Downtown New Britain

[The Voice of Reason]

New Britain has several innitiatives in the works right now that should help turn the city into a better place to... well to do just about anything.

I occasionally go to Acme appliances in new britains downton, and I can assure you that much of the area is sketchy, but still much nicer than other areas, and not really "scary" at all. the potential is huge, and with the right mix of infrastructure, and investment, downtown Nb could be a great place.

So, here is the first step I have seen in a while to really get things moving.

Vitos, is opening a new location in NB

here is the blurb from the HBJ

Vito’s expanding to downtown New Britain (posted Yesterday at 4:29pm)

Restaurateur Rob Maffucci has chosen downtown New Britain to open his fifth Vito's restaurant in March.

Vito's Tavern and Pizzeria will occupy the former Hardware City Tavern on Main Street, serving moderately priced lunches and dinners, Maffucci announced today.

"The location is great," said Maffucci. "You've got two theaters. There's a new police station in the works. You've got a courthouse. Even the Rock Cats are hungry for something new."

The restaurants, named for Maffucci's father, a retired Hartford Courant typesetter, are in downtown Hartford, Newington, Windsor and Wethersfield.

The other news mentioned in the HBJ is the new police station. it will take a nasty building and make the street much more welcoming and useful.

the biggest game changer will be the commuter rail line if it beats out the busway.

the development planned for the Transit area is another huge project.

I am gonna compile all the threads maybe for NB

But Vitos is a great place and always looks nice. this will go a long way in telling people that downtown NB is a good place to visit. and maybe just maybe to live some day

[The Voice of Reason]

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news14498.html

police HQ is a go.

this is good stuff for downtown. if I recall this is the opposite corner of Vitos location.

[beash19]

http://www.hartfordb.../news14498.html

police HQ is a go.

this is good stuff for downtown. if I recall this is the opposite corner of Vitos location.

This is all great news for NB. As a resident for the majority of 13 years and homeowner for the last 8, I can say that I have never spent personal time in downtown. There really is not much to do. I know a couple restaurants have come and gone but I always found out about them long after they opened, then never found reason to go. What NB needs is not just a Vitos, but more to accompany it. THere needs to be more than one reason to go into downtown. If nobody else follows suit, then Vitos will unfortunately pack it up and get out. There is a ton of potential in NB, and not just in downtown but nobody is taking advantage. But if the railway does come through then this boost will definitely bring in people who want to take advantage.