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PROPOSED: 160 Jewell Street/Northland YMCA Tower


HartfordTycoon

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I just read that the Hartford YMCA is most likely going to leave downtown to better serve the neighborhoods. The YMCA building downtown may be developed as something new. Stay tuned to this one folks.....

YMCA Site Drawing Nibbles

Developers Show Interest In Downtown Hartford Parcel

By JEFFREY B. COHEN

Courant Staff Writer

August 25 2005

In a bid to better serve its customers, expand its role in the neighborhoods and change its downtown face, the YMCA of Greater Hartford announced a plan two years ago to redeploy its assets. The Y has since found a site in the North End, and is in the process of choosing a site in the South End.

But perhaps the most talked-about piece of the plan is what the Y plans to do with its prime downtown property on Bushnell Park, a two-building complex that includes an 11-story residential tower and a fitness center.

Officials at the organization say that they want to get out of the housing business, and that they have had conversations with developers about the property. But they will publicly say little else about who, or what, they have in mind.

"You don't want to talk about a deal, or deals, when you're halfway through," said Laura R. Estes, who heads the YMCA board. "That's not fair to the other parties."

In downtown circles, one name that keeps popping up as a potential suitor is Northland Investment Corp. The Massachusetts-based company owns several major downtown properties and is building Hartford 21 - a 36-story tower of 262 luxury apartments and retail space on the site of the old Civic Center mall.

Officials at Northland would not confirm or deny having had any talks with the YMCA. "Northland is continually looking for new business opportunities," the company said through a spokesman. "However, it is not our policy to comment on such opportunities before they materialize."

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Sounds great as this is prime property and if Northland gets involved they are a great company as they have made millions of dollars in investments in the city of Hartford including:

Hartford 21 at the Civic Center

City Place 2

The acquisition of Goodwin Square (Goodwin office tower and Goodwin Hotel)

242 Trumball Street

90-104 Allyn Street

Metro Center

This just goes to show that they must have real faith in the city.

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Sounds great as this is prime property and if Northland gets involved they are a great company as they have made millions of dollars in investments in the city of Hartford including:

  Hartford 21 at the Civic Center

  City Place 2

  The acquisition of Goodwin Square (Goodwin office tower and Goodwin Hotel)

  242 Trumball Street

  90-104 Allyn Street

  Metro Center

This just goes to show that they must have real faith in the city.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Honestly as someone who is here everyday and drives around Downtown I don't see how anyone who actually comes to Hartford and spends time here would not have faith in the city. I can literally feel the energy. I have lived here all of my life and Hartford has never ever been this focused on success.

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I feel the same way. Hartford has so much rich history and is a great looking city with old architecture mixed in with new.

Anyone watch the Buick Championship so far on USA network. They had some nice dramtic views of the skyline from the outback blimp, and also did a short 30 second comercial presented by Expedia on the city being a travel destination.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just passed by there today. Wow, you can't ask for a better piece of land in the city than that piece. The buildings look kinda junky, imho, but if they could ever knock those down, that would be a PERFECT spot for some really high-end condo towers.....

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Honestly as someone who is here everyday and drives around Downtown I don't see how anyone who actually comes to Hartford and spends time here would not have faith in the city. I can literally feel the energy. I have lived here all of my life and Hartford has never ever been this focused on success.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was not being sarcastic about the faith in the city. I have lots of faith in the city as a property owner and supporter of all the development projects in the city. It is also not just Northland Investment that has made major commitiments to the city. The Waterford Group of Waterford, CT which owns the Marriott Hartford, manages the Convention Center, owns the Hilton Hartford and the Residence Inn by Marriott Downtown and College Street LLC which owns 55 on the Park, the American Airlines Building, and the Metropolitan Conodos have made commitments to the city.

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The front page of this morning's Hartford Courant brought the news that Northland Investment of Newton, MA which owns/developing millions of dollars of property in Hartford including most notably Hartford 21, Goodwin Square and City Place II will be building an 18 story residential tower with 200 condos and 100 apartments on the site of the YMCA in downtown Hartford. The project will be built after Hartford 21 is complete but will be the largest residential development projects in the city because even though it will only rise 18 stories as opposed to the 36 story tower at Hartford 21 the project will include 300 housing units as opposed to 262 at Hartford 21.

Courant

IMG_0623.jpg

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^I was thinking the same thing, 30+ stories would be ideal for that location right across from the park. At the same time, 18 stories is a nice sized building, so I'm satisfied.

With that said, construction is 12-18 months away, so the height may change.

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Northland truly does beleive in Hartford as they own more then 1,000,000 square feet of office space in the city, and are now involved with brining a total of 562 apartments to downtown Hartford (262 with Hartford 21 + 300 with the YMCA project.

Bringing apartments along the park is wonderful. There are the soon to be opening Trumbull on the Park Apartments on Trumbull Street, 55 on the Park apartments at the SNET building and new middle income apartments at that vacant building on Aslyum Street by the train station.

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^ I agree. For years I used to complain that in any city, the most valuable real estate surrounded the central park.... in Hartford though, the park was surrounded by parking lots. It seems people who can effect change are finally getting it.

BRAVO! :yahoo: Someone had to say it! I think it would make Hartford native Frederick Law Olmsted proud. BTW, why is Olmsted's National Memorial in Massachusetts?

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THE NEXT TWO YEARS WILL TELL US WHETHER OR NOT FOLKS WILL SUBSCRIBE TO HARTFORD IN TERMS OF ACTUALLY MOVING IN. I REMEMBER BEING ON THE TASK FORCE TO "SAVE G FOX". THE GUY FROM THE MAY COMPANY VERY BLUNTLY TOLD THE GROUP "YOU ALL WANT US TO KEEP THE DOORS OPEN BUT NONE OF YOU BOTHER TO SHOP THERE. GET REAL. WE'RE LOSING 15K A DAY AT THAT STORE."

I AM REALLY MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF BUILDING NORTHLAND WILL ERECT ONCE IT HAS TORN DOWN THE Y. THE OLD YMCA WHICH WAS DEMOLISHED TO ALLOW FOR THE CURRENT UNSEEMLY STRUCTURE WAS BEAUTIFUL. SOME POST MODERN ECHO OF THAT OLDER STRUCTURE MIGHT BE PLEASING. I HOPE IT WILL BE SYMPATHETIC TO THE ARCH AND TO THE PARK.

OF MUCH GREATER INTEREST IN TERMS OF URBAN THINKING AND PLANNING IS THE FACT THAT THE NEW Y WILL BE IN THE "21" BUILDING, AND WILL BE MINUS THE POOL AND THE BASKETBALL COURT. OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD Y'S WILL SERVE THE SOUTH AND NORTH ENDS OF TOWN. HARTFORD'S YMCA STRUCTURE WILL RATHER BE AKIN TO THE ONE IN CHARLOTTE NC WHERE THERE IS A DOWNTOWN Y THAT SERVES A MORE URBAIN WEALTHY CLIENTELE AND ANOTHER Y ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A RIVER WHICH SERVES A MORE LOCAL, YOUNGER, LESS RICH CLIENTELE. SINCE I STOPPED READING THE WRETCHED HARTFORD NEWSPAPER YEARS AGO, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE PROTESTS TO THIS PROPOSED DIVISION AND IF FOLKS ARE SAYING IT SEEMS LIKE SOME SORT OF DISCRIMINATION, BUT I WILL BE INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT ANYONE ELSE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT.

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It is a travesty that a building needs to be knocked down for another one to be built that is good news because there are very few parcels that do not have some sort of development plan for them in the Central Business District. What I do find intersting though is there is a lot right between the Y and the SNET Building (55 on the Park), I believe the lot is used by 55 on the Park tenants but if that was bought and something was built there instead that would be awesome but nothings perfect so this is betther then nothing.

The Y will really be able to better serve its clients in the North and South Ends. Right now many people who use the Y live in one of Hartford's 16 other neighborhoods and have to come into Downtown for the Y. Now there will be the Y's presence in downtown at Hartford 21 and in the north end and south end

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As I've said before, one of the big problems with the lots around the SBC building and 55-on-the-Park is the large cable vault that SBC has under those areas. I'd imagine it would be REALLY difficult to relocate all the phone lines for the majority of the city....

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^ That's interesting. How far down does it go? I always imagined a row of 3 or 4 story townhomes back to back facing Bushnell Park and Hicks St. between 55 on the Park and Ann St.... done in a simliar art deco style to compliment 55 on the Park. I would then put an office building on Hicks St facing Bushnell Park.

In a prevoius post, I mentioned I would restore the street grid on these parcels. I would extend Hayes St from Pearl down to the park and reopen Hicks between the SBC building and 55 on the Park. Ity could be a cool, mix use area right on Bushnell Park. Restoring the street grid would make the area much more pedestrian friendly. I hate how Hicks St is barricaded at Trumbull

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That's all SBC, my friend. They own that, it isn't a street anymore. We got a memo the other day about it. And the vault is deep, but not deep enough for the kind of foundation that a big building would need. I'm sure something could be done for the right price...

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