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IN PROGRESS: Front Street @ Adriaen's Landing


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Saw a picture of Front Street on Channel 3

http://www.wfsb.com/getinthehouse/index.html

A woman I work with just got back from Dayona and spoke of a shopping center that had an interesting concept. Commercial town homes built into the shopping center.

The shopping center would have large anchor retailers and such but also had many small retail spaces above wich were townhomes. if you buy the townhome you own the retail, and you put your business in it like back in the day on every main street. you can also lease it out, but it certainly encourages the small business owner.

I would add above the anchor stores larger apartment buildings and condo buildings, but I would imagine it more for an urban setting like Front street.

anyways, back on subject.

at least there is some construction work in the area, and hopefully by sometime in 2009 phase II will start with a residential component.

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A woman I work with just got back from Dayona and spoke of a shopping center that had an interesting concept. Commercial town homes built into the shopping center.

The shopping center would have large anchor retailers and such but also had many small retail spaces above wich were townhomes. if you buy the townhome you own the retail, and you put your business in it like back in the day on every main street. you can also lease it out, but it certainly encourages the small business owner.

I would add above the anchor stores larger apartment buildings and condo buildings, but I would imagine it more for an urban setting like Front street.

anyways, back on subject.

at least there is some construction work in the area, and hopefully by sometime in 2009 phase II will start with a residential component.

Wow, that is a fascinating development model. What is old becomes new again I suppose.

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They call them live/work townhomes

here is the web site.

http://www.marketcommontownhomes.com/

this obviously lends itself better to warmer climates, but I love how this common sense style of development is coming back.

it takes something like Blue Back one step further.

mind you this specific project is much larger than Blue back and more spread out, but the concept is sound in my opinon. I mean even if you were to only include 10 such spaces into a blue back sized development you would get a great local flavor to the project. Also if the owner wants they can lease to a national chain, or rent out the residential unit.

http://www.marketcommontownhomes.com/infor....asp?TopicID=35

renderings%20002.jpg

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That's a project for Glastonbury, not downtown Hartford. I'd rather have a parking lot....

so would I but I like the concept of live work townhomes in a larger mixed use development is interesting and why I posted this.

stay with the program Vald :)

This image is just for one small part of a huge development. Parts of the place resemble blue back and are more urban.

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They call them live/work townhomes

here is the web site.

http://www.marketcommontownhomes.com/

this obviously lends itself better to warmer climates, but I love how this common sense style of development is coming back.

it takes something like Blue Back one step further.

mind you this specific project is much larger than Blue back and more spread out, but the concept is sound in my opinon. I mean even if you were to only include 10 such spaces into a blue back sized development you would get a great local flavor to the project. Also if the owner wants they can lease to a national chain, or rent out the residential unit.

http://www.marketcommontownhomes.com/infor....asp?TopicID=35

renderings%20002.jpg

actually, it reminds me of south portland, me

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so would I but I like the concept of live work townhomes in a larger mixed use development is interesting and why I posted this.

stay with the program Vald :)

This image is just for one small part of a huge development. Parts of the place resemble blue back and are more urban.

I like the concept too, but it still doesn't fit that area. Capitol Ave, yes, Front St, no.

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It looks really nice.

1.jpg

Just because a project in Orange and a project in Hartford is done by the same guy doesn't mean there's the same results [edit] (hopefully) [/edit]. The Post Road is a whole different ballgame than downtown Hartford.

Though the Blue Cube is a really nice place, I was just there a couple weeks ago. Something like that could work in Hartford.

Edited by Lowerdeck
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FrontStreet.jpg

Honestly, if this is what we get it will be better than having a hole in the ground across from the CCC, CSC and Marriott. If we get quality retailers and restaurateurs, I will be OK with it. I guess I've made my peace with it and hopefully phase two actually gets builts and brings residents to the area. Hartford is not meant to fall or stand based on Front Street and it won't. Front Street can and hopefully still will prove to be a net positive for the city and if we can get some activity across from the Hotel and Convention Center that will be great. There are a lot of employees in this part of Downtown and I think that it can be more successful than anticipated. Hopefully that will provide an impetus to get going on phase two and maybe the housing will be an easier sell since it will be hopefully being added to a successful shopping/entertainment area.

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Honestly, if this is what we get it will be better than having a hole in the ground across from the CCC, CSC and Marriott. If we get quality retailers and restaurateurs, I will be OK with it. I guess I've made my peace with it and hopefully phase two actually gets builts and brings residents to the area. Hartford is not meant to fall or stand based on Front Street and it won't. Front Street can and hopefully still will prove to be a net positive for the city and if we can get some activity across from the Hotel and Convention Center that will be great. There are a lot of employees in this part of Downtown and I think that it can be more successful than anticipated. Hopefully that will provide an impetus to get going on phase two and maybe the housing will be an easier sell since it will be hopefully being added to a successful shopping/entertainment area.

great points HT,

I suppose at this point it is too late to lament what could have been, or what should have been, or how long it took, and how much public funding is "wasted". At this point it is best to view it as better than a whole in the ground. It s an addition to the city at a time when additions are hard to come by. It still has potential over time to grow into something that more souts "our" vision for the city.

I will endeavor to be positive :P

I think I am still most excited about the Hampton Inn in East Hartford, and 410 Asylum right now. Both bring more people to downtown Hartford.

However I reserve the right to make the AI engineering building the most exciting

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FrontStreet.jpg

Honestly, if this is what we get it will be better than having a hole in the ground across from the CCC, CSC and Marriott. If we get quality retailers and restaurateurs, I will be OK with it. I guess I've made my peace with it and hopefully phase two actually gets builts and brings residents to the area. Hartford is not meant to fall or stand based on Front Street and it won't. Front Street can and hopefully still will prove to be a net positive for the city and if we can get some activity across from the Hotel and Convention Center that will be great. There are a lot of employees in this part of Downtown and I think that it can be more successful than anticipated. Hopefully that will provide an impetus to get going on phase two and maybe the housing will be an easier sell since it will be hopefully being added to a successful shopping/entertainment area.

well, i think you know that i couldn't agree more with you.

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FrontStreet.jpg

post-12255-1226370112_thumb.jpg

I don't think should the city turn down state money to develop empty land. But we have enough empty storefronts. We need housing. This area is disconnected from the rest of downtown, and stores need to be close to each other to attract shoppers. That parking garage the library built recently (as well as the ugly renovation) will go down as another crazy mistake. The focus should be to develop the tract of land on Asylum and Main that Bank of America tore down for that absurd skyscraper if we want to attract retail density. This project just seems like a blunder. The focus should be to regain what was lost downtown, intentionally, by replacing homes with parking lots and using state money to fund the shopping malls and highways that lead to them. Front Street never looked like an Evergreen Walk lifestyle center and it never would have worked if it did.

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That parking garage the library built recently (as well as the ugly renovation) will go down as another crazy mistake.

Dammit Mikel, I agree with you so much on this one. In some ways it was a great positive, but in the long run it hurts the area. The worst thing is that there is plenty of parking in the area. Yes it is convenient, but it makes no attempt to interact with the street.

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great points HT,

I suppose at this point it is too late to lament what could have been, or what should have been, or how long it took, and how much public funding is "wasted".

When it's built, it'll be too late. Until then, I'll be bashing the hell out of this nonsense. And phase 2? Please tell me where they will fit phase 2? Let's not pretend there will actually be a phase 2, that's just some bullsh!t to get the public money they want. Nitkin builds strip malls, and now downtown Hartford will have it's very own dollar store, chinese food restaurant, and nail salon, all of which will be empty.

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Yes, they bought it because ithat is the types of buildings they own/create. Look at their portfolio and tell me they don't build strip malls....

MVlad, you are correct. His portfolio is mostly crappy. This will be the nicest thing he ever built if it looks like the rendering. I don't think they are building on the half of the site that is behind the Times building, so that will still be empty until phase two gets built. I'm am just going to hope for the best at this point though. The Convention Center and Hotel really do need to have something attractive across the street.

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