Downtown Hartford residential stock set to increase dramatically

[drc72]

You're living in a fantasy world if you think a giant corporation is someday going to move to Hartford and want to build a skyscraper. It's over, forever. If anyone wants an office, there is plenty of available space. But a corporation that wants to build a building taller than 10 stories.... it will never happen again.

You can't predict something like that. Hartford's business climate is improving and who knows, maybe we will be able revive some of those old 80's skyscaper plans in 5 to 10 years. Your making it sound like Hartford will never outgrow it's current building stock. Hartford has so much potential, we just need to let more people know that.

[mikel]

You can't predict something like. Hartford's business climate is improving and who knows, maybe we will be able revive some of those old 80's skyscaper plans in 5 to 10 years. Your making it sound like Hartford will never outgrow it's current building stock. Hartford has so much potential, we just need to let more people know that.

Even if Hartford did fill up all the empty offices, the problem will still be all the empty lots downtown. Focusing on towers instead of filling all the gaps is counterproductive. As it stands, Hartford has many towers and a downtown that's practically dead. Tower building should be over with, density should be the focus now.

As beerbeer said, Hartford is not in danger of running out of room anytime soon, so focusing energy on a tower is a total waste when short buildings would fill in the gaps more effectively.

[MadVlad]

Even if Hartford did fill up all the empty offices, the problem will still be all the empty lots downtown. Focusing on towers instead of filling all the gaps is counterproductive. As it stands, Hartford has many towers and a downtown that's practically dead. Tower building should be over with, density should be the focus now.

As beerbeer said, Hartford is not in danger of running out of room anytime soon, so focusing energy on a tower is a total waste when short buildings would fill in the gaps more effectively.

And to say they that highrises have no place at all is equally as counter-productive. Whats really counter-productive is putting something there just to put anything there, then tear it down later to build something bigger. I'm certainly not advocating empty parking lots, what I am advocating is the city getting off their asses and drum up some developers and corporations to fill up the lots maximizing their potential. And filling that potential will not be realized with 2 story buildings. Maybe a 10 here or there, but capping the city would be like cutting off it's hands....

[drc72]

Even if Hartford did fill up all the empty offices, the problem will still be all the empty lots downtown. Focusing on towers instead of filling all the gaps is counterproductive. As it stands, Hartford has many towers and a downtown that's practically dead. Tower building should be over with, density should be the focus now.

As beerbeer said, Hartford is not in danger of running out of room anytime soon, so focusing energy on a tower is a total waste when short buildings would fill in the gaps more effectively.

I agree that we need to fill up current office space, but at the same time I disagree. You say tower building is over with. The econony only dictates that, and we all know how cyclical the economy can be. Sorry but I just don't believe tower building is over with, not by a long shot!!!

[HartfordTycoon]

It's late, I just got home from Boston and I feel what we need is balance. To say we need "just this" or "just that" is what got us messed up in the first place. We need to create an interesting, impressive, and engaging cityscape. IMO this includes many more mid rises downtown, a few more high rises, and maybe a very limited amount of low rises. Also improved parks and plazas and and overall more cohesive CBD.

[ctman]

new haven doesn't have many towers, but a much less sterile and a more urban feel than hartford. it would be nice if hartford had anything approaching new haven's street activity/retail.

I'd actually prefer shorter buildings downtown! The 'skyscrapers' we have are lifeless. I hate the Batman Gothem City look, I'd rather have a European look with short buildings and no skyline. Especially since we have so many empty spaces.

Then again, let's go tearing down anything tall, I'm just saying for future buildings 8-10 stories would be a good limit downtown.

8-10 would be a good starting point, not limit.

[mikel]

new haven doesn't have many towers, but a much less sterile and a more urban feel than hartford. it would be nice if hartford had anything approaching new haven's street activity/retail.

8-10 would be a good starting point, not limit.

New Haven has a sterile feel because there are not many workers downtown. But, the city is much nicer than Hartford as it's not full of parking lots.

10 stories should absolutely be a limit, if that. I'd prefer 5 or 6 story buildings downtown. Skyscrapers help nobody except people who want to sacrifice the city for a view.

[HartfordTycoon]

New Haven has a sterile feel because there are not many workers downtown. But, the city is much nicer than Hartford as it's not full of parking lots.

10 stories should absolutely be a limit, if that. I'd prefer 5 or 6 story buildings downtown. Skyscrapers help nobody except people who want to sacrifice the city for a view.

Without our skyscrapers how would we fit even a fraction of the 125,000 jobs we now have in our CBD????? C'mon give me a break.....

[beerbeer]

Variety is the spice of life and a city as well. Limiiting buildings to ten floors is as silly as requiring them to be 20 floors. Form should follow function. Even midtown Manhatten has low rises.

Pratt Steet works because of its human sized dimensions. If someone has a plan to turn a parking lot into a functional development, the number of floors should NOT be an issue.

[MadVlad]

10 storys should be the start, not the finish...

[mikel]

Variety is the spice of life and a city as well. Limiiting buildings to ten floors is as silly as requiring them to be 20 floors. Form should follow function. Even midtown Manhatten has low rises.

Pratt Steet works because of its human sized dimensions. If someone has a plan to turn a parking lot into a functional development, the number of floors should NOT be an issue.

Right but since we're subsidizing a lot of the projects, we should spread around the wealth, not heavily subsidize the pretty tower, because there are still plenty of empty spaces. Look around Union Station, it's disgusting. We need shorter buildings, 5 stories even, to make downtown more dense. That should be the priority.

[MadVlad]

Right but since we're subsidizing a lot of the projects, we should spread around the wealth, not heavily subsidize the pretty tower, because there are still plenty of empty spaces. Look around Union Station, it's disgusting. We need shorter buildings, 5 stories even, to make downtown more dense. That should be the priority.

Yes let's prioritize lesser thinking. It's the complete lack of vision and big thinking that is the problem in Hartford, and your comments underscore this....

[mikel]

Yes let's prioritize lesser thinking. It's the complete lack of vision and big thinking that is the problem in Hartford, and your comments underscore this....

No, it's the unreasonbly big thinking that was and is the problem in Hartford.

Had we kept the city the way it was, it would be one of the best cities in North America today. Instead, it's one of the worst. But hooray, we still have some skyscrapers..

[drc72]

No, it's the unreasonbly big thinking that was and is the problem in Hartford.

Had we kept the city the way it was, it would be one of the best cities in North America today. Instead, it's one of the worst. But hooray, we still have some skyscrapers..

You keep dwelling on the past. Yes it's a crying shame, that historical buildings were knocked down for skyscrapers that never came to be. The damage is done period!!! But should we dwell on the past? No, it's counterproductive. Progress is being made. The convention center, H21, The soon to be Science center, and possibly more downtown residential towers. Seems to me like things are moving in the right direction.

[ctman]

New Haven has a sterile feel because there are not many workers downtown. But, the city is much nicer than Hartford as it's not full of parking lots.

10 stories should absolutely be a limit, if that. I'd prefer 5 or 6 story buildings downtown. Skyscrapers help nobody except people who want to sacrifice the city for a view.

New Haven does NOT have the same sterile feel one gets walking around downtown hartford on a Sunday afternoon. There are a ton of people on the street, and the neighborhoods are well integrated into the retail and resturants. it's something hartford should really strive for, however, its not something that can be done with one or two new buildings. it takes the confidence of a bunch of different retailers and residents, something i believe hartford is starting to earn, otherwise i would not be living here. the science center will provide a big ticket attraction that has been missing since the whale left, and front street - i'll beleive it when i see it - could really provide the catalyst in turning the weak pulse of retail in htfd into a strong heartbeat and beyond. front street is the perfect local where it will be fed a steady diet of out of town/state dollars to sustain and grow it. good things are happening, they just take some time

[SOCOM]

New Haven does NOT have the same sterile feel one gets walking around downtown hartford on a Sunday afternoon. There are a ton of people on the street, and the neighborhoods are well integrated into the retail and resturants. it's something hartford should really strive for, however, its not something that can be done with one or two new buildings. it takes the confidence of a bunch of different retailers and residents, something i believe hartford is starting to earn, otherwise i would not be living here. the science center will provide a big ticket attraction that has been missing since the whale left, and front street - i'll beleive it when i see it - could really provide the catalyst in turning the weak pulse of retail in htfd into a strong heartbeat and beyond. front street is the perfect local where it will be fed a steady diet of out of town/state dollars to sustain and grow it. good things are happening, they just take some time

The redesign of Trumbull Street and Asylum should also do wonders for the city's future. I'm really looking forward to the plans for these streets.

[The Voice of Reason]

OK, so I am sparking conversation because I can.

This is an interesting topic from 3 years ago.

the projects listed in the first post were mostly completed. Sure, Capewell, YMCA, Pearl have not happened yet, but most of the list has been built and occupied now for at least a few months. Add in 410 Asylum Street that was not on the list and we are making progress.

taking the dream work of a Trump condo out of the topic and all the jibber jabber that happens regarding building height, what are your thoughts now, 3 years later at the depth of a deep recession regarding the future of Hartford in terms of development projects?

how much further away are we from that tipping point? what will critical mass be?

I think now is as good a time as any for a measuring stick moment.

[LOV]

one man's opinion but here it goes.

unfortunately, i don't think there will be another hartford "boom" for at least another 5 years, realistically, i think it'll be close to 10 years before another mass infusion of available residential property in the downtown area.

i was having a conversation with the hartford 21, after their opening party @ america's cup, back when goodwin was still open. i told them what they brought to hartford was great but it isn't really sustainable. you can't be charging that much for rent in a city, or downtown, the size of current hartford.

i am a young professional, and i would not pay 1700 for a 1bdroom place or 2400+ for a 2bdroom place, not in hartford. prices like these are sustainable if you don't have to worry about a car payment/insurance, etc. downtown hartford is just not autonomic enough.

i know there was supposed to be a grocery store in h21, but it failed through. if anything, it should be the city's first priority to bring a fully functional, weekend opened, grocery store downtown. all the people living here, myself included, and all the people working here would certainly provide enough hungry mouths within walking distance of their dwelling and work to sustain a place. i'd be very glad not to drive to east hartford or wh to do my grocery shopping, and i'm sure i'm not the only one.

2) put a borders, b&n or some other store downtown hartford, and make sure it's open on the weekends. 2a) do not allow bums in there, and in general, try to get rid of them. there has to be some vagrancy law in effect in hartford. i see the same homeless on the same bench in the park for 3 years now.

this will give residents actually an outlet to go to that it's not food/bar based on the weekend. although the locals i'm sure are used to bums, outsiders probably don't get too comfortable with seeing every single bench in the park taken up by them. i know it took me a while to get used to it.

3) bring back marshals or something equivalent. not everyone that lives in hartford shops at tuesday's. provide a store that's accessible to the masses. i remember there used to be marshals in the old civic center, although all the way in the back.

4) try to do all of this in the space already available in hartford. it's great that riverfront is getting getting onto phase I, but what point is more shopping space when there's plenty of space available downtown that isn't getting used?

i think a grocery store and a book store are a major necessity to downtown if it wants to attract more residents; only after that should more livable space be built.

and finally, we should look outside of downtown and to the local school systems. you can't just rely on young professionals to fill every dwelling in the hartford area, the local job economy doesn't run on young people alone. hartford should consider making downtown a family orientated city by most importantly improving schools and marketing itself that way. this is very down the line but it's absolutely necessary.

[Luca Brasi]

OK, so I am sparking conversation because I can.

This is an interesting topic from 3 years ago.

the projects listed in the first post were mostly completed. Sure, Capewell, YMCA, Pearl have not happened yet, but most of the list has been built and occupied now for at least a few months. Add in 410 Asylum Street that was not on the list and we are making progress.

taking the dream work of a Trump condo out of the topic and all the jibber jabber that happens regarding building height, what are your thoughts now, 3 years later at the depth of a deep recession regarding the future of Hartford in terms of development projects?

how much further away are we from that tipping point? what will critical mass be?

I think now is as good a time as any for a measuring stick moment.

[The Voice of Reason]

I find it interesting that increasing "dramaticly" was addeing 1200 units 3 years ago.

mind you we got about 800, as stated, but all things being equal as a city we are really starting from scratch.

I long for the day that 1200 units is not dramatic in Hartford.

I think we are at our most critical moment here in Downtown Hartford. I think Front Streets lack of residential is that much more painfull due to the timing. We have 410 Asylum coming on line sometime in the next say 6 months. after that we have nothing planned, nothing in the works. If even the pearl street properties moved forward or any kind of small movement in some location, we would be a world ahead, but stagnation is dangerous for Hartford. Someone living downtown says.. hmm maybe I move to West hartford next year. a year goes by with no new "progress" downtown, and that resident makes the move. If during that year, a new apartment opened up in the pearl, or front street, and new neighbors come by and new stores open and you say.. Hmm maybe I move to West Hartford next year.

If downtown can continue to make small steps (and by small steps I refer to delivering a 915 Main or 410 Asylum every year) for 5 or so years, we will see some real acceleration in residential construction down the road.

if everything stops, and new buildings are not being "absorbed" than it will be hugely difficult to get things rolling again. positive absorbtion is what potential developers look at.

[MadVlad]

I think its a shame that residential was taken out of Adriaen's Landing and its a shame the initial developer was booted for wanting to build TOO MUCH residential. I think the chances for success with this project are severely limited without a true mixed use development.