Northland Investment & Their Retail Tenants

[ctman987]

Ok so Northland Investment has made significant investments in the city of Hartford. The company is the largest property owner downtown and is one the city's top 10 taxpayers.

Northland Investment is owns :

242 Trumbull Street

90-104 Allyn Street

City Place II

Goodwin Square (including Goodwin Hotel)

Metro Center

Northalnd Investment is also the developer for

Hartford 21

The proposed residential tower at the YMCA downtown

With this in mind it seems that Northland has been pushing some/ forcing some retail tenants out with higher rental rates. If im correct Northland owns the building where Becker's Jewelers once was and the No Fish Today Property??? No Fish Today will be closing and Becker's has closed. Northland is a major corporation with lots of influence that also has lots of downtown retail space in both older complexes and now in newer ones like the retail space at Hartford 21. Now this is not to say Northland has done nothing...Bliss Supermarket will be opening up shop at Hartford 21 and the YMCA downtown is now at Hartford 21. But today I was downtown and noticed that Crosskey Architects - an architectural firm that had its office at 90-104 Allyn Street near Agave has moved into the 3rd floor of Union Station. The firm has not left the city but I thought it was quite unique to have an architectural firm occupy ground floor retail space....now there is another vacant retail spot in the heart of the downtown clubs and another office out of sight (like that restaurant on the 2nd floor of one of the buildings on Pratt St)

I just wish Northland would work on keeping the tenants it has and adding new ones to downtown because it seems it has the potential to do that. Hartford 21 is nice but wont be as nice if theres no retail tenants...

[MadVlad]

Here's my theory: Northland has a vision for downtown, and if a tenant doesn't fir that vision, or won't work with them to at least attempt something helpful (like stay open on Sundays), then I could see them strong arming them out. I am in no way saying this is right or wrong, I'm just saying it's what could happen, in my opinion. Who's to say that Northland didn't cut the architectural firm a deal to vacate street level retail space with a mindset of getting actual retail there? I personally hate the fact that a bank is going there No Name used to be, that's prime space wasted on what will be a nighttime ATM corner. So far so good with Northland, I'll cut them some slack if I don't immediately see their long term vision...

[drc72]

This is all part of Northland's strategy.It sucks that certain tenants have to leave, but knowing Northland we will probably see bigger and better things coming in.

[ctman987]

I see and love that they have a strategy and know that strategies like this can work. For example in New Haven Yale picks certain tenants and they must follow certain rules such as stayin open late. I just hope Northland realizes that retail is a very competitive market (even for suburbs who must compete with the internet). I hope now Northland puts all of its efforts into finding the best tenants possible for downtown Hartford in the way that Yale did for downtown New Haven because this will definitly push the city is sheer success...and it would all be possible without having to build a huge downtown mall

[jcrc]

The wine shop next to Peppercorn Grill is moving to H21, next to the new grocery store. Rumor has it Northland gave the new grocery store a great deal on rent. Still don't understand why they want Becker's out.

[ctman987]

The wine shop next to Peppercorn Grill is moving to H21, next to the new grocery store. Rumor has it Northland gave the new grocery store a great deal on rent. Still don't understand why they want Becker's out.

[grock]

That part of downtown where Peppercorns is called Sodo for South Downtown and has an active neighborhood group headed by Allen Ambrose. It has a newsletter and a few city officials and police officers living there. It has one major obstacle to development:

a Methodone Clinic at Main and Buckingham, called the Hartford Dispensary. Heroin addicts are there all day long lining up early in the morning to get their fix.

[MadVlad]

They need more development too. Hudson, Elm, and Capitol Ave need some love...

[jcrc]

It's too bad the corner where Cate was never had a successful restaurant. I always like that part of Main and Capitol. And where are those brownstones?

[Luca Brasi]

That part of downtown where Peppercorns is called Sodo for South Downtown and has an active neighborhood group headed by Allen Ambrose. It has a newsletter and a few city officials and police officers living there. It has one major obstacle to development:

a Methodone Clinic at Main and Buckingham, called the Hartford Dispensary. Heroin addicts are there all day long lining up early in the morning to get their fix.

[HartfordTycoon]

There is an old joke in Hartford that if the city could just get the Methadone clinic and the homeless shelters to switch with police headquarters, the city would be fine.

[drc72]

There is an old joke in Hartford that if the city could just get the Methadone clinic and the homeless shelters to switch with police headquarters, the city would be fine.

[mikel]

Methadone treatment should be banned. How is this even legal.