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Streetside development


MadVlad

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I got a great chance to look around downtown today (I was lucky enough to be downtown all day). The city, and most cities/towns, really need to make sure developments are set up against the sidewalk, not set back. Driving south along Main St, the city looks great approaching from the North End, but then once you hit SoDo, there are churches and various other building that are set back. This really breaks up the nice urban flow. Now, I'm obviously not saying knock down the churches or other buildings that are already made, but anything new should abut the sidewalk. Even the other avenue's around the city: Maple Ave starts to have then, then splits into single homes, North Main Street gets broken up but has some real promising old and new buildings. It really looks like crap when everything is hodge-podge.....

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My problem with SoDo and basically Main Street in general is that it is to big...there are way to many lanes. It is not very pedestrian friendly because one must cross this huge road. Even at its busiest the current Main Street is never jam packed...because it is so large.

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I got a great chance to look around downtown today (I was lucky enough to be downtown all day). The city, and most cities/towns, really need to make sure developments are set up against the sidewalk, not set back. Driving south along Main St, the city looks great approaching from the North End, but then once you hit SoDo, there are churches and various other building that are set back. This really breaks up the nice urban flow. Now, I'm obviously not saying knock down the churches or other buildings that are already made, but anything new should abut the sidewalk. Even the other avenue's around the city: Maple Ave starts to have then, then splits into single homes, North Main Street gets broken up but has some real promising old and new buildings. It really looks like crap when everything is hodge-podge.....
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The Handcock Tower in Chicago is set back, so were the Trade Towers, the Seagrams Building, I could go on for hours. Rockefeller Center has big open spaces.

Sunlight is a great thing in the city. That's why there are parks and plazas. High rises and sunlight can live together. Building everything out to the street is a horrifying idea.

I especially like when a high rise is set back off the street and a large scupture is set in front of a bulding. Hartford could use a lot more of that.

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Little setbacks are ok here and there, but I feel they ruin the flow of the street. I like the continuity of buildings against the sidewalk, not big gaps that ruin the flow. Heading south along Main St, just after passing Charter Oak Ave, there are a few setbacks on the left side after 250 Main. There are other gaps here and there also, like the one next to the Peppercorn's building. That one is small, but it kinda breaks up the feel for me a bit. I won't even respond to mikel's nonsense....

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Little setbacks are ok here and there, but I feel they ruin the flow of the street. I like the continuity of buildings against the sidewalk, not big gaps that ruin the flow. Heading south along Main St, just after passing Charter Oak Ave, there are a few setbacks on the left side after 250 Main. There are other gaps here and there also, like the one next to the Peppercorn's building. That one is small, but it kinda breaks up the feel for me a bit. I won't even respond to mikel's nonsense....
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I agree with many of you. The worst case of this is the Candy Cane Building. Its set back significantly from the street on a large lawn. There is no streetscape around it at all and it even has a turnaround driveway. It looks like an office park building that was dropped downtown.
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The Handcock Tower in Chicago is set back, so were the Trade Towers, the Seagrams Building, I could go on for hours. Rockefeller Center has big open spaces.

Sunlight is a great thing in the city. That's why there are parks and plazas. High rises and sunlight can live together. Building everything out to the street is a horrifying idea.

I especially like when a high rise is set back off the street and a large scupture is set in front of a bulding. Hartford could use a lot more of that.

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Detroit may be a mess, but they are building a lot more rowhouses and condos downtown than Hartford is. They just built two new stadiums and a couple of hotels.

They just built a skating rink, and got a Borders, Barnes and Noble, and other stores.

They've gotten a few major employers to move downtown from suburbs.

We've gotten them to move out to the suburbs.

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Detroit may be a mess, but they are building a lot more rowhouses and condos downtown than Hartford is. They just built two new stadiums and a couple of hotels.

They just built a skating rink, and got a Borders, Barnes and Noble, and other stores.

They've gotten a few major employers to move downtown from suburbs.

We've gotten them to move out to the suburbs.

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What progress is the city making with developers? Most of the people building downtown are here because of the state.

1. The mayor has yet to get a major employer to move downtown, and ING, MassMutual, and WFSB are leaving or have left already.

2. There hasn't been one proposal for the acres of downtown vacant lots (Main & Asylum) (Capitol AVenue) (Jwell & Asylum)

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Regarding street side development, is there on the drawing board regarding the MDC building and Bushnell Plaza? I really think MDC should be moved and turn that building into a pedestrian friendly retail building. I think that will open up the Bushnell Plaza.

"Although large planters with trees were originally situated on the plaza, these were removed when it became necessary to repair the floor of the space that began leaking water onto the shops below." There are shops in Bushnell Plaza?

http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documen...rant_021906.asp

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