MetLife looking for 500,000 SF of office space, 2,000 workers

[uconn99]

MetLife Shuffle Taking Shape

Boost Or Blow In Store For City

January 20, 2007

By DIANE LEVICK, And KENNETH R. GOSSELIN Courant Staff Writers

Hartford could be a big winner - or major loser - as MetLife looks to buy an office building either in the city or in Bloomfield to house more than 2,000 employees from three separate locations.

MetLife Inc. confirmed Friday that it wants to combine 1,310 employees now in Hartford's CityPlace I with 450 in Glastonbury and about 250 in Rocky Hill.

The New York-based insurer wants them all in one place - either in Hartford or Bloomfield - and is considering CityPlace I, among other buildings, for purchase.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-metli...headlines-local

Like the article says, this could be very GOOD or bery BAD. It would be nice to see the entire City Place tower go to Met Life, maybe it would become the Metlife Building or tower, and forcing another tower to be built downtown?

[MadVlad]

MetLife Shuffle Taking Shape

Boost Or Blow In Store For City

January 20, 2007

By DIANE LEVICK, And KENNETH R. GOSSELIN Courant Staff Writers

Hartford could be a big winner - or major loser - as MetLife looks to buy an office building either in the city or in Bloomfield to house more than 2,000 employees from three separate locations.

MetLife Inc. confirmed Friday that it wants to combine 1,310 employees now in Hartford's CityPlace I with 450 in Glastonbury and about 250 in Rocky Hill.

The New York-based insurer wants them all in one place - either in Hartford or Bloomfield - and is considering CityPlace I, among other buildings, for purchase.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-metli...headlines-local

Like the article says, this could be very GOOD or bery BAD. It would be nice to see the entire City Place tower go to Met Life, maybe it would become the Metlife Building or tower, and forcing another tower to be built downtown?

[Luca Brasi]

MetLife aquired Travelers Life and Annuity a few years back. This is big news because at the time of the aquistion, MetLife would only commit to keep the Travelers jobs in Hartford for the short term. Everyone felt that meant they were eventually going to be moved out of Hartford. Now it appears not only are the original jobs going to remain here, but 700 more could possibly be added.

Half a million sq. ft is a big chunk of property. The old Mass Mutual site seems like the natural fit. And the Stilts building is currently going through an upgrade and is mostly empty.

[uconn99]

Is Stilts big enough?

[Luca Brasi]

Not sure. I believe it is in the neighborhood of 500,000 sq.ft, maybe just under. I do know they are currently upgrading to Class A office space.

[drc72]

Is Stilts big enough?

[beerbeer]

The mayor welcomes them with open arms....if...... all the employees are union.

[ctman987]

I think the city should be doing everything it can to keep these employees in the city and then in my opinion downtown.

It would be a major blow to the capital city to lose 2000 high paying jobs to Bloomfield.

Now I say I would prefer these employees downtown is because even though the former MassMutual site is a great historic building I wouldnt like to take the risk that these 2000 employees would solely commute from their suburban homes to a parking lot over on Asylum Hill then eat lunch at that building and then head back out at the end of the day never stepping foot outside of the complex...similar to the Hartford.

I feel that if these employees are downtown they will have more opportunities to take to the streets and find new bars, restaurants, shops, etc and come back into the cities with their families and not just for work

[jcrc]

I think the city should be doing everything it can to keep these employees in the city and then in my opinion downtown.

It would be a major blow to the capital city to lose 2000 high paying jobs to Bloomfield.

Now I say I would prefer these employees downtown is because even though the former MassMutual site is a great historic building I wouldnt like to take the risk that these 2000 employees would solely commute from their suburban homes to a parking lot over on Asylum Hill then eat lunch at that building and then head back out at the end of the day never stepping foot outside of the complex...similar to the Hartford.

I feel that if these employees are downtown they will have more opportunities to take to the streets and find new bars, restaurants, shops, etc and come back into the cities with their families and not just for work

[ctman987]

I think everything downtown is important.

We need people working downtown (at companies like MetLife), living downtown, visiting downtown (conventions, museums, theaters), and hopefully in the future maybe even shopping down there.

I quite honestly dont want Hartford to be one of those cities that gives up on keeping its corporate base so that it can attract new shops and restaurants and become more of a city of the arts. Theres nothing wrong with these cities but major corporations...especially insurance related are a major piece of Hartford history...just look at the Travelers Tower and we cannot turn our heads and let them move out

[Whaler0718]

I think everything downtown is important.

We need people working downtown (at companies like MetLife), living downtown, visiting downtown (conventions, museums, theaters), and hopefully in the future maybe even shopping down there.

I quite honestly dont want Hartford to be one of those cities that gives up on keeping its corporate base so that it can attract new shops and restaurants and become more of a city of the arts. Theres nothing wrong with these cities but major corporations...especially insurance related are a major piece of Hartford history...just look at the Travelers Tower and we cannot turn our heads and let them move out

[Whaler0718]

Sorry, but I need to add another thought.

The only thing I could see resonating in the state legislature is this. There are constant complaints, from employers and legislators alike, about the "brain drain." New England, in general, but Connecticut especially, has trouble retaining talent. I guess it's a right of passage for young people to complain about their home town and try to find a way "out of this place." New York City and Boston serve as obvious destinations because they represent the opposite of the suburban, strip-mall environment in which so many of us grew up. But nearly the entire state of Connecticut is suburbanized. In fact, the suburbs have more employers in this state than do the cities.

So, it's no wonder that most young, skilled talent leave! There's almost no place for them to go because they don't want to work in Windsor or Bristol or Glastonbury. They want to live and work in a city. I'm no different, except I am happy for that city to be Hartford. Of course, if you took the bulk of those jobs and reconcentrated it in the state's biggest cities, the result would be the type of vibrant place that so many young professionals want, and I guarantee they'd stay. But, no, Hartford is becoming just another one of 169 towns. Just that it gets suburban feel with urban problems. And folks can sit in their 3-bedroom with an attached 2 car garage on 2 acres and wonder why talented young people leave the state.

I suppose it'll have to reach a crisis stage for the legislature to think about the big-picture. It's hard to tell their communities that the entire state is rethinking the way it does business b/c vibrant cities are essential to attracting talent, thus attracting employers, thus attracting jobs and a tax base, and that, accordingly, the cities will grow and the suburbs will shrink, or at least not grow. It would take some brave and bold action and, in the land of steady habits, that isn't likely. Those of us who care really need to do something to get our voices heard. I know the data exist, but we need to find it--to find the academics and politicians who already see this trend, and who can scare the rest of the state into action.

[paul514]

Sorry, but I need to add another thought.

The only thing I could see resonating in the state legislature is this. There are constant complaints, from employers and legislators alike, about the "brain drain." New England, in general, but Connecticut especially, has trouble retaining talent. I guess it's a right of passage for young people to complain about their home town and try to find a way "out of this place." New York City and Boston serve as obvious destinations because they represent the opposite of the suburban, strip-mall environment in which so many of us grew up. But nearly the entire state of Connecticut is suburbanized. In fact, the suburbs have more employers in this state than do the cities.

So, it's no wonder that most young, skilled talent leave! There's almost no place for them to go because they don't want to work in Windsor or Bristol or Glastonbury. They want to live and work in a city. I'm no different, except I am happy for that city to be Hartford. Of course, if you took the bulk of those jobs and reconcentrated it in the state's biggest cities, the result would be the type of vibrant place that so many young professionals want, and I guarantee they'd stay. But, no, Hartford is becoming just another one of 169 towns. Just that it gets suburban feel with urban problems. And folks can sit in their 3-bedroom with an attached 2 car garage on 2 acres and wonder why talented young people leave the state.

I suppose it'll have to reach a crisis stage for the legislature to think about the big-picture. It's hard to tell their communities that the entire state is rethinking the way it does business b/c vibrant cities are essential to attracting talent, thus attracting employers, thus attracting jobs and a tax base, and that, accordingly, the cities will grow and the suburbs will shrink, or at least not grow. It would take some brave and bold action and, in the land of steady habits, that isn't likely. Those of us who care really need to do something to get our voices heard. I know the data exist, but we need to find it--to find the academics and politicians who already see this trend, and who can scare the rest of the state into action.

[ctman]

Don't they have people on Trumbull St that they acquired from Cigna?

[MadVlad]

No. The TL&A employees that were in the Trumbull St offices were TL&A's asset management arm - Trumbull St Investments. These employees were all laid off and the location is where Day Berry & Howard (not their name after their merger, but close enough) are moving to.

[ctman987]

You're spot on with the brain drain and the problems it causes. I grew up in West Hartford, and I can tell you that most of my classmates from Hall High School have left the state all together. The number one destinations are New York and Boston with other moving as faraway as Japan. From looking at my graduating year on myspace and facebook it seems that a majority of the brightest students left.

Our state needs to realize that a vibrant and dynamic city is somewhere that will attract people. Cities like New York are magnets for young talent, not just because of the jobs available but the lifestyle. The Hartford area needs to have a viable alternative to the suburban lifestlye, I feel as if we're working on it, but many times it seems that the state really does little to help Connecticut's cities.