See Ya, WFSB! New Development on the Way?

[HartfordTycoon]

I think this needs to happen and I applaud Perez for at least recognizing that we may need to take that Hotel by eminent domain to make something work here.

Some say Broadcast House, which is up for sale, should be redeveloped as part of a larger plan that should include the long-vacant former Clarion hotel just to the north. While that vision makes sense, the reality isn't so clear-cut: Developers who have approached the hotel's owner - the Maharishi School of Vedic Sciences - say negotiations are difficult and terms impossible to meet. In a decade, nothing has come of any negotiations over the hotel.

"If you could tie the hotel and Broadcast House together, you have some really exciting possibilities," said Matt Hennessy, chief of staff for Mayor Eddie A. Perez. The area could give rise to a new tower, perhaps a mixture of office, apartments or condominiums and shops and restaurants, Hennessy said.

Perez favors demolishing the hotel, which is outdated because of its small rooms, and creating a redevelopment zone that would encompass the two buildings. A proposal isn't imminent but is being discussed, said Mark McGovern, the city's economic development director.

The new zone would allow the city to work with whoever buys the WFSB building, and it would give the city the option of acquiring the hotel by eminent domain.

Klarn DePalma, WFSB's general manager, said the station's owner, Meredith Corp., has two "very interested" parties.

"We're waiting to see how it plays out," he said.

DePalma wouldn't name the prospective buyers. But sources familiar with downtown commercial real estate say Northland Investment, downtown's biggest landlord, has expressed an interest.

A spokesman for Northland declined to comment except to say, "Northland is always looking for opportunities in downtown Hartford."

Courant Article

[grock]

If Perez wanted to take the Clarion by eminent domain, he would have done it.

Bottom line: he has done absolutely nothing about that hotel.

The only thing he did do, was chase WFSB out of the city to make that block more blighted than it already is.

I hope the next mayor will make new development his top priority.

[drc72]

If Perez wanted to take the Clarion by eminent domain, he would have done it.

Bottom line: he has done absolutely nothing about that hotel.

The only thing he did do, was chase WFSB out of the city to make that block more blighted than it already is.

I hope the next mayor will make new development his top priority.