordTycoon]

This should have been given to Northland and/or Waterford long ago, the only Hartford developers with a a positive track record for actually getting the big ticket items completed.

[blackstone]

taking the housing out of the equation makes it the right size for an entertainment area. i did not want to see apartment towers in there and without towers it was always too small for housing and retail. it should be looked at as being built first for people at the convention center, the marriott, and the science center. there will be lots of other people visiting as well.

[The Voice of Reason]

taking the housing out of the equation makes it the right size for an entertainment area. i did not want to see apartment towers in there and without towers it was always too small for housing and retail. it should be looked at as being built first for people at the convention center, the marriott, and the science center. there will be lots of other people visiting as well.

I don't see how residential in any way hinders an entertainment district. maybe if built into 4 story buildings, but in a tower you are always above the street noise etc. to me its that density that would make it work best. 500 residents living well above the hustle and bustle is how cities generate their energy.

When I would stay with my cousin at his apartment near the UN I loved how it was so peacefull in the liuving room, and seperatd from it all on the balcony. how the pool was on the roof, and the street was filled with activity down below. Hartford could use more options like this. Front street is an opportunity to engineer the space however the city wishes. great location huge potential

[HartfordTycoon]

I don't see how residential in any way hinders an entertainment district. maybe if built into 4 story buildings, but in a tower you are always above the street noise etc. to me its that density that would make it work best. 500 residents living well above the hustle and bustle is how cities generate their energy.

When I would stay with my cousin at his apartment near the UN I loved how it was so peacefull in the liuving room, and seperatd from it all on the balcony. how the pool was on the roof, and the street was filled with activity down below. Hartford could use more options like this. Front street is an opportunity to engineer the space however the city wishes. great location huge potential

The only silver lining to not including housing at this time would be that by filling most of the site with entertainment/retail space, the only housing that could fit on what's left will be towers if/when housing is ever added. I do have doubts though, that we will ever see any housing in that part of Downtown if it's not built now with this development.

[The Voice of Reason]

The only silver lining to not including housing at this time would be that by filling most of the site with entertainment/retail space, the only housing that could fit on what's left will be towers if/when housing is ever added. I do have doubts though, that we will ever see any housing in that part of Downtown if it's not built now with this development.

That is why I urged the Mayor to not let Nitkin develop the site partially. This location is part of the CBD, next to the offices of a Fortune 500 company, a major regional convention center/hotel. This needs to be high density, so if it has to wait for a developer with vision and financial means then it waits.

[HartfordTycoon]

That is why I urged the Mayor to not let Nitkin develop the site partially. This location is part of the CBD, next to the offices of a Fortune 500 company, a major regional convention center/hotel. This needs to be high density, so if it has to wait for a developer with vision and financial means then it waits.

Exactly, Northland has the money to pull this off themselves and probably would be willing to do so with the help of the millions in state money already guaranteed. I say maybe we should be looking at booting Nitkin at this point and not even bid it out. Just give it to Northland, if it's legally possible and they are interested.

[The Voice of Reason]

Exactly, Northland has the money to pull this off themselves and probably would be willing to do so with the help of the millions in state money already guaranteed. I say maybe we should be looking at booting Nitkin at this point and not even bid it out. Just give it to Northland, if it's legally possible and they are interested.

I seriously would like to see the citys contract with Nitkin at this point.

I urge you guys to contact Eddie perez and encourage him to bring Northland or Waterford in on this. Hell It should be Northland but they should include a botique hotel element at the top of the street and have Waterford group build/manage that.

[HartfordTycoon]

I seriously would like to see the citys contract with Nitkin at this point.

I urge you guys to contact Eddie perez and encourage him to bring Northland or Waterford in on this. Hell It should be Northland but they should include a botique hotel element at the top of the street and have Waterford group build/manage that.

I've held off from saying this, but have thought Nitkin not particularly qualified since he was named developer. His company's portfolio does not include a single project of this scope, mostly strip malls and lifestyle centers that he purchased, not even built. I really am not optimistic about this right now and will certainly be contacting all appropriate persons and maybe even writing to the Courant.

[The Voice of Reason]

Mr. Mayor,

Recently it has come to light that HB Nitkin is looking to scale back its all ready reduced plans for

[MichaelQReilly]

I've held off from saying this, but have thought Nitkin not particularly qualified since he was named developer. His company's portfolio does not include a single project of this scope, mostly strip malls and lifestyle centers that he purchased, not even built. I really am not optimistic about this right now and will certainly be contacted all appropriate persons and maybe even writing to the Courant.

Unfortunately, its probably not as simple as the state telling Nitkin to walk away. That said, a party can nearly always get out of a contract if it wants to deal with the consequences. The question is what would they be? That depends on the agreement and how Nitkin responded. He might want to get rid of the project, in which case he'd do nothing. Or, if he wanted, he could likely tie up the project in court. To avoid any of that, the best scenario for both parties, and to actually get this thing built, would probably be for the state to pay Nitkin to walk.

[Luca Brasi]

I can't tell you all how disgusted I am with this whole project. Its been 10 years... thats right, 10 years...... since this project was first announced. If this city had their act together, it would have been built during the housing boom.

I never hear any news regarding this project and when I do, its that it is being scaled back. I have NO faith in this project at all.

To how badly this project has been screwed up, read this:

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:pvVKO...en%20properties

[Chessplayer]

Mr. Mayor,

Recently it has come to light that HB Nitkin is looking to scale back its already reduced plans for "Front Street" at Adriaen's Landing. As an interested group of urban enthusiasts we wanted to use our combined voice to urge you to action. We believe that HB Nitkin has from the beginning attempted to build as little as possible while still getting the incentives. This 6.5 acre parcel is too important to Hartford's rebirth for the public to squander $70,000,000 of its own money on a project now downsized to irrelevance. We advise you to do everything in your power to remove the Nitkin group from this project and award it to a developer with a track record of success and the financial means to accomplish its plans. Northland Development, Waterford Group and Street-Works, LLC are perfect examples.

Thanks for writing this. I just fixed a few grammatical errors and moved a couple words around.

I can't tell you all how disgusted I am with this whole project. Its been 10 years... thats right, 10 years...... since this project was first announced. If this city had their act together, it would have been built during the housing boom.

I never hear any news regarding this project and when I do, its that it is being scaled back. I have NO faith in this project at all.

To how badly this project has been screwed up, read this:

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:pvVKO...en%20properties

I hear you. What a mess this is.

[The Voice of Reason]

Thanks for writing this. I just fixed a few grammatical errors and moved a couple words around.

Want to hook us up?

Why don't we make this a more complete document and present it to the muckity mucks in charge. I wrote an entirely different letter to the mayor, this was more just a start for a UP position. Maybe people can write riders for the statement and you know, sign it if they agree.

I figured if we did this we could get the near by Providence people to sign it or mail it or whatever if they do business in Hartford.

just my thoughts.

[MadVlad]

taking the housing out of the equation makes it the right size for an entertainment area. i did not want to see apartment towers in there and without towers it was always too small for housing and retail. it should be looked at as being built first for people at the convention center, the marriott, and the science center. there will be lots of other people visiting as well.

BlueBack Square has residential, and it's doing just fine, I'm not seeing your point.

[blackstone]

BlueBack Square has residential, and it's doing just fine, I'm not seeing your point.

my point is that the residential part of front street is not that important. the retail and entertainment is. a modest amount of residential would be fine, but even if i thought tower apartments were important, i think the site is too small for all that was once planned; just like the area where the convention center, marriott, and science center are was too small for a football stadium. and comparing blueback square with front street is apples and oranges. adding on to west hartford center, where residential and retail already thrive is not the same as building something where there are/were parking lots.

[The Voice of Reason]

my point is that the residential part of front street is not that important. the retail and entertainment is. a modest amount of residential would be fine, but even if i thought tower apartments were important, i think the site is too small for all that was once planned; just like the area where the convention center, marriott, and science center are was too small for a football stadium. and comparing blueback square with front street is apples and oranges. adding on to west hartford center, where residential and retail already thrive is not the same as building something where there are/were parking lots.

Fair enough, but downtown Hartford is well more trafficked than W Hartford was before BB2 is it not?. Even if not for the casual stroll, its not like this parkng lot was out in the boonies. More people in the Hartford area come through downtown on a weekly basis than West Hartford. Also the Mariott and convention center add the captive audience/tourist quotient. If this is supposed to be mixed use and an entertainment district than people need to live above it. If there are not residents this place will be empty at night and that just wont cut it. there needs to be people living in thisdevelopment and near by as well.

[Chessplayer]

Want to hook us up?

Why don't we make this a more complete document and present it to the muckity mucks in charge. I wrote an entirely different letter to the mayor, this was more just a start for a UP position. Maybe people can write riders for the statement and you know, sign it if they agree.

I figured if we did this we could get the near by Providence people to sign it or mail it or whatever if they do business in Hartford.

just my thoughts.

Oh, the revisions are in the quotations. Like I said, I just moved some words around and fixed some grammatical errors. If you want to write more I'd be glad to contribute ideas/edit it. One thing I'd add to any letter is a short description of the type of people who post here; it'd carry more weight to say that many of us do have credentials and/or a direct stake in the success of Hartford, rather than just a group of idle office workers and college students.

Edited March 20, 2008 by Chessplayer

[Chessplayer]

my point is that the residential part of front street is not that important. the retail and entertainment is. a modest amount of residential would be fine, but even if i thought tower apartments were important, i think the site is too small for all that was once planned; just like the area where the convention center, marriott, and science center are was too small for a football stadium. and comparing blueback square with front street is apples and oranges. adding on to west hartford center, where residential and retail already thrive is not the same as building something where there are/were parking lots.

I disagree. In my opinion, residential is the absolute key to any sort of retail success downtown. The 115 apartments were satisfactory only because we were promised a phase two, which hopefully was to include far more residential. Otherwise while Front Street may have some initial success, it will be due to novelty and won't bring suburbanites downtown in the long run. In addition, no amount of retail will be able to exclusively survive off of the convention crowd - it's just too sporadic.

[GHartford]

In my opinion, residential is the absolute key to any sort of retail success downtown. The 115 apartments were satisfactory only because we were promised a phase two, which hopefully was to include far more residential. Otherwise while Front Street may have some initial success, it will be due to novelty and won't bring suburbanites downtown in the long run. In addition, no amount of retail will be able to exclusively survive off of the convention crowd - it's just too sporadic.

Agreed. Residential must be a part of any project like this. Haven't we learned our lesson from the Civic Center Mall and Constitution Plaza? If given the choice between suburban style retail in suburbia and in Hartford, they will choose suburbia. This needs to be a truly urban development, which means people- at least some people in the area 24/7.

Edited March 20, 2008 by GHartford

[jcrc]

The only silver lining to not including housing at this time would be that by filling most of the site with entertainment/retail space, the only housing that could fit on what's left will be towers if/when housing is ever added. I do have doubts though, that we will ever see any housing in that part of Downtown if it's not built now with this development.

So until housing is added - if ever, what will be on th site? hmmm....surface lot?