Buckland continues to expand

[blink55184]

I personally think this has been out of hand, and is still getting worse.

BJ'S wholesale club announced a HUGE store they are building on an old lot at the intersection of Tolland Tpke, Adams St., and Buckland Rd. where the old Heartland Grocery store and Rickels Hardware used to be.

Just another big box building with 1000 parking spaces. Also included are another fast food restaurant and gas station.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-ma...0,2395088.story

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/...04/daily30.html

[SOCOM]

Manchester has succumbed to the evils of mass sprawl over the past 25 years. It's literally ripped that town apart. At least there's still Wickham Park.

[HartfordTycoon]

I personally think this has been out of hand, and is still getting worse.

BJ'S wholesale club announced a HUGE store they are building on an old lot at the intersection of Tolland Tpke, Adams St., and Buckland Rd. where the old Heartland Grocery store and Rickels Hardware used to be.

Just another big box building with 1000 parking spaces. Also included are another fast food restaurant and gas station.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-ma...0,2395088.story

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/...04/daily30.html

It's like I'm jeolous of Manchester for having all that stuff, but I'm not really jealous. I guess it's another sign of growth though.

[JimSawhill]

I personally think this has been out of hand, and is still getting worse.

BJ'S wholesale club announced a HUGE store they are building on an old lot at the intersection of Tolland Tpke, Adams St., and Buckland Rd. where the old Heartland Grocery store and Rickels Hardware used to be.

Just another big box building with 1000 parking spaces. Also included are another fast food restaurant and gas station.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-ma...0,2395088.story

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/...04/daily30.html

Blink:

BJ's will be great for Manchester! What I mean is that BJ's will provide jobs and the Hartland/Rickle Plaza is a dead shopping center. Another fast food joint? Mickey D is in Burr's Corner (anything in Waldbaum's and the old Caldor/Ames spaces yet?) and Burger King is up Buckland a bit, so what'll the fast food restaurant be? (A Sonic? A Whataburger?)

JimS

[LItoCT]

There is a BJ's right here on the Hartford/West Hartford border....don't they usually put those things 20 or 30 miles apart?

[SOCOM]

I don't know about you guys, but I never go to Buckland Hills anymore. I'm exclusively a Westfarms guy (that is, when I am forced to go to the mall). I was actually thinking about ditching Westfarms because of their sneaky opposition to BBS, but I found Buckland to be a little too "trashy" for my tastes, even with the recent upgrade.

[blink55184]

Blink:

BJ's will be great for Manchester! What I mean is that BJ's will provide jobs and the Hartland/Rickle Plaza is a dead shopping center. Another fast food joint? Mickey D is in Burr's Corner (anything in Waldbaum's and the old Caldor/Ames spaces yet?) and Burger King is up Buckland a bit, so what'll the fast food restaurant be? (A Sonic? A Whataburger?)

JimS

Brand new Wendy's is now open also, at the bottom of the movie theatre driveway, the Caldor/Ames has actually had a successful business in it for almost 2 years now, Outlet Marketplace.

I grew up and lived in Manchester all my life, and now that I am finishing college, everytime I go back a new building pops up. I can't even keep up with it anymore.

I was a long time employee of the Subway in Burr Corners and still help out there when I come back.

[HartfordTycoon]

I don't know about you guys, but I never go to Buckland Hills anymore. I'm exclusively a Westfarms guy (that is, when I am forced to go to the mall). I was actually thinking about ditching Westfarms because of their sneaky opposition to BBS, but I found Buckland to be a little too "trashy" for my tastes, even with the recent upgrade.

Buckland Mall attracts a much younger crowd. That's what I don't like about the mall. I do still go to the Movies and restaurants out there from time to time.

[blink55184]

I guess it's another sign of growth though.

sign of OVERgrowth! The definition of SPRAWL!

The local reminder phonebook distributed for free doesn't even say Manchester, CT...

BUCKLAND, CT! Its like a monster that is still growing! 13-14 years going now!

and what is even more gross is the vacant buildings that are about 2-4 years old!

Business builds a new building and just abandons it.

[HartfordTycoon]

sign of OVERgrowth! The definition of SPRAWL!

The local reminder phonebook distributed for free doesn't even say Manchester, CT...

BUCKLAND, CT! Its like a monster that is still growing! 13-14 years going now!

and what is even more gross is the vacant buildings that are about 2-4 years old!

Business builds a new building and just abandons it.

It just shows what lack of regional planning does. If Greater Hartford would have collaborated jointly we could have spread the retail district throughout several towns, near the centers. That would have been much better.

[robm324]

What is also sad is the amount of vacant buildings in the old shopping districts in Manchester (on and near Broad St.). The plaza that once had a Bradlees as an anchor is now completely vacant. I guess that's just life, but there is nothing more depressing than a strip mall that is completely vacant.

[HartfordTycoon]

What is also sad is the amount of vacant buildings in the old shopping districts in Manchester (on and near Broad St.). The plaza that once had a Bradlees as an anchor is now completely vacant. I guess that's just life, but there is nothing more depressing than a strip mall that is completely vacant.

The problem is that to be successful, a national retailer feels that they need to be in a new attractive and modern plaza. Those aging plazas just get thrown out due to being outdated and turn in bargain plazas for sub par businesses and smaller businesses. I really don't have an answer, because if I was national I wouldn't touch those old plazas either. Unless I was going to completely re-hab them and most companies would rather a developer just build a new plaza for them. I know I would prefer that. So it's really a tough issue to deal with.

[damus]

lowes moved into a vacant Ames building in Waterford... If entire states perhaps give incentives to rehab these older buildings, I'm pretty sure that wouldnt be such a problem.

[blink55184]

It just shows what lack of regional planning does. If Greater Hartford would have collaborated jointly we could have spread the retail district throughout several towns, near the centers. That would have been much better.

Yes- The original developers of Buckland Hills Mall put it on an old 9 hole golf course, and tobacco fields. Right on the S.Windsor, Manchster line, not even a logical retail district to begin. Now it is spreading into South Windsor as well. Evergreen Walk is in South Windsor. Evergreen Run is being built in S.Windsor, across the street... What is next? Evergreen Jog? Hop?

[damus]

One thing I don't get is why is this all needed? Isn't the Berlin Turnpike not too far from Manchester?

[HartfordTycoon]

Yes- The original developers of Buckland Hills Mall put it on an old 9 hole golf course, and tobacco fields. Right on the S.Windsor, Manchster line, not even a logical retail district to begin. Now it is spreading into South Windsor as well. Evergreen Walk is in South Windsor. Evergreen Run is being built in S.Windsor, across the street... What is next? Evergreen Jog? Hop?

Yeah, that is pretty rediculous. And we can't get anything built at Front Street?!?!

[blink55184]

What is also sad is the amount of vacant buildings in the old shopping districts in Manchester (on and near Broad St.). The plaza that once had a Bradlees as an anchor is now completely vacant. I guess that's just life, but there is nothing more depressing than a strip mall that is completely vacant.

Yes, once Stop N Shop moved across the street, and Marshalls moved to Buckland, all the small local business died off, leaving Bradlees all alone for a while. Now nothing.

My brother works for the company that boarded up bradlees afterwards, said a bunch of bums were living in some of the vacancy.

What a waste of space, especially when a few years ago the town was desperatly searching for a lot to build a new high school. Theyve since decided to continue to renovate the ancient overcrowded building and keep adding more ugly portable classrooms.

Something really needs to be done with that plaza.

[blink55184]

Yes, once Stop N Shop moved across the street, and Marshalls moved to Buckland, all the small local business died off, leaving Bradlees all alone for a while. Now nothing.

My brother works for the company that boarded up bradlees afterwards, said a bunch of bums were living in some of the vacancy.

What a waste of space, especially when a few years ago the town was desperatly searching for a lot to build a new high school. Theyve since decided to continue to renovate the ancient overcrowded building and keep adding more ugly portable classrooms.

Something really needs to be done with that plaza.

One thing that atleast saves "The City of Village Charm" a little charm is Downtown Manchester/Main st.

It still has old downtown feel, with alot of small and local business remaining

http://www.downtownmanchester.org/default.cfm

[HartfordTycoon]

One thing that atleast saves "The City of Village Charm" a little charm is Downtown Manchester/Main st.

It still has old downtown feel, with alot of small and local business remaining

http://www.downtownmanchester.org/default.cfm

Downtown Manchester is pretty cool. It's in a lot better shape than Downtown East Hartford. I would love for them to find some places for new housing around the Downtown area. That's the real Manchester. The other part like you said is now Buckland, CT.

[blink55184]

Downtown Manchester is pretty cool. It's in a lot better shape than Downtown East Hartford. I would love for them to find some places for new housing around the Downtown area. That's the real Manchester. The other part like you said is now Buckland, CT.

Could not agree with you more. If I were mayor, I would sever off Buckland! Clearly that will never happen.

Would be kind of cool to see BJ's make use of the barely used train tracks they will be butting up against, I highly doubt it though. The Manchester Road Race is a big part in keeping it alive down there. They also have that HUGE antique car show once a year that draws thousands of cars onto closed down main st. It is cool that day because you see them driving all over town.

[ctman987]

The entire Buckland Hills area is a just a mecca of sprawl in my mind. There are others big areas of sprawl but Buckland seems to be the winner....for example the Berlin Turnpike has everything you could dream of but at least they sometimes try to get something noone has to offer (Stew Leonards broke ground today, like it or not the Berlin Turnpike is one of the hottest racing areas in the northeast).

I am not all that surprised though by BJ's decision as there is a Sam's club in Berlin/Newington and one at Buckland and now there will be a BJ's in West Hartford and one at Buckland.

Also Westfarms does not technically attract to an older crowd as opposed to Buckland in my point of view...I think Westfarms attracts families from the Farmington Valley (Simsbury, Canton, Avon) as well as West Hartford, in addition they attract students from UHART, UCONN W. Hartford, etc. as opposed to Buckland which caters to towns along the CT River and east of the river.

[HartfordTycoon]

The entire Buckland Hills area is a just a mecca of sprawl in my mind. There are others big areas of sprawl but Buckland seems to be the winner....for example the Berlin Turnpike has everything you could dream of but at least they sometimes try to get something noone has to offer (Stew Leonards broke ground today, like it or not the Berlin Turnpike is one of the hottest racing areas in the northeast).

I am not all that surprised though by BJ's decision as there is a Sam's club in Berlin/Newington and one at Buckland and now there will be a BJ's in West Hartford and one at Buckland.

Also Westfarms does not technically attract to an older crowd as opposed to Buckland in my point of view...I think Westfarms attracts families from the Farmington Valley (Simsbury, Canton, Avon) as well as West Hartford, in addition they attract students from UHART, UCONN W. Hartford, etc. as opposed to Buckland which caters to towns along the CT River and east of the river.

It just seems like younger people are there ( girls too young for me to look at). You know what I mean. I think most Hartford people go to Westfarms way more than Buckland. I usually see a lot of people I know everytime I'm there.

[blink55184]

Widening more roads to do this as well. THeyve already widened every stretch over there 4 times each.

This will only bring more burglarys, shoplifting, and car thefts. Walmart has to hire off duty police to take care of Black Friday after Thanksgiving. I'm sure another giant mega-shopping center will only keep the place growing more...

[uconn99]

I heard that Buckland was one of the larest retail centers on the East coast, this was around 5 years ago.

[ctman987]

I heard that Buckland was one of the larest retail centers on the East coast, this was around 5 years ago.

I have continualy hear that to...even more recently that Buckland was one of if not the largest retail center in the Northeast and I beleive that was before The Shoppes at Evergreen Walk opened....what more places can we dream of????