http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/travel/dg/maps/b8/750x750_connecticut2_m.gif

I think, if other cities/states have a development thread, why not CT?

I will try to add development news for Hartford, any more in the city and the state is not only welcome but needed.

Here we go, good news...DT Hartford getting residential, one baby step at a time...

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-colt0718.artjul18,0,4107018.story

http://www.state.ct.us/images/photos/rscoltonion3.jpg

14 Tenants Moving In At Colt Complex

July 18, 2006

By KENNETH R. GOSSELIN, Courant Staff Writer

Hartford's Colt factory complex is getting its first upscale apartment dwellers, the latest development in the city providing a way for people to live in and around downtown.

Fourteen tenants, many of them former residents of artists' housing at the old Colt, have signed leases and are now moving into the south armory, the first of three former factory buildings in the complex to be renovated for rental housing.

Although the new apartments mark a milestone for the $120 million Colt Gateway office, commercial and residential makeover, they are also coming on the market at a time when hundreds of new apartments are being offered for lease downtown.

But the Colt developers say they aren't worried about competition from the other new apartment complexes - Hartford 21, Trumbull on the Park or 55 on the Park - that are closer to the central business district.

"I don't look at it as that far away," said Rebekah A. MacFarlane, director of business development for Colt Gateway. "Once the Front Street area develops and the new science center, this is going to be a new stretch of downtown."

From the south armory, it is a 1-mile walk to the landmark Travelers Tower on Main Street between Central Row and Atheneum Square North.

Following a route along roads, the walk to the Travelers plaza took 23 minutes.

Although the apartments now available in the south armory boast new hardwood floors, state-of-the-art heating and air conditioning, and windows that mimic the ones on the original factory, you have to use your imagination outside.

The area where a reflecting pool and park are planned remain gravel parking lots for construction workers, surrounded by chain-link fences, some of it reinforced with barbed wire.

Doug Bennett, who is considering a move to the south armory with his wife, Sue, from their home in Glastonbury, said he is not bothered by the mile walk to downtown or that Colt is still in the midst of its transformation.

"Right now, we'd have to be a bit pioneer," Bennett, 53, said. "But that's fine with us."

Bennett said he and his wife, a teacher, are attracted by the historic nature of the Colt renovations. All exterior elements - facades, lighting, even street signs - will appear as they would have in 1905, a time of prosperity in Colt history. Sticking to that, Colt qualifies for historic-tax credits.

Most of the walking route downtown is well maintained and open. However, the corner of Huyshope and Charter Oak avenues is overgrown with weeds in spots, and littered with trash. On one side of Huyshope is a shelter for the homeless, and on the other is a distribution warehouse.

Bennett said that area is the only one that gives him pause.

"There's no question that early settlers are going to have to be more careful," said Bennett, an actuary.

But the Colt developer - Homes for America Holdings Inc. - hopes to acquire the warehouse, now for sale, and renovate it, MacFarlane said. The developer also is close to buying an old manufacturing plant nearby and demolishing it for parking, she said.

The rental prices at Colt, at least initially, will be lower than some of the apartments closer to the heart of downtown.

The Colt apartments average $1.77 a square foot, compared with an average of $2 a square foot for the competing apartments clustered near Bushnell Park.

The apartments in the south armory range from a 460-square-foot studio to 1,220-square-foot, two-bedroom units, with rents ranging from $769 to $2,050 a month, not including utilities. There is one 2,100-square-foot penthouse that goes for $3,439 a month, plus utilities.

There is no additional charge for parking, but the only option is an open lot.

MacFarlane, daughter of the president of the development company, said Colt has compiled a list of about 300 people who have made inquiries about the apartments since renovations began in 2004.

The south armory is the first of three major factory buildings in the Colt complex - all dating from the mid-19th century - that are slated for conversion into apartment, office and retail space. Construction will begin later this year on the north and east armories.

All told, there will eventually be 238 apartments, 129 of them in the south armory. The apartments in the south armory will be finished in groups of 30 or so, with the first block now ready.

MacFarlane said there has been considerable interest from employees of Insurity Inc., which has occupied the renovated Colt "sawtooth" building next to the south armory for nearly 18 months.

The south armory will have office and retail space on the first and second floors, hopefully with a coffee shop and cafe at street level, she said.

Bradley International is planning to demolish it's old terminal A, to build a new modern terminal...

Link: http://www.hbjournal.com/ front page

Bradley Bids For New Terminal
Original Murphy Building to be razed

By Diane Weaver Dunne
ddunne@hbjournal.com

Bradley International Airport wants another terminal as new and successful as its newest terminal, pictured here.

Bradley International Airport is fast-tracking plans to demolish its original passenger terminal and build a new state-of-the-art air hub, state officials confirmed last week.

Although still waiting on approval from the Federal Aviation Administration of its draft plans, the state Department of Transportation last week issued a request for proposals for engineering and construction services to build a new terminal after the Murphy Building – the airport’s original terminal – is razed in 2011.

The demolition of the 1950s-era Murphy Building is to make way next year for a modern facility. The DOT is seeking a firm to complete both engineering and architectural designs for a new, 11-gate terminal to be located in the footprint of the existing Murphy Building within 20 months.

FAA approval of the plan is expected within the next two weeks.

The terminal change is just one of the components to a master plan that envisions 36 capital improvement projects costing about $384 million at today’s prices. Funding for the proposed construction will likely come from a combination of federal money and from the Bradley Enterprise Fund, generated from airport revenues.

The cost to demolish the Murphy Building and to design and construct a new terminal would be about $140 million, and $42 million to construct a new parking garage with a consolidated rental car facility. Construction on the parking facility is scheduled to begin in 2010.

Phase In

Bradley’s blueprint for expansion considers a 20-year timeframe, with the two first phases addressing immediate needs or those with a high probability.

The plans also call for a dramatic expansion of Bradley’s cargo service, demolishing some existing cargo buildings between the next five to seven years and relocating the airport’s cargo service to the northwest portion of Bradley’s 2,358-acre-property.

The expansion would also be contingent upon the attraction of private developers who want to construct new cargo facilities. Notably, the land where Bradley’s freight terminals are located is owned by the airport and rented to private developers who then construct their own cargo facilities on them.

Passenger service has expanded significantly –- with the addition of new non-stop flights and 14 new daily flights –- since Bradley opened its newest terminal in 2003.

While the cargo business is busy, it has not yet returned to its volume prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to Daniel Carstens, owner of CargoZone at Bradley.

Bradley’s cargo service is ranked 34th for volume in North America.

Competitive Markets

The philosophy behind the improvements at Bradley is to keep it competitive with other regional airports.

“The growth rate at the airport has been excellent in the last two years,” said L. Scott Frantz, chairman of Bradley’s board of directors. Frantz expects 5 percent to 10 percent growth in passengers over the next five years.

“You have to stay ahead of the game by at least a few years,” he explained. “The board and key people at the DOT feel strongly that we have to do the intelligent thing and … we have to be thinking five to seven years in the future.”

The decision to demolish the Murphy Building was primarily because the facility has become too crowded and passengers complain about their experiences there.

Today’s travelers want light, airy terminals with lots of windows that offer WiFi service and other amenities, explained Barry J. Pallanck, the acting airport administrator.

“Just look at what the other regional airports have to offer,” said Kiran Jain, Bradley’s marketing and development director. “It’s not just a place. It needs to have some sort of appeal. Passengers are spending some sort of time there.”

The new terminal will include more retail concessions, and Frantz doesn’t rule out eventually another airport hotel.

Enhancing Bradley’s cargo business would include finding a freighter service to fly goods going all over the world, particularly to the Far East, Jain said, acknowledging that airport officials are aggressively pushing ahead with achieving that goal.

Jeff Blodgett, vice president of CERC, agrees that regular transatlantic service is essential to the region’s economy. “We need to position ourselves where the global activity is taking place,” he said. “Since we are not linked to them, even with the best facilities in the world, it doesn’t do that much for us. We absolutely need it.”

Providing transatlantic service at Bradley is listed as one of the master plan’s goals.

The current master plan comes on the heals of the nearly completed $200 million construction of a new terminal, adjacent to the original terminal A, and the construction of a 3,500-vehicle parking garage.

Cool- welcome aboard! :grouphug:

Thanks!

The Hartford, CT thread gave me the idea...but this is not only limited to Hartford...ANY developments going on in the state, is good...

I will add more, but I am only one person, so if anyone wants to add anything , go right ahead...I encourage it..!

This is the first but hopefully this is not the last...

Front Street, which was proposed to be a mixed retail/residential development, continues to be delayed.... :bash:

While projects like Hartford 21, Convention Ctr, and Science center were approved and built easily (science ctr u/c, hartford 21 almost done), this project is still dealing with delays...hopefully, it could be done...Adrian's landing needs more life, even at mid-day!

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctfront0715.artjul15,0,6223759.story?track=rss

State Gives Front Street Developer More Time
July 15, 2006

By JEFFREY B. COHEN, Courant Staff Writer

While voicing concern that the long-delayed downtown development at Front Street in Hartford is missing deadlines, the state agency that oversees the project gave the developer an additional two months Friday to complete the next phase of the operation: a promise of money from the city.

In February, the state's Capital City Economic Development Authority signed an agreement with Greenwich developer Bradley Nitkin that allows for a phased development of the retail, residential and entertainment district. The project aims to link Adriaen's Landing with the rest of downtown.

As part of that deal, the state pledged $33 million to the project, and gave Nitkin120 days to get a city commitment for roughly $16 million in cash and tax abatements.

But progress stalled as Niktin and the state considered overtures by an unnamed party that was interested in the property, state officials said at a meeting Friday morning. "In the end, it did not work out, so now we are refocused back on the original scope," said Michael Cicchetti, spokesman for the authority.

Nitkin and the city have talked about funding, but have not come to terms.

In May, the city responded to Nitkin's phased development approach by saying that if he wants the entire $16 million the city has available for Front Street, he'll have to commit to the entire project. Nitkin has yet to respond.

The board decided to give Nitkin until July 31 to answer the city's concerns, and until Sept. 8 to reach an agreement with the city.

But board Chairman Bill McCue told other members of the state panel that even after Nitkin and the city come to terms, there will still be several steps before construction begins.

"I don't want you coming around Sept. 9 looking for a backhoe starting to dig a hole," McCue said. "That isn't going to happen. This process will continue to move on."

Nitkin's office declined to comment.

Hey Rotten, you think they'll ever invest in LRT for Hartford?

Good to see CT has something going on here...........i'll try to see what news i can get outta stamford.

Hey Rotten, you think they'll ever invest in LRT for Hartford?

Light rail? I think that would be a great idea.

There are no plans for it, though. There is potential for it though, as there are many corridors that it can be used for. BRT and commuter rail has been approved, however.

THere was talk of The Griffin Line in the early to late 90's

http://www.fta.dot.gov/17304_17439_ENG_Printable.htm


Hartford (Griffin Line Corridor)

Griffin Line Corridor

Hartford, Connecticut

(November 1996)

Description The Greater Hartford Transit District (GHTD) is planning a light rail transit (LRT) line from downtown Hartford and several city neighborhoods to suburban towns to the north, ultimately reaching Bradley International Airport (16 miles total).

Phase I includes 12 miles of LRT in rail right-of-way owned by the State of Connecticut (9.2 miles) and a portion owned by Amtrak as well as a segment at grade on city streets in downtown Hartford. Economic development, and community revitalization plans, as well as clustered mixed use land plans have been prepared around each of the station stops. Average daily ridership is projected at 15,200 in the year 2010. Phase 1 of the project is estimated to cost $249.7 million (1994 dollars).

Status The Griffin Line Corridor Major Investment Study (MIS) was adopted by the Capitol Region Council of Governments (the MPO) in July 1995, including the selection of the light rail option as the locally preferred alternative. A Task Force of public and private sector representatives prepared a financing plan in 1996.

The project was not authorized in ISTEA. Through FY 1997, Congress appropriated $0.99 million toward preliminary engineering (PE) and EIS. The project sponsors anticipate beginning PE in early to mid 1997.

Justification Mobility Improvements. The Griffin Line LRT would provide mobility benefits to both the suburban commuter travel market and to major concentrations of transportation disadvantaged persons. Phase 1 projections are that the LRT would have 15,200 riders per day increasing to 78,500 daily system transit trips in 2010. This includes the 12 mile LRT segment. By comparison, the TSM alternative would handle 73,500 trips and the No-Build alternative 71,900. The project is expected to save 2,400 hours of travel time per day (compared with the TSM alternative). LRT would provide access to 75 percent of the corridor's suburban jobs compared to 30 percent currently accessible by transit service.

Cost Effectiveness. The cost-effectiveness index for the Phase 1 12-mile segment is $13 per new rider, compared to the TSM alternative.

Operating Efficiencies. The system-wide operating cost per passenger in year 2010 (1994 dollars) is estimated to be $1.46 for Phase I, compared to $1.39 for the TSM alternative.

Environmental Benefits. The Capitol Region is classified as "serious" non-attainment for ozone and as a "moderate" non-attainment area for carbon monoxide. The MIS found that the LRT alternative would produce the greatest air quality benefits of all the alternatives. LRT would contribute to long term improvements in the region's air quality by supporting the Downtown Hartford Major Employers Parking Policy and by supporting clustered, mixed-use developments at station stops, thereby reducing long term reliance on cars.

Local
Financial
Commitment Hartford is requesting a Section 5309 New Start funding share of $149.8 million, or 60 percent of project costs. The financing plan anticipates $62.4 million from the State from a combination of bonds backed by the State fuel tax and State general revenues. Regional funding ($10 million) is planned on the basis of proposed Regional Asset District state legislation and local benefit improvement district revenues, private sector funding of Phase I is projected to total $27.5 million including donation of right-of-way and major joint development projects at a number of station stops, with the cost of station and parking facilities incorporated into the privately funded development projects.

Operating funds are anticipated from a combination of State fuel taxes, as well as private sector, regional and local sources noted above.

Negotiations are underway with State, regional and local officials and the private sector. A final capital and operating cost funding plan is anticipated to be one of the products of the Preliminary Engineering and EIS work scheduled for completion by the end of 1998.

^^ That would have been GREAT.

I wonder what stopped the plan...no funding?

"The Griffin Line, again ironically, was killed the very same year that Adriaen's Landing was proposed for the Phoenix-owned riverfront property, the very same year that Gov. John Rowland stepped in to cut a deal with the New England Patriots by promising a new stadium for them at the same location. That year was 1998."

http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_070305.asp

From trailblazing to disaster preparedness, South Central Connecticut town leaders are reaching across municipal borders to collaborate on mutually beneficial projects.

http://www.conntact.com/article_page.lasso?id=40067

7/10/06

Making the most of the Springfield Connection


http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-plchosley0702.artjul02,0,4876461.story?coll=hc-headlines-commentary

The more sharing between hartford and springfield, the better!

Here's an "interactive" map of Hartford's present developments...

Not that great, but the best I could find...

http://www.courant.com/extras/flash/cranes0306.html

BTW: Great. This is a sticky.

While not a real development in building terms, this will benefit Hartford's downtown...

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-travjobs0725.artjul25,0,2444550.story?coll=hc-headlines-local

Insurer Adding 600 Jobs
July 25, 2006
By DIANE LEVICK, Courant Staff Writer

In a boon to the Insurance City, The St. Paul Travelers Cos. plans to add about 500 jobs in Hartford and more than 100 others in Windsor, and is launching a major office renovation and expansion project to house the growing workforce.

With business and profits growing, the insurer is expected to add the jobs over the next two years and to put some employees in a sixth downtown location - the landmark Gold Building at One Financial Plaza.

The Connecticut Development Authority approved $2 million in state sales tax relief last week on materials and equipment that Travelers will need for its expansion and renovation program.

The authority estimated the program will cost Travelers $66.6 million, though the company would only say Monday that it expects to spend "tens of millions of dollars." The tax relief was granted in return for the pledge of jobs, which will be created here and not moved from Travelers' offices in other states.

Travelers already has more than 6,300 employees in Connecticut - 6,100 of them in downtown Hartford - and company spokeswoman Marlene Ibsen said the new jobs in Hartford will be largely "professional-level, solid, good-paying jobs." Many will be management level.

Ibsen said the wide range of new local jobs will include claims handling, information technology projects, underwriting and actuarial positions.

Travelers' job growth may help support some of the new upscale housing development in Hartford and adds momentum to the reinvigoration of the city's renowned insurance industry.

"When things are bad in the industry, they're really bad, but when things are great, they're really great," said Barbara Fernandez, director of the state's new Insurance and Financial Services Business Development Office. "This industry is getting its wind back."

Lincoln National Corp. said recently it will cut 75 Hartford jobs this year, and CIGNA has eliminated a few hundred Connecticut positions this year. But other insurers, including Aetna and The Hartford Financial Services Group, have been increasing - at least modestly - their Connecticut workforces.

Travelers chose Hartford for the new jobs because most of its core insurance operations are based here and Connecticut has a good-quality labor pool, Ibsen said.

"We have a long history here," Ibsen said. "We have a great relationship with the state of Connecticut. We've got a strong commitment to the city of Hartford, and we think it makes sense for our business."

The creation of jobs is welcome in Hartford after an undisclosed number of layoffs that resulted from Travelers' April 2004 merger with The St. Paul Cos.

The companies had a combined workforce of 5,909 people in Connecticut before the merger and promised to have at least that many two years after the merger. The workforce has grown about a net 400 jobs since then, despite layoffs that included about 100 information technology employees earlier this year.

The company had said in January it planned to add 1,000 jobs nationwide this year, but didn't say how many would be in Hartford.

Travelers, a property-casualty insurer that covers homes, cars and businesses, has been doing well and adding customers. The company reported in May an 18 percent jump in first-quarter operating profits, a higher earnings forecast for 2006 and a dividend increase for shareholders.

Travelers' expansion project includes the previously reported claims-training and handling center at 99 Lamberton Road in Windsor. The company leased more than 110,000 square feet there to create a "claim university," which will bring in adjusters and other personnel from around the country. The center will feature actual crashed and burned vehicles for training.

Travelers has started a claim call-in center at the Windsor site, and also plans a special drive-in claim center there where customers can bring damaged but drivable vehicles.

In Hartford, where Travelers currently has five office sites, the company is expected to occupy some space in the Gold Building, though no lease has been signed yet. The company already leases about 150,000 square feet in State House Square, where it has about 300 employees, and is considering leasing more space there.

In addition, Travelers plans to renovate space for more efficient use of its well-known Travelers Tower building at 700 Main St. and the Plaza Building at 50 Prospect St. Travelers also occupies space at Connecticut River Plaza at 450 Columbus Blvd.

Judd Everhart, a spokesman for Gov. M. Jodi Rell, said Travelers' job news "clearly demonstrates that our efforts to partner with companies committed to growing in Connecticut are paying off. And it's very encouraging that St. Paul Travelers is looking for additional space downtown."

Fernandez, citing Travelers' rescue of the annual PGA Tour event in Cromwell and plans for new jobs, said, "I just think this is affirmation for the industry and the city."

Contact Diane Levick at dlevick@courant.com.

"The Griffin Line, again ironically, was killed the very same year that Adriaen's Landing was proposed for the Phoenix-owned riverfront property, the very same year that Gov. John Rowland stepped in to cut a deal with the New England Patriots by promising a new stadium for them at the same location. That year was 1998."

http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documents/downtowndevelopment/htfd_courant_070305.asp

Probably because of different priorities back then, in the time of $1.20/gallon gas...something like this would not be as shut out as today, and it could still be used...

Sure, the commuter rail would have a bus link to Bradley, but it would go down the Amtrak rails, which are largely isolated...and LRT that would go to the North End, Bloomfield, and Windsor would help so much....better instead.

I would not mind going down here, instead of using a car all the way up.

THere was talk of The Griffin Line in the early to late 90's

http://www.fta.dot.gov/17304_17439_ENG_Printable.htm


if u liked that look at this
http://www.clf.org/general/index.asp?id=523

Suburban Glastonbury is planning a new town center, to replicate West Hartford...

Rising Site Seeks Destination Status In Glastonbury
July 25, 2006

By MAYA RAO, Courant Staff Writer A once-drab area in the center of Glastonbury is receiving a makeover that could encourage some of the success that West Hartford Center now enjoys.

The corner of Hebron Avenue and New London Turnpike was once home to a jumble of dreary-looking buildings and parking lots. In their place is now rising a $12 million retail and office development that many hope will create a true destination in the center of town for shopping, dining and spending time.

The first of three buildings in the 90,000-square-foot Eric Towne Center is now under construction, a three-story, brick-and-granite structure that will house shops, restaurants and offices.

The project, slated for completion in May 2007, will eventually have three buildings, two combining retail and office and a third with a drive-through Starbucks, plus 200 parking spaces - some underground - and a courtyard.

It is the first major project in Glastonbury in years that mixes retail and office, local officials said.

Along with the opening of the Hilton Homewood Suites in Somerset Square in June and plans to renovate the Fox Run Mall nearby, construction of Eric Towne, named after the developer's deceased father, is expected to revitalize the local economy.

At the very least, the development's storefronts could inject a bit of pizzazz into a corner where parking lots have long dominated the landscape. So far, in the building now going up, an upscale wine shop and an Elizabeth Grady Spa have signed leases. The names of restaurants have not been announced.

It also is hoped that the development will encourage people to stay in Glastonbury, rather than go outside town for food and entertainment.

"We designed this whole plaza so that all retail spaces are facing traffic," said architect Doug Rosen of Rosen Associates in Mansfield.

Although Glastonbury has been studying the success of West Hartford's downtown, the developer said he is not trying to strictly replicate West Hartford Center. But he does want to build a destination point in the center of town, something Glastonbury has lacked.

"It's definitely going to set a new standard for retail space in that area. It'll be the nicest building around there by far. ... It's going to have a look that I think the town is striving for," said commercial real estate broker Bobby Gaucher of O,R&L.

The buildings in the development will be clustered around a courtyard with a fountain, resting spots and more parking spaces. The storefronts will face Hebron Avenue and New London Turnpike.

Rosen said that he had designed the complex with "new urbanism" in mind - that is, a place where "people can shop, live and work in the same place."

The first 43,000-square-foot building and parking lot, now under construction, will open in October. The building is expected to have four office tenants on the second and third floors, in addition to the shops and restaurants at ground level, developer Allan Schwartz said. Schwartz declined to name the office tenants or restaurants. The parking lot will have two levels, one underground. Schwartz declined to say whether the center would charge for parking.

A second, 7,000-square-foot building will open in November and include a Starbucks and an ice cream shop.

The third building, at 40,000 square feet and facing New London Turnpike and Rankin Road, will open in May. Its third floor will have an outside patio restaurant and bar area overlooking the turnpike, and the same mix of retail and office tenants.

And to the west of the development on Hebron Avenue, the Luna Pizza restaurant will add a patio, linking it to Eric Towne.

Retail space will rent for $28 a square foot, and that falls at the high end of the range for the rest of Glastonbury, where retail space goes for anywhere between $20 and $28 a square foot, depending on the location and quality of the property, according to commercial real estate broker Tim McNamara of SullivanHayes Cos. in Farmington.

Gaucher and McNamara said they think sufficient demand exists to fill the office and retail space.

"Glastonbury is very sought-after. ... It's got a strong population base with a lot of disposable income," McNamara said.

Schwartz purchased the property in 1998 and developed a proposal for the pedestrian-friendly district in 2003, which the planning and zoning commission approved unanimously in August 2005. Construction began in November 2005.

A total of 40,000 square feet of old buildings are being razed to make room for the plaza.

"There will be more dollars staying in town, higher property taxes because the value of new construction will be worth more, and new employees coming into the office space," community development director Kenith Leslie said.

Owners and employees in the businesses across the street said they hope to receive a boost from increased foot traffic in the neighborhood.

"We're hoping it'll draw a little more attention our way," said Tony Mancino, a barber at Independent Towne Barber Shop.

Contact Maya Rao at mrao@courant.com.

if u liked that look at this
http://www.clf.org/general/index.asp?id=523

yah i posted that on urbanplanet.

Unfortunately, the article is so old the the pics/maps have been removed.

CDA Helps Travelers Expand & Renovate Hartford Area Facilities

http://www.ctcda.com/cdaNews/newsView.asp?NewsID=44


Rocky Hill, CT, July 20, 2006:

The Board of Directors of the Connecticut Development Authority (CDA) yesterday approved up to $2.0 million of financial assistance to Travelers Indemnity Company for the renovation and expansion of its four Hartford facilities and a new facility in Windsor. The project will help the Travelers Indemnity Company retain and expand its Connecticut workforce.

CDA’s assistance will be in the form of sales tax relief, which will exempt Travelers from Connecticut Sales Tax on the company's investment in materials and equipment related to the $66.6 million renovation and expansion.

The company’s investment in facilities is driven by its need to accommodate its growing workforce.

A new National Claims Training Center and a Catastrophe Response Call Center will be located at 99 Lamberton Road in Windsor. The company’s Hartford facilities are located at 50 Prospect Street, 700 Main Street, State House Square and One Financial Plaza.

The Connecticut Development Authority provides debt financing and investment capital to help businesses grow in Connecticut. To learn more about the CDA, please visit www.ctcda.com.

yah i posted that on urbanplanet.

Unfortunately, the article is so old the the pics/maps have been removed.

yea i know..i remember lookin at it over there.

Is the hartford Pop. +/- in the last few years?

Is the hartford Pop. +/- in the last few years?

Hartford's population is stagnant.

Growing 0.2% between 2000-03. But better than the -11.4 drop in the nineties, which was increased because of heavy demolishment of public housing.

The Metro however, is growing. Even though it grew only 2.2% in the nineties, it is growing faster now...3.4 percent in five years. Although still low, it is actually growing faster than most metros in the Northeast. But most of the growth is in sprawl in the suburbs.

Hey, a new reason to go to the casino...

Link: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-ctbriefs0727.artjul27,0,890043.story?coll=hc-headlines-business

Foxwoods Offers Deal For Gasoline

July 27, 2006

Gamblers at Foxwoods Resort Casino stood in line for hours Tuesday for the opportunity to exchange points earned on their casino cards for gasoline.

Customers can earn a casino "Wampum" point for every $90 they gamble at the casino. Under a promotion being run Tuesday and Wednesday, Foxwoods was exchanging each point earned for a dollar's worth of gas.

With gas prices averaging $3.23 a gallon in Connecticut, customers said it was worth the three-hour wait to get hold of the cards, which can be used at Exxon and Mobil stations.

Judy Kelly, 51, of Franklin, Mass., said she drove to the casino just for the promotion. She and her husband were hoping to get $850 put onto a gas card. The casino limit for a single player is $500.

The casino had planned to give the cards out at its Wampum Rewards Store, at which points are normally exchanged for merchandise. But three other sites were soon opened to handle the lines.

The casino also will offer the promotion on two days in August.

But most of the growth is in sprawl in the suburbs.

most?

possibly all!

most?

possibly all!

In developments, Hartford is still king, but not in population growth...

...and it isn't even in the inner suburbs, like West or East Hartford or New Britain...

Have you ever been to South Windsor/Vernon/Tolland? That's where the growth is...

In developments, Hartford is still king, but not in population growth...

...and it isn't even in the inner suburbs, like West or East Hartford or New Britain...

Have you ever been to South Windsor/Vernon/Tolland? That's where the growth is...

yah, I live in manchester near where vernon/bolton/s.windsor all meet, 2 seconds from buckland.

every time i turn my head some new box store or condo is going up..crazy

yah, I live in manchester near where vernon/bolton/s.windsor all meet, 2 seconds from buckland.

every time i turn my head some new box store or condo is going up..crazy

Don't even get me started on Buckland, I used to work there, and this was pre-car...

Lot of nice condos and apartments being built in that area, though....

Don't even get me started on Buckland, I used to work there, and this was pre-car...

Lot of nice condos and apartments being built in that area, though....
what do you mean pre car

what do you mean pre car

Before I got a car, and had to take the bus from Hartford to Buckland...

40 minutes for like 4 miles... :bash:

More good economic news for Hartford, bringing more jobs to downtown, but too bad it is to Middletown's expense...

I'd rather see new jobs, but Aetna reported a loss, so this is good news...and it helps that ING is planning to move to East Hartford, so balances that loss..

Sorry about the size... :)



Aetna Moving 3,600 Workers

Coming To Hartford From Middletown

July 29, 2006
By DIANE LEVICK And KENNETH R. GOSSELIN, Courant Staff Writers In more good news for Hartford and its insurance industry, Aetna said Friday it will bring about 3,600 workers to the city from its Middletown office by 2010 as part of a $219 million renovation and consolidation project.

Aetna, which has about 2,800 employees in Hartford now, expects the transfers to increase its workforce in the city to as many as 6,400 people by 2010.

A new nine-level Flower Street parking garage and renovations to its headquarters buildings are part of the project.

The move - rumored for months - is the result of ING Group's decision to vacate the Tower Building at Farmington Avenue and Flower Street, which ING leases from Aetna. The Dutch insurer, whose lease expires at the end of 2007, plans to transfer 2,000 employees to a $100 million building under construction in Windsor.

Aetna expects to leave 150 to 200 employees in the data center it owns at the Middletown complex beyond 2010. Hundreds of workers now at the complex would move to one or more undetermined locations in Connecticut.

Aetna's upcoming move of jobs to Hartford is certainly a "strong vote of confidence" in the city, said Edward J. Deak, an economics professor at Fairfield University. "It helps to reinforce Hartford, if not as the Insurance Capital, at least as an important player in the industry."

The company's decision to keep the jobs in Connecticut rather than moving them elsewhere is good news too for the state, which has struggled to keep, let alone create, new jobs, Deak said.

"Not only will good-paying jobs be retained and added in Hartford, but the projects Aetna is undertaking will provide new construction work as well," Gov. M. Jodi Rell said.

Middletown officials said the move isn't a surprise, but raises uncertainty about how easily the jobs can be replaced and what will become of the complex, which was built for $145 million on a 287-acre parcel and opened in 1983.

Aetna is considering redeveloping the Middletown site after its lease on the main building expires in 2010. The company owns the land, and one possibility is to buy the 1.3 million square-foot building, tear it down, and build something else.

Company spokesman Fred Laberge said no decisions have been made, and he declined to speculate on what might replace the Middletown building if it were demolished.

Aetna, which has been growing since a successful financial turnaround, has been consolidating office space around the country to reduce expenses and help protect profit margins.

News of Aetna's boost for Hartford employment follows The St. Paul Travelers Cos.' confirmation on Monday that it will add 500 jobs in the Insurance City and another 100 in Windsor over the next two years.

The jobs Aetna is bringing to Hartford are existing positions. However, the company has added more than 400 jobs in Connecticut over the past three years and said it could increase employment here even more if business continues to grow.

In connection with the Middletown move, Aetna will get about $9 million in tax relief from the state in return for a pledge to keep at least 7,000 employees in the state for five years.

That is fewer than the 7,700 employees Aetna currently has in Connecticut. Aetna's Laberge assured "that doesn't signal anything," such as layoffs. "This agreement provides for a minimum threshold. It's not a target," he said.

Aetna has about 4,500 employees in Middletown and about 300 workers there from IBM under an outsourcing contract. With 3,600 people moving to Hartford and up to 200 staying in Middletown, the company will still need to seek space for up to 1,000 others. They will stay in Connecticut, but it isn't known yet where they will be.

Aetna also has about 350 employees in Windsor and 100 in Norwalk.

The company is Middletown's largest taxpayer by far, paying $194.5 million in personal-property taxes in 2005. Aetna noted that its data center, which the company is keeping there, represents nearly half of the taxes it pays to Middletown.

Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said Friday, "We're going to feel this, but if they keep the data center - there's a lot of value there. They'll remain one of our big taxpayers."

Giuliano voiced hope that workers would leave Middletown gradually, and that there wouldn't be a mass exodus as 2010 approaches.

"The quicker we can get a marketing plan ready, the less of an impact it's going to have on us," Giuliano said. "This is a great location that will be desirable for many commercial uses, but if they move 3,000 people, that's going to be difficult to replace."

Aetna said the move of Middletown employees will be gradual, starting in 2009 and accelerating with the approach of its lease expiration.

The Middletown building "is designed for a single user, so something would have to be done to it" if it is to be marketed to other prospective tenants, said Lawrence McHugh, president of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce. "We'll see how it shakes out."

McHugh said well over 1,000 of the Aetna workers live in Middlesex County and would likely remain after the workforce shift. "The commute's nothing - 15 minutes," he said.

Many of the employees will be moved to Aetna's Tower Building in Hartford, which ING is vacating, while others will occupy extra space in Aetna's older headquarters building on Farmington Avenue.

As part of the project, Aetna will build a parking garage on the east side of Flower Street in 2007-08 with room for about 1,200 cars. Aetna has arranged to buy small pieces of property from The Hartford Financial Services Group and the YWCA for the garage. A pedestrian bridge over Flower Street is proposed to connect the garage with the Tower building.

By 2009, Aetna expects to demolish and rebuild its existing corporate ramp garage.

In addition, Aetna struck a deal with the city of Hartford so it can expand its surface parking. Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez said Aetna will pay the city about $1.2 million to wipe out the tax liens on the Hawthorn and Laurel Street lots and will then buy them at a discount.

The city first approached Aetna about 18 months ago to talk about options for expanding in the city, which included the city-owned parking areas that were part of Friday's announcement.

Thirty-six hundred jobs "is a great number, and my hope is that we can get other companies to do this," Perez said. "This is a confidence builder for other companies. If Aetna does it, other companies might do it, too."

Courant Staff Writers Jeffrey B. Cohen and Josh Kovner contributed to this story.

Contact Diane Levick at dlevick@courant.com.

Even though I posted this story earlier in the beginning of the thread, the heat is on for Bradley to expand... :guns1:

Plan Calls For New Terminal At Bradley

FAA's On Board As Airport Anticipates Dramatic Growth

July 29, 2006

By ERIC GERSHON, Courant Staff Writer With passenger traffic at Bradley

International Airport expected to grow dramatically in the next two decades, the state on Friday received federal approval for its latest airport development plan, which proposes replacing the obsolete Murphy Terminal.

The total cost for all projects in the plan could exceed $500 million, according to the draft submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration.

A long-contemplated new terminal could be finished by 2014, according to Richard Jaworski, the state's head of aviation and ports.

Under the plan, approved by the FAA, Bradley would increase the number of arrival and departure gates, reserving at least two slots for international flights. Attracting airline service to Europe is one of the airport's major goals.

The airport also would build a 3,500-space parking garage next to one of similar size that opened in 2001.

Officials described the development plan projects as preliminary and said changes in the economy could force revisions. But they have begun seeking a consultant to help evaluate the most appropriate size, location and design of new facilities, and to prepare better cost estimates. The master plan's "preferred alternative" would put a new terminal west of the existing Terminal A, in space now occupied by the Murphy Terminal, or Terminal B, which was completed in 1952.

"The biggest factor is going to be the financial end of the project," said L. Scott Frantz, chairman of Bradley's board of directors. "It's critical that we live within our means."

According to the draft, which was provided by the Department of Transportation, the projects suggested in the master plan would be funded in part by general revenue bonds - meaning they would be paid back by airport-generated revenue. The bond issues would require approval of the State Bond Commission, which is headed by the governor.

Like most U.S. airports, Bradley lost passenger volume after 9/11. Recently, however, passenger growth at the airport has exploded, increasing last year by more than 9 percent, an all-time record. This contrasts with the national average of 3 percent to 4 percent, said Stephen Van Beek, vice president for policy at Airports Council International, a trade group.

By 2022, the number of people boarding planes annually at Bradley is expected to rise above six million. That compares with 3.7 million in 2005, according to figures provided by the airport. In that same period, Southwest Airlines alone is expected to more than triple the number of scheduled departures it had at the end of last year, the draft plan shows.

Jaworski said it would be "irresponsible" not to prepare for these expectations.

Given Bradley's impact on the Connecticut economy, particularly in the Hartford region, service improvements make sense, said Fred Carstensen, director of UConn's Center for Economic Analysis.

"You want the quickest way to generate job growth in Connecticut?" he said. "Upgrade Bradley."

One million new passengers a year would translate into 10,000 new jobs in the state, he said.

But Carstensen questions the degree to which new terminal facilities would drive passenger volume. Persuading air carriers to offer scheduled service to Europe is a better bet, he said, adding that additional runways are more likely to entice them. The latest master plan calls for no new runways by 2022.

Others emphasize that travelers have come to expect airports to offer amenities - a variety of stores and conveniences, even some luxury services - along with reasonable fares and frequent departures to numerous destinations. Those that do could win passengers from competing airports.

"If you lived in New London or Willington, you might be debating, `Do I go to Providence or Hartford?'" said David Kilbon, East Granby's first selectman and a member of Bradley's board. "We want to make sure that people that are weighing that decision decide in Bradley's favor."

Contact Eric Gershon at egershon@courant.com.

Blue-back square construction in progress in West Hartford...

http://www.west-hartford.com/BlueBackSquare/images/FullSize/4thwkjul2006.jpg

Commuter rail coming back to Hartford and Springfield...:soon:

Commuter Rail Poised For Comeback
State Aiming Toward 2011 Start Date

July 30, 2006
Associated Press With no commuter rail service in central Connecticut, Dan Haim takes Amtrak to work most days.

He leaves his car in Hartford and takes a 46-minute train ride to the New Haven station, just a quick walk from his job at the city's education department.

Connecticut is counting on dedicated rail riders such as Haim as plans progress to offer weekday commuter rail service between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield for the first time in more than 35 years.

"I know it's going to take time, but I really do think it's going to happen," said Haim, who pays $252 for his monthly Amtrak pass. "It makes sense in so many ways."

The General Assembly included $146 million for the project in a recent $2.3 billion transportation package, a move seen by rail enthusiasts as a good first step.

Connecticut officials and their western Massachusetts counterparts believe the commuter line could ease highway congestion and create jobs by boosting the region's economic development.

It's 64 miles from Springfield to New Haven, and can take longer than an hour to make the trek down I-91.

No firm start dates for the service have been set, although state leaders are aiming for sometime in 2011. They envision trains running every 30 minutes during rush hour, with about 2,400 daily riders by 2025.

An editorial on the renovation of the Hartford Public Library...

Library Fulfills Promise Of Renewal
July 30, 2006


Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago has espoused a straightforward philosophy about running his city: Take care of schools, parks and libraries, and all else will follow.

Libraries, did you ask? Definitely. Smart civic leaders all over the country know they have to invest in these essential public institutions. Daley has built or fully renovated an astounding 45 libraries in the city, including the spectacular Harold Washington Library Center. If you've been to Chicago lately, it's doing quite well. Seattle, Denver, San Antonio and a host of other cities have also opened grand libraries.

And so, finally, will Hartford.

The Hartford Public Library expansion and renovation has been going on for so long - the first plan was in 1995 - that I began to think it would be, like the Cross Bronx Expressway, something that was always under construction. I'm happy to report I'm wrong. Much of the two-phase $42 million project will be done by the end of the summer, and the cafe and bookstore, along with some exterior work, will be finished by January.

I went through the building last week with chief librarian Louise Blalock.

The original 1957 building was an engineering marvel, built on steel trusses at 500 Main St. over the Whitehead-Conland Highway. For that it was a dull box of a building, not involved, easy to miss.

On the inside, the building had a heavy and compartmentalized feel to it. The ceilings were low. Nothing was easily connected to anything else. Half the collection was in closed stacks. The building said nothing about the joy of reading.

The new project's architects, Fletcher Harkness Cohen Moneyhun of Boston and Sevigny Architects of Hartford, took on both challenges. The first phase of the project was an addition to the back of the building, with a parking deck. Phase 2 was a remodeling of the original building. The project adds 45,000 square feet to the original 100,000 square feet of floor space, which means that the entire collection will now be open and accessible.

The interior space is a triumph. By using a lot of glass and a major interior atrium, the building has been opened up and organized. It feels taller and lighter. The children's room, already open in the new part of the building, is bright, airy and inviting, and indeed is drawing large crowds of youngsters. The central atrium with an interesting cantilevered staircase is a focal point, connecting the various parts of the building. The library will have more rooms for classes, meetings, reading, writing and special collections.

The major exterior statement is a slanted glass atrium on the front of the building that seems to bring the library closer to Main Street. With the plaza that is still under construction, it will now be impossible to miss the library. The building has been opened to the point where one can stand in front and look through it, to the treetops on the East Hartford side of the Connecticut River.

"We were a ho-hummer, but we're about to be a landmark," Blalock said. I don't know if I'm ready to go that far just yet, but she may be right. The library now occupies an entire city block. It has a presence.

Three issues. One, the front atrium is a huge expanse of glass. It faces the afternoon sun, which could turn the building into a giant parked car and challenge the air-conditioning system. Blalock hopes to have special screens to solve the problem, if there's money in the budget. There needs to be.

Then there's parking. The library's parking deck is unfortunately right across the street from the entrance to city hall. What the city has done is put meters on the spaces except for spots it's saved for city council members and city officials, including the mayor's staff. The mayor's staff cannot walk one short block from the city lot on Sheldon Street? Not only do they need the exercise, but the exercise might inspire more vigorous thinking than is evident in the parking plan. We have to keep nine spots vacant all day on the chance that council members might show up? Note: None of the library staff parks there.

The better way to do it would be a gate-controlled system that gave first priority to library patrons, let the public in and let council members park for free as needed.

Finally, the library is sometimes used by homeless people, especially during the colder months, and this makes some other patrons uncomfortable. Most of the homeless behave themselves; some read, some play chess. Blalock's staff is trained to deal with anyone who comes in.

The library should be open to everyone, but it shouldn't have to run an adult day-care center. This is yet another reason supportive housing for the city's homeless population would be a good idea, as would more daytime programs for shelter residents.

Some years ago I saw a century-old photograph of the Seward Park Branch of the New York Public Library in Lower Manhattan. There were immigrant children, mostly Jewish, lined up around the block, waiting to take out books. I had never seen the case for libraries made more eloquently. The new Hartford Public Library is cause for celebration.

Tom Condon is the editor of Place. He can be reached at tcondon@courant.com.

If possible, can some put articles of development of other cities in CT?

While I put articles on Hartford, this is not the Hartford Development Thread, there are more developments happening all over the state...

Either that, or I will put them myself...I want to keep this thread going....

Hartford's desire to have a NHL team strengthens! :banana:

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-cthockey0803.artaug03,0,4297924.story?coll=hc-headlines-local

Hockey Dream Won't Die

August 3, 2006

By JEFFREY B. COHEN, Courant Staff Writer The man who was the runner-up to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins says he is "still determined to bring hockey back to Hartford" and is actively looking into two other hockey teams.

"We are still determined to bring NHL hockey back to Hartford," Gottesdiener said, adding that his work on two other NHL teams is "preliminary" and that he isn't sure if either can be moved.

"I don't think this was a setback for Hartford," Gottesdiener said of the failed attempt at the Penguins. Buying the team would have gotten him in the NHL door, but - since the Penguins will likely stay in Pittsburgh - it wouldn't have brought hockey to Hartford anytime soon, he said. "If our core objective was to bring pro sports back to Hartford, it wasn't going to happen with this team at this time."

But there's still the problem of the arena, he said. Citing a state consultant's report that said a major league team would need a new arena at $300 million to $400 million, Gottesdiener said "Hartford's not ready for professional sports today."

Gottesdiener's Northland Investment Corp. has more than $500 million invested in downtown Hartford. He has proposed replacing the Civic Center with a $250 million downtown arena and has pitched his plan to legislative and gubernatorial representatives.

Now that Pittsburgh is off the table, other potential targets are teams with low attendance numbers, including the New York Islanders, the Nashville Predators, the Atlanta Thrashers and the Florida Panthers.

While he pursues a team, it's up to community and political leaders to decide if the will exists to pay for an arena, Gottesdiener said.

Last month, House Speaker James Amann, D-Milford, hosted a discussion with representatives from the city, UConn and the business community to talk about the potential for an arena.

"There was no one in that room that stood up and said, `Are you out of your mind?" Amann said Wednesday.

Amann added that two other people have continued to express interest in bringing hockey to Hartford - one he wouldn't name, the other is former Whalers' owner Howard Baldwin.

Although preliminary meetings have shown that there is support for the idea of a new arena, Amann said Mayor Eddie A. Perez must declare his intentions on the matter.

"The day that the mayor stands up at a public venue making the statement that we need a new facility in Hartford, and here is my vision for what that's going to be - that's what needs to be done," Amann said.

Matt Hennessy, Perez's chief of staff, said the mayor wants a facility that will attract an NHL franchise. "Now, can the city of Hartford afford that?" Hennessy asked. "No, the city doesn't have the resources."

Contact Jeffrey B. Cohen at jcohen@courant.com.

A discussion of this story with Courant Staff Writer Jeffrey Cohen is scheduled to be shown on New England Cable News each hour today between 9 a.m. and noon.

Its a one-man show here, oh well...onward!

Link: http://www.hbjournal.com/

Puttin in the Fritz

By Jonathan O’Connell
joconnell@hbjournal.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The name that may be the key to Hartford’s future as a welcoming city isn’t Larry Gottesdeiner, Eddie Perez or Michael Wilson, but Fitzgerald Heslop.

Gottesdeiner may control most of downtown’s real estate, Perez may be the mayor and Wilson may set the stage for theatre goers. But Heslop is the man who, every day, hundreds of tourists and convention-goers turn to for advice about the best Hartford has to offer.

And Heslop says he’s not about to give out bad advice.

In the Hartford Hilton’s lobby, where Heslop, a Hartford native and Weaver High School alumnus, is the new concierge, all the keys to a Hartford resurgence — the convention center, restaurants and arts attractions — come together.

By making recommendations to hundreds of guests each week, Heslop serves as the field general for city officials and planners who preach the importance of convention center-related business and foot traffic.

His work in that role was on display last week when he hosted a cocktail party, tour and dinner for managers and owners of local restaurants. Heslop designed his own invitations, delivering each one by hand and hiring a violinist he’d seen playing in Bushnell Park to greet guests.

He believes that greater attention to service — put in place through cooperation with restaurants — can change people’s minds about Hartford, one hotel guest at a time.

“These people come in on a Monday,” he said. “By Thursday, they’re family.”

His mission to improve service is much more than a job for him. At the start of June he was an unemployed 24-year-old graduate of Nashville’s Fisk University, back at home. But while sitting in Morty & Ming’s restaurant on the Hilton’s ground floor one day, he discussed an idea he had for a magazine focused specifically on service and class. Hilton’s assistant general manager overheard him, and Heslop was hired later that day.

Obsessed With Quality

His new role allows him to unleash his obsession full-time.

Because he wants his guests to always feel at home, he expects the restaurants he recommends to meet the same standards as Hilton staff: phones should be answered within three rings; tables should be neatly and tastefully set; questions ought to be answered with understanding tones and helpful answers. And not only does Heslop ask his guests for feedback upon their return, but he sometimes follows them to a place he recommended so he can see for himself the presentation of the menu, the volume of the music, the time it takes for the salads to arrive.

He doesn’t pretend to be a food critic; what he cares about is service.

“What I am qualified to speak to is what our customers’ experience has been like. That’s what I’m looking for. If you’re in the restaurant business, you should be preparing good food,” he said.

Vying For Attention

The restaurants that can keep up make it to Heslop’s list of places he will recommend. A spot on the list, which 22 restaurants now enjoy, is better advertising than money can buy. Every night the hotel’s 393 rooms hold more than 400 people, and Hilton General Manger Robert Sighinolfi believes about 300 of those go elsewhere to eat, often on Heslop’s recommendation.

As Hugh Russell, owner of The Russell, a nearby restaurant and jazz spot, put it: “It’s been very helpful to get to know Fitz. He’s sent a lot of customers our way.”

Other restaurant owners and retailers have clearly also taken note. For instance, Tuesday’s Clothing, on Asylum Street, recently re-opened nearly an hour after closing when Heslop called with a guest in need of clothes for the next day. Need a spa appointment when there are no openings? Heslop can get you one (he did for Madonna’s tour manager).

A knack for connecting with people would likely have served Heslop well no matter what his career path. A political science major and former aide to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, he once debated on a CNN program. In June he served as Weaver High School’s commencement speaker, encouraging students from his former school to work hard toward their goals, whatever they may be. So politics or public speaking may be in his future, but for the moment, Heslop is worried about what he will say when his next guest walks in and asks, What good ever came from Hartford?

There may be no one more qualified to answer.

Ah Hartford, some of my best memories and some of my worst. :cheers:

^^ Worst...how?

^^ Worst...how?

Nothing against the city, just personal experiences.

I live in CT now (Stamford) and always hear "Hartford's a pit." I've driven through like 3 times. What's the city like compared to Stamford?

Compared to Stamford, Hartford is a pit...

Hartford is okay. It is certainly not a New Haven or a Stamford, but the city is okay. It has it's bombed out ghettos, it's glitzy mansions, skyscraper canyons, middle-class areas...people fail to realize that Hartford is a very diverse city, all in 17 sq mi.

Hartford, the city, has seen better days. But the metro is in it's best shape in years.

Hartford isn't Stamford, i have been there once, but really didnt get around so i wouldnt know. But From my take, Stamford is more wealthy, doesn't have the public housing it used to , and doesnt have the skyline like hartford's. But outside of Hartford, Stamford is the best skyline in CT, only second to hartford. Difference to me though between them two is this: Wealth, Crime, Population ( Stamford's population is at like 120K). Also Stamford is about 37 Sq. Mi on land so it's about twice the size of Hartford. And Hartford's importance too makes a big difference.

Hartford is in no way a pit. Hartford is a historic city with some problems, most of which are seeing positive progress being made. Hartford is very much of a bargain if you like real estate and if you are a betting man, bet on Hartford's future. Hartford in the near future will have plentiful shopping and housing Downtown and possibly a new major league quality Arena. What we have right now are the bones of a truly great American city and we are beefing up as we speak.

Hartford isn't Stamford, i have been there once, but really didnt get around so i wouldnt know. But From my take, Stamford is more wealthy, doesn't have the public housing it used to , and doesnt have the skyline like hartford's. But outside of Hartford, Stamford is the best skyline in CT, only second to hartford. Difference to me though between them two is this: Wealth, Crime, Population ( Stamford's population is at like 120K). Also Stamford is about 37 Sq. Mi on land so it's about twice the size of Hartford. And Hartford's importance too makes a big difference.

Yeah, Hartford really hurts on the land area...17 sq miles is the size of neighborhoods in some cities in the West and South.

If Hartford had even just 37 square miles, enough to add the more affluent West Hartford, then it would be in a better position.

Another thing people fail to realize, Hartford does not end at the city line. Even though the city has it's areas, and except for a few small areas in the suburbs, the Hartford metro is one of the richest metro areas in the nation.

Hartford is in no way a pit. Hartford is a historic city with some problems, most of which are seeing positive progress being made. Hartford is very much of a bargain if you like real estate and if you are a betting man, bet on Hartford's future. Hartford in the near future will have plentiful shopping and housing Downtown and possibly a new major league quality Arena. What we have right now are the bones of a truly great American city and we are beefing up as we speak.

I wholeheartedly agree... :yes:

tycoon i didnt know you posted over here too!! :)

tycoon i didnt know you posted over here too!! :)

You see I only have like 19 post over here though! LOL. I'm a rookie around here. I need to balance out my posting I guess. I usaually just lurk here and get out fast, UP looks more like a screen I would (should) be using at work.....

i am somewhat surprised that a city as rich as greenwich (is it pronounced "greenwich" or "gren-ich"?) doesn't have any highrises; or does it? i have family there and greenwich a very beautiful town. connecticut's a beautiful state in general. you guys really do take a lot of pride in this state.

i am somewhat surprised that a city as rich as greenwich (is it pronounced "greenwich" or "gren-ich"?) doen't have any highrises; or does it? i have family there and greenwich a very beautiful town. connecticut's a beautiful state in general. you guys really do take a lot of pride in this state.

NIMBYs...people come to Greenwich (Gren-ich) to escape the city lifestyle.

Ever heard of actually building a college town? Me neither....

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/realestate/09storrs.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


UConn Decides to Build Its Own College Town

By JANE GORDON
Published: August 9, 2006
STORRS, Conn. — Colleges have traditionally tempted top students with ivy-covered campuses, towering Gothic buildings and up-to-date student centers. But nowadays, there is a sense that a beautiful campus is not enough. An alluring college town is seen as necessary as well.

In Columbus, Ohio, the City Council acknowledged that in 2002 when it adopted “A Plan for High Street: Creating a 21st-Century Main Street,” which includes a $130 million mixed-use development for the two-mile stretch of the street that runs past Ohio State University. At the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, university officials announced plans in June to demolish a section of the north side of a main artery, Walnut Street, and add a $75 million development of midrise apartments and retail space.

After the state committed to spend more than $2 billion for improvements to all its campuses, the University of Connecticut decided on a sweeping project at its main campus in this hamlet in the still-rural town of Mansfield. Working with local officials, it plans to demolish the meager downtown, which looks more like a makeshift set for a Hollywood western than a New England college center, and build a town from scratch.

Construction of the development, called Storrs Center, is scheduled to begin next year. The project will include up to 300 market-rate rental housing units, up to 500 residential units for purchase, about 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 40,000 to 75,000 square feet of office space and 5,000 to 25,000 square feet of civic and community space. A town square will be at its core, mimicking the greens at the center of hundreds of New England villages.

Of the 49-acre project, just 15 acres will be developed, a little less than is currently in use. The rest will be preserved for conservation.

The development will incorporate existing town buildings and sit directly across the street from the university’s still-in-progress Fine Arts Center, designed by the architect Frank Gehry in association with Herbert S. ****** & Partners of New Haven & Partners of New Haven. The New Haven firm is also the architect for Storrs Center.

“Students came and saw there was no sense of place,” said Macon C. Toledano, the Storrs Center project manager for LeylandAlliance, a development company in Tuxedo, N.Y.

“This project offers an incredible opportunity to bring together families who live in the town, retired and working professors, and students,” Mr. Toledano said. “It depends upon appealing to this broad spectrum, and the more you do it, the more vital it will be.”

LeylandAlliance adheres to the tenets of New Urbanism, which advocates walkable neighborhoods and traditional housing.

Storrs Center has a projected cost of $165 million. On top of that, LeylandAlliance, through the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, a consortium that includes the developer, the town and the university, is seeking about 10 percent in grants from the state and the federal government. These would be used to improve Route 195, which runs past the campus; to build a municipal parking garage with about 1,000 spaces; and to help raze eight commercial buildings.

Among them is a strip mall that fronts directly on Route 195, where matchstick blinds hang from the front of a porch characterized by splintering wood and the need for several coats of varnish. “Bruces Noveltys” is lettered crudely on one display window, which otherwise allows a view of an empty interior.

Some other storefronts are also vacant. But a pizza restaurant, convenience store, travel agency and florist are still thriving there. Several stores are set into the back of the building as well, including a used-book store, a hair salon, a barber shop and a tattoo parlor.

Down the street, Cynthia van Zelm, executive director of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, and Mansfield’s mayor, Elizabeth C. Paterson, recently walked along part of the perimeter of the project.

“The idea is to change Route 195 from a highway to a main street,” Ms. Paterson said, as she watched cars whiz by.

Interest in the new development on the part of potential residents has been high, Ms. van Zelm said. “People who are ready to downsize, and who like the idea of being close to the School of Fine Arts, are interested,” she said. “The location is so great; you can walk to everything.”

The town of Mansfield hopes to gain $3 million to $4 million in property taxes annually from the project, said the town manager, Martin Berliner.

“That’s very important in a state that doesn’t provide for any other tax sources for municipalities,” Mr. Berliner said. “But also as important is providing a sense of community that we don’t have now. Providing the downtown will help the university continue to move forward.”

Historically an agricultural college, the university now has more than 16,000 undergraduates and about 6,000 graduate students. It has been trying to shed its cow-college image since 1995, when the state passed UConn 2000, a $1 billion, 10-year program to renovate the main campus and five regional campuses — Groton, West Hartford, Stamford, Torrington and Waterbury — along with the law school in Hartford and the medical center in Farmington.

An extension of that project, 21st Century UConn, added another $1 billion to construction efforts on the main campus. Victorious men’s and women’s basketball teams have bestowed a national reputation. But as cows continue to graze on the east side of Route 195, the downtown holds on to the old image.

University officials conduct a survey every two years of 9,000 undergraduate applicants who have been admitted; in any given year, about one-third attend and two-thirds decide to go elsewhere. The surveys indicate that the lack of a college town was the primary reason that students chose another university, said M. Dolan Evanovich, the vice provost for enrollment management at the university.

Mr. Evanovich believes he is a prime example of why the university needs a town. When he moved to Connecticut almost five years ago, he and his wife, Suzan, decided they wanted to raise their children in a college town and bought a house on university property.

“We found out there was a college, but no town,” Mr. Evanovich said. “It’s beyond time that Storrs should have a town.”

If you are asking about the ******, it came when I wrote New-man...

Which is oddly bleeped out when those two words are put together...odd...

Great news......the continuing growth of housing units in downtown Hartford...

..over 1,300 housing units (condos and rentals) completed, under construction, or proposed! :cheers:

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-condos0812.artaug12,0,2204152.story?coll=hc-big-headlines-breaking



High-End Condos A Lofty Ambition
Office Tower Owner Plans 50-60 Units
August 12, 2006
By JEFFREY B. COHEN, Courant Staff Writer The man who bought the Bank of America building on Main Street in Hartford wants to turn several of the office tower's upper floors into high-rise condominium units - with sweeping city vistas and river views that could help push the price as high as $300,000 or $400,000.

And he's not shy about it.

"It beats out anything that Hartford 21 has because Hartford 21 has my building in front of it," Michael Grunberg said Friday, standing on the terrace of what used to be a 26th-floor corporate dining room.

Hartford 21 is the 36-story, 262-apartment rental tower of Northland Investment Corp. scheduled to officially open Sept. 1. It is, as Grunberg sees it, his competition, but he thinks those interested in moving downtown would prefer to buy.

Grunberg, of the Manhattan firm Grunberg Realty, said he wants to spend $10 million to $15 million to convert the upper floors of the office building at 777 Main St. into 50 to 60 condos. Some units would be as small as 1,260 square feet, but Grunberg envisions building 10 or so penthouses with more than twice that much space.

"It might be a good proposal," said John F. Palmieri, the city's director of development services. "That type of development program would be consistent with the housing environment we're trying to create downtown."

In a market brimming with new or recently opened rental units, Grunberg sees a need for ownership. The list includes 262 units soon at Hartford 21; 132 units open at the old SNET building at Trumbull and Jewell streets; 100 units at Trumbull on the Park; 78 units under construction at the Sage-Allen project on Main Street; 238 units in various stages of construction at the Colt Gateway complex; and 100 units planned at the site of the old YMCA building on Bushnell Park.

"Every single person that is renting in Hartford is my market because they would all prefer to be owners if given the opportunity," he said. Rates in the city's new rental units are so high, he said, that "people are going to be able buy units of comparable size for the amount they're paying in rent."

To help research his theory, Grunberg is renting an apartment at Hartford 21. "I wanted to see the best that Hartford has so that I could obviously beat it," he said.

But Grunberg is not the only one talking about building condos downtown. In addition to the 50 units coming onto the market at the Metropolitan on Pearl Street, there are 33 luxury units planned for 101 Pearl St.; 89 condos at the old American Airlines building on Main Street; 100 units under design at the old Capewell Horse Nail Co. factory; and 200 more units to join the apartments at the old YMCA building.

John M. Clapp, a professor of real estate at the University of Connecticut, said the continued viability of the Hartford market to absorb all these new units depends, in part, on the size of the suburban empty-nester market.

"The back-to-downtown movement is fundamentally limited," Clapp said. "It doesn't mean it's not there, and certainly they're riding on a whole lot of good things happening in downtown Hartford. But it's really a question of how big the market is, and it's certainly not huge."

"At some point," he said, "they'll reach saturation."

To accomplish his goal, Grunberg needs two things. First, Bank of America, which now occupies the bottom 14 floors and four upper floors of the tower across from the Old State House, would have to consolidate its operations into the building's lower floors. A bank spokesman said the matter is still under discussion.

Second, Grunberg said he needs to get $2 million in parking assistance from the state's Capital City Economic Development Authority to expand a nearby parking garage he already owns to accommodate the need for condo residents.

The $2 million, he said, is the project's "Achilles' heel."

Grunberg formally presented his request to the authority Thursday. He's not ruling out the project if he doesn't get state money, but he's not making any promises, either.

Except, of course, the ones about the views.

The worst view, Grunberg concedes from the 26th floor, is the southern one - where residents can see their reflections in the Gold Building across the street.

The western side of the building has views of Bushnell Park, the state Capitol, Hartford 21 and the western suburbs. To the northern view is the Sage-Allen project and the winding upstream stretch of the Connecticut River.

But it's the eastern view, taking in the full sweep of the river, that Grunberg boasts about.

"This view at night is outstanding," he said.

Contact Jeffrey B. Cohen at jcohen@courant.com.

Here's a PDF file showing the recent housing developments of Downtown...

Link: http://www.ctnow.com/media/acrobat/2006-08/24849819.pdf

10 years ago...scratch that, even 4 years ago...this would be unimaginable...

While I can't talk for the whole city in all issues fixed, Downtown Hartford is rising... :scouserd:

Connecticut is becoming more of a tourist magnet aborad, one step at a time!

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-sa-visits5aug15,0,7919578.story?coll=hc-headlines-local

Foreigners' Visits To Connecticut Are Growing

August 15, 2006

By Vesna Jaksic, Staff Writer STAMFORD -- Connecticut had 205,000 visits from foreign nationals last year, including 18,000 by students and exchange visitors, 1,000 by diplomats and 315 by internationally recognized athletes or entertainers.

Visitors from the United Kingdom visited Connecticut most often, followed by Germans, Indians, French and Japanese, according to a new report from the federal Office of Immigration Statistics.

It does not paint a complete picture of foreigners' visits because it tracks only non-immigrant admissions -- meaning foreign nationals who have visas to stay temporarily and for a specific purpose, such as students and business travelers.

The statistics do not take into account most Canadian and Mexican travelers because they generally do not need to fill out the arrival and departure form on which the report is based.

Nevertheless, the report provides a breakdown of Connecticut's temporary visitors by numerous types of visas required for entry. For example, there were 315 visits by those who are "internationally recognized athletes or entertainers." More than 100 visits were by members of the foreign media and their families. Ten visits were reported by "attendants, servants or personal employees of representatives."

Connecticut has seen a steady increase in the number of visits from foreigners. In 2004, it had 199,100 non-immigrant admissions, an increase of 6 percent from 2003. The number of visitors last year is 2.5 percent higher than 2004.

Nationwide, there were 32 million admissions last year, an increase of 4 percent from the previous year. Almost half of the admissions were by residents of the United Kingdom, Mexico and Japan, according to the report.

While the number of admissions declined after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks because of fear of travel and tighter immigration policies, it stabilized in recent years, said Elizabeth Grieco from the Office of Immigration Statistics, who wrote the report.

The report tracked the number of visits, not the number of visitors. Last year, there were 32 million admissions, but 26.9 million people entered the United States because 12 percent of the visitors arrived two or more times.

David Dixon, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., a think tank, said it's important to note that the report differentiates between visits and visitors.

A major part of the national immigration debate has been how visa categories should be capped, but there has been little information on the number of visitors because most reports track only the number of visits across the borders, he said.

"They are finally recognizing that's an issue," Dixon said. "It's difficult to make caps or look at limitations on certain categories when you don't know the figure about who's here or who's coming in."

Nearly 18,000 of Connecticut's admissions last year were students and exchange visitors, according to the report.

The Institute of International Education, which tracks enrollment of foreign students, said 7,100 of them were enrolled in Connecticut's schools in 2004-05, a decrease of 7 percent from the previous year.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, foreign student enrollment nationwide has declined because of tighter immigration laws and increased global competition for students, said Ursula Oaks, a spokeswoman for the Association of International Educators in Washington, D.C.

"The trend has been flat to down slightly," she said. "We'll see what happens this year."

The number of foreign tourists visiting Connecticut is impossible to track since most arrive at airports in Boston and New York City, said Jennifer Aniskovich, executive director of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

But the number of domestic visitors has been growing steadily and is estimated at 17 million a year, she said.

Great article on this uprising of Downtown Hartford

A good read

http://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=540&articleID=332202&artnum=1

I'm tryin to get some more info, but Stamford never releases anything it seems. Has no good skyline pics, no info on developments, i never can find a real good article. But i'l keep trying. I gotta post and hlep my man out, since he's the only one keepin the thread alive.

^^ Hartford is not easy as well, but the Hartford Courant website usually has a few development articles now and then...

Hope you find some!

Great article on this uprising of Downtown Hartford

A good read

http://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=540&articleID=332202&artnum=1

Blink, GREAT READ! :)

STAMFORD -- Four-hundred-foot-high twin towers would soar above the Atlantic Street post office if the city approves an application filed Friday to build a Ritz-Carlton hotel and condominiums.

Developers Thomas Rich and Louis Cappelli have proposed building the two 39-story towers on 4.4 acres owned separately by the U.S. Postal Service and the St. John Urban Development Corp. The land includes two low-income apartment towers, which would remain.



Advertisement


Including the post office and a vacant retail complex that would be demolished, the new development would take up about 3 acres. The buildings would be 105 feet taller than the 295-foot high Landmark Tower.

Rich and Cappelli, who also have proposed the 34-story Trump Parc condominium tower at Washington Boulevard and Broad Street, said in June that they had an agreement with Ritz-Carlton to build in Stamford, but would not disclose the site.

It was clear to most observers that the post office site -- where Rich has previously proposed office buildings and a Marriott Residence Inn, and where Houston-based Hines Interests also had proposed an office building -- was the location.

Under the development plan, one of the two towers would occupy the northeastern corner of the site, near the corner of Atlantic Street and Tresser Boulevard and be separated from the post office building by a landscaped plaza and main entrance.

The other tower would face Federal Street, west of the post office and north of the UBS complex.

The two buildings would include 198 hotel rooms and 289 condominiums, with a new post office facing Tresser Boulevard, and 64,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. Thirty of the hotel rooms might be operated as hotel-condominiums,

The historic 1916 post office building, which included letter boxes built by Yale & Towne and bronze work by Tiffany & Co., would be restored and turned into a space for special events, but its 1939 addition would be razed to make way for a second plaza entrance on Federal Street.

The Zoning Board has approved tall buildings on the site -- and plans that included demolition of the 1939 post office addition -- before. The Hines office tower would have risen to 350 feet, and Rich's second office tower proposal -- floated to attract the Royal Bank of Scotland as a tenant -- would have reached 375.

Preservationists fought unsuccessfully to preserve the 1939 addition at the time, arguing that at least the facade should remain.

The board can't stop demolition of the Renaissance Revival post office and the addition, which are on the National Register of Historic Places, but it can decide whether to grant a historic preservation bonus that the developers are seeking to add square footage.

If the Zoning Board rejects the extra height, as it did on Trump Parc, the application includes alternate plans to build the towers 50 feet shorter.

The developers have proposed donating to the Mill River Park greenbelt project in exchange for the extra height. An idea first proposed along with the Trump Parc application, the extra 50 feet would result in a $695,000 donation to the greenbelt.

When Rich and Cappelli proposed Trump Parc, it would have risen 400 feet from the sidewalk, 70 feet higher than regulations allowed.

The board rejected the extra height on the half-acre development parcel next to Target but said it welcomed tall buildings elsewhere in the city, relaxing parking restrictions for large residential buildings and raising the downtown height limit from 330 feet to 350 feet.

Rich didn't provide a construction schedule for the two towers but said he and Cappelli would need nine months to complete the design and get financing after the board makes a decision.

The development plan is similar to one announced by Ritz-Carlton and Cappelli in downtown White Plains, N.Y., where Cappelli is building another hotel-condominium combination as part of his Renaissance Square development.

400ft? Great!

This thread was dead...I gotta go look for some more news, I've been lazy lately...

Downtown Development Plan Comes Into Focus



STAMFORD -- Plans filed Friday provided more details of a proposal to replace a church parking lot and 120 low-income apartments with three residential towers at a downtown crossroads.

The plan, by Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group of California, would put a massive complex of retail and residential buildings at the northeast corner of Tresser and Washington boulevards.






ALLALAKAZARCACOCTDEDCFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWY



Advertisement


The three towers would each rise at least 30 stories, containing a combined 834 condominiums and apartments atop a grocery store, parking structure, and ground floor retail shops and restaurants, according to the plans.

The 32,000-square-foot grocery store at Bell Street and Washington Boulevard -- an amenity city leaders and planning experts consider essential to attracting more residents to downtown -- would join a 28,000-square-foot health club and other retail space along three existing streets and a planned pedestrian plaza near the church and the Rich Forum theater.

Together with a planned Ritz-Carlton hotel and condominium building across Tresser Boulevard, and a pedestrian-friendly addition to the nearby Stamford Town Center, the proposed development could provide sought-after street-level activity along Tresser Boulevard, which has been assailed as a canyon full of offices but devoid of people.

The development also would eliminate 120 low-cost apartments in the cylindrical north tower of the existing housing complex, called St. John Towers.

Lowe plans to pay $23 million for the north tower to St. John Urban Development Corp. The group operates the apartment buildings under a 40-year agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to keep the rents affordable to people who make less than 80 percent of the area median income.

That agreement expires in 2010, but officials have said the revenue from the development deal will allow them to extend it for the remaining two towers.

St. John Urban Development Corp. administrators have said they cannot maintain the remaining two buildings, on the south side of Tresser Boulevard, without the proceeds from selling the northern tower and the land under it. That land would be combined with the church parking lot to create a 4.5-acre development parcel for the Lowe project.

In an unrelated agreement, the nonprofit agency also would receive lease payments from Rich-Cappelli Associates, the developers of the proposed Ritz-Carlton, for land it owns that the developers need for that project.

Similarly, officials at St. John the Evangelist Church, which owns the parking lot, have said the deal will provide money to preserve the 19th century Gothic church on Atlantic Street and its rectory next door, as well as fund the church's charitable work.

Since St. John Urban Development Corp.'s agreement with HUD expires in 2010, it could demolish and sell all three towers. Officials at the nonprofit agency have said the city's ordinance requiring replacement of every unit of government-subsidized housing does not apply to St. John Towers.

The city is not demanding one-for-one replacement of the 120 units in the north tower, though it has told St. John officials they must provide a relocation plan for every resident in the building and keep the remaining 240 apartments in the other two buildings affordable.

The agency is pursuing an agreement with HUD and the city to renovate the two southern towers and guarantee low rents there for 30 more years.

The relocation plan could involve a combination of strategies, including moving some tenants to the southern towers as units there are vacated, providing home ownership assistance, and providing as many as 20 below-market rental apartments in the new development, said Richard Redniss, a land-use consultant working for Lowe.

Officials from Lowe, the church and St. John Towers have been meeting with residents about the relocation plan, Redniss said.

In 2004, Lowe and the church announced plans for a 15-story office tower on the parking lot site.

The three towers currently planned would all exceed the height of any building in the city now. They would range in height from 305 feet to 350 feet for the tallest building, at Tresser and Washington boulevards. That building would contain condominiums, while a 323-foot building on Bell Street would have apartments.

The three buildings would include a total of 834 condominiums and rental apartments, comprised of 46 studios, 487 one-bedrooms, 264 two-bedrooms, and 37 three-bedrooms.

The third building, on Tresser Boulevard on the site's southwest corner, could be built in a later phase as apartments, condominiums or offices if the market changes, Redniss said.

Under the city's inclusionary housing ordinance, Lowe must reserve 50 units at below-market rates for sale or rent to people who make less than half the area median income. That equals less than $58,000 for a family of four.

Lowe is proposing to pay a $7.3 million affordable housing fee instead of building the units on site.

The development site would include 1,123 parking spaces. Lowe has proposed leasing the Bell Street garage from the city and operating it in some form of public-private partnership, as well as using the garage for shared parking, according to the application.

Cars would enter the parking garage from Bell Street and Tresser Boulevard. The landscaped pedestrian plaza would also include a pickup and drop-off area off Bell Street.

Sorry guys i have no renderings, they didn't give any renderings.

Downtown Development Plan Comes Into Focus



STAMFORD -- Plans filed Friday provided more details of a proposal to replace a church parking lot and 120 low-income apartments with three residential towers at a downtown crossroads.

The plan, by Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group of California, would put a massive complex of retail and residential buildings at the northeast corner of Tresser and Washington boulevards.









Advertisement


The three towers would each rise at least 30 stories, containing a combined 834 condominiums and apartments atop a grocery store, parking structure, and ground floor retail shops and restaurants, according to the plans.

The 32,000-square-foot grocery store at Bell Street and Washington Boulevard -- an amenity city leaders and planning experts consider essential to attracting more residents to downtown -- would join a 28,000-square-foot health club and other retail space along three existing streets and a planned pedestrian plaza near the church and the Rich Forum theater.

Together with a planned Ritz-Carlton hotel and condominium building across Tresser Boulevard, and a pedestrian-friendly addition to the nearby Stamford Town Center, the proposed development could provide sought-after street-level activity along Tresser Boulevard, which has been assailed as a canyon full of offices but devoid of people.

The development also would eliminate 120 low-cost apartments in the cylindrical north tower of the existing housing complex, called St. John Towers.

Lowe plans to pay $23 million for the north tower to St. John Urban Development Corp. The group operates the apartment buildings under a 40-year agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to keep the rents affordable to people who make less than 80 percent of the area median income.

That agreement expires in 2010, but officials have said the revenue from the development deal will allow them to extend it for the remaining two towers.

St. John Urban Development Corp. administrators have said they cannot maintain the remaining two buildings, on the south side of Tresser Boulevard, without the proceeds from selling the northern tower and the land under it. That land would be combined with the church parking lot to create a 4.5-acre development parcel for the Lowe project.

In an unrelated agreement, the nonprofit agency also would receive lease payments from Rich-Cappelli Associates, the developers of the proposed Ritz-Carlton, for land it owns that the developers need for that project.

Similarly, officials at St. John the Evangelist Church, which owns the parking lot, have said the deal will provide money to preserve the 19th century Gothic church on Atlantic Street and its rectory next door, as well as fund the church's charitable work.

Since St. John Urban Development Corp.'s agreement with HUD expires in 2010, it could demolish and sell all three towers. Officials at the nonprofit agency have said the city's ordinance requiring replacement of every unit of government-subsidized housing does not apply to St. John Towers.

The city is not demanding one-for-one replacement of the 120 units in the north tower, though it has told St. John officials they must provide a relocation plan for every resident in the building and keep the remaining 240 apartments in the other two buildings affordable.

The agency is pursuing an agreement with HUD and the city to renovate the two southern towers and guarantee low rents there for 30 more years.

The relocation plan could involve a combination of strategies, including moving some tenants to the southern towers as units there are vacated, providing home ownership assistance, and providing as many as 20 below-market rental apartments in the new development, said Richard Redniss, a land-use consultant working for Lowe.

Officials from Lowe, the church and St. John Towers have been meeting with residents about the relocation plan, Redniss said.

In 2004, Lowe and the church announced plans for a 15-story office tower on the parking lot site.

The three towers currently planned would all exceed the height of any building in the city now. They would range in height from 305 feet to 350 feet for the tallest building, at Tresser and Washington boulevards. That building would contain condominiums, while a 323-foot building on Bell Street would have apartments.

The three buildings would include a total of 834 condominiums and rental apartments, comprised of 46 studios, 487 one-bedrooms, 264 two-bedrooms, and 37 three-bedrooms.

The third building, on Tresser Boulevard on the site's southwest corner, could be built in a later phase as apartments, condominiums or offices if the market changes, Redniss said.

Under the city's inclusionary housing ordinance, Lowe must reserve 50 units at below-market rates for sale or rent to people who make less than half the area median income. That equals less than $58,000 for a family of four.

Lowe is proposing to pay a $7.3 million affordable housing fee instead of building the units on site.

The development site would include 1,123 parking spaces. Lowe has proposed leasing the Bell Street garage from the city and operating it in some form of public-private partnership, as well as using the garage for shared parking, according to the application.

Cars would enter the parking garage from Bell Street and Tresser Boulevard. The landscaped pedestrian plaza would also include a pickup and drop-off area off Bell Street.

Sorry guys i have no renderings, they didn't give any renderings.

New Haven may see some more development via Yale...to think once they tried to stop it...


Yale's Plans Greeted Warmly
City Once Resisted Campus Expansion

NEW HAVEN -- More than thirty years ago, Yale tried to build new student dorms in the heart of downtown but the mayor at the time nixed the idea, afraid that further expansion would come at the city's expense by taking more land off the tax rolls.

Now, Yale is moving to build something big - possibly more dorms - behind Grove Street Cemetery, and this time the city is all for it. Taking a break from the campaign trail this week, Mayor John DeStefano Jr. uttered words that would have once been unthinkable: "I generally think the growth of the campus is a very good thing."

The area Yale is eyeing for development is a sleepy set of streets on the western edge of campus, bordered by a historic cemetery, a bike trail and an ice rink. Just beyond lies the impoverished Dixwell neighborhood, which in recent years has seen sparks of revitalization. Earlier this year, Yale opened a campus police station and community center on the grounds of an old industrial laundry and is set to build a new health center next door. The Farmington Canal bike trail was extended into downtown and a glass engineering tower now shines over the trail.

The land Yale is eyeing for redevelopment sits within view of these additions, in a neglected corridor connecting main campus with the Victorian mansions and research labs on Science Hill. Yale says it hasn't settled on a use for the small triangle of land, home to several academic buildings. But a map buried in a 6-year-old planning document clearly tags the area for "academic housing."

Until now, the main obstacle to redevelopment was three dead-end streets whose rights of way are controlled by the city. All told, the streets add up to half an acre. Yale wanted the land badly enough that it recently agreed to give New Haven $10 million for public improvements in return for closing the streets. The agreement cleared the board of aldermen's finance committee last month and is expected to pass the full board when it meets on Monday. .

A few residents have objected. Ben Northrup, a Yale-educated architect who lives nearby, says he wants to see the university grow but in a way that preserves the dynamic interplay between campus buildings and public streets.

The Urban Design League, an advocacy group that has clashed with Yale in the past over parking garages and the demolition of the historic Maple Cottage, also has complaints. One member, a retired IRS agent, thinks New Haven could get more money for the streets and use it to lower taxes. Others say Yale should announce its intentions first.

"I'm not against expanding the density in that zone," said Anstress Farwell, a Yale graduate who heads the group. "But you need to have a plan before you close streets."

Supporters say Yale needs the flexibility to develop the site as it sees fit. They have faith that whatever Yale builds - be it classrooms, research labs or housing - will be a masterpiece. "Whatever Yale decides to do there will enhance the neighborhood and benefit the city," said Dr. David Leffell, a skin cancer specialist at Yale-New Haven Hospital who lives nearby.

Earlier this year, the hospital traded $5 million in community benefits for permission to build the Yale Cancer Center. In the dead-end street agreement, Dixwell residents get $250,000 to refurbish Scantlebury Park next to the police station. The city gets $10 million to fix streets, lights and bridges. Environmentalists get the bike trail extended to Orange Street.

"Yale at one time in the not-too-far-past had invisible walls to the community, but I think that's changed since Rick Levin became president," said Jerry Tureck, a semi-retired businessman who lives nearby. "They've discovered it's easier to work with a happy community than an unhappy one."

Residents can now see their fate and Yale's entwined. "Everyone has realized that as the university grows, especially if it's done in a systematic and collaborative way, jobs are created that stimulate the economy locally and our tax base improves," said Jorge Perez, a banker and city alderman.

The mayor says he would like to see residence halls go up. The more bodies downtown, the better off businesses are. "We like residential in the city," said DeStefano. "It contributes disproportionately to the economic well-being of the city."

Yale alumni are also supportive because it improves the odds their kids will get in, says Jonathan Dach, a Yale student journalist who spoke to several alumni for his cover story in The New Journal, a campus magazine. This year, Yale set a record, taking in less than 9 percent of the 21,000 students who applied.

Town-gown relations have improved since the early 1970s when Mayor Bartholomew Guida reportedly greeted Yale's plan to build dorms on the site of an old bowling alley at the corner of Whitney and Grove streets with a two-word obscenity. In the last decade, Yale, the city's largest employer, has donated $25 million to the city to make up for the taxes it doesn't pay as a nonprofit. It has also invested heavily in downtown.

It may be a testament to the good will Yale has created that the proposed street closures have not sparked the outcry that closing Wall and High streets in 1990 did. Back then, the cash-strapped city agreed to close the streets for 20 years in exchange for voluntary tax payments.

For years, Yale has been faced with a design challenge. How to integrate the main campus with the research labs and mansions on Science Hill? A map in Yale's 2000 "framework" plan hints at how that might be done: build dorms behind the cemetery. Dach cites the map and the new construction nearby as possible evidence of Yale's intentions.

"The administration is still skittish from the embarrassment of going public with the Whitney/Grove colleges before everything was nailed down," Dach said. "That's a sympathetic position but not the right one."

Bradley will get it's first international flight to Amsterdam, courtesy of Northwest...in July 2007...

Anyone else want to check out some of their coffee shops... ;)


Northwest To Announce Trans-Atlantic Flights From Bradley
After years of trying, Bradley International Airport will finally be able to offer a direct route to Europe.

Northwest Airlines plans to launch nonstop daily flights between Bradley and Amsterdam, the first trans-Atlantic flights in the airport's history, officials announced today.

The once-daily departures and arrivals from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport are expected to start by July 1 of next year, officials said. Fares have not yet been determined.

State officials have tried for years to bring a truly international flight to Bradley. The airport currently offers flights to Canada and charters to other points in North America.

"There has been a push for as long as anyone can remember," said James Abromaitis, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.

The new flight should be welcomed by Connecticut business people who currently must travel to Boston or New York City to fly to Europe, Abromaitis said.

Earlier this year, Delta Air Lines started offering four daily flights from Bradley to New York City, where travelers can connect with flights to 67 destinations around the globe.

Bradley, which handles about 390 takeoffs and landings each day, is New England's second busiest airport behind Logan International Airport in Boston.

An Associated Press report is included in this story.

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-front1006.artoct06,0,2495091.story


Front Street's New Hope
Compromise On Project's Scope Leads To Deal

October 6, 2006
By JEFFREY B. COHEN, Courant Staff Writer After years of planning, numerous prospective builders, several extended deadlines and seemingly endless negotiations, the state and a developer announced Thursday they have an agreement to bring revelers and residents to Front Street by 2008.

And they say shovels will be in the ground by Halloween.

The state's deal with Greenwich developer Bradley Nitkin would mean that apartments, restaurants and entertainment venues - maybe a comedy club, maybe an ESPN "interactive experience" - would begin to bridge the gap between the year-old convention center and the rest of the city at the heart of its downtown revitalization effort.

"We have absolutely first-class, first-class tenants who are restaurants and entertainment venues who have committed to us," Nitkin said, declining to name the tenants. "I think it's a fabulous site, I think it's a fabulous location, and I think the time is right."

On Thursday, Nitkin and the state confirmed a deal to build 115 apartments and 60,000 square feet of commercial space on roughly half of the now vacant, 6-acre plot across Columbus Boulevard from the Connecticut Convention Center.

The $55 million project will be built with $22 million in state funds, more than $7 million in grants and loans, a tax agreement with the city, and the remainder from Nitkin. The construction will be on the part of the plot closest to the Connecticut Convention Center.

The state's original vision called for a bigger project. Its first deal with Nitkin called for a smaller one. Pressure from the city led them to meet in the middle, officials said. Now, they say, they've got the right mix.

"What we're building is the right scope for this site," Nitkin said.

Mayor Eddie A. Perez agreed.

"We held on for a bigger and better project, and this is a bigger and better project," Perez said. "If you're talking about the market, I think there's more appetite. ... Nitkin was a smart developer, he held out for the least-risky project, and he knows this project can grow."

There are still obstacles. Nitkin and the state must now flesh out the tedious details of a lengthy development agreement, the state must do some site preparation work, the city has to reapply to the federal government for the $7 million in funding, which technically expired in September, and, perhaps most important, Nitkin has to lease the commercial and residential space.

And experience shows that deals alone do not build buildings.

Before Nitkin there was Richard Cohen, a developer who failed to begin building after he signed a 2002 agreement with the state. Cohen is suing the state in state court.

After the Cohen deal fell apart in 2004, the state thought a pack of developers would jump at the public subsidies attached to Front Street and it plunged into a fast-forward process to pick a replacement for Cohen's Capital Properties. The jump never happened, and although the state received four development proposals, none was to its liking.

Finally, the state selected Nitkin from yet another pack of developers, and they have been negotiating since April 2005. In February of this year, they signed an agreement that allowed for a phased development of the project.

But the city didn't like the scope of that deal - a first phase with 60 residential units and 43,000 square feet of retail - and told him that if he wanted all of the money he was asking for from the city, he'd have to do the whole project - 200 residential units and 100,000 square feet of retail.

Eventually, everyone compromised - Nitkin committed to a larger project, while the state and the city each put in more front-end money - and, on Sept. 28, the state and Nitkin initialed an agreement on all of the major funding issues.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell issued a press release on the announcement Thursday but wouldn't grant an interview. Her spokesman Judd Everhart said that she finds the project's scope "not only adequate, but reasonable and realistic."

Everhart went on to say that Rell was pleased that the deal had been consummated.

"There's an element of not only delight that the thing is done, but relief that they were able to finally make this happen," he said.

The state's talks with Nitkin also suggest a second phase of development to build on the remaining acreage that borders Prospect Street. Although Nitkin says he hopes to start building Phase Two as Phase One wraps up, the specifics of a deal for that phase are still up in the air, officials said.

More certain, however, is a bit of nomenclature. Nitkin said the development will most likely keep the name that Cohen gave it.

"For all of the investigation we've done in names," he said, "the name that keeps sticking is Front Street."

Contact Jeffrey B. Cohen at jcohen@courant.com.

A discussion of this story with Courant City Editor Andrew Julien is scheduled to be shown on New England Cable News each hour today between 9 a.m. and noon.

If anyone lives in Hartford or the area...you know that boarded up building on Main Street, right next to I-84...ugly right? It's going to be demolished! :dj:

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-ctbuttugly1027.artoct27,0,3354129.story


Eyesore Easing Toward Oblivion
Land Deal Expected To Spur Work At Site

October 27, 2006
By JEFFREY B. COHEN, Courant Staff Writer

A run-down, boarded-up building off I-84 that the city has called a "butt ugly" eyesore appears closer to demolition, clearing the way for construction of upscale condominiums on the site.

The city is now prepared to sell the condo developer a small strip of adjacent land that is essential to the project, and the sale would move the plan forward.

When added to the demolition site, the small strip - about 10,000 square feet - would give Joseph Citino enough land for the condominiums.

"It completes the piece, so to speak," said John F. Palmieri, the city's director of development services, who thinks that while building condos is noble, erasing the Butt Ugly Building from the city's landscape is even nobler.

"It's a terrible blight, it's very visible," Palmieri said. "The image of the city is hurt by this arrested and deteriorated structure on the city's edge. ... I believe if we were to take the property down as a precursor to development, we will have done a tremendous service to the city and the region."

City officials say Citino has an agreement to buy the building at 1161 Main St. from its current owner, Robert Danial. And he wants an agreement to buy the essential city parcel.

Although the sale of the city property to Citino at fair market value is contingent upon his demolition of the neighboring structure, it does not mandate the construction of something in its place. That would come later, as the city and Citino agree to work together toward a residential project that could result in between 60 and 220 condos being built, in part, with financial help from the city.

But Citino has agreed to buy and demolish the building, then clear the site, a process Palmieri says could cost $1.2 million.

Citino has said the condos could be "ultra luxury." When the talks were made public in February, his Plan A called for the bare minimum - six or seven stories with retail at ground level and 70 units ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 square feet above. Plan B was more ambitious - 21 to 24 stories with more than 200 units.

A city council committee will now hear the matter of selling city property to Citino. Council President John Bazzano said he likes the idea.

"If he can knock that building down, he's gone a lot further than people have in the past," Bazzano said. "They don't call it the Butt Ugly Building for nothing."

Contact Jeffrey B. Cohen at jcohen@courant.com.

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-services1025.artoct25,0,2101966.story

A link of map that shows the Hartford Business District (PDF)
Link: http://www.courant.com/media/acrobat/2006-10/26078157.pdf


District Plan Gets Green Light
Taxpayers Willing, For Now, To Pay For Increased Services

October 25, 2006
By JEFFREY B. COHEN, Courant Staff Writer

Downtown Hartford property owners overwhelmingly approved a plan to raise their taxes and make for cleaner and safer streets Tuesday, but the work of delivering on the plan's promise may well be harder than selling the promise itself.

"We still have to prove that there's real value to paying" higher taxes, said R. Nelson "Oz" Griebel, head of the MetroHartford Alliance and a proponent of the plan. "The real hard work is before us."

The balloting that ended Tuesday asked the owners of 251 properties in the downtown and part of Asylum Hill to pay more money for enhanced services - including street cleaning, hospitality guides, and public relations. Many cities use "business improvement districts" to improve services in downtown areas.

Lawrence R. Gottesdiener - owner of a new, 36-story apartment tower, downtown's largest landowner, and a longtime supporter of the idea - said that while the plan has risks, they are worth it for a city betting on a resurgence.

"It costs money, and it costs money in an already high-cost jurisdiction," Gottesdiener said. "But when they've been done properly in other cities, they have been very effective. ... We're putting our money where our mouth is."

The district is not unique in Connecticut. Similar initiatives have been launched in Bridgeport, Stamford, New Britain and elsewhere.

In order to pass, the voting needed to hit two benchmarks. First, a majority of the owners of the 251 properties had to vote in favor of the plan; 70 percent did. Second, owners of half of the district's $805 million in assessed property value had to vote in favor; owners of properties that made up 78 percent of that value did.

The voting was the result of more than a year-and-a-half of lobbying major property owners toward the cause. Some investor-owners had to be convinced that higher operating costs made sense; some national corporations had to be convinced that their local neighborhood was worth improving; and most property owners had to be assured that the district would be held accountable for its results.

That's why there is a clause built into the ordinance that has it go away after three years. The members of the district can also move to dissolve the district at any time if they lose confidence, officials said.

But, for now, there is support.

M. Ronald Morneault, head of Business for Downtown Hartford, lobbied hard for the district and said the cost of the plan to the average downtown business owner - either one who owns the building where the business is or who rents and has the cost of the increased tax passed down - is a steal.

"If my landlord passed along $280 to me and said you were going to see nine new patrolling security and hospitality people and nine new street cleaners and that there was going to be marketing money, all for $280 bucks, I'd say you've got to be kidding me," he said.

By ordinance, the district can raise no more than 1 mill's worth of taxes from its property owners. That would translate into roughly $805,000 a year to run the district.

Using that figure, the average annual payment to the district by the top five property owners would be $70,880; the average annual payment to the district by the bottom 50 property owners would be $232.

Next, the district will hold a meeting of property owners to elect a board of commissioners that will then decide which services to provide and how much to pay for them.

Several developers were cautious and optimistic.

Developer Martin J. Kenny, who owns the Trumbull on the Park apartment complex, wouldn't say how he voted. Conceptually it makes sense, he said. "I'm just worried that it supports a whole myriad of bureaucracies," he said. "From what I've been told, it's going to be streamlined, and that's great."

Michael Grunberg, who owns buildings known as the Bank of America building and the nearby Prudential building, said he voted for the district and that the benefit justifies the cost. He added that the district will also give property owners the ability to speak with one voice when it comes to dealing with the city.

Marc Levine - owner of properties including the Sage-Allen apartment and retail project; the neighboring Richardson building, which is home to a Marriott Residence Inn; and Artspace Hartford at 555 Asylum - said he voted for the district.

"Everything they're talking about is beneficial to us," he said. "We just have to wrestle with the budgetary questions."

Griebel said he anticipated the good result Tuesday and added that skepticism from property owners is healthy.

"There is a leap of faith that everybody has to take, that if we're right, their property value would be enhanced," Griebel said. "If we're wrong, [property owners] are out of pocket for one mill for up to three years."

"But it's not like we're the first ones to do this and we're jumping off into the great abyss," he said.

Contact Jeffrey B. Cohen at jcohen@courant.com.

Connecticut isn't only about Hartford, here's a editorial on the development going on in Bridgeport, the largest city (not metro) in the state...

Bridgeport, if they let it, would be booming...it has the cheapest housing prices in the Tri-State Area...

It's a little long...

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-plccondon1022.artoct22,0,3972734.column?coll=hc-utility-opinion


Turning The Corner In Bridgeport
October 22, 2006


If I told you that a Connecticut downtown had some cool new housing under construction, major new restaurants, an art cinema coming, a new transportation center and in general a positive buzz, would you in a million years think I was talking about Bridgeport?

Do I mean our Bridgeport, the state's largest city and leading punch line, the throwback to Chicago in the 1930s, the pyrite patch along the Gold Coast?

I do. Bridgeport has endured decades of corruption, bad luck and inept management. Everything you ever heard about it was largely true. But the cosmic pendulum is swinging back. Things appear to be turning around.

The revival effort is led by a mayor making a personal comeback, Democrat John M. Fabrizi. Fabrizi admitted earlier this year that he used cocaine in his first year in office. But Fabrizi cleaned up, and to prove it allowed the Connecticut Post to supervise his drug test. He's found an economic development strategy that's gaining traction. He is working relentlessly to resurrect the city and, it would follow, himself.

As a reporter, I had many occasions to visit in Bridgeport in the 1970s and early 1980s, and it was on the skids. The great manufactories of the past - Remington, Singer, GE and others - were downsizing and leaving. Some joked that it was called "The Park City" because the cops could be counted on to fix parking tickets. Mobsters such as Francis "Fat Frannie" Curcio plied their trade with minimal interruption.

I stopped in federal court one day when tax rebel Irwin Schiff was selling copies of his book during his trial for income tax evasion. Schiff insisted he had discounted the price, calling it a "trial offer." In Bridgeport, that was downtown entertainment.

P.T. Barnum was mayor of Bridgeport in 1875. Most of the mayors over the past three decades more resembled Barnum's midgets. There was serious talk of bankruptcy. Mayor Joe Ganim grubbed his way into a nine-year stretch in the federal snoozer, and former state Sen. Ernest E. Newton II is doing five slow ones for taking bribes.

Ganim was replaced in 2003 by city council president Fabrizi. When Fabrizi tearfully admitted having abused cocaine and alcohol, it looked like more of the same, more disappointment and lost time, for Bridgeport.

But not so fast. Some positive things were happening. Gov. Lowell Weicker's insistence in the early 1990s that Housatonic Community College locate in downtown Bridgeport was paying off; it is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the country (with a remarkable art gallery, go figure).

Also, some of Ganim's projects, however accomplished, were helpful. The downtown minor league baseball stadium and adjoining basketball/hockey arena brought suburbanites into Bridgeport who otherwise wouldn't have come. "They didn't get mugged, their cars weren't stolen and they had fun. They began to think differently about Bridgeport," said Paul S. Timpanelli, head of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council.

Also, say people who know him, Fabrizi was working hard all along, regardless of how he relieved tension. The city remade parks (Olmsted-designed Seaside Park is stunning), rebuilt sidewalks and installed new lighting.

Bridgeport was always surrounded by money; the challenge was drawing it in. Fabrizi may have hit a daily double.

For years the city had been trying to bring back manufacturing and land Class A office tenants, with little success. This strategy was a loser, but it turned out there were other opportunities. Some large corporations were looking for sites for back office operations. When the city opened the door, Royal Bank of Scotland and Pitney Bowes moved hundreds of jobs in.

The other opportunity was housing.

The price of housing in surrounding towns is obscene. There aren't many housing options for teachers, cops, bus drivers or even mid-level corporate types in Fairfield County. It occurred to Fabrizi and others that Bridgeport could be the bedroom town for the tonier stops on Metro North.

Fabrizi went for it. He adopted a take-no-prisoners attitude with blighted property and unpaid taxes: fix up, pay up or I'm taking it. He blew up the housing authority and appointed a new one. He brought in former DOT deputy commissioner Nancy Hadley, a top-notch administrator, to run planning and economic development. They've got rehab completed or underway in downtown buildings that have been closed for decades. Part of the appeal is that these buildings are all within short walking distance of bus, rail and ferry service, and thus are alternatives to the rush-hour sludge on I-95.

The prospect of transit-oriented redevelopment attracted New York developer Eric Anderson to Bridgeport. He's turning the Art Deco City Trust Bank and the former Arcade Hotel (a good use of eminent domain here), and several others into downtown housing and retail. He's a very bright young man, a devotee of urbanist Jane Jacobs who likes to "get people out of their cars." He said he saw downtown Bridgeport and asked: "Where do I sign up?"

Another bright and committed developer, Bridgeport resident Phil Kuchma, is rehabbing a block that contains the Bijou, the oldest movie house in the country built as a movie theater and still a movie theater. It will show art films when the renovation is completed. Downtown has the bones of a very nifty neighborhood.

The years of corrupt and inept leadership have left Bridgeport lagging behind the state's other large cities in many areas. To get many of these development projects started, the city had to fight itself. Officials brought in a team from the Urban Land Institute headed by former Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut in 2005. Hudnut discerned that the city's land-use policies didn't reflect either the market or the city's goals. For example, waterfront areas that cry out for mixed-use development are zoned industrial. Outdoor dining, which would work downtown and along the waterfront, is prohibited.

The city never went much for plans, preferring the big-bang deal (a tendency not unknown in Hartford). There is no plan of conservation and development, though it is required by state law. But now there will be, as officials madly work to create or update plans and zoning regulations.

I drove around the city with Fabrizi. I hadn't seen him in about a year, and he is noticeably thinner. "I haven't had a drink in more than a year, that may be part of it," he said, a little ruefully. He's a city native and former schoolteacher, a straightforward, hands-on, what-you-see-is-what-you-get guy. People like him. He's not trying to be governor.

He's made at least one step to confront the city's recent history. Prospective developers get a business card in the economic development office with the phone numbers of the U.S. attorney and the state's attorney on the back and the statement: "Nobody pays to play in Bridgeport!" Yet the old days fade slowly; the Connecticut Post recently reported that most of the Democratic town committee members worked for or were connected to city government.

Fabrizi is on the streets all the time; someone said he'd attend the opening of a fire hydrant. People waved to him in the East Side and in the tough Marina Village housing project. He seems focused; he senses that his housing strategy is working and he's trying to make it happen tomorrow. He knows there's much to do. Taxes are still too high and the schools need work. His city was late getting into the magnet and charter school movement, but seven new schools are in the works.

City residents have given him a chance. He's trying to make the most of it. The business community is behind him. Unlikely things do happen. The Red Sox won the World Series in our lifetime. Despite everything, it may be Bridgeport's time.

Tom Condon is the editor of Place. He can be reached at tcondon@courant.com.

At least he is in the streets and sees whats going on. Thats good BPT is turning around. Hopefully they won't kick everyone out, like they are doing in Stamford. In stamford they're attracting big businesses, BUT the workers can't afford to live here, because of the prices. I understand money flowing into a city is one thing, BUT tohave a place so expensive that most people can't afford it, is stupid to me, and they got that BS plan of ONLY havin 10% affordable housing when they build a new condominium or housing.

And Stamford is attracting businesses, it needs to liven up Downtown, because Stamford is a very boring place to live. THey talk about downtown is alive.....which is a lie. Stamford is my hometown, but i wish there was more to do around, they need to do something, because stamford isn't really happening. Hartford has a live downtown?? right?

^^ I think Stamford has to start thinking big, but it is stuck under the shadow of NY. It has the potential and the income to surpass Hartford in developments. But there are more NIMBYs there, with people moving to Stamford to escape the city lifestyle, instead of Hartford that basically is "desperate" enough to approve anything.

Hartford's downtown is getting better, but it still has a long way to go. But downtown still feels dead on weekend afternoons. But...it is better than before, no doubt. Downtown could feel ultra-busy on weekdays though.

Bridgeport has a great chance to become a great city. It is much cheaper than the rest of Fairfield Co. to rent an apartment in...and, you could still commute down to NYC (trains, not traffic-filled I-95). If they fixed their issues with government/crime, I would move down there. It has a lot of good things going for it...

Yea bridgeport has potential. But what are NIMBY's please explain that to me, because i dont kno what that is. Stamford is thinking big, but at the expense of its people who aren't earning millions...it needs to seriously help those who aren't making millions, those who work hard to get what they got.

and downtown needs some life for real, because it really doesnt buzz a whole lot. Downtown stamford is only like 2 blocks ( where everything is)...they need to expand downtown a bit and bring some live music, and i would LOVE to see a building surpass landmark square as tallest in stamford, stamford really is boring it needs some tuning up for real.

NIMBYs...how can I explain...

Not in my backyard types. People or groups that protest a development, like a high-rise, or a highway, because it "will ruin the small town character" or "will make sprawl grow".

Some are good, like the protesting of a toxic waste dump, but in general...it just stops or delays developments to take longer and more expensive than it would be originally. Connecticut has too much NIMBYs, and it shows, look how slow-growing the state is...

BTW: I haven't been to Stamford (in the city, not I-95) in years. All I remember going there was Stamford City Center, which was a nice mall. Does Stamford have much nightlife?

ok i understand what nimby's are now. Yea CT has too many of them. It seems like everytime a building gets proposed to be taller or near height of landmark square, they shoot it down. To me it seems they want a 295 foot building to remain the tallest building in the city.. we need something 300+.

Stamford City Center? You mean the Stamford Town Center. lol. Nice mall...eh
its BORING. You can walk the whole mall in like 5 minutes and leave. I try to avoid going there, i go to trumbull mall or connecticut post mall. The problem with our mall is the location and appearance. It would be better if the mall was more open and not enclosed, and more appearance friendly. but there is nothing there though, its boring and small. Just two shopping levels which you can walk in 45 seconds, HORRIBLE food court ( even though they trying to do something different now). Our mall is terrible, i've worked there, and its DEAD most of the time compared to other malls man. i wish north stamford had a mall, i believe if a mall was up there it would be wayyyyy more better.

Stamford is building alot of high rise apartments, i guess in the 200-250 foot range. but the city itself is running our of room to build, all they can do is go up, because there is no space anywhere really.

One thing i do hate though, is that they turning EVERYTHING into condo's, even if its 1/2 acre, they stick like 20 condo's in there and sell em EXPENSIVE. But its about time stamford's skyline was re-shaped it, we need it.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/StamfordAreial.jpg

^^^See the city part of stamford is getting cramped and we running out of room.


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/Stamford.jpg

our skyline needs a major facelift. the buildings on the right are out of place with landmark square building. The two buildings all the way to the right, i hate them, they need to go for real, they look ugly. i hate that stamfords tall buildings ALL line up along I-95....i hate it. For one the buildings are ugly, and two from far away it just looks terrible.

From what I see, there is plenty of land, the downtown and development could go up north, and south...but I don't think the NIMBYs would like that...Stamford has a lot more room than Hartford does.

Yeah, that condo thing is an annoyance. The same thing was going on here in Hartford. But, the fact that the condo market here is going sour, made some developer make apartments instead.

Some commentary on Commuter rail...

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-plcrepass1029.artoct29,0,7502503.story?coll=hc-headlines-commentary


Why Not Get Trains Built Now?
October 29, 2006

By JAMES P. REPASS What with crime stories and campaign news, a Hartford press conference on Oct.18 was largely overlooked. It shouldn't have been; it was crucial to the economic future of Connecticut and New England.

State Senate President Don Williams, with transportation committee co-chairman Sen. Biagio "Billy" Ciotto, asked the Connecticut Department of Transportation to consider buying some double-decker rail cars that are being manufactured for New Jersey Transit.

Why is that so important?

Because if we do it, Connecticut taxpayers will save millions of dollars and get better rail service sooner.

The DOT is revitalizing the rail line between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield to serve commuters who otherwise must take the highway, or the infrequent, expensive Amtrak trains. The track work is getting underway and will be largely completed in two to three years.

In the normal course of events, the state will then wait until a pot of money can be identified, hire a consultant, write a specification, go to bid, accept and evaluate bids and pick a winner. Then, years later, the trainsets themselves will begin to arrive. In the six to eight years it will take to do all of this, Connecticut will have lost yet more employers and manufacturers, whose employees can't get to work in a reasonable time because the highways we've built are full yet again - and can't be widened without thoroughly wrecking what's left of this beautiful state.

We don't have to do it that way.

Instead, let's do this: New Jersey is buying hundreds of ultramodern locomotives and double-decker rail cars. These are similar to the commuter rail cars now in service by the thousands in Germany, a country with one of the best rail systems in the world. They are being built right now in New York. The manufacturer, Bombardier, has offered Connecticut these same world-class trainsets (one locomotive and five cars per set), at the same price, $15 million, that New Jersey Transit is paying.

Depending on the number of trainsets Connecticut someday orders - and remember, we are looking at expanding commuter rail service not just on the Inland Route but along the shore and on several branch lines - there will be a savings of $2 million to $3 million each. It should be no surprise that trains, like doughnuts, are cheaper by the dozen. Why not save the money and get the trainsets years earlier?

Gov. M. Jodi Rell recently signed, at a Windsor train station ceremony, Executive Order 15, "Connecticut Green and Growing." The governor's proposal to make Connecticut a smart growth state has caught the attention of Connecticut's transportation and environmental advocates, many of whom were frankly surprised to hear how heartfelt Mrs. Rell sounded on that day.

Governor, if you meant what you said about future generations when you signed that order with a literal and rhetorical flourish on that balmy day in Windsor, here is an opportunity to put substance to your words - in a way that will save the taxpayers a bundle, and get them better rail service sooner.

James RePass is president of the National Corridors Initiative, a transportation advocacy group that negotiated funding for the high-speed rail project that links Boston and New York. A former journalist, he is a contributor to this and other newspapers.

They are gonna put 4,000 units of housing in the south end and retail stores. but the NIMBY'S are afraid that the south end development will "draw away" business from downtown. Man people need somewhere else to go because there isn't anything downtown really, i want them to extend downtown northward more shops, restaraunts etc. But the thing about building north is this: 1) You would have to demolish all the single family houses and replace them with apartments. 2) Demolish single family homes and replace with restaraunts and shops. 3) If your building toward north stamford...you know the rich people aint gonna let it happen.

Only other part where theres stores and shops is on high ridge road. Up on high ridge road is more like a second downtown, because thats where there is a whole strip of stores, and stuff up there. I wish in stamford they'd do 3 things:1) Re-Do the WHOLE MALL. 2) Put more restaraunts and stores downtown. 3) extend the downtown area because its cramped and only limited to within 3-4 blocks. 4) See a couple of new skyscrapers. 5) Make housing Affordable ( no not just 10% of the total units you build, but more like 25-30%). 6) More live music in stamford ( norwalks washington streets clubs have music. when you walk down the street the music is playing, giving the street a vibrant sound and feel during summer)

Stamford has alot of room to build in north stamford, but thats where the rich people live, so they wont think about touchin anything up there...

But i'm tellin ya, they runnin out of room down here in the city itself...believe me. We need a 3rd High School down here, because enrollment is HIGH at WHS and SHS. They need to build another one in north stamford, because there is no room down here in the city part for another high school.

4,000 units? :shocked:

Wow...and I'm happy that Downtown Hartford has 1,300 units completed, u/c, and proposed...see, Stamford is thinking big! They really need to expand Downtown, but you are so right about the rich people problem...Downtown Stamford is surrounded by rich areas (except a little on the south of I-95), with Darien, North Stamford, and Greenwich...NIMBYs galore!

If they build more affordable high-rises and bring some nightlife downtown (like live music), while expanding north, Downtown Stamford could be the jewel of the North Metro, and CT. Stamford should think about developing an arena, stadium, or a concert hall. Probably a minor league baseball team stadium near the marinas, or a concert hall somewhere in downtown?

The city has problems opposite from the rest of the other large cities in CT. In Bridgeport, New Haven, and Hartford, the main idea is revitalization. Stamford is in the best position, out of the big 5 (including Waterbury, which has no big developments). The rich have not left it, like here largely. They could be a major boost to help develop the city, while not neglecting the low-income and middle class.

I envy Stamford. It has the resources, but needs to think big. Hartford has the drive, but reputations and disappointments hold it back. If the two suddenly became one, it would one hell of a super-city...


Oh yeah...they should build a new high school there, Hartford has three...why can't Stamford? But money is an issue...

Yea the rich can help, but they neglect the poor and middle class, its a shame. And this FD Rich guy who has built everything in stamford, needs to stop, because some of the buildings he's built are not that appealing to the eyes at all. I'd like to see the guy who did the towers in white plains, do something like that here in stamford.

We do need a concert venue here. For any concerts etc we gotta go to Bridgeport...only thing we have here is the Rich Forum and Palace Theatre ( both for the rich people to attend of course). I would love to see a stadium in the south end section of the city, it would be nice to have a baseball or basketball team. If danbury can have one , why not stamford.

I invite you to walk around Downtown Stamford, and to see how "live" they claim it is, because it isn't. It's only live for those who can afford to buy expensive foods at the restaraunts. It has a few pubs, but needs more pubs and clubs and restaraunts. Because nobody really walks around downtown and/or is seen downtown really.

Only things for entertainment is for the rich, not for the poor or middle income residents. What Stamford should be concerned about is: 1) How to make things more affordable for the residents of the city, 2) Re-Do the whole mall into a more fun/better shopping hub (example: trumbull mall/connecticut post mall) 3) Bring more clubs, restaraunts, shops downtown, 4) Expand the downtown area north ward with more, 5) A Third High School, 6) Another hospital that is has quality, because the stamford hospital SUCKS, it is one of the worst hospitals, 7) Like you said a stadium/arena

Alot of potential is here, but they just continue to mess it up because they are trying to appease the rich and run everyone out of town. And all they focusing on is these big fortune 500 companies that bring money which is good, but it hurts the middle class and poor, because the prices skyrocket. They need to think about how other big cities operate by mixing the poor with rich with middle class, which makes a city great and energizing. When they make things affordable and bring some life and energy here, then the population will rise.

4,000 Units in the next 10 years in the south end = 10,000 + people. Imagine North Stamford if they did the same up there, they could possibly in the next 20 years have a population boost up to 140K+.......(We're at 120K right now)it could happen, if they do it right.

Stamford could probably have 200k easy...just imagine if the North half of the city was developed like the southern half...if ever...

The city should look more at New Rochelle and White Plains in Westchester...I have been to neither, but I have heard good things. An entertainment complex like New Roc City with an arena, on Stamford's harbor would be commerical gold. A concert hall, attracing big names, could bring life to downtown.

White Plains is building the tallest towers between NY and Boston (surpassing Hartford's CityPlace...eh)...Stamford can easily surpass this...is there a height limit in Stamford, BTW?

If the are building 4,000 housing units, and I presume most will be in downtown and south...they should start going up!

The 4,000 Units are going to be built in the south end. ANd yes they should look at White Plains. I like the towers they put up, stamford should put a couple. Stamford would be ok if they added 2-3 more towers above 400 ft.

Rigth now the height limit is 330 feet....and landmark square is 295.....every time they propose something close to 330 feet, they shoot it down. But yes stamford can surpass those other buildings. Exactly, thats what i've been saying all along, if the northern half was developed liek th esouthern half, there'd be wel over 200K. Stamford is 120K as it is now....if the north was like the south, then 120 +120= 240K. There is alot of potential, they just going about it the wrong way....they appease the rich, and not the overall well-being of the city. Its cool to have companies coming in and money flowing in, but not everyone in th ecity benefits. Only ones who benefit are: 1) The mayor ( it makes his accomplishments look good) 2) the rich and well-to-do 3) the companies that move in make money so they dont care.

THose who lose are: The people. Prices skyrocket, and people get priced out etc.

It's a shame that Stamford has a height limit, really...

Hopefully, when they figure out that it won't be easy to keep development going by having development stay downtown yet keeping a height limit...they will have to repeal the law, or just extend downtown up north...

If they don't...Stamford will be kicked out of the development game and it will be to prohibitively expensive to build anything big...the city government has to make the choice.

If not, Stamford rents will be Manhattan-like...if they haven't reached the level yet...

Development here isn't easy. Every time something gets proposed it gets shot down because its either "too high" or some other BS reason. They need to repeal it. I heard they bumped the limit up to 350 i beleive. But if they are to have a height limit i would at least put it at 5-600 feet. I mean stamford isn't a city of 200K, but still a city of 120K should at least have a couple of buildings top 330 feet + . And the rents are goin higher and higher down here man, it will get to where manhattan is in a few years from now if the cost keeps rising.

The thing is, they should figure out that...with Stamford's handicaps, a height limit is self-destructive in the long term...

Stamford is already one of the most expensive places in the nation. Companies and developers don't like cost. If Bridgeport's "renaissance" takes hold, Stamford might see a bit of competitor, which would be eager to have even 1/2 of the development that Stamford's getting.

I looked at some of the apartment rents down there...I'm sorry, but they look a little ridiculous to me. $1000 for a studio apartment sounds crazy, when you can get the same size for less than $500 here in Hartford.

I'm not knocking your city. But logically, if there are no serious ways to stop it, Stamford might be too expensive for anything to be built...but the politicians can stop it now, when there is a chance.

I agree with you. They claim they trying to get a solution, but in reality they building all these "luxury" condos....which sell for 500-700K and mortgage is HIGH. and the rents here are HIGH. Some companies have moved away already because of cost. They come here and make money, but their employees can't afford to live here...so they go elsewhere. And many people move in to stamford, BUT the cost of living is driving lots of people out...and to think the stamford local government would try to fix this....they go and get RBS ( good for revenue etc, but thats gonna drive prices up a bit) and look for more "big money" companies to come here, instead of fixing the housing crisis. ANd they got all these plans to develop the waterfront with kayaks and make parks and walkways, paths.......which they appeal to the rich obviously, but they dont tackle the housing issue.

That plan they have where they give 10% of the units in a new complex for "affordable housing" is BS. Youmean to tell me if you have 100 units...you only give ten to those who make less than 50% of the cost of living. Here the cost is about 80k i think....but they should fix it so that they give more than 10%....give at least 20-25%. 10% is a slap in the face. The mayor sits in his home in shipan point and he's comfortable, but he doesn't do anything for the youth, or the poor. Every development i see most likely benefits the rich and the activities asssociated with it are for the rich.

You mean the mayor who was trying to run for governor, LOL...

Stamford is not Greenwich. It can't all be for the rich. Yes, it has its benefits...since they got all the money. But, it has to realize that it has it's fair share of low income and middle class. Affordablility is and should be the #1 issue facing the government there.

If not, as we have been debating, it will kill development in the future...

Here's a article I found in the NY times, is this still proposed?

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/realestate/11wczo.html?ex=1307678400&en=cb3ee3f677e4bd30&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss


Donald Trump Wants to Be the Biggest

By LISA PREVOST
Published: June 11, 2006

STAMFORD:PROLIFERATING condominium developments routinely jam the agendas of Stamford's planning and zoning boards, but few attract as much attention as the Trump Parc tower, now approaching the end of the approval process.

By the weight of its name alone, this proposed tower has generated both intense enthusiasm and sour skepticism about its effect on the city's downtown core. Even more consequential than Donald J. Trump's emergence on the Stamford skyline, however, is the project's proposed height.

The developers — Thomas Rich of Stamford and Louis Cappelli, of White Plains — want to amend Stamford's downtown zoning regulations to allow this residential tower to be built 70 feet taller than the city's current limit of 330 feet. A slender high-rise designed by Costas Kondylis, the architect for Trump World Tower near the United Nations in Manhattan, Trump Parc would sit on a half-acre of now-vacant land next to a Target store at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Broad Street.

Currently, Stamford's tallest structure is Landmark Tower, a commercial building measuring 270 feet. At 400 feet above the sidewalk, Trump Parc would be within the range of two major Trump developments over the New York border in Westchester County: the 350-foot Trump Tower in White Plains and the 435-foot Trump Plaza under construction in downtown New Rochelle.

Yet in downtown Stamford, less ambitious high-rise residential projects have proved notoriously risky. The Classic and the Biltmore apartment buildings were financial flops when they first opened in the late 1980's, noted Richard Redniss, a longtime Stamford land-use consultant and an adviser on the Trump Parc project. Both have been converted to condominiums.

More recently, soaring construction costs have contributed to delays in development of the 18-story Highgrove condominium project on Forest Street. Progress on City Place, a 100-unit building on Washington Boulevard, has also been slow.

Trump Parc's backers are banking on the combination of local expertise with a powerful brand name to enable the project to flourish. The F. D. Rich Company has developed much of downtown Stamford over the last three decades, while Cappelli Enterprises is a partner with Mr. Trump on the White Plains and New Rochelle towers.

The Trump organization will aid in design and marketing. "I don't think it would work without my name," Mr. Trump said. "My name has become so synonymous with great buildings that I sell with people not even seeing what they're buying."

Marketing potential aside, however, city planning officials say they are less impressed with the Trump name than with the building's design. "We're very excited about the architecture of the building," said Robin Stein, chief of the city's land use bureau. "We think it's superb."

Though the Planning Board, downtown merchants and economic development groups have also been effusive, the Zoning Board has been proved more of a hurdle for the project. Members are mulling not whether Stamford is ready for a higher high-rise, but whether the developers have chosen the right spot.

"I'm not against high-rise development," said one member, Harry Parson Jr., who has lived in Stamford for 33 years. "But we have to pick and choose where it's going to be. If it's in the right place, great."

The half-acre Trump Parc site is part of a 2.7-acre parcel that the Rich company owns jointly with Target. The property is landscaped with grass, ornamental trees and park benches, but Mr. Rich said his intent was always to develop the site. Plans call for 185 units, most with one or two bedrooms, averaging about 1,500 square feet.

Bernard Simpkin, a 20-year resident of Stamford who moved from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, said the proposed tower "would look ridiculous" looming over Target and, across the street, the smaller building housing a satellite campus of the University of Connecticut. Mr. Simpkin is among a handful of residents who have complained about the project in letters to the local newspaper, The Advocate. The newspaper's editorial page has urged the Zoning Board to ensure that the project fits the city, "not the other way around."

Mr. Rich says such comments fail to appreciate the project's potential positive contribution to the city. Seven additional stories is a minor tradeoff for the litany of benefits, he said. Aside from a $3.5 million contribution to the city's affordable housing fund and $1 million a year in additional property tax revenue, Trump Parc will bring badly needed housing to a growing downtown, he said.

Building housing downtown will help to relieve the congestion on Connecticut highways by putting commuters within walking distance of the train station, Mr. Rich said.

Growth in the city's financial services industries is also fueling demand for high-quality housing downtown. GE Capital and UBS will soon be joined by the Royal Bank of Scotland, which is expected to bring some 3,000 jobs to Stamford when it completes its North American headquarters on Washington Boulevard.

"The only solution for our desire to nurture and grow and stabilize our commercial base is to provide housing downtown," Mr. Rich said.

Compared with a number of other high-end condominium projects on the drawing boards for downtown, Trump Parc will have a broader market reach, Mr. Rich asserts, because many of its units will be comparatively smaller. Though the average price at Trump Parc is expected to be just under $1 million, some units will be priced as low as $550,000. In contrast, the average price of a home or condo in Stamford exceeds $700,000.

"I don't understand how anybody could be opposed to this," he said.

Still, Mr. Stein, the land use chief, hears the "so-called buzz" on the streets. "Some people think it's a gorgeous building in the wrong place," he said. "Some don't like Trump; some don't want tall buildings period."

Without the extra floors at Trump Parc, the project becomes marginal, Mr. Rich said, because profits from higher-priced units at the top help cover costs.

As for the Zoning Board, members are readying for some long meetings. "There will be some knock-down, drag-out discussions about whether to go ahead with this project," Mr. Parson said.

You mean the mayor who was trying to run for governor, LOL...

Stamford is not Greenwich. It can't all be for the rich. Yes, it has its benefits...since they got all the money. But, it has to realize that it has it's fair share of low income and middle class. Affordablility is and should be the #1 issue facing the government there.

If not, as we have been debating, it will kill development in the future...

No stamford is not greenwhich, but alot of "new" developments are luxury...things that only the rich can afford. Middle class and low income can't afford 1500 per month rent + utilities......

Believe me man, it seems that stamford is pushing minorities out of the city more and more. They claim to realize that affordable housing is a problem, but they still go on and build expensive condo's and apartments which the average person cannot afford....even people who work for these companies can't afford them at times. They go and build all these avalon groves etc, and its expensive. Now they building high rise condo's with penthouses, and pools, valet parking, and things that celebrities get in their apartments. Look at the poice, they HATE dan malloy. Everywhere else the police make more money, and get serviced and treated better......here they only getting 45K....while greenwhich pays about 60K.....some cops can't even afford to live here neither. And the thing is everything they do is an attraction for the rich. All these Luxury apartments, "develop" the mill river ( in an effort to make it look rich)...tear things down and build expensive condos......man so many people have moved to Bridgeport from here just to afford a place to live...stamford's motto is; The city that works". Yea right, it works against you and pushed you out. If you have money then you can stay, but if you aint rich you can only work in stamford, but get out after work, thats how its been getting. Stamford was ok before, but now the prices are out of control.

That proposal got shot down, but they say they are trying to work things out.

That's bad news...especially with the fact that Stamford has a LOT going for it...

This is what is wrong with Connecticut as a whole. It could be better if the city and state leaders actually tried to help the majority of the state. The stereotype of a rich state is wrong. The cities (save Stamford) are poor. But the cities always get the shaft as well in funding, like the poor.

It truly is a sad story, but the way things are looking...Stamford will see a population loss. Not because it is undesirable, but the opposite. It is going through the same issues that Manhattan and Boston dealt with, but it is only a fraction of the size.

I really do not have a comment on this issue. Affordability is becoming more and more of a lie in CT, even here in Hartford. And it should be the main issue that the politicians that the people elected. But instead, they don't do a thing, as usual.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamford,_Connecticut#Economy

^^Stamford cost of living

I mean people keep coming here, but at the same time more are moving out too. they continue with the "luxury" apartments and drive up prices, then nobody will be able to live here. Population loss will happen soon enough if this continues. I say enough with the "luxury" condo's, jus give me a regular condo, with out all the "luxury amenities".

You speak the truth...they frequently forget about the rest of the population...

Stamford's (and Fairfield county, except Bridgeport's) cost of living is ridiculous. I honestly would feel better spend that much money living in a large city, like NYC, not a suburb.

Consruction progress at West Hartford's Blue Back Square...

Projects include: Hartford Hospital Wellness Center, Crate and Barrel, Bow Tie Theaters, Condos and apartments, two parking garages, and other commerical/retail properties TBA

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9571/1stwkoct2006ni8.jpg

I like th edevelopment, i like it. I wish Stamford had built a hospital....because the only hospital in town is terrible. They'll let you die before treating you. If you got blood gushing from your head they'll tell you to fill out paperwork, instead of treating you right away if its an emergency. I had a friend who had blood flowing from her nose ( i forgot the condition when massive blood comes out of your nose) and she was screaming in pain and needed assistance right away ( they had to put a balloon up her nose to try and stop the bleeding). Well she needed assistance, and they told her to fill out paperwork....while the woman is screamin in pain. they wouldn't take her until other patients in the ER told them to take her before all of them, since her condition was worse. Man, so much development is going on here, but ALOT has to change, for people to REALLY enjoy the city.

But i like the hospital development for hartford

Stamford needs another hospital, for more growth...from what I hear from you, I agree. A private investor and development would have to pick the tab, and hospitals are really expensive.

Hartford has 2 hospitals, Hartford Hospital and St.Francis Hospital...they are both nice, with Hartford Hospital having a little skyline complex south of downtown. It is the Health care center of the state.

There is no unit for burning victims though, a relative of mine had to be sent to Bridgeport after having second degree burns, they should work on that...

Link: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-ctrealesateinperson1.artoct26col,0,2289641.column?coll=hc-utility-business


Proud To Be An Urban Pioneer
October 26, 2006


Looking out at Bushnell Park from his fifth-floor condo at The Metropolitan, David Goff is at the center of it all.

Goff, 38, moved into his two-bedroom, two-bath corner unit in the newly renovated, blond brick mid-rise at Pearl and Ann streets late this summer in what is said to be the first owner-occupied condominium conversion in downtown Hartford in 20 years.

He paid $312,000 for the 1,020-square-foot-space, which features 15-foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and wood and marble floors - not to mention a view of the Capitol's gold dome from the master bedroom.

"I feel like an experiment," said Goff, who is among the first owners in the 50-unit building and among the urban pioneers bringing Hartford's condo scene to life. "I like being part of it. I believe in downtown Hartford and think it will continue to prosper. I know it's on its way up."

Although new to The Metropolitan, Goff is not a newcomer to downtown, having lived at The Linden on Main Street for the past two years. Goff, a French teacher at the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, said he originally moved to Hartford to improve his social life after living rent-free in the dorms for 11 years.

"My sister lives in downtown Boston, and I liked that ... and knowing the real estate prices in downtown Hartford, compared to Boston, I wanted to own. I didn't want to rent," said Goff, who sold his 1,050-square-foot unit at The Linden in August for $265,000, about $75,000 more than he paid for it in 2004, but $15,000 less than he had asked.

Enjoying his first taste of downtown living, including the ability to walk to shops, restaurants and concerts, Goff then decided he wanted to move to a more central location.

"It's just a gut feeling about being where there is a little hustle and bustle," said Goff, who now can walk to nightlife at hot spots such as Bin 228, TheaterWorks and Hartford Stage, or ride over to Bushnell Park on his mountain bike. He also has easy access to I-91 and I-84, and is about a 15-minute drive from Bradley International Airport.

Goff likes the loft feel of the units at The Metropolitan, including the high ceilings and oversized windows, which fill the condo with light. The layout of the second bedroom also accommodates a digital recording studio, where Goff writes movie soundtracks and jingles with a bird's-eye view of the ballroom at the historic Bond Hotel across the street.

Condo fees at The Metropolitan are $425 a month, which includes heating and air conditioning, concierge service, maintenance and the use of a small fitness room off the main lobby.

Although he said crime has not been an issue, Goff paid an additional $20,000 for an interior parking space through a 60-year lease agreement.

Peter Nowak, the Coldwell Banker agent who represented Goff, said parking and security top every downtown condo buyer's list of concerns. He cites interior parking as one of the reasons developer David Nyberg is attracting buyers to the project, where a sixth floor of penthouse suites is currently being built.

And although downtown Hartford boasts many dining and entertainment options, Goff said his new neighborhood desperately needs "survival stores," including a grocery store, a dry cleaner and produce stands. Currently, he must drive outside the city to buy food and other basic necessities.

Despite the lack of retail outlets, Goff said he believes Hartford has fundamentals it can build on to sustain a population, especially "youngish" professionals and empty-nesters. He points to construction, including additions to the skyline such as the Hartford 21 tower, as signs of progress. However, as a new owner concerned about his property value, Goff would like to see more owner occupancy downtown.

"I'm confident I paid a fair price, but with the slowing market, it would be at least two years before I'd even think about selling," said Goff, who is on sabbatical from teaching and plans to spend the year decorating, attending photography school and traveling to Paris and possibly Australia.

"We're still in the initial stages of people moving downtown and taking the leap of faith," he said.

Cheryl Crabb is a free-lance writer.


E-mail: ccrab@courant.com

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-wi-fi.artnov06,0,5414628.story?coll=hc-headlines-editorials


Wi-Fi Still Has A Few Kinks
November 6, 2006

Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez's venture into establishing a citywide wireless network that could allow residents limited free access to the Web looks good on paper and might indeed function as he describes it.

But other cities that have made the leap into wireless fidelity, or wi-fi, have encountered pitfalls, and so we support the idea with a few reservations.

Mr. Perez launched the initial phase of the project last week in two pilot neighborhoods, Downtown and Blue Hills. Presumably, any computer or laptop in those neighborhoods equipped with a wireless card can now connect to the Internet.

The city is also selling 900 low-cost, wireless-ready computers to residents who complete training as part of Mr. Perez's commitment to quickly increase the percentage of Hartford households on the information highway.

Setting up the pilot program for a year will cost $1 million. Mr. Perez anticipates expanding the network to cover the entire city within three years at a total cost of $5.8 million.

Now here's the rub. City officials hope to pay for the build-out with revenues generated from the sale of wi-fi service. Although service will be free to residents for the first few months, after March 2007, only the first 20 hours of service each month will be free.

When their 20 hours are up, residents will be charged anywhere from $12 to $17 per month. Commuters will not receive free service. The plan thus assumes that the city's pricing will compete favorably with private cable and telecommunications firms, some of which are already selling Internet access in that price range.

City officials also hope to generate revenue from the sale of advertisements on the system, the details of which aren't clearly spelled out in their business plan.

Reliability is another concern. Although there are more than 300 municipal wireless networks in various stages of development nationwide, some have encountered difficulty in delivering a clear signal to computers.

Wi-fi is clearly the wave of the future. It frees people and businesses to use the technology in remarkably new ways, even chat with friends across the world, without being tied to desks. But there are still potential drawbacks to overcome.

If you have been to New Haven, the coliseum was a really ugly arena in downtown. It has been recently demolished, but it shows the pitfall in letting development like this come to your city. Hartford had a bit of an issue with the Civic center itself, but it hasn't been torn down.

It's a bit of a long read, but it is good, IMO.

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-plccoliseum1105.artnov05,0,4879928.story?coll=hc-utility-opinion



URBAN RENEWAL IN RUINS
New Haven Coliseum Was Centerpiece Of Failed Movement To Reshape Cities

November 5, 2006
By JONATHAN FINER Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, which for the past three decades has occupied - some say blighted - a downtown block of this oft-maligned city, is expected to be demolished by next month. Most of the musty building is already gone, including the oddly furrowed walls that once shook with cheers of pro-wrestling crowds and power chords from the likes of rockers Pat Benatar and Iron Maiden. Two banks of red-and-blue plastic seats jut diagonally from a rubble-filled foundation; workmen pick at concrete pillars with jackhammers.

When the coliseum opened in 1972, New Haven officials had hoped that the 10,000-seat stadium would usher in a more prosperous era for a city with high rates of poverty and crime. But by 2002, after too many seasons with too few paying customers, the massive building was shuttered; local authorities projected that it would lose $50 million over 10 years, and that tearing it down would cost a fraction as much.

The coliseum's destruction will be a depressing coda for urban renewal, the controversial nationwide movement that reshaped dozens of American cities from the late 1940s through the 1970s, claiming large swaths of rundown neighborhoods for huge government public works projects. Its foremost laboratory was New Haven, where officials spent $745 per resident on urban renewal projects from the 1940s through the late '60s, more than twice as much as the next most ambitious city (Newark, $277). The coliseum was the showpiece.

Urban renewal spread quickly after a 1949 housing act authorized and partly funded the taking of private land by eminent domain. Flush with federal money, states and cities rushed to adopt the model perfected by Robert Moses, a mid-20th-century power broker responsible for most of New York City's modern infrastructure of bridges and tunnels, parkways and highways. His imitators around the country seized entire neighborhoods, bulldozed them flat and constructed new roads and grandiose civic buildings.

The goal was to provide "a decent home and suitable living environment" for all Americans by demolishing downtown slums, but the result was something different. Hundreds of thousands of residents, many of them black and poor or recent immigrants, were forced out. Much of Boston ($218 per resident, third on the list), including the historic West End neighborhood, was demolished to build apartment towers, a sprawling City Hall plaza and a giant elevated highway (the recent notoriously overdue and over-budget Big Dig was a costly effort to bury that road). Pittsburgh ($160, fourth place) built most of its downtown "Golden Triangle" during this time. In the District of Columbia ($94, eighth among U.S. cities), acres of the southwest quadrant of the city were razed and rebuilt in this manner during the 1950s, with only a few stray markets, churches and townhouses left intact.

In New Haven, as elsewhere, the results were mixed at best. In a book about the city's architecture written shortly after the coliseum was built, historian Elizabeth Mills Brown wrote breathlessly of its "gigantic scale" and the spectators' "experience of sheer spatial intoxication." But long before Bob Hope crooned and cracked wise at the building's debut concert, locals had already begun to carp that its design was a monstrosity, drawn from an aptly named architectural movement called Brutalism. Its three-story rooftop garage cast a bizarre silhouette on the skyline, and the spiral-shaped concrete parking ramps proved difficult to navigate. Two planned department stores never really took hold, and are now vacant. Today, the area is the deadest part of New Haven.

"The day it was built," the coliseum "already almost had the feel of a ruin to it," said Douglas Rae, author of a recent book about New Haven and urban development and a professor at Yale, whose leafy Gothic campus is half a mile up the street. "It is really an appalling thing to look at."

Even so, the building's imminent demise has drawn sharp protests from groups with little other common ground except that they grew to love it. Preservationists and tweedy academics saw a historic landmark, albeit an ugly one, worth salvaging. Robert A.M. Stern, dean of the Yale School of Architecture, reportedly equated demolition plans with "architectural murder."

Meanwhile, metalheads and jersey-clad fans of the New Haven Nighthawks hockey team lamented that the city would be left without a major sports venue. The faithful hung a banner from the building's roof proclaiming "Game Not Over" and began lobbying the government to reconsider. "A lot of us spent some of the best nights of our lives in that old barn," said Joe Chieppo, who worked at the coliseum for 17 years, starting as a teenage stock boy in 1985.

At a series of public hearings in recent years, backers of the coliseum pitched redevelopment plans. But toward the end of a 2003 gathering, Mayor John DeStefano Jr. took the microphone. "Be realistic," he implored. "It never created any economic activity around it. It didn't even sustain a bar on the corner."

As in many Northeastern cities that were once industrial centers, the coliseum's plight was but one symptom of the city's economic crisis. Even the gun manufacturer that made New Haven famous - the U.S. Repeating Arms Co., producers of Winchester, "the gun that won the West" - has finally ended a 140-year association with the city by closing a factory that was once the largest local employer. It was New Haven's last remaining major manufacturer.

These days, theories of urban renewal have themselves been modernized. Urban planners now advocate community-oriented approaches to development, in which residents and business and political leaders are more involved in decision-making.

But New Haven officials are still in love with the Big Idea. The latest large-scale scheme to transform the city is the $230 million Gateway Downtown Development Project, slated to include a sprawling community college campus, a theater and a hotel complex. There are also plans to spruce up nearby streets with wider sidewalks and antique lampposts, in the hope of reviving street life.

"The city keeps putting all of its eggs in one big basket," Rae said. "I'd be happier if they subdivided the land the coliseum is on, sold it off and aimed lower - shoe stores, bars, that kind of thing."

Beny Mezza, who runs Coliseum News, a small cafeteria across George Street from what's left of the arena, said: "Whatever they put in here, I hope it gets this place going, or I'm out." During the noon lunch hour one recent weekday, there was one customer - an elderly man watching raptly as the lottery numbers were announced on a wall-mounted television.

Jonathan Finer, a Washington Post staff writer, is on leave to study at Yale Law School. He wrote this for the Post.

Here's a story about the recent development plans in Blue Back Square in West Hartford, that has scaled back on building luxury condos instead now into apartments.

Probably because, the demand of a condo has fallen since this plan was approved.

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-whdblueback1114.artnov14,0,6418204.story?coll=hc-headlines-hr


Council To Hear Blue Back Revision
November 14, 2006

By KATIE MELONE, Courant Staff Writer

WEST HARTFORD -- Blue Back Square developers will seek town council approval tonight of scaled-back plans to build a smaller, less fancy apartment building instead of a larger, second set of luxury condominiums.

BBS Development LLC won approval in May to build 54 additional condominium units, bringing the total number of units in two buildings from 70 to 124. Now the developers want to reduce the total number of possible housing units to 114.

The luxury condominium market has since cooled, but the rental apartment market appears to be more robust, the developers say, so they now want to shave three stories off their second building and build between 48 and 52 apartments, instead of 62 condominiums.

Town officials report they have received little public input about the proposed change. But it has stirred some discussion about affordable housing in town, and the developers' decision to seek a second change to the original plan approved by the council and by voters in two referendums.

"Every time the developer comes back it presents the prospect that all of the old Blue Back battles will be relived," said Mayor Scott Slifka. "It would be everybody's preference that the applicant never have to return ... but given the complexity of the project, returning to the council might be an inevitable development."

A public hearing will be held on the proposal at 5:30 p.m. A vote could follow.

While the developers need approval to change the height of the second building, it is their discretion to build apartments or condominiums - or to build the building at all. They also retain the option to later sell any apartments they build as condominiums.

Building apartments, estimated to rent at prices between $1,500 and $2,500, will allow the developers to offer a wider range of housing options in Blue Back Square, which had always been their intention, Robert Wienner, a managing partner with BBS Development, has said.

Joe Visconti, an outspoken critic of the development, said some residents are worried about whether renters will have the same pride in ownership as condo owners. "They're worried about people drinking, single people," he said.

The upscale condominiums have also sparked debate about "affordable housing" in town - namely whether the development is too exclusive. In recommending approval for the most recent change to the project, the town planning and zoning commission earlier this month noted the need for "median income" housing in town, and wrote in a letter to the council that the approval of the proposed change presents a "unique opportunity" for the town to support median income housing in Blue Back or around town.

Wienner said BBS Development has always been willing to assist the town in that goal. "We have said to the town previously that if and when the town would like to engage in a real dialogue in what are the options for creating median income affordable housing we would be delighted to participate in that and offer whatever help we can," he said.

In February, Councilman Mark Sinatro suggested that the council require the Blue Back developers to set aside 20 percent of the housing units for affordable housing, an idea that was later deemed potentially illegal by the corporation counsel's office. Town officials are currently drafting an ordinance to create a housing trust fund, a pot of money to make grants or loans for mortgage assistance or to build housing to encourage homeownership. The proposal was originally proposed by Carolyn Thornberry, a councilwoman.

Contact Katie Melone at kmelone@courant.com.

Great news...

Link: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-connmutual1117.artnov17,0,72658.story?coll=hc-headlines-business


Sizable Plans For City Site
Leasing Possible Early In '07 At Insurance Complex
November 17, 2006

By KENNETH R. GOSSELIN, Courant Staff Writer The new owners of the historic Connecticut Mutual headquarters in Asylum Hill will pump as much as $30 million into the now vacant complex and plan to lease space to at least several office tenants, possibly signing the first deal early in 2007.

Presented Thursday at an open house for commercial brokers, the plans call for respecting the rich architectural past of the original building, erected in 1926, while meeting the demands of prospective corporate tenants for a workspace that is firmly planted in the 21st century.

"What the market was telling us was that it was all right to have a classical building, but once you get inside, they want a contemporary space," said William L. Manley, president of Hudson, Mass.-based Calare Properties Inc., one of two partners that bought the Garden Street building in May.

Plans call for preserving the architecture of the original building - now dwarfed by three later additions. Among the Georgian revival gems are the imposing façade with its Corinthian portico, and a lobby atrium adorned with soaring limestone pilasters and a marble floor.

But Calare and its partner - Los Angeles-based Hackman Capital Partners Inc. - also intend to turn a rear entry into the main entrance of the 450,000-square-foot structure, carving a modern, three-story lobby out of existing space added in 1971.

The lobby - which could cost $7 million, the amount the partners paid for the entire complex - will serve as a focal point for accessing other parts of the building. That's difficult now because the structure was expanded in stages. The new entrance also will be closer to where most of the parking is located on the 16-acre site.

"One of the problems is you need a grand entrance," Manley said. "The original entrance is at the edge of the site, and there is no parking there."

The lobby is being designed around original structural beams, which will be exposed during construction, enclosed in frosted glass and lighted from within. A similar motif will be repeated in a sculpture outside the entrance, according to the architect, Anthony J. Amenta, of Amenta/Emma in Hartford.

Construction on the new lobby is expected to start in the spring, Manley said.

In addition to work on the headquarters building, the owners hope to make the complex more attractive by turning Myrtle Street into a landscaped boulevard.

They also want to get permission to have Fraser Place, which runs through the complex, abandoned as a public road so it can be used for parking. That would be in addition to 1,425 existing spaces, 662 in a parking garage.

The most likely tenants would come from financial services, insurance and the legal profession. Back office, call centers and data processing operations also would be well suited to the space, Manley said.

Although the owners would prefer a few large tenants, the building could easily accommodate as many as 10. Manley wouldn't name the prospective tenant that it hopes to sign early next year, but said it was a company in the area that needed space to expand.

The owners are marketing the building with attractive terms. Although it is outside the central business district, it is within walking distance. The first tenants are expected to be offered annual leases with terms of $15 a square foot, including parking. That compares with an average of $22 a square foot downtown, often not including parking.

Even with such modest rents, Manley said the venture would recoup a return for their investors. No public money is being sought by the partners for the construction work, Manley said.

If Calare and Hackman are successful in fully leasing the building, as many as 1,600 workers could be added to the Asylum Hill area. The area lost 1,200 workers when the former owner, MassMutual, which acquired Connecticut Mutual in 1996, consolidated Connecticut operations in Enfield.

The partners will have competition, however, as landlords around the city seek to attract new tenants. For example, the owners of the Stilts Building on Church Street are renovating the tower and are marketing more than 300,000 square feet of available space.

The partners had considered converting the Garden Street property for residential use, but quickly concluded that the space wasn't right for it.

Calare and Hackman see potential in Hartford as a city on the rebound.

"There's a lot of work left to do," Manley said. "But it is going in the right direction."

Local brokers got their first look at the plans for the building Thursday at an open house that included guided tours. One stop was the former senior executive offices, each with a fireplace, and the old boardroom, with its 12-foot-high double entryway doors.

"Every time we tour with someone, we see something new," said Andy Filler, a broker with leasing agent CB Richard Ellis in Hartford.

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-wadsnews.artnov16,0,6627476.story?coll=hc-headlines-hr


The Times They Are A-Changin'
Atheneum Expanding Into Newspaper Building
November 16, 2006

By FRANK RIZZO, Courant Staff Writer After four years of leadership regrouping, mission revising and real estate dealing, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is about to turn its long-sought expansion into a physical reality.

Construction will begin in the spring on the $15.5 million renovation of the former Hartford Times Building on Prospect Street, a literal cornerstone of the Front Street development in Adriaen's Landing. The museum's new building - which is being leased from the state for 99 years - will open in the fall of 2008

The refitted 55,000-square-foot structure will have a more versatile public profile than originally envisioned, with a cafe/restaurant, retail store and a large education arts studio off its airy street-level entrance. A 7,500-square-foot open space on the second floor will be home to multiple uses, including gallery shows, performances and programs, and banquets that can seat 450 people.

The grand portico of the former newspaper building - which acted as a photo-friendly backdrop for visits by Presidents Kennedy, Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson and Truman during campaign stops in Hartford - will remain a centerpiece of the facade. The concrete wall on Prospect Street blocking the first floor from the public will be removed, opening up the building from the street level. The design of the back of the building will be determined once the look of the Front Street development is decided.

The top two floors of the four-story building will house administrative offices and meeting rooms, and the basement will be used primarily for storage.

The first phase of the museum's expansion plans was announced at the annual meeting of the board of trustees Wednesday evening.

"I see the first two floors of the new building as a community cultural center and a destination place," said museum director Willard Holmes, in an interview before the board meeting. "All the spaces in the new building are being integrated and will operate as close to 24/7 as possible."

Holmes announced plans for a new endowment drive to stabilize finances, not only for the new building but for the entire museum complex. The campaign, which will be targeted exclusively for operating expenses, is expected to be started next spring or summer. Holmes said that if he were to estimate the museum's needs, he would project a $40 million campaign, which would spin off $2 million annually in perpetuity. But he said that the campaign goal will have to be fixed once the Atheneum determines how much can be raised.

The museum is already off to a spectacular start. Holmes announced a $5 million anonymous gift, the largest single lump sum from a living donor in decades.

"This is a great vote of confidence," said Holmes of the gift from the person "who knows the museum, knows what the museum has been through and what the museum is doing right now."

The new building and the new fund-raising drive are expected to refocus the museum.

The museum's previous drive collapsed amid board conflicts in 2002 over the campaign and United Technologies Chairman George David's resignation as head of the museum board. That $100 million-plus comprehensive campaign included a massive renovation of the Atheneum at 600 Main St., a new building, endowment and programming. And it would have shut down the Atheneum for at least three years. Since the end of that drive, as the museum adjusted to new leadership and restated its goals, it accumulated $73.5 million in money and pledges, including $15 million from the state.

But that figure is misleading, Holmes said, because much of the money has been spent on preservation projects, the existing endowment and creating a multimillion-dollar reserve that has reduced annual deficits over the past few years. The $73.5 million includes about $20 million collected from annual giving donations.

Holmes said that the museum has the money to pay for the $15 million in costs for the Times Building renovation, but that additional money is needed to ensure the museum's financial future.

Although the museum has a separate $87 million endowment, only one-third of it is targeted for operating expenses. The rest is tied to specific purposes, such as education and acquisitions.

The museum's budget has remained steady for the past four years at $9 million annually, but expenses - including soaring utility costs - have risen. Despite an increase in the annual fund and a major rise in attendance of 34 percent in the past year, the museum faces a deficit of $284,062 for the fiscal year ended June 30, even with the help of $1.5 million from a strategic reserve. Another $1.5 million remains in the reserve.

"The sooner we get the endowment raised, the sooner these holes can be plugged," Holmes said. "It is only endowment that is going to stabilize this institution."

Holmes said that the new building will increase operating expenses by an estimated $250,000 to $300,000 annually, but that it will be offset by operational savings from the main complex and increased revenue streams from the new building, such as rentals for many of its private and public spaces. "Our goal is to make this a budget-neutral building," Holmes said.

As employees and materials transfer from the Main Street complex of buildings to the new Prospect Street building, the Atheneum will gain about 15 percent to 20 percent in exhibit space in the main complex, and about 15 percent in storage space. The Atheneum will continue to operate as it gradually creates the new gallery spaces. The museum gift shop will remain in the main building. There will be food service, but it will be set up differently from the current restaurant.

Contact Frank Rizzo at Rizzo@Courant.com.

Zoning Board OKs shorter Trump tower

By Doug Dalena
Staff Writer

Published November 21 2006


STAMFORD -- The proposal to build Stamford's tallest building gained its first major approval last night despite being shrunk by 50 feet.

The Zoning Board voted 4-1 in favor of the 350-foot glass-sheathed Trump Park luxury condominium tower at Washington Boulevard and Broad Street, voting 4-1 in favor of the controversial project.

The vote came a week after board members praised modifications the developers made after the board unanimously rejected the original proposal in June. The changes included reducing the height from 400 feet, cutting the number of condominiums from 184 to 170, and shrinking the building footprint and the six-story parking structure at the base.

Though the developers must still secure financing, get final approval from the Environmental Protection Board and the State Traffic Commission, and satisfy several conditions before getting a building permit, developer Thomas Rich said he expects to break ground by March.

"We have a lot of faith in this project, in the fundamental feasibility of the project, in the marketability of the project," Rich said.

Board Chairwoman Phyllis Kapiloff commended Rich and his partners for heeding public and Zoning Board criticisms of the original proposal.

"I would like to congratulate the applicants for being good listeners," she said.

Last night's sole dissenter, Republican member Audrey Cosentini, called the building "absolutely exquisite" and agreed with project proponents that the downtown needs high-density, high-rise housing, but said she could not support such a large building on the half-acre site.

"What should go there, I don't know," Cosentini said, but added that she disagreed with the part of the city's Master Plan that advocates a large building occupying most of the site.

Rich, president of F.D. Rich Co., and Cappelli Enterprises of Valhalla, N.Y., are developing the project in conjunction with its namesake, real estate mogul Donald Trump. Rich owns the land with another partner, Robert Kahn of Stamford.

It 170 condominiums are expected to sell for at least $600 per square foot, Rich and Cappelli have said.

Last night's vote, held after a two-hour hearing, caps a nine-month approval process marked by vocal opposition to the original plans. Rich said he began working on the traffic plans with city and state officials two years ago.

Critics had said the building was too tall, would overwhelm the half-acre parcel and worsen traffic at a busy intersection. Board members and others questioned whether the Trump name was appropriate for a signature Stamford building.

At the same time, downtown boosters and urban planning advocates said the building was exactly what the city center needed.

Rich and Cappelli said the parcel was always intended for intense development and that traffic studies showed other downtown housing produced less traffic than studies had predicted. They touted the project's potential to reduce traffic on Interstate 95, because likely tenants would walk or take the train to shops, restaurants and jobs.

Trump never made an appearance on behalf of the project. Rich, though he acknowledged that some people were turned off by Trump's public persona, said the name would help sell condominiums and guarantee good building management.

The new design pulls the facade of the parking garage back from Washington Boulevard and shrinks the ground-floor footprint by 12 feet on Washington Boulevard and 6 feet along Broad Street. The facade of the parking garage would align with that of the Target department store next door.

"I think it's a better building," Rich said last night, though he reiterated his belief that 400 feet would have been even better. "It's got more light and air and space."

The Zoning Board deliberated for more than an hour last night, mostly on the wording of 20 conditions that the developers must meet. The longest discussions were over pedestrian walkways and the traffic plan for the site.

On both issues, board members expressed continued skepticism over how well walkers would get through the site, how it would be landscaped, and how cars leaving the building would interact with traffic on Washington Boulevard and Broad Street.

On those issues, the developers must submit more detailed plans that satisfy the board before they can get a building permit.

The board also said it would hold the developers to their commitment to meet sustainable development goals under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standards. LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, measures features such as energy and water conservation, proximity to mass transit, waste reduction, and indoor air quality.

To satisfy the city's affordable housing regulations, the developers must contribute $2.9 million to fund housing affordable to families who make less than half the area median income of $116,300.

Despite the height reduction, the building, topped by a 25-foot high backlit glass enclosure for mechanical equipment, would be Stamford's tallest, at least for a time. The Landmark Tower, also built by F.D. Rich, is 270 feet high, not including its mechanical equipment space.

Rich and Cappelli have proposed two 400-foot-high towers to house a Ritz-Carlton hotel and condominium complex on the site of the Atlantic Street post office.

Another company, Lowe Enterprises of California, is proposing a 350-foot condominium tower at the northeast corner of Washington and Tresser boulevards.

Nice...this and the other developments is exactly what Stamford needs.

I can't wait for the renderings...

I got the newspaper, so i'll try to scan if i can do it, the rendering isn't all that, but its good enough. Its about time a building eclipsed landmark square....i'm tired of it being the tallest.

THe thing about landmark square building is that its in the middle of stamford, which means that it was meant to be the tallest building, the centerpiece of stamford. 270 feet?? That is short......i'll feel alot better with 350-400 feet. If they do it right, the skyline will be nice ( with the RBS building addition too), hopefully they wont screw it up

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/Landmarksquarepic.jpg


Landmark Square...looks nice at night though. 270 feet??? I always thought it was 290 at least

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/Stamford.jpg


The mariott building is cool, btu the others, next to it (the buildings on the right side) really screwed up Stamford's skyline

I don't think that they messed up the skyline, but they just all look the same. Stamford needs a signature building to make their skyline more recognizable, no offense. Hopefully Stamford eventually builds a 500+ footer.

...especially since Mohegan Sun is proposing to build the tallest building in CT. I hope that a proposal in Stamford will be bigger than that, because at the moment, there is no proposed buildings to be taller than City Place in Hartford.

Good to see a development boom in many of the Connecticut cities. Of course, Stamford, with all its corporate HQs, never fell upon hard times. Hartford & New Haven did, but they seem to be coming back strong. Seems like Bridgeport & Waterbury are still struggling.

Bridgeport has the potential to boom, but leadership issues kept the city down.

If they elected a government that started to think big (like Hartford and New Haven did), and if the State government gave it a bit more attention, it would have been growing high, with relatively low costs and being not that far from NYC. I believe that, eventually, Bridgeport could surpass the rest.

Waterbury, on the other hand....no. That city feels more like a big town, and it really has less potential than the rest, because of it's location, and because there is no large-scale development there to begin on...it feels more a sprawled out rustbelt city than Hartford does.

I could not agree with you more. Fairfield County in my opinion is desperate for a couple good music venues, including a large outdoor amphitheatre. Norwalk, Stamford or Bridgeport, I would bet on Norwalk, need to take the reins. I mean 5,000-10,000 seats similar to the Meadows but with a view and a heart plus a few smaller clubs, Toads Place style. Maybe a BB Kings would work in Stamford.
As for the comment on nightlife in Connecticuts cities, let's get real. Hartford does not have a lively downtown after dark. Stamford is much more alive after 5:00, as is New Haven and South Norwalk. Hartford, though getting better, is dead... dead... dead after dark. I can't wait for the day that changes, but for now it is a ghost town.
I believe Hartford must build a new downtown arena asap and maybe uncover some of the old rivers running under the city. I know that it would be costly, but the value would be priceless. I also think that Hartford should focus more on attracting a large new downtown tenant. Companies have left Hartford for years, when is one going to choose it as a new home? With all of Connecticuts cities, and the countries, getting nicer and more livable, Hartford better do something to stand out soon. I don't mean convention centers or hotels, those generally come when there is demand. I mean some spice, some flavor. What is Hartford?

Well...

There is a proposed arena in Hartford, the developers are hitting for a hockey team...It haven't heard much about it lately though. The idea of uncovering the Park river is a good one, but I think that there are too much buildings and streets to uncover it, which would mean re-developing the whole area.

Hartford does have an issue keeping people in after dark, but it is a suitcase city. But, there has been active progress of making the downtown more livable by building condos and attracting restaurants/bars and nightclubs. The state and the city are aware the issues, they are trying to end it.

Companies are not leaving Hartford anymore, that issue bottomed out back in the 1990s. There really is no incentive to leave anymore, as before in the insurance mergers. Companies like Aetna are actually bringing jobs back to the city. Economically, Hartford is in it's best position for years.

Hartford is going in the right direction, but issues will not be fixed overnight.

Stamford Advocate
A Time Of Change

More residents support increased development than oppose it, but a significant portion still resist growth, according to an Advocate and Greenwich Time poll, conducted last month by the University of Connecticut's Center for Survey Research and Analysis.

The poll found that 41.2 percent of respondents in Stamford, Norwalk and Greenwich believe more development increases quality of life, compared with 30.1 percent who believe it decreases quality of life. Another 18.5 percent believe it has no real impact. Support for more development was highest in Norwalk and lowest in Greenwich.

I like the growth that's happened in the city up to this point," said Robert Finsthwait. Finsthwait, 84, grew up in New Rochelle, N.Y., moved to Darien from New York City in 1955, then moved his young family to a home on Westover Road in Stamford in 1960. He and his wife still live there.

"It's grown interestingly in many, many ways," he said, commending Stamford's affordable housing requirements for developers and the effort to unite downtown with Mill River Park.

In Stamford, 43.3 percent said development increases quality of life, compared with 31 percent who said it decreases quality of life.

In Norwalk, even more, 49.7 percent, saw development as a benefit to quality of life, compared with 21.2 percent who believed the opposite.

In Greenwich, more people - 40 percent - said development decreases quality of life, compared with 26.2 percent who think it leads to improvements. Almost as many - 24.8 percent - think it has no real impact.

The poll results appear to support, at least partially, the choices Stamford has made in the past decade.

Those choices include extensive housing and retail development downtown, requirements on developers to provide affordable housing with every project and projects that link development to mass transit.

"It's not the Stamford I grew up in. It's a better Stamford," said Mayor Dannel Malloy, who has pushed for downtown development, the planned urban transitway to spur redevelopment of the South End neighborhood and improvements to Mill River Park. "We had to stop having a debate about whether we were a town or a city. We're a city."

Since the Master Plan was rewritten in 2002, two big-box stores, including a Target, have opened downtown, hundreds of new condominiums have been built or approved, and developers have proposed thousands more in or near the city center.

They include a Ritz-Carlton Hotel and condominium development with two 400-foot-high towers on Atlantic Street; the Trump Parc condominium tower approved last week by the Zoning Board; and plans by Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group to build 834 condominiums and apartments and a long-sought supermarket across Washington Boulevard.

A massive redevelopment in the South End by Antares Investment Partners would bring 4,000 units of new housing, including 400 affordable units, to 80 acres of former industrial land.

At the same time, Stamford is making progress on reinventing Mill River Park as the city's central park, with new development around a 26-acre network of trails and parks along a restored riverfront.

For the most part, residents seem to welcome the changes.

More than half the Stamford residents polled favor new development on vacant land - compared with 37 percent in Greenwich and 46 percent in Norwalk.

The strong support for development encouraged Rob Lane, an urban designer from the Regional Plan Association who led the effort to update the city's Master Plan in 2002.

Lane said the plan, formed with input from community groups and residents, directs new development into vacant and underused properties downtown and in other neighborhood centers, providing amenities that residents want while preserving traditional neighborhoods.

"If people see that they're getting something from a community development perspective, they'll embrace it," Lane said.

Balancing act

(end of page 1)

Support for development comes with a wariness that reflects a balancing act among the jobs, tax revenue and activities made possible by growth, projects that could threaten community character.

For every aspect of development that residents supported, there was a flip side.

People want more affordable housing but split on having it in their neighborhoods; most want more recreational space and other benefits but oppose using eminent domain; and certain high-profile projects, while meeting the overall goals residents share, encountered strong opposition because specific details didn't seem to fit the city.

And while the proximity to New York City, easy access to trains, and a booming downtown attract more residents and drive up real estate prices, the difficulty in finding an affordable home has gotten worse, a vast majority of respondents said.

Marilyn Bonoff, an interior designer from the Springdale section of Stamford, said construction all over the city makes it an exciting place to live and has increased property values, but she doesn't like that most of the new housing is for upper-income residents.

"I get a sense that the middle class is getting pushed out, and the only people they care about have big bucks," she said.

Planners and downtown boosters praised Trump Parc's smart-growth features, but many people still opposed it, calling it a bad example of a good concept.

Half the poll respondents in Stamford opposed the development, planned by F.D. Rich Co. and Cappelli Enterprises, compared with 40.4 percent who supported it.

Among opponents, nearly three-fourths were strongly against it, while a third of the proponents felt strongly about their support.

The poll was taken before the developers presented changes to the building that reduced its height, number of units and building bulk at street level.

The Zoning Board applauded those changes, voting 4-1 last week to approve the new design.

The board rejected the original proposal, which included a 400-foot-high building with a base many felt was overwhelming.

The involvement and public persona of Donald Trump, perhaps the nation's the first real estate celebrity, turned off many residents.

"I wonder if it had been named something else, what would the response have been?" Stamford Land Use Bureau Chief Robin Stein said.

Housing is key

Malloy said the middle class is not being pushed out of Stamford.

One of the reasons the Antares project in the South End is receiving so much support, despite its massive scale, is that no residents will be displaced, officials say.

Artists who have established lofts face an uncertain future, but no permanent housing exists on the development sites. And 400 of the new units would be affordable.

In the Lowe development on Tresser Boulevard, 120 affordable apartments in the St. John Towers complex would be demolished, but Lowe has pledged $10.3 million to relocate residents.

The remaining 240 apartments would be renovated and kept affordable for 30 years.

"The urban legend is that if there is housing built, somebody must be losing," Malloy said. "It's just not always the case."

The focus on housing, with market-rate homes encouraged but tied to inclusion of affordable units, sprang from an obvious need, developers and planners said

When Antares approached the Business Council of Fairfield County about the potential to redevelop the South End, council leaders made one thing clear, Antares managing member James Cabrera said.

Employers were having trouble attracting workers because it was so hard to commute to the city and just as hard to find affordable housing to avoid it.

"There's a big need for housing to get people off of I-95," Cabrera said.

Just as support for development comes with limits, opposition to it isn't monolithic.

In Greenwich, where support for development was weaker than opposition and more people believed development decreases quality of life, most people still support specific projects associated with growth.

Asked whether they would support building more public parking in Greenwich even if it brought more traffic from out-of-town shoppers, 51 percent said yes and 45 percent said no.

Norwalk 'on the move'

In Norwalk, where 50 percent of residents said continued growth and development improves their quality of life, officials and developers are working on a series of plans to remake swaths of the city.

More than $1 billion in projects are scheduled. They include plans to rebuild and expand portions of the old city center around Main and Wall streets; create 420,000 square feet of new retail space and 350 units of housing along aging West Avenue; and add 525,000 square feet of office space, a hotel and up to 350 condominiums a half-mile to the south in the Reed-Putnam redevelopment zone.

Once known disparagingly as the "hole in the doughnut," Norwalk is now the "city on the move," said former Mayor Alex Knopp, who made "smart growth" a priority during his administration from 2001 to 2005.

"There was a feeling when I got into office that a lot of the growth over the last 15 years . . . had not benefited the city enough," Knopp said. "Many thought there was too much big-box retail, and all this brought was traffic from the suburbs and no significant growth in the Grand List."

Knopp said the goal was to focus on building Class A office space, which has boosted commercial tax revenues, while keeping development confined to major transportation corridors and urban parts of the city.

"It's about getting the right kind of growth in the right kind of places," he said.

In assessing whether development adds to quality of life, not all residents are as optimistic. Where some see progress in the brick-and-glass residential and office buildings that have risen along South Norwalk's waterfront in the past five years, City Historian Ralph Bloom sees "the identity in the town being lost."

The loss of old homes in certain neighborhoods has been the hot issue lately, but Bloom noted other buildings are sometimes worth saving, too.

He fondly recalled the former "marble and bronze" Burndy Library on Richards Avenue. "It was a basic modern building that was beautifully designed. It was a great place to hear chamber music . . . It really added to the quality of life."

It was replaced by a Staples.

"Every time another mega- store opens, we become more like everyone else," Bloom said.

Opposing eminent domain

Though many appreciate the benefits of growth, there is a limit to what they will let the government do to get it.

A majority - 63.3 percent in the three cities polled - opposed the use of eminent domain powers, whereby a city can force property owners to sell their land to the government for public projects or private development.

Stamford lost a Connecticut Supreme Court decision over its attempt to force the owners of Curley's Diner on West Park Place to sell to make way for an apartment development downtown.

The decision forced the city's development partner to redesign the project. One of the owners, Maria Aposporos, was elected to the Board of Representatives on a you-can-fight-city-hall platform.

Between the South End and Cove neighborhoods, some businesses and property owners have decried plans to seize land to build the second phase of the planned Urban Transitway; a few property owners affected by the first phase, where construction could start next year, are still fighting the appraisals on their properties.

But the opposition to eminent domain, 58.4 percent, was lower in Stamford than in neighboring towns. In Greenwich, 67.4 percent opposed it; in Norwalk, 66.9 percent opposed it.

Despite the opposition, which includes private and public projects, Malloy said the animosity to eminent domain is lower in Stamford because of what urban renewal, using eminent domain, did for the city, and more recently, its use to assemble land for UBS, which opened its U.S. headquarters on Washington Boulevard in 1997.

"Who in their right mind isn't happy about UBS being here with 5,000 people?" he said. "The positive effects are understood better here."

Support for a different government method of promoting development was almost as high as the opposition to eminent domain.

Nearly 58 percent of Stamford residents support using state and local tax breaks as an incentive to get companies to move here or stay here, compared with 33 percent who oppose such tax breaks.

Stamford benefited from such tax breaks recently, with the announcement of a $100 million state tax break to lure Royal Bank of Scotland to a downtown site across the street from UBS.

The city also will forgo a portion of the property taxes on the new building in its first five years.

The RBS complex is expected to open in 2009 with at least 1,850 employees - including 1,000 workers on a trading floor nearly as large as the one at UBS - and eventually expand to its capacity of 3,000 employees.

Neighborhood growth

For Stein, the Stamford Land Use Bureau chief, the poll confirms the choices the city made in writing its Master Plan.

And the effort continues, with urban designer Lane working on plans for managing neighborhood growth in Springdale and Glenbrook.

Stein has been coaxing developers and the city's land-use boards to examine whether a development would meet environmental sustainability standards.

In preparing for the Master Plan update, planners built a model showing vacant and undeveloped sites downtown and in other densely developed areas, and added building models to show how the city would look if they were all developed.

The trick, he said, is to continue building in the neighborhood centers and downtown, and to avoid the sprawl in other places.

Street life in today's downtown is a big improvement from what Finsthwait saw in 1960, when urban renewal began and he moved here.

"It was a tough city," he said. "There was nothing particularly redeeming about it. No one was going to go anyplace where you were going to walk around at night."

Finsthwait said he hasn't seen plans for the twin 400-foot Ritz-Carlton towers, or Lowe's three planned residential towers. But he expects more support for development in that part of Stamford, where he believes the city's tallest buildings should go.

"We don't live in a static world," he said. "It's growing. The question is, is it going to grow in the right way?"

I know you was asking for a rendering rotten, so i scanned it and upped it for you and everyone else. This is what its supposed to look like. Even though they scaled it down to 350 feet, it would be the talest building in stamford, enjoy

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/TrumpParc.jpg

sorry for the bad cutting lol

Those are some very interesting polls...

People in Stamford and Norwalk seem to be pro-growth generally, while wanting more affordable housing development, and are aware that they are a city. It seems that NIMBYs, are not the issue that it is in other CT cities, because the people believe that growth brings continued success. '=

If the governments there shared the same thoughts, the place will BOOM, if not already.

Greenwich is expected to be anti-development, since it's rich. I doubt we will ever see a high-rise there. Their loss, I guess.

I wonder how the rest of the state feels, especially Hartford. The development efforts going on have had low opposition.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/TrumpParc.jpg

YES! :okay:

This is the type of development that Connecticut needs...modern glass high-rises. I like this style of building, so I can't wait to see it when I'm going down I-95...

Yea man, some glass high rises should be nice. All i want in stamford is
1)More Affordable Housing
2) a few 400+ foot buildings
3) Stadium
4) Expanded Downtown ( restaraunts, theatres, clubs etc)
5) Re-do parts of the mall's interior and create a new modern feel to it ( it's too lame, walkin in a circle that only takes about 2 minutes)

Shoppers not boxed in by store choices


Like many Stamford homeowners, Carole Gladstone is willing to go that extra mile - or 10 - to get a bargain.

At least once a week, she hits the highway and heads to the retail mecca that is Norwalk's Connecticut Avenue, where Wal-Mart, Circuit City, Best Buy, Costco and Kohl's beckon.

She often stops in Home Depot along the way but says "that doesn't mean Home Depot has to come to me."

Gladstone, a real estate agent who lives in the Roxbury section of Stamford, is not enthused about the home improvement retailer's plans to build a store on Stamford's West Side.

"It's just as easy to get to Norwalk," she said.

That sentiment was echoed by many of her neighbors in a recent telephone poll by The Advocate and Greenwich Time and the University of Connecticut's Center for Survey Research and Analysis that gauged residents' attitudes toward development in their communities.

Researchers found more than three-quarters of Greenwich residents, 58 percent of Stamford residents and 40 percent of Norwalk residents prefer to shop out of town.

Of the Stamford residents making a run for the border to buy items other than groceries and basic necessities, the overwhelming majority head to Norwalk.

Yet the pollsters found shoppers in all three municipalities are reluctant to have such sought-after stores closer to home.

Greenwich residents in particular have little desire to add more shopping destinations to their town, with only 7 percent saying the town needs more retail development. Nearly half of the Greenwich respondents, 48 percent, said their town has the right amount of big-box stores, though they have only one that comes close - the Staples office supply store on East Putnam Avenue.

Mary Ann Morrison, president and chief executive officer of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce, said there is no question that Greenwich residents shop large chain stores out-of-town and they are happy to spend their time and gas money to get there, though the traffic heading north on Interstate 95 is typically backed up for more than a mile on Saturday afternoons.

"I think this concept that we are going to shop in the town where we sleep went out the window 20 years ago," Morrison said.

Of the 200 Greenwich residents polled, 38 percent said they prefer to shop in Stamford, 21 percent pointed to Westchester County, N.Y., and 12 percent said picked Norwalk.

"They go to the big boxes in Norwalk because they can get a better price, but they'll never ever allow one to be built in their back yard," Morrison said. "They are perfectly comfortable traveling to Stamford and Norwalk for that. . . . I think it's the image. I think they want to keep Greenwich a unique community. They are resisting change as long as they can."

The anti-big-box sentiment is the same in Stamford and Norwalk, where 47 percent and 54 percent of residents, respectively, say their cities have the right amount of large chain stores.

Shopping Stamford's Ridgeway Shopping Center recently with her 10-month-old daughter, Diane, Stamford resident Lisa Cruz, 27, said the city does not need more chain stores; she can get almost everything she needs at the retail plaza.

"I think we have enough," she said.

With high-rise, luxury housing coming to the Stamford with City Place planned for Washington Boulevard and the Metropolitan under construction on Summer Street, Julia von Schilling, 55, an attorney who lives on Morgan Street in Stamford, said the city ought to develop more retail on the northern fringes of downtown.

"I could see more stores going along upper Summer Street and Washington Boulevard with little walking malls," she said.

But von Schilling said Stamford needs to attract specialty shops, such as an educational toy store, if it wants to give people a reason to live in the city.

"I think that's what Stamford has to look at if it wants to be a sophisticated urban center and not just a suburban outpost," she said. "Stamford is now catering to the UBS population and the Bank of Scotland people, and if you want to go to Home Depot you can go to Norwalk."

Gladstone said the city should be more concerned about trying to keep shoppers from heading to Westchester.

"People go to White Plains for the Nordstrom and the Bloomingdale's," she said.

The poll found 8 percent of Stamford residents prefer to shop in Westchester.

Only 0.4 percent of Stamford residents polled said they prefer to shop in Greenwich, which Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy says proves, "most people in Stamford don't feel the need to overpay for everything."

Michael Freimuth, Stamford's director of economic development, said the poll proves what industry research has shown for years - Stamford has been losing ground to retail centers in Norwalk and increasingly, Westchester.

What it means, Freimuth said, is there is untapped retail growth in Stamford for stores that can persuade shoppers to stay local. The flight of shoppers out of town is costing the city jobs and property tax revenue, he said.

"We're exporting income, if you will," he said.

The Target store that opened downtown two years ago has filled a void left by Caldor and drawn some of the bargain hunters who head to Norwalk, Freimuth said, but there is still room in the Stamford market for retail chains specializing in electronics, sporting goods and books.

The redevelopment of the Stamford Town Center will transform its southern end where Filene's department store once stood with a 40,000-square-foot Barnes & Noble store and chain restaurants with street-level access. And Antares Investment Partners plan to build 400,000 square feet of retail space in the city's South End. Both projects are trying to tap into that growth market, Freimuth said.

Sandra Goldstein, who heads the Stamford Downtown Special Services District, said the city should be selective because large discount stores often bring traffic and minimum-wage jobs that no one in lower Fairfield County wants. Low-paying retail jobs in Stamford are typically filled by people from upstate Connecticut and Westchester, she said.

"I feel very strongly that big-box stores do not necessarily improve the economic health of a city," Goldstein said. "It may create jobs, but not for our people. We're saying Norwalk - take it."

She said the city needs more stores like Pedigree Ski Shop on Bedford Street and Baby & Toy Superstore on Forest Street.

"We should decide what kind of retail will make us stronger," Goldstein said. "We believe it's specialty retail, and it doesn't have to be high-end retail - Target is quality retail."

The key to attracting specialty stores will hinge on more housing being built downtown because retailers are looking for more foot traffic than downtown has, Goldstein said.

"That's why I am supportive of the Trump tower, because the more housing, the more people who will shop here," she said.

Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a New Canaan-based retail consulting firm, said Stamford should position itself as a shopping destination that draws consumers from all over, rather than trying to increase its population base in hopes that sheer numbers will boost retail sales in the city's center. Boosting the population density downtown runs the risk of increasing traffic congestion and turning off would-be consumers, Johnson said.

Convenience is paramount in retail, and the reason free-standing stores with ample parking are doing well, he said. The percentage of sales in mall-based retailers has dropped by about half in the past 10 years - from 36 percent in 1996 to about 18 percent today, Johnson said.

"The big-box and other free-standing strip malls and retail is where all the sales are occurring," he said. "People prefer it. They like to shop in that format. They like to get in and out quick. That's why Kohl's has been so successful. You get right off the street, you park right in front of the store, you walk out and you're done."

To increase Stamford's share of the retail market, Johnson said the downtown has to offer shoppers something they cannot find between White Plains, N.Y., and Westport. He said shoppers will travel up to 45 minutes for a particular store.

"People are not going to endure the hassle-factor for just the same old, same old," he said.

The current trend across the country is building "lifestyle centers" in new suburban areas - outdoor malls that mimic old world city centers with shops, restaurants, entertainment, apartments and condominiums clustered together around ornate fountains and decorative landscaping.

"If you kind of squinted and didn't look too close, you might think you're in an Italian villa," said Clynton Taylor, a senior associate with Jump Associates in San Mateo, Calif., which helps retailers identify growth opportunities.

He said the success of such outdoor developments, even in cold climates, shows consumers want a shopping experience rather just a product.

"They are popping up all over Middle America and usually are doing pretty well," Taylor said.

But to be successful, he said, many lifestyle centers must offer specialty shops and chain stores that balance shoppers' desires for aesthetics with their budgets and time constraints.

"People are not going to throw out ration - price still matters and convenience still matters," he said.

Taylor said there is a disparity between what shoppers say they want and what they can afford. When asked how they feel about big-box stores, shoppers will always dismiss them, he said.

"There's a social perception that they are not supposed to like big-box stores," Taylor said. "However, when it comes down to where they actually spend their money, the success of those stores shows otherwise."

I'll be happy to see more stores and restaraunts on summer street. In Stamford, the main downtown area is the lower half of summer street and the area of West park place and bell street. In that small area is where most of the restaraunts are. THats where the real downtown is, on the other side of the landmark building where the mall is, there is nothing over there. I saw they put restaraunts and strip mall type places more northward on summer street, and do something about that hole in the ground. it would be great if they extended the mall and built upon it over there. It would do alot for the mall and the city ( because frankly people are tired of the stamford mall. You can't walk around for liek a few hours going to stores, or sit at a food court, or etc. You walk around the whole mall in less than 2 minutes and you get bored by the place.) I think adding on to the mall in teh hol ein the ground would do wonders for downtown. Then the stamford scene would be more exciting, because i'm downtown all the time, and i dont see anything live about it. A live downtown is CRAWLING with people, music, activities.....and Stamford has people who walk downtown, but to me it isn't as Lively as they say. Live music, restaraunts, downtown housing will definately help

Stamford needs something like the Meadows in Hartford...

Put a concert hall on the harbor, and that would be NICE.

But, I believe, eventually...as the city grows and develops, people will start thinking like that as well...Stamford's downtown has immense potential, and the money to do it. Not much is really in the way.

Bridgeport has the potential to boom, but leadership issues kept the city down.

If they elected a government that started to think big (like Hartford and New Haven did), and if the State government gave it a bit more attention, it would have been growing high, with relatively low costs and being not that far from NYC. I believe that, eventually, Bridgeport could surpass the rest.

Waterbury, on the other hand....no. That city feels more like a big town, and it really has less potential than the rest, because of it's location, and because there is no large-scale development there to begin on...it feels more a sprawled out rustbelt city than Hartford does.

Political corruption, mayors with big problems, that still seems to be a big problem in Bridgeport & Waterbury.

Oh yeah...

Bridgeport and Waterbury have had horrible leadership, what they did is too disgusting and terrible to even talk about.

That is the reason why, unlike Hartford and New Haven (which have had their issues before, so they are not innocent) and Stamford...they are not going ahead with development.

I still think that Bridgeport has the potential to be big, though...Waterbury not so sure.

Oh yeah...

Bridgeport and Waterbury have had horrible leadership, what they did is too disgusting and terrible to even talk about.

That is the reason why, unlike Hartford and New Haven (which have had their issues before, so they are not innocent) and Stamford...they are not going ahead with development.

I still think that Bridgeport has the potential to be big, though...Waterbury not so sure.

Yeah, Bridgeport has lots of potential particularly being so close to NYC & even closer to Stamford.

One thing though about Bridgeport though, unlike Waterbury, it’s an overwhelmingly black, Hispanic, & minority city just like Hartford, even moreso than New Haven. But while I haven’t followed Bridgeport politics closely, is it still true that Bridgeport has never elected a black, mayor, let alone a Latino one?

Really, Hartford has had black mayors (at least one) & now has a Puerto Rican mayor & New Haven elected an African American mayor in the 1980s.

Not that it would make a huge amount of difference for Bridgeport, but sure might help!

I actually don't follow much on Bridgeport, but it makes the news a few times.

Not that I know of...every mayor was been White, from what I have seen. Bridgeport is a pretty diverse city, moreso than Hartford, so that is a little odd. It really is a question if that would help or not...who knows?

Bridgeport, however, has had plenty of minority state senators and representatives.

I believe Hartford has had 2 Black mayors (a male, and female), but not in a while. The Black community is shrinking and moving to the suburbs, and turnout by every group in elections is low anyway.

I believe Hartford has had 2 Black mayors (a male, and female), but not in a while. The Black community is shrinking and moving to the suburbs, and turnout by every group in elections is low anyway.

Yeah, matter of fact, I think Hartford was actually one of the first sizeable US cities, if not the first, to elect a black woman mayor.

In terms of “black flight”, that seems pretty much the trend in most cities, aside from some overwhelmingly black ones like Detroit, New Orleans, & Gary, Indiana. Black mayors get elected; African Americans gain more jobs, contracts & inclusion generally. The black middle-class grows & follows the white middle-class to the suburbs. Then there’s central city gentrification. That’s certainly been the pattern in cities like NYC, Washington DC, Atlanta, LA, Denver, LA, SF, Oakland, Seattle & other cities that have elected black mayors.

So not surprising to see the "black flight" from Hartford city.

I like the diversity that Hartford & Bridgeport have. At least your cities minority's are over 25%. I wish Stamford was a bit more diverse....

What are some things that contribute to a high cost of living????

Because i wish Stamford's cost of living would go down a bit

I do too, and all of Connecticut actually...it is getting ridiculous.

What are some things that contribute to a high cost of living????

Many things contribute to that...

In Connecticut's case: first major thing : HIGH TAXES

Stamford is incredibly desirable. It is a very rich area, and has a lot of rich people who can afford to spend more on a house than most other people. They are the ones buying homes in Stamford, and drive up the cost of living.

Most desirable places are expensive, sad to say...but that's the truth.

Hartford is cheaper, but not by a whole lot. Housing here is much cheaper, but when you add taxes in the picture, it is not that cheap. The suburbs are very expensive...especially in Avon/Canton...which is like Hartford's version of Greenwich.

As they say, if an area in Connecticut is cheap, there is something wrong with it.

If the housing bubble does pop (if not anyway), the cost of living might actually go up. People will put more desirability on renting, driving up apartment rents even higher. Hartford's (the metro) housing prices have declined, but not apartments, which are soaring in areas.

Stamford should build much more affordable housing and should put rent control.

Yes rent control is right. It makes no sense to rent a 1 BR apartment for like 1100 dollars ( and thats without utilities). I say 1 BR should go for 5-700 (which is fair enough), 2 BR 7-900, 3 BR 9-1100.

I say a studio gotta be under 500, since it's so small. But yes, the taxes are high, and most desirable places are expensive, it aint just CT, the affordability problem is growing all over the country.

I just wish they put at least 25% of anything they build into Affordable Housing, instead of 10%. And the average wages for stamford i think is around 68K a year, and to be affordable you have to be making half of that in order for them to qualify you, so that means you gotta make at least 3k a year, in order to get this "affordable housing". Correct me if i'm wrong though...

There are citites where cost is only around 30K a year........that is real cheap.....( philadelphia) now that is affordable............

I agree...spending over 500 bucks on a small studio is a ripoff, but people are willing to do it.

The affordability issue is not only in CT...we actually don't have it the worst...Mass and New York and DC have it just as bad, if not worse.

There should be more affordabe housing in the suburbs as well...Connecticut screws the poor by keeping them in the cheaper cities, and they can't live in towns with better schools because they can't afford it.

I've seen rowhouses in Philly for as cheap as 9k. But the flipside is, they are in horrible areas...some look like former crackhouses. As I said...if a house is cheap, then most of the times there is something wrong with the area...

Exactly^^^. The cheap houses are always the ones in the ghetto's and rough parts of town.

Yes CT pushes the poor to cities like Bridgeport, Waterbury etc. I know many people who have moved from here to Bridgeport because its cheaper. I wish Stamford Median income was around 40-45K instead of the 68K that it takes to live here. Basically to live in stamford, i would have to be making 27.00 per hour ( based on 40 hour work weeks). Get paid every 2 weeks, so 40 and 40 is 80 hours in 2 weeks ( not counting lunch breaks and OT), multiplied by 27.00 and you gt 2,160 dollars in a check ( not even counting taxes yet). Now i take that 2,160 dollars and add another 2,160 to it ( because if i get paid every two weeks, then i wait and get paid at the end of the month. 4 weeks in a month, so thats gettin paid every 2 weeks is two checks). so i add the 2,160 and 2,160 and i get 4,320 dollars a month i'm making. Now take that 4,320 and multiply it by 12 months, and i'm making about 51K a year. And if my female counterpart was making her 25-30K, then we'd be doing at least 71-81K together. Hopefully, this is about right....

Well, in most of the country, that is way above average...

Stamford having a high income is like a double-edged sword, it seems. Sure, they have a large rich population, but the cost of living being brought up by them is making middle-income and lower income families in stress. It truly is different than what is happening in other cities in Connecticut.

I can't believe that people are moving from there to Bridgeport, but when it comes to cost issues, I understand why. Seeing how it's really hard to find a 2BR apartment under $1000 in Stamford or any other city in Fairfield Co, and I'm sure you could find some for lower right in Bridgeport, that is a good idea that it could take advantage of...it's lower cost of living. There is nowhere else to go for some people.

Hartford is affordable. It isn't as expensive as the rest of the state. But the schools aren't good...and the crime rate, while dropping, is high. I find it disturbing to see what is happening to Connecticut. It is becoming a rich state, but with growing pockets of poverty and crime, and the system is making it worse, not helping.

Now here's some development going on...

WFSB (CBS 3) is moving to the suburbs. After it moves, only Fox 61 and CW 20 will be the only local channels still located in downtown Hartford. But all is well, a high rise is proposed to take it's place...so who cares now.

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-wfsb1124.artnov24,0,3123975.story


WFSB Goes Into Future, Out Of City
Appeal Of New Studio Is Anything But Pedestrian

November 24, 2006

By KENNETH R. GOSSELIN, Courant Staff Writer WFSB's new $25 million headquarters in a Rocky Hill office park would have been a perfect fit in downtown Hartford, complete with glass facade and lobby.

After all, it was originally designed to be built in the city, near the current location of WFSB, Channel 3, at Constitution Plaza.

Visitors and passing pedestrians would have gotten an eye-level glimpse of the tumult of a newsroom on deadline and one of two broadcast studios.

In Rocky Hill, visitors will certainly get the intended peek inside the new headquarters, but the effect now will be lost on pedestrians, few as they may be in an office park. The building, now midway through construction, is perched high atop a hill in Corporate Ridge, 10 minutes south of Hartford. Sidewalks are located far below.

"It seems like the whole purpose of what they are trying to create is a pedestrian experience," said Tyler Smith, a Hartford architect and longtime supporter of downtown Hartford. "I thought it was unfortunate that they moved out of the city."

The two-story, 65,000-square-foot building now rising on 6 acres in Rocky Hill is carved into the side of a hill, the result of heavy-duty blasting. The building, scheduled to open in late spring or early summer, is being wired for the latest in digital and high-definition television technology.

The building's design is clearly contemporary. Glass and steel predominate, intended to convey a center for emerging television technology in the 21st century.

The proposed building, designed as it was, moved from city to suburb because the size of the property and other factors were not right, said Jeannine Vail, a design architect at Rees Associates Inc. in Dallas, the firm that created the building.

The structure is the same as what would have been built in Hartford, but some decorative elements have been changed to reflect the move. For instance, limestone on portions of the exterior pays homage to the building's location and the rock that had to be blasted away during construction, Vail said.

Klarn DePalma, the general manager of the station, said one drawback of moving to the suburbs from Constitution Plaza will certainly be the loss of exposure for the station, which comes from drivers and pedestrians passing by - and seeing pictures and logos in a prominent spot facing Columbus Boulevard.

"That's something we'd like to have, and it's something we're losing," DePalma said.

But he said WFSB discontinued weather forecasts from a glass-enclosed studio on Columbus Boulevard, which had dated back to the era of iconic weatherman Hilton Kaderli, because there weren't a lot of pedestrians stopping to watch.

"It wasn't as big an attraction as we had hoped," DePalma said.

The Rocky Hill site will be slightly larger than the space now occupied by WFSB at 3 Constitution Plaza. But the configuration will be completely different - and there is room for adding on another 10,000 square feet, said Victor Zarilli, WFSB's manager for the construction project.

Right now, the newsroom and broadcast studios are on different floors, making communication between the two areas cumbersome.

"It's like a track meet every day," Zarilli said.

In Rocky Hill, the news-gathering operation and broadcast areas will be right next to each other.

"It's going to be night and day," DePalma said.

The cost for parking, always a concern in the city, isn't an issue in the suburbs, DePalma said.

Employees will park free in a parking lot. Now, each employee and the station split the cost of parking annually, about $1,200 for each of the station's 180 employees.

Even though WFSB had long ago outgrown its broadcast studios on Constitution Plaza, it still appeared that the television station would remain in the city where it was founded in 1957 as WTIC, Channel 3. But last year, the CBS affiliate pulled out of an agreement with the city to build a new headquarters at Main and Trumbull streets, saying the 3-acre site turned out to be too small.

WFSB said it needed more space because the new studios will also be the broadcast headquarters for its parent company, Meredith Corp., and the station also needs more room for its growing Hispanic programming initiatives.

Zarilli said the new headquarters will prepare the station for television's future and the way it will interact with other media, including the Internet.

"Every square inch is designed around television," Zarilli said, "and where we are going in the future."

Contact Ken Gosselin at kgosselin@courant.com.

Hey StamfordCT...I found something that might interest you.

This, with newer and larger trains on the Metro North, will make it easier for commuters to go to NYC without going down I-95.

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-ferry.artnov30,0,3809630.story?coll=hc-headlines-editorials



Ferry Plan Finds Open Water
November 30, 2006

Staten Island has one. So does New Jersey. Although it seemed to make sense for Connecticut, the notion of a commuter ferry service linking Fairfield County with Manhattan has never made much headway.

Until lately, that is. A study commissioned by the Bridgeport Port Authority has concluded that improvements in the technology of high-speed ferries have combined with worsening traffic congestion along the I-95 corridor to create a viable market for just such a service. In a survey of 2,000 rail commuters conducted as part of the study, about 80 percent said they would consider using a high-speed ferry service into Manhattan.

The authority is a quasi-public agency that oversees Bridgeport's port operations, including the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson ferry service. It's proposing two high-speed ferries on weekdays during morning and evening peak hours. The ferries would run from Bridgeport to Stamford, then on to the East 34th Street ferry dock in Manhattan and back again. Weekend service would also be a possibility.

Joe Riccio, the authority's executive director, says the ferries would operate privately and without a state subsidy. Rates would run about 15 to 20 percent higher than for the Metro-North Commuter Railroad, and the water commute would be a few minutes longer than the train ride, he said. On the plus side, each passenger would get a seat. Service might also include such perks as a more comfortable ride, Wi-Fi computer technology and a flexible fare structure. Mr. Riccio figures about 600 to 700 people could be served each day.

Mr. Riccio said the authority will be sending out requests for proposals from ferry operators sometime next year - probably by spring.

Stay tuned. For now, ferry service presents a novel and pleasant alternative to other forms of commuting. But as road and rail congestion intensifies along the I-95 corridor, operators of a Connecticut-New York ferry service may find they've caught the wave.

That ferry proposal sounds interesting. Could make the commute to & from NYC much less stressful. Ferry's have worked pretyy well around the SF Bay Area & the Puget sound up in Seattle. But Rochester had a bad experience when it tried to implement a ferry service to Toronto...Didn't pan out.

I think that will work better than the Rochester-Toronto ferry, IMO.

There is much more demand and a larger market for it, and it would be used more as a commuter link, not a tourism link like the former.

The fact alone that it would somewhat help relieve I-95 and the increasingly overcrowded commuter rail (I've been on one, crowded as hell) should help it stay "afloat", LOL.

Yea man i heard about this ferry thing. I don't how to take it though. I mean it could take cars off I-95, but will it jack up the price of the cost of living some more? I mean, would the ferry be expensive, and cater to high end individuals??

If it can appeal to everybody, then i like it, but if its only for high end people who can afford it, then i am kind of leery about it

Another thing, i always wonder why we NEVER see any renderings on development in Stamford. I mean i live here, but i NEVER see any renderings on anything. They never really put out enough info, and they don't even give everyone a picture of what they build. Yes, i posted the Trump Parc pic above, but there are much more developments going on, and they dont have renderings, and little is known about the structure. It seems like they hide ALOT of things, that i feel they should put in the paper.

And another thing that bothers me, is that every other Major CT city has good pictures of the city and its downtown etc, but Stamford does not. Either you have that FAR AWAY shot....

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/USA-CT-Stamford-Skyscraperpage1.jpg


Or you have the shot of a small portion of the downtwon skyline/area...

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/stamford33.jpg


They need some better quality photos, because every other city around has better photos than Stamford does. They never really get a good shot of the skyline. the one pic they have, is too far away, and isn't very good:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/Stamford.jpg

And there are NO pictures of downtown Stamford on the city's website....I hope someone takes some good shots of the city one of these days. I'll try to get a shot of something with my cameraphone if i can..

Any thoughts from anyone about this "photo problem"??

That 1st pic is VERY Old, about 10 years or so....alot has changed since then. I like the UBS building though, i think its nice...could've been a bit taller, but its stil a nice looking building. Here are a few pic i decided to upload

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/UBS.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/UBS-1.jpg


Here is a pic of The Rich Forum, it's the Stamford Performing Arts Theatre:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/RichForum.jpg

On the Corner of Atlantic Street & Tresser Blvd^^^

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/RichForum2.jpg

Inside the Rich Forum^^^

I've tried to find some pictures of Stamford, and I haven't found much either.

It's a shame too, because it looks great from certain angles, especially when you're coming from a distance...makes it look much larger than it is.

It's easier to find pictures of Hartford, but going through downtown every day...I see parts of downtown that are not taken much...that have great sights of downtown...like from the south...like this, but this is one is a bit outdated without the Hartford 21 tower. It's facing from the southeast...I suppose it's been taken from somewhere in East Hartford.

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/8011/1lu9.jpg

I have to eventually get off my ass and buy a digital camera to show the world Hartford...there are areas that just scream for it!

O yeah, this is the Government Center, where the Mayor Office is located

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/GovernmentCenter.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/Trump.jpg

^^^
That is the parcel of land that they are gonna build the Trump Parc on. Its about 1 1/2 acres or so, you can see why many people were against putting such a massive 400 foot building on such small property.

its 2.7 acres to be exact

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/Stamforddowntown.jpg

Along Tresser Blvd. To the left is the Stamford Town Center, which part of it they demolished (as you can see) so they can re-build it to be more pedestrian friendly. And to teh left are some office buildings, the marriot most notably.

Great pics! :okay:

I don't think any of those buildings are ugly at all...they would look better if they were taller.

Here's another pic of my hometown...a personal favorite...from city-data.com

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/985/2yf1.jpg

Are there any larger developments outside downtown?

I love that first Hartford Pic. I wish Stamford looked similar to that.
Outside of Downtown there aren't much developments. They are focused on Bringing more people downtown, so they are building many high rises and buildings to boost economy and residents.

Only thing they need to do is extend the downtown district a bit more, and once they add more nightlife and restaraunts to the area, then downtown would truly become alive

Ayo Rotten, who's that girl in your Avi???

Bria Myles...she's hotter beyond words...

She will never be my wife though...:(

O yea, bria. I knew it. She kinda remind me of a dark stacy dash in the pic

BTW,, you know how buildings are like 25, 30 stories high? Well how feet make up each story?? Because if the Landmark Building here in Stamford is like 21 Stories high, and 270-280 feet high, then how high is each story?

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/499962.jpg

Landmark Building^^^

I went on Emporis.com, and found some new pictures they took of Stamford. It's about time they put some new ones up. Check em out

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/SFD1.jpg

Downtown, with Mall (left side) and "hole in the ground" in the foreground^^^

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/SFD2.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/SFD3.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/SFD4.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/SFD5.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/SFD6.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/SFD7.jpg

Finally some different pics, i got a few more on the way. Most of these pics dont show all of downtown overall, but its better than what they've had before:banana:

Hard to believe this is what Stamford looked like about 37 years ago.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/OldStamford.jpg

Now Stamford Redevelopment Begins in the 1970's. As you see in 1973 the Landmark building is built, and redevelopment that went underway in Stamford back then:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/OldStamford1.jpg

WOW^^^

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/OldStamford3.jpg

I can't believe how different Stamford looked:yes:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/OldStamford4.jpg


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/UBS12.jpg

One more pic of the UBS building....it's such a nice structure and its surroundings is VERY CLEAN. I love the building.:banana: :banana:

Stamford has come a LONG way since the late 60's early 70's as the pictures from then and until now clearly show... and there is STILL more room for Stamford to grow, which is on the horizon

O yea, bria. I knew it. She kinda remind me of a dark stacy dash in the pic

Another bonus...;)

Great pics, BTW.

Especially those showing the development of Stamford's downtown...great ones there. I also like the new UBS building right near the train station there.

If I find a similar kind of photos of Hartford (or any other CT city), I'll try to post it.

Alright, if you see any pics post em, and i'll do the same. Seeing Stamford's transformation in these past 37 years is truly amazing though. From being a town with no buildings to havin multiple high rises ( if u will call them that). Downtown looked EMPTY compared to what it is now 37 years ago. Only thing is they needed better architecture on the downtown buildings...then it really would be cool

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/stamfordprjoects.jpg






All these developments total a number of 7,497 New Units of housing^^^

7,497 more units inthe next few years....that potentially is more than 15,000 people. :banana: :banana: :banana:

I have to say...I'm kind of envious of Harbor point...4,000 units? Damn!

That one development is more than all Hartford's housing developments combined...

Harbor point sounds very ambitious and worthwhile, BTW...can't wait for the renderings.

Yea, i wanna see the renderings too. But in total all that development adds up to 7,000+ New Units in a matter of a few years......If things can be a bit more affordable etc, then the population can explode, it is possible.

Port Chester, NY has 9,000 housing units and about 27, 000 people live there, so imagine 7,497 housing Untis........that can possibly bring a good 20,000 people in .

Downtown overall= 2,259 Units to be built over the years
South End= 4,000 + Units

Downtown and South End are the biggest places of development going on so far. They really aiming to bring more people downtown...which should mean they gotta bring more attractions downtown

Hartford is only starting on downtown housing developments...those words were dirty words as little as ten years ago...

Here's a few, some are already finished, all from the city website:

Colt Gateway: 700,000 sq ft of a former factory, it will be turned into 300 housing units (1-2, and loft housing) with nearly 300,000 sq ft of commerical and retail space

Capewell Horse Nail Factory building: Former factory mill will be turned into 92 condo units priced between $150-175k and also commerical offices

Sage Allen building: Former department store will be mixed-use (which has Capital Community College) will also be turned into 78 loft apartments, and 42 townhouse 4BR apartments. There will also be a redesigning of the front, with commercial and office space.

One American Plaza: The former American Airlines building, will be turned into mixed-use development (presumably condos/apartments)

Hartford 21: (already completed) 262 housing units (mixed) in a 36 story tower, 53,000 sq ft of externally oriented retail/restaurant space, 93,000 sq ft of office space, 800 parking spaces, and 35,000 sq ft of public space. This will be on top/next to the Civic center

Trumbull on the Park: 9 story structure, 88 condo units, and a 600 parking garage facing Bushnell Park

55 on the Park: Former SNET building, will be turned into 132 upscale apartments ranging from $850 to $3,750/ mo

More to come later...my fingers hurt, LOL...

Yea, the CT cities are mostly developing their downtown areas for the most part, trying to keep people in the cities and not have them leave to the suburbs

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/SouthEnd.jpg:cheers:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/SouthEnd3.jpg:banana:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/SouthEnd2.jpg:banana:

Rendering^^^:cheers:

You finally have the renderings you have been asking for about this development. I can't beleive they are gonna have buildings in the south end 200+ feet. Man it would look nice from I -95, downtown on one side and the buildings of south end on the other side. BUT they gotta do the buildings with the right architecture, it can be 200+ feet, but it has to look nice, we definately dont want to make the same mistakes we made with the "other" buildings that are already existing downtown that look ugly. And as long as they don't price everyone out of the area, this development will really do alot for stamford.

:cheers: :cheers:

All Stamford is missing is an arena and some modern high rises (kinda like hartford etc), more nightlife & shops, more affordability.

Things i want to see Stamford accomplish:

1. Affordability
2. A 10,000-12,000 seat Arena
3. More shops, restaraunts, clubs, etc ( so it won't be so boring around here)
4. Modern high rises that look good ( like hartford, white plains etc)
5. Extend the mall to the "hole in the ground"

It looks like stamford is on it's way up with the south end development.

VERY NICE...:cheers:

This is the kind of development that could put Stamford on the map perfectly...and could add momentum for even larger projects in the future.

Stamford is on the way up for sure, this is the most ambitous project in the state of CT for sure.

All I have to say is...wow.

^^^ I agree

The Utopia project in Preston (which is between New London and Norwich) seems to be getting out of development hell...

Hopefully it works, because, IMHO, it would be dumb to pass this plan off.

But then again, welcome to Connecticut, home of the NIMBY :|

Link: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-utopia1207.artdec07,0,7826417.story?coll=hc-headlines-business


Utopia Seeking New Talks
As More Developers Line Up, Builder Hopes To Rescue Plan

December 7, 2006
By MARK PETERS, Courant Staff Writer PRESTON -- Joseph Gentile says he still has the money and the will to build his proposed $1.6 billion movie studio and theme park, and that he just needs to sit down and talk with town officials.

Gentile said Wednesday that he would like to avoid a lawsuit as top legislators and labor leaders try to keep the project from collapsing. Both House Speaker James Amann and John Olsen, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, are trying to get the town and Gentile's Utopia Studios company to start talking again.

The Preston Board of Selectmen terminated its development agreement with Utopia Nov. 22 when the company failed to meet a series of deadlines, including placing an estimated $56 million in escrow. Town officials, who control the land Utopia is considering, have also disputed the company's assertion that Preston violated the agreement and questioned whether Utopia has the financing for the project.

Since the decision, Gentile has said little publicly about the apparent demise of the project he has spent more than three years planning. On Wednesday, he offered few details about how he plans to proceed.

"Over the past several weeks, Utopia and its entire team have chosen to take a `turn the other cheek' approach," Gentile said in an interview. "We felt that public `he said, she said' contest would be counterproductive to our objectives."

Local officials said that if Gentile wants mediation for the project - as he has indicated - he should make a formal request. Meanwhile, Preston is seeing a growing list of developers with interest in the property.

Among them is Northland Investment Corp., a Newton, Mass.-based real estate company that is the largest landlord in downtown Hartford. Its chief executive, Lawrence Gottesdiener, is a New London native who just finished building Hartford 21, the city's tallest residential tower.

A potential partnership between JHM Ventures and Starwood Capital Group has also renewed its interest in the hospital property, said John H. McClutchy, president of Stamford-based JHM Group.

JHM and Starwood, a private real estate investment firm based in Greenwich, approached Preston last year and met with town officials and residents while Utopia was negotiating its development agreement.

McClutchy said the partnership has several ideas for the site, including age-restricted housing, a golf course, hotel rooms and a marina. It also wants to learn what the community wants and conduct further market studies, McClutchy said.

Starwood is led by Barry Sternlicht, former chief executive of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., and has major investments in residential, office, hotel and industrial properties around the world.

A local developer, Mark Fields, is pitching a $500 million project that would include hotels, entertainment and a marina. He approached town officials with his idea last year.

Bob Congdon, Preston's first selectman, said that besides those three developers, at least two other entities have expressed interest, but declined to name them.

Any new developer could face a risk of legal battles between the town and Utopia. Preston officials said they plan to meet with their attorney next week to discuss how to proceed, including deciding if and when to begin marketing the property again.

Supporters of the Utopia project saw it as an important new contributor to the revival of eastern Connecticut's economy through tourism. The Utopia proposal included 4,200 hotel rooms, stores and a performing arts college, and was projected to employ 22,000 and attract 10 million visitors a year.

The town has a three-year option on the former site of Norwich Hospital where Utopia had planned to build. Officials reached a development agreement with Utopia about a year ago, but several other developers had expressed interest at the time. Many of the proposals, however, required a zoning change, lacked required information or proposed using only a portion of the site, Congdon said.

Preston began marketing the property after the state, over eight years, failed to find a developer. The property has extensive frontage on the Thames River and interesting old buildings, but the estimated $43 million cost of a required environmental cleanup scared developers away, said James Fleming, state commissioner of public works.

The Utopia project excited people because of its promise of jobs, a college and a way to build the state economy through film making. But the grand plans also met with skepticism.

"I don't think any of us had much riding on it," said Donna Simpson, executive director of the Eastern Connecticut Tourism District.

E-mail mpeters@courant.com.

Here's a picture of the future site now, the abandoned Norwich State Hospital

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/7605/1mw6.jpg


Here is what it could be eventually, if it goes to plan...rendering is kind of cartoonish though...

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/4519/1vo7.jpg

looks good, CT needs a theme park and some sort of attraction

Yeah, It would be great to go to a theme park in the state (Six Flags is right next to the border)

With the Utopia project ongoing (I predict that it will be scaled back a bit), in addition to the expansion projects in Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun...all I have to say is...wow...Southeast CT is probably seeing the most development in the state per capita. The area really has the potential to boom, and I bet that it is the fastest growing part of the state economically.

I think I will post the projected expansion projects of the casinos later.

Here's Mohegan Sun...

Link: http://www.newsday.com/travel/ny-glba5005557dec10,0,5922087.story?track=rss

Mohegan Sun plans $740M expansion
The Associated Press

December 10, 2006
Mohegan Sun, already one of the world's largest casinos, has unveiled plans for an estimated $740 million expansion that will include the return of poker and a new House of Blues music hall.

Tribal gaming officials hope expansion of the Uncasville, Conn., gaming resort will help them better serve existing customers and draw in new ones, including people in their early 20s and Asians.

Mohegan Sun, which has been celebrating its 10th anniversary, has about 10,000 employees and expects to add about 2,000 in the next five years. The tribe's casino attracts 35,000 visitors daily and generates about $1.5 billion in annual revenue.

The expansion, known as Project Horizon, will include a 38-story, 1,000-room hotel slated to open in 2010. Inside will be a smaller, House of Blues-themed hotel. The House of Blues music hall, which will seat about 1,500 people, is scheduled to open in 2009. There also will be an adjoining restaurant and store.

The casino already has a 1,200-room hotel, but it is 93 percent full on an average night, meaning the casino has had trouble accommodating larger conventions because it can't guarantee hotel space, said Hartmann.

The new hotel tower, which will include a new spa, is set to open in 2010. Other elements of the project are expected to open in spring 2008, including more restaurants and shops and a new Casino of the Wind, which will add 964 slot machines to the 6,000 the casino already has.

A new Casino of the Earth opening in the summer of 2007 will aim to draw Asian customers with table games and a Hong Kong street food outlet.

Casino officials are hoping to bring in more young people by opening a 45-table poker room. The poker room at Mohegan Sun closed in 2003 to make room for more slot machines, but televised tournaments and online gaming have made poker so popular that the casino is bringing it back.

Nearly half of Mohegan Sun's customers come from Connecticut, with most of the rest coming from New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, the nearby Foxwoods resort and casino has broken ground on a $700 million expansion that will include an 825-room hotel, convention space and more restaurants and nightclubs. The expansion will add more than 2 million square feet to the resort and is scheduled to open in summer 2008.

Here's the Foxwoods expansion news, which is in progress right now as a matter of fact.

It was announced a while back, so there isn't much recent news about it.

Link: http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2006/04/25/mgm_grand_hotel_will_open_at_foxwoods_as_part_of_partnership/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Connecticut+news

MGM Grand hotel will open at Foxwoods as part of partnership
By Stephen Singer, AP Business Writer | April 25, 2006

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. --State officials demanded Tuesday to review a deal that would put the MGM Grand name on a new hotel and casino expansion at the Foxwoods Resort Casino.

The Mashantucket Pequot tribe announced it is leasing the name from MGM Mirage for the $700 million project. The new hotel and casino will be called the MGM Grand, but will be operated by Foxwoods, MGM and tribal officials said.

The state's gaming compact with the tribe requires the state to sign off on any casino expansion, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said.

"The nature of their business relationship is a mystery," Blumenthal said. "They have given us no details nor have they given details to any state agency, including the Department of Revenue Services."

Blumenthal and Paul Young, the state's special revenue commissioner, sent a letter to the tribe requesting copies of the agreement and any agreement-related documents.

A spokesman for the tribe said its lawyers are reviewing the letter and will respond, but said he could not comment further.

Terry Lanni, chairman and chief executive of MGM Mirage, said the Las Vegas-based entertainment company will only help the Mashantucket Pequots design and develop the project.

"We'll have nothing to do with the management of it," he said.

Michael J. Thomas, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, was more adamant. "We'll run our own thing at Mashantucket forever," he said.

The agreement gives Foxwoods an experienced partner as it tries to expand its convention and entertainment business and attract more minorities. Foxwoods will have access to MGM's database of more than 22 million customers and will use MGM's partnerships with other companies to help attract new restaurants and top-tier entertainers to eastern Connecticut, said Foxwoods chief executive William Sherlock.

Las Vegas-based MGM Mirage owns and operates 24 casinos in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan. Its Las Vegas properties include the MGM Grand, the Bellagio and Mirage hotels.

"They have some tremendous connections and alliances with restaurant operators and a tremendous access to entertainment," Sherlock said.

By partnering with Foxwoods, MGM gets brand exposure in the lucrative Northeast gaming market, which is dominated by Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. MGM does not operate an East Coast casino, though it is a partial investor in the Borgata in Atlantic City.

Sherlock said he expects to add the MGM name to future projects as part of an ongoing marketing deal between the two companies.

The terms of the deal were not immediately released. The tribe does not release financial figures.

"I don't know if you'll see a lot of change at Foxwoods directly, said Michael Thomas, the chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, which runs Foxwoods. "This facility will obviously be an MGM facility."

Lanni said the two parties have "signed this understanding to come up with ideas and we'll be exploring that now."

He would not say when MGM and the Mashantucket Pequots will announce a new project or venture. "We're going to do things when they're right to do," he said.

The Foxwoods expansion includes plans for an 825-room hotel, 5,000-seat theater, a convention center and ballroom, nightclubs and 1,500 more slot machines.

Under its gaming compact, Foxwoods provides the state with a quarter of slot revenues.

"I would think that people at the state level would be thrilled with this," Thomas said. They will get more money, faster."

The two companies also agreed to collaborate on casino investments off the reservation, with MGM lending $200 million to the tribe's development company. The Mashantuckets are already planning a 600-acre resort and casino in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

MGM is scheduled to release first-quarter earnings this week. Fourth-quarter earnings were up 31 percent to $97.8 million, the company said in February.

Shares of MGM closed at $43.88, up 39 cents, on the New York Stock Exchange.

--------

Associated Press writer Matt Apuzzo in New Haven contributed to this report.

On the Net:

http://www.mgmmirage.com

http://www.foxwoods.com

Here is a link connecting to Foxwoods website.

It shows some videos showing the construction of the MGM hotel in progress

Link: http://www.foxwoods.com/Aboutus/MediaRelations/MGMGrandatFoxwoods/MGMatFoxwoods.aspx#

Here's some news about Norwalk, a very under-appreciated city statewide.

I remember going down to SoNo with my friends, it's a happening place.

Link: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-norwalk1212.artdec12,0,2094922.story?coll=hc-headlines-business

Upscale Housing Giving `SoNo' New Lease On Life
December 12, 2006

By KATHLEEN SCHASSLER, Special to The Courant In the 1980s, the vacant factories along Norwalk's waterfront were a haven for drugs, prostitution and blight.

But the area will soon become home to upscale condominiums and apartments as part of a $45 million development project that is being hailed as the new anchor in an area striving to erase any signs of blight that once plagued South Norwalk. The development also will provide sorely needed housing for young professionals working in the area.

Opening in early 2007, Maritime Yards will have 61 condominiums and 136 apartments with commanding views of the Norwalk River stretching to Long Island Sound. In addition, 38,000 square feet of commercial space will be anchored by the North American headquarters of Virgin Atlantic Records.

Ninety percent of the condos are already under contract, including four of five penthouse suites.

The rebirth of South Norwalk, known as SoNo, has been 30 years in the making, according to Joseph McGee, vice president, public policy and programs for the Business Council of Fairfield County. But in the past decade, the developer of Maritime Yards, Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, of Norwalk, has "taken it to a new level," he said.

Fairfield County does have a need to catch up with housing demands for a labor force assembled within 40 million square feet of office space built over 20 years, McGee said.

Maritime Yards is the final piece of Maritime Place, a project started with the revitalization of a historic and "nearly derelict" 145-year-old former lock factory into 100,000 square feet of commercial space, called the Lock Art and Tech Center; and a new, 767-space parking garage across the street from the Maritime Aquarium on North Water Street.

Plans for redeveloping the South Norwalk waterfront extend well beyond Maritime Place, however, covering a 70-acre area known as the Reed Putnam Urban Renewal Project. Maritime Place, in fact, is being seen as a warm-up for a far more ambitious, $500 million project nearby that could include hundreds of thousands of square feet of office and retail space, a hotel and more housing.

"South Norwalk has this really authentic sense of place," said Kim Morque, director of development for Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, a division of Spinnaker Cos. in Stamford, the firm leading Maritime Place and the Reed Putnam project.

"If we can add to that and fit in and enhance it, we've created desirable living and working spaces and places," Morque said.

Maritime Place blends an industrial style of bricks, steel and glass, with its renovated brick factory buildings, upscale restaurants and bars, and trendy shops that continue to lure young urban professionals to the area.

"We're seeing a new, younger market in urban areas, especially near the railroads. Fairfield is an affordable [living] alternative to NYC or Boston," McGee said. "Many are single, professional women."

Spinnaker, in partnership with Greenfield Partners, a real estate investor group, and Summit Development, the leasing agent, both in South Norwalk, say completion of the eight-story luxury condominium building at Maritime Place is expected in the first quarter of 2007. A pair of five-story buildings, with 136 rental-housing units and ground-floor commercial space, should be ready next spring.

The construction, designed by architect Bruce Beinfeld, occupies 4 acres along the banks of the Norwalk River. It's just steps from the Heritage Trail, a linear waterfront park, one block from the Maritime Aquarium, and three blocks from Washington Street, and the heart of SoNo.

Nowalk's industrial area thrived from the 1930s through the mid-1950s, but eventually "unwound with the loss of manufacturing," Morque said.

"The flood of 1955 devastated Norwalk, it completely lost its anchors and really never recovered," Morque said.

Revitalization plans have unfolded slowly since the 1980s, but are now seen as gathering momentum.

At Maritime Yards, the one-bedroom condos, measuring 900 square feet, were listed from $385,000 to $495,000, and are now all sold out. Prices range for two-bedroom units, ranging between 1,400 and 1,850 square feet, are $500,000 to $800,000. Five units are still available, according to Spinnaker Realtor Jim Campbell.

Six units are priced under $200,000 to comply with the state affordable housing guidelines, addressing the need for housing that more middle-class buyers could afford, Morque said.

Five penthouse units will have terraces measuring 30 to 50 feet long. The three-bedroom models, from 1,550 square feet to 2,400 square feet, are priced from $1.25 million to $1.5 million. Only one penthouse unit is still available.

"We really see the value in rebuilding neighborhoods, especially in neighborhoods that can't be replicated," Morque said of the company's overall commitment in SoNo.

The two rental buildings will offer 750 to 1,200 square foot, one- and two-bedroom apartments, priced from $2,000 to $2,800 per month. Rentals also include 10 percent affordable housing, with costs of $1,000 to $1,300 per month, Campbell said.Virgin Atlantic Records is the first official business tenant of Maritime Yards, signing on for 16,000 square feet of ground-floor space. Below the condominiums is 8,000 square feet available for a ground-floor restaurant "within walking distance of the water and park," Morque said.

Morque is now looking to the larger, $500 million mixed-used development, covering 11 acres, on nearby Reed Street. Under the plan approved, the project will have 475,000 to 625,000 square feet of office space, 75,000 to 125,000 square feet of retailing space, and 80,000 square foot hotel, and 250 to 350 units of housing.

Morque estimates that project will begin next November.

"There are dramatic changes going on in our cities," McGee said. "It's long overdue."

:bash:

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-capewell1213.artdec13,0,5491342.story?coll=hc-headlines-local


Investor Abandons City Condo Plan
Project Promoting Homeownership At Capewell Site Needs New Backer

December 13, 2006
By JEFFREY B. COHEN, Courant Staff Writer The investment firm backing the planned $23 million transformation of the former Capewell Horse Nail Co. factory into moderately priced condominiums has backed out of the deal, stalling plans to reinvigorate the neighborhood just south of Hartford's new convention center.

"After extensive due diligence on this project we found that it did not meet our investment criteria," said Kirk Sykes, a senior vice president at the New Boston Fund investment firm, in a statement.

The Capewell project is part of efforts to increase homeownership in the city, offering condos in a complex close to downtown. The project, with more than 90 units planned, is just blocks from the Connecticut Convention Center, the Colt Gateway apartment complex and the city's newly rebuilt Dutch Point public housing development.

New Boston's decision to pull out reflected concerns about the marketplace and profit margins - the fund questioned whether Capewell developer John Reveruzzi could keep costs down and sell condo units at a price that would bring a significant return, Reveruzzi said.

He said he will look for another backer.

There have been other condo development problems in the region lately.

Plans to turn a city-owned building at 101 Pearl St. into condominiums collapsed after the developer discovered escalating costs. The city is now considering working with another developer, who also may pursue condos there.

In West Hartford, plans to build a second complex of condominiums at Blue Back Square were changed to include apartments instead after rising construction costs caused some concern.

But developers say they are still optimistic about the condo market in Hartford, and Reveruzzi said he feels the Capewell site makes sense as condos. He is asking both the city and the state for extensions on their funding commitments while he seeks a new backer.

"The reason why we focused on housing is because the city's administration feels this is a strong need for the city of Hartford," Reveruzzi said.

John F. Palmieri the city's director of development, agreed.

"It's a good project, a historic building, and its location is perfectly suited for that type of development," Palmieri said. "I think the benefits certainly meet the challenge."

In September 2005, Mayor Eddie A. Perez pledged $2 million in city money in an attempt to jump-start the Capewell project. Reveruzzi had to come up with the rest of the financing within 18 months or the city could take over the property.

In April 2006, Reveruzzi announced that the New Boston Fund would be a partner in the deal. Since then, he and the fund went through a significant amount of "due diligence" that benefited the project, Reveruzzi said.

"We had been working with them on a number of things and we moved the project pretty far," he said.

For instance, he said, his development team brought in new architects to make the construction more efficient; trimmed the construction budget; agreed to demolish an adjacent building; and began plans for dealing with environmental problems at the Capewell site.

Also, as part of the work with New Boston, Reveruzzi signed an agreement with developer J. Martin Hennessey - a deal that splits the land on which the Capewell sits and gives Hennessey space to build three buildings of his own. One of those could soon be a hotel, Hennessey said.

While New Boston is pulling out of the Capewell project, the company said it is still interested in housing in Hartford. "We continue to see the need for mid-market homeownership opportunities downtown," Sykes said.

New Boston, in fact, is thinking about financing a 45-unit condominium project called Plaza Mayor, planned for the corner of Park and Main streets. That roughly $32 million project calls for 45 to 50 condominiums that would sell for $225,000 to $350,000.

"They are actively considering it," Theodore M. Amenta, one of Plaza Mayor's developers, said of New Boston's involvement. "Should we be able to satisfy their thresholds, I think they would be a willing participant in both equity and debt."

Other condo projects are moving forward.

Plans to turn the old American Airlines building on Main Street into condominiums are still in the works, as are plans by Northland Investment Corp. to build both condominiums and apartments at the site of the former YMCA at Bushnell Park.

"We are still very confident in the strong condo market in downtown Hartford," said Chuck Coursey, a spokesman for Northland - downtown's largest private landowner. In fact, visitors to the city's new 36-story apartment tower, Hartford 21, often express disappointment that they can't buy units, Coursey said.

"When people come into Hartford 21, one of their first questions is: Are these condos?" he said. "We see a strong demand for condos and we're not fazed by a momentary change in production costs."

Contact Jeffrey B. Cohen at jcohen@courant.com.

Here's some news about Norwalk, a very under-appreciated city statewide.

I remember going down to SoNo with my friends, it's a happening place.

Link: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-norwalk1212.artdec12,0,2094922.story?coll=hc-headlines-business

Hasn't SoNo been gentrified?

Some of it, not all. From South Main street down to the water, its more of a ghetto area. But the northern side of main street where all the shops are, they most likely have been gentrified a bit.

Gentrification..........I shudder at that word.....

Gentrification..........I shudder at that word.....


As with so many things, IMO, in moderation, it's OK, when taken to extremes it's not.

they taking it to extremes with all the "luxury" housing that isn't affordable for alot of folks ( especially minorities)

Gentrification..........I shudder at that word.....

I'm mixed of gentrification.

Like what Bayviews said, it's best in moderation.

A place with little gentification, like the majority of Hartford's worse-off areas, I would not move in a second, even if the rents were free.

But I don't like it when the original residents of the neighborhoods are literally kicked out because they can't afford the rents which spiked because of the richer "yuppies" that could afford it. I like it in the middle, affordable yet safe. But areas like that in this state are becoming scarce. Rents around my neighborhood are skyrocketing.

I'm mixed of gentrification.

Like what Bayviews said, it's best in moderation.

A place with little gentification, like the majority of Hartford's worse-off areas, I would not move in a second, even if the rents were free.

But I don't like it when the original residents of the neighborhoods are literally kicked out because they can't afford the rents which spiked because of the richer "yuppies" that could afford it. I like it in the middle, affordable yet safe. But areas like that in this state are becoming scarce. Rents around my neighborhood are skyrocketing.

i couldn't have said it better myself.

The new condo's they putting up are "luxury" and are EXPENSIVE. And to add to that, if they build 400 units, only 10% is allowed to be affordable ( 40 units), which i find is wack. If you build 400 units, at least make 100-125 affordable for low income residents. 40 Units is not enough, 100 units would really help.

Honestly, at least here, I think HALF of all units should go to low and middle income residents.

They make the majority of the population in Hartford. Although the shiny new developments downtown will attract richer people from the suburbs, it won't affect the poor family down the street in the North End or Park street at all. You can't expect to do well if you screw a portion of your population.

Stamford (and the whole state for that matter) should attract the building of affordable units through tax-relief or just force it by law. It will be a very cold day in hell before the state thinks more about the poor than the rich though.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/realestate/commercial/20conn.html


A Suburb’s Big Project Is Outpacing Hartford’s

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/969/1hb3.png

HARTFORD, Dec. 14 — In 2000, the State of Connecticut committed $1 billion in development money for Adriaen’s Landing, a project here with a convention center, science museum and residential and retail spaces. Two years later, West Hartford, the big town next door, gave enthusiastic backing to Blue Back Square, a $180 million multiuse development with housing, restaurants and stores, without any state subsidies.

Transactions At this point, the smaller investment is much further along. While Blue Back Square is already seen as an important step forward for West Hartford, much of the Hartford project still does not exist.

Adriaen’s Landing, developed by the Capital City Economic Development Authority, a quasipublic agency, was intended to bring life to a city that had struggled for years to attract spending to its downtown, which has suffered decades of decline amid the flight of the middle class to the suburbs and cutbacks by insurance companies, the city’s foremost industry.

The 540,000-square-foot Connecticut Convention Center and a 409-room Marriott Hotel opened in 2005, and work on the Connecticut Center for Science and Exploration has begun. While officials say they are happy with the business generated by the convention center and the hotel so far, there are no upscale restaurants within walking distance of Adriaen’s Landing.

By contrast, Blue Back Square, developed by Street-Works, a White Plains developer, and JDA Development of Cromwell, Conn., is piggybacking on an already successful downtown district, West Hartford Center, that has been revitalized during the last 20 years. In effect, West Hartford, whose population was 61,000 in the middle of 2005, has become a regional destination for dining and shopping, a role that the capital city, with a population twice as large, formerly played.

Ronald Van Winkle, West Hartford’s director of community services, stood on the rooftop of the Town Hall recently and looked over the adjoining development, named for the blue-covered spelling book of Noah Webster, a West Hartford native. “This creates a real neighborhood, a place to go,” he said. “People like me will be able to go to dinner, a movie, the library, and then when we go home, the younger kids will come out to the restaurants.”

The five buildings of Blue Back Square are either finished or in progress, with a final completion date of November 2007. Each of the five buildings now under construction has a ground floor of shops, totaling 220,000 square feet of retail space. Medical office space will encompass 137,000 square feet, and other professional offices will total another 62,500 square feet. Two 500-space parking garages are already built, and a six-screen Criterion Cinema is planned.

A year ago, a Whole Foods Market adjacent to the site opened its doors. Although it is not part of the Blue Back development, it has clearly increased the area’s attractiveness as a shopping destination. Tenants that have already signed on for Blue Back include Crate & Barrel, REI, Barnes & Noble, the Cheesecake Factory, Fleming’s Steakhouse and the National Jean Company.

By contrast, mounds of dirt now mark the Front Street District, a residential and retail development in Hartford. Progress has been slowed by the departure of two developers and negotiations with a third, the H. B. Nitkin Group of Greenwich, Conn., which has trimmed back the original proposals and has asked to do the project in phases.

The first phase of the Front Street District, which is being designed by the architect Robert A. M. Stern, will include 115 units of housing, along with 60,000 square feet of commercial space, which would be about 75 percent restaurants and 25 percent stores. No work has started yet, and Bradley Nitkin, the company’s president, was not ready to say what retailers had committed to the project.

The second phase has not been determined, Mr. Nitkin said. The. Nitkin Group will provide about $24 million of the $45 million cost for the first phase, said Michael Cicchetti, the assistant director of the Capital City Economic Development Authority. State and federal grants will provide the rest.

But the latest plan is a significant retrenchment from that of the previous developers, who had at various times proposed up to 240 luxury apartments, 170,000 square feet of retail and restaurants and a multiscreen movie theater.

Jerry Collins, the owner of the Arch Street Tavern, a pub that is one of the few places to eat in the vicinity of Front Street, looked wistfully outside his windows on a recent Thursday at the project’s dirt piles, his only scenery for months. Mr. Collins’s restaurant managed to weather the closing of the access street to the restaurant some months ago (it has since reopened), among many other inconveniences. But he has waited years for his view to change, and he said he was hoping that Mr. Nitkin would be able to get the earth to move again.

“Brad’s trying,” Mr. Collins said. “The market changed on him — interest rates went up and housing slowed — and I’m sure he’s being careful. It’s become the incredible shrinking site.” Mr. Nitkin estimated that the first phase would be open by the summer of 2008.

Hartford and retailing have long been a difficult mix. The thousands of workers who flow into Hartford every morning tend to eat there, but do their shopping elsewhere. There is no grocery store downtown, and few thriving retail establishments.

“Hartford has a long history of trying to force retail downtown,” said Richard Heapes, an architect and principal in Street-Works, who also previously worked on the Front Street project when the Manhattan developer Richard Cohen was involved with it.

“Ask any mayor of a new growth city, and they’ll tell you the way to get viable retail is to get residential down there,” Mr. Heapes said. “Slowly, they’re adding units downtown, which will add people to the streets, but it is going to have to evolve.”

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-commentarycranestext1224.artdec24,0,1778922.story?coll=hc-headlines-commentary


Fresh Road Map To Hartford's Progress
December 24, 2006

The Courant is updating the look of Cranes & Scaffolds eight years after its launch with this new bird's-eye view of downtown Hartford by Courant artist Wes Rand.

The feature started in September 1998 with the idea of being "an at-a-glance commentary on selected proposals to rebuild and enhance Hartford." It warned developers that "promises should not remain in limbo. There should be timetables and an expectation that developers stick to them. And those who make promises and fail or are slow to deliver should be identified."

Eight years later, Cranes & Scaffolds is still faithful to that pledge. Three times a year, it scolds the sluggish, nudges the plodding, lauds the high-achieving.

Among those high achievers of the past eight years - early Cranes projects that were completed and retired from this list - are the G. Fox Building, the Learning Corridor and Bushnell II. One project from the very first Cranes & Scaffolds has yet to start: 410 Asylum.

And some projects appear to - finally! - be close to retirement, such as Hartford Public Library. "Hartford voters authorized $16 million to renovate and expand city's cramped central library two years ago!" the first Cranes & Scaffolds complained. "Talk about OVERDUE!"

One heartening measure of how far Hartford has come since 1998 is housing: Where few apartment buildings and even fewer condominium complexes existed, many are now springing up, including Hartford 21, the largest residential tower between New York and Boston; the Metropolitan condos in the former Hartford Electric Light Co.; and the former American Airlines building, now 1 American Plaza. Nor was the Wadsworth Atheneum's expansion across the street into the Hartford Times Building in the works eight years ago.

To retrofit such a grand old plan as the original Cranes & Scaffolds with a sleek new scheme is no easy task. It took many discussions and drawings to come up with icons worthy of the quirky snail and broken-down car that readers will remember from the old Cranes. Wes Rand's busy little construction workers are a nice fit with the Cranes theme.

Please let us know what you think by emailing letters@courant.com.

Interesting, hopefully the parking lot seas plauging DT Hartford will be covered up.

This is a start.

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-plcgold1224.artdec24,0,6979297.story?coll=hc-headlines-commentary


Aetna Gets Smart About Parking
December 24, 2006

By TONI GOLD
Don't look now, but right under our noses a stealth smart growth policy is taking shape - in the private sector. Who knew? Aetna Inc. will begin charging its employees for parking in 2007.

The company joins others that already charge employees for parking, including The St. Paul Travelers Cos. and ING Group. Beginning Jan. 1, parking fees will apply to all users of Aetna's garages and executive parking areas. Fees for these two facilities will range from $75 to $200 a month, based on two criteria, parking location and salary level, and will be automatically deducted from paychecks.

Essentially, Aetna has established a market for a scarce commodity - parking - based on convenience and leavened by ability to pay. Beginning in 2008, fees will also be charged to the users of surface parking lots, although those fees have not yet been established. Ultimately every parker will pay, except for drivers and riders of van pools, who will continue to get the best spaces for free.

This is a smart growth policy because it will encourage the use of other, less wasteful commuting options and allow the company to use less land for parked cars. The company will sweeten the deal with larger subsidies for public transportation or van pools ($30 from the current $21 a month) and more biking facilities, which will continue to be free and conveniently located. Indeed, a number of employees plan to start biking, and have asked for more bike racks near the doors to the building. The company plans to provide them; shower and change facilities are already available as part of its fitness center membership.

Other transportation options will include an "emergency ride home" service for transit riders and van poolers, and a free "occasional lot" of shared spaces for transit riders and telecommuters.

The new commuting policy is part of the company's comprehensive strategy to consolidate its Connecticut facilities in Hartford. That strategy includes moving 3,600 employees from its Middletown campus by 2010 to join the 2,800 now in Hartford, and extensive renovations to the headquarters buildings on Farmington Avenue.

By then, a new Flower Street garage will be complete, and then the reconstruction of the old garage on Sigourney Street will begin, a project that will incorporate a station stop for the Hartford-New Britain busway. One of Aetna's goals is to reduce the total number of parking spaces from its projected high of 5,200 in 2007 by shedding some of its many owned and leased lots.

Mike Marshall, head of the asset management division of the real estate services department, says the company's goal is 3 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of office space by 2014. The suburban standard is 6. The new parking policy has several purposes, including "community concerns with traffic congestion" and "the need for a more standardized approach to allocating garage parking," according to Aetna's employee informational materials.

But the driving reason is a business reason: "the need to reduce annual expenses associated with Hartford parking facilities" - although even with the new fees and reduced demand, the company will still be subsidizing 50 percent of the cost of parking. Aetna has discovered what author Donald Shoup demonstrated in his 2005 book "The High Cost of Free Parking": Free parking is not free.

Yet for all the costs to the company itself, the highest cost has been to the Asylum Hill community, which for years has absorbed the creeping, incremental demolition of its historic building fabric and its housing stock, and the deteriorating image, disinvestment and insecurity that accompanies it. An aerial photograph shows the neighborhood as acres of bleak wasteland dotted by lush oases - the insurance companies' surface parking lots surrounding the well-tended grounds around their buildings.

As Marshall concedes, it wasn't clear the company had a long-term parking strategy before now. The 1980s witnessed the incremental but relentless expansion of surface lots - a policy pursued by all the Asylum Hill companies at that time, and by MassMutual right up to the time it moved out last year. Following the 1980s expansion, Aetna reversed course in the 1990s and began to divest itself of large amounts of real estate, everything from parking lots and apartment buildings to Arthur's Drugs Store.

Finally now the "Connecticut consolidation" represents a real policy - one that is on the right track. It is a policy that other major corporations, notably The Hartford Financial Services Group, would do well to emulate. Now the challenge for the neighborhood and the city is ensure that the vacant lots left behind are developed as sensitive urban infill, not possible under the present 1960s-era suburban-style zoning.

Ironically, one of the problems with the zoning is the excessive parking requirements. But the real 800-pound gorilla is the state of Connecticut, which currently presides over the largest asphalt wasteland of all, directly to the east of the State Office Building, not to mention many mini-wastelands near all its facilities in the city, and for that matter in the state. The state, with its ever more voracious appetite, has gobbled up every leased parking space being vacated by Aetna under I-84.

The state should have built structured parking years ago, and instituted a pay-for-parking policy as well. Here is an easy first test of Gov. M. Jodi Rell's new "responsible growth" policy - a pay-for-parking policy for state employees - that can be started immediately, or as soon as it can be negotiated out of union contracts.

Toni Gold of Hartford is president of Urban Edge Associates and a senior associate with Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit whose mission is to create and sustain public places that build communities. She is a member of the Place Board of Contributors

Editorial

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-railgarage.artdec29,0,6597727.story?coll=hc-headlines-editorials



A Hindrance To Rail Riding
December 29, 2006

Last week, noting "the state's commitment to improve rail service," Gov. M. Jodi Rell cut the ribbon on a new $33 million maintenance facility for Metro-North Commuter Railroad in the New Haven Rail Yard. "In only a few short months," the governor further observed, "our passengers will begin to experience improved service and additional seat availability" by having more rail cars return to service.

But the passengers who use the New Haven station will experience improved service only if they can find a place to park at or near Union Station.

More parking is desperately needed, but you wouldn't know that the parking problem has registered with the state Department of Transportation or the governor's office by reading the news release issued to herald the ribbon-cutting for the maintenance facility.

The release talks about the redesign and rebuilding of the New Haven Rail Yard Complex that is currently underway: plans for new maintenance shops, wheel truing facilities, a power supply station and a fueling facility.

We say bravo to all that. But what about mention of a second parking garage at the rail complex? There was none. The omission glossed over the fact that if more people are going to use commuter rail - as Mrs. Rell understands must happen - many of them will have to park their cars at Union Station. And there's not enough room. The existing garage and the only nearby private overflow facility are too often filled.

Yes, a second garage at the station is in the planning stages. In response to a question, a spokesman for the DOT said last week that a consultant's conceptual designs for a second garage are completed and will soon be shared with New Haven city officials. But here's the rub: The DOT says issues related to who will actually build and operate the garage - either the state or the city - are still being hashed out. Those are huge issues.

The problem is that precious little progress is being made. The governor and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano ought to make reaching an agreement on the second garage a top priority.

The state can't lure more rail commuters without adequate parking at the station. A would-be commuter who has to circle downtown New Haven looking for a parking place, then carry luggage for several blocks or take a cab or a shuttle bus (that doesn't run on weekends) to the terminal is soon going to think that taking Metro-North is not a good idea.

Build the second garage.

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-maharishihotel.artjan03,0,6159740.story?coll=hc-headlines-editorials


Building Plan Has Merit
January 3, 2007

Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez's idea of creating a redevelopment zone that includes the empty former Clarion Hotel building and the soon-to-be vacated Broadcast House building, both located on Constitution Plaza along Columbus Boulevard, makes sense.

The city may go so far as to take over the 12-story hotel building by eminent domain to get the project started - a controversial step that should be a last resort. But in this situation it may be the only answer.

The hotel has been an abandoned eyesore since 1994, not long before it was purchased for $1.5 million by the Maharishi School of Vedic Sciences, which has done little more than try to sell the building for a ridiculously high price of $10 million, roughly $50 a square foot.

Comparable properties downtown are priced at about $20 a square foot.

Broadcast House, which is right next door to the hotel, appears headed in the same direction now that WFSB, Channel 3, is moving to more spacious quarters in Rocky Hill.

Converting both parcels into a mixed-use condominium-office complex would help revitalize a key gateway to the city at the foot of Founders Bridge by bring more foot traffic to the plaza. It would also advance the mayor's goal of increasing homeownership in the city.

The school of Vedic sciences to its credit has been paying the city about $375,000 annually in property taxes on the empty 42-year-old building. But the building is deteriorating and is a blight on the plaza. The owner would get appraised market value if eminent domain powers were used.

Here's an interesting article about the ugliest buildings in Hartford.


Link: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-plceyesores1231.artdec31,0,5596197.story?coll=hc-headlines-commentary


Wins And Losses: The Eyes Have It
December 31, 2006

By Christine Palm It's time for our annual tally of wins and losses in the department of urban Eyesores and, conversely, Sites for Sore Eyes. But be forewarned: In the absence of an official buzzer or countable innings, the score is, admittedly, subjective.

First, a bummer: Capitol West, the mammoth Myrtle Street office building featured in our August Eyesores, is still a black eye on the city's skyline, especially from I-84. Alas, no real sign of improvement.

Now for some successes. Although Hawthorn Street, the fabled playland of Katharine Hepburn, remains a disgrace, there is movement. The city recently sold a lien on a rubble-strewn lot there to Aetna, with the understanding that the company will own and develop the property once foreclosure proceedings are complete.

Now, it may be coincidence, but last February, soon after we excoriated the city's Rising Star promoters for their unintentionally juvenile billboard on I-84 ("Come To Hartford. I Swear, It's fun"), down it came. It was replaced by a more grown-up version touting downtown attractions.

There's some change over on Parkville's Bartholomew Avenue, too. Gone is the clattering lamppost that once hung precariously from the factory with the Spaghetti Warehouse sign. (It may have simply blown off in a high gust.) And that despoiled lot at 26 Congress St. we complained about in June? Neat, tidy and untrammeled. The flagstone slabs are gone and it is once again suitable for strolling, lunching and dog walking.

Among other wins: Despite some graffiti on a utility box, the new Pope Park entrance still looks great. Park advocates have kicked off Phase 2 of the restoration by closing Pope Park Drive to vehicles. Up in the North End, Spring Grove Cemetery's active volunteers continue to raise money - and the historic cemetery's profile.

And in what Marilyn Rosetti, director of Hartford Areas Rally Together, calls "a perfect example of the power of the pen," a boarded-up block-long building at the corner of Shultas and Franklin may soon have new life. Rosetti said that "within two days of the [April] Eyesore on the building, the owners got in touch with our problem property committee. They came with a nice spiral-bound notebook full of plans for a mixed-use building. We're hopeful."

We heard from a reader, Don Brooks of Cypress, Calif., who lived next door on Shultas Place as a child and remembers many thriving businesses in that building, including an A&P, Riley's Drugs, Al's Fruit Shop, Pross' Package Store and Krofts' Groceries.

Nancy A. Roberts, a reader from Concord, Mass., proves there's nothing like a primary source when researching old buildings. Roberts, whose father, Dr. Wilmar Allen, was director of Hartford Hospital from 1936 to 1954, lived in the Queen Anne at 95 Niles St. featured as a Site for Sore Eyes in March. She wrote of a sunroom fountain that was "a gargoyle-like creature" and two Chinese teahouses in the boxwood garden. Roberts also remembers that "in the cellar under the rear stairs was a small room that was used, we were told, for hiding the `fruits' of Prohibition days."

Finally, Hartford's Facade Improvement Program continues to make a huge difference in brightening the face of the city's retail and commercial areas, especially along main arteries such as Park Street and Albany Avenue. Since the early 1990s, the city has spent about $8 million in federally funded Community Development Block Grants and state bond money to improve more than 200 buildings, from small shops like Mister Pizza on Blue Hills Avenue to large architectural gems like 1 Congress St. (the Flatiron Building).

Chief Planner Ken Anderson and his crew deserve tons of credit for systematically chipping away at blight and encouraging commerce by coordinating deferred zero percent loans to business owners so they can afford to repoint brickwork, power-wash walls, install metal cornices and lighting, paint trim, add decorative awnings and improve signage. Two businesses we profiled recently benefited from these loans: Red Rock Cafe on Capitol Avenue and T.W. Raftery on Broad.

Here's hoping 2007 will see fewer blighted buildings, new retail facades and, most of all, a more civil stewardship of the public spaces we share.

I'mmmm back...........its been a while. i been busy but soon i'll post some news when i get it. Hows everyone doin up here? ROtten what up man.

how are things up there in hartford?

What's going on, StamfordCT.

Same old, same old...just trying to keep this thread alive.

It's good to see you back.

Yea man i hear ya man. Just trying to keep my head above the water down here ( they keep trying to drown us with these taxes)....

i see alot is going on in Hartford.

The RBS building is being built down here, and they are about to tear down two high rise buildings ( St Johns Towers) and replace it with a hotel, shops, restaraunts and new residential buildings.I dont have renderings, and info, but i'll try and keep ya posted.

STAMFORD - A revised plan for a twin-towered Ritz-Carlton hotel and condominium complex at Atlantic Street and Tresser Boulevard won the unanimous endorsement of the Planning Board last night.

Developers F.D. Rich Co. and Cappelli Enterprises will present the proposal to the Zoning Board, which has final approval for the project, during a Jan. 22 public hearing.


Atlantic Centre would include 289 condominiums and 198 hotel rooms in two 400-foot towers flanking the Atlantic Street post office.

"It's a spectacular design," said Robin Stein, the city's planning director.

The towers would become the city's tallest buildings, and with the proposed Tresser Square development across the street - with three towers higher than 300 feet - could dramatically alter the city's skyline.

The 1916-built post office would become the hotel's main restaurant, with outdoor seating at the top of the stone staircase leading from Atlantic Street, said Peter Brassard of Costas Kondylis and Partners, the architect.

The original plan had the post office becoming the hotel's ballroom, but Ritz-Carlton officials wanted the space to have more daily activity, said Bruce Berg, Cappelli's executive vice president.

The developers would demolish the post office's 1939 addition.

The post office would open a branch within the new complex on Tresser Boulevard.

In perhaps the most significant change to the proposal, the two towers are now rectangular instead of curved.

The rectangular design allows more floor area and is less costly to build, said John Lindell, director of design and construction for F.D. Rich Co.

A secondary entrance plaza on Federal Street is being changed to a driveway connecting to the main entrance plaza on Atlantic Street.

The Zoning Board will be faced with whether to approve a change that would allow the 400-foot towers. The change would link the extra height - 50 feet above current regulations - to contributions to the Mill River Greenway project, if the Zoning Board granted a special exception. The Atlantic Centre proposal would require a $950,000 contribution, but the rule change would apply anywhere in the central business district.

The Zoning Board rejected the same proposal when Rich and Cappelli sought approval for the Trump Parc condominium tower at Washington Boulevard and Broad Street. But several members said their main objection to the proposed 400-foot building was tied to the small half-acre development site. The board has since approved Trump Parc at 350 feet.

The Ritz-Carlton would be built on 4.4 acres, some of which would be leased from the St. John Urban Development Corp., which owns two of its three affordable apartment towers on adjacent land.

One side of the hotel parking garage would be 20 feet from the northern side of Tower C, the easternmost of the three St. John Towers, and another would be 40 feet from the eastern side of the tower. The condominium towers would each be 65 feet from Tower C.

The extra 50 feet in height that Rich and Cappelli are requesting would allow a more slender design and provide more units with higher views, Berg said. That would increase the price of the uppermost units, making the project more likely to get financing, he said.

"What the city gets is superior design," said William Hennessey, the developers' attorney. "It's a much more elegant design."

Board member Jay Tepper questioned the wisdom of tying zoning bonuses such as extra height to cash payments, even when the city might need the money.

"The end doesn't justify the means all the time," he said.

Chairman Duane Hill said the city often grants bonuses if the developer provides something in return that benefits the city. The Mill River Greenway project would do that, and would need funding for years.

"It's one thing to get it built," he said. "It's another thing to sustain and maintain it."

In addition to the park contribution, the development would produce $2.4 million in annual property taxes and $3.8 million for affordable housing, the developers said.


http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/Steve1677/Ritz.jpg


:banana: :banana:


Looks liek a good idea, it will do wonders for our skyline, these 400 foot buildings, and the Trump Tower which will be 350 feet will do the skyline justice. I'm glad that guy Capelli is also the architect on the building, because he did a great job in white plains with the towers over there, FD Rich has built most of the buildings in downtown Stamford, and seeing Capelli's work in other towns, i'm glad FD Rich isn't doing this alone...the building will look nice if capelli designs it.

Only thing is its a rtiz carlton hotel....and i think they are "expensive"..so i am wondering how far the cost of living will go up even moreso......

^^ :banana:

Yea man i hear ya man. Just trying to keep my head above the water down here ( they keep trying to drown us with these taxes)....

i see alot is going on in Hartford.

The RBS building is being built down here, and they are about to tear down two high rise buildings ( St Johns Towers) and replace it with a hotel, shops, restaraunts and new residential buildings.I dont have renderings, and info, but i'll try and keep ya posted.


Great stuff...sounds cool. Stamford is really going up.

High taxes and Connecticut, doesn't sound too much out of the ordinary though. ;)

Some disputes going on about the Civic Center

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-cthockey0110.artjan10,0,4564654.story?coll=hc-headlines-local


Change Upsets Civic Center Rivals
Partner Swap Draws Fire

January 10, 2007
By JEFFREY B. COHEN, Courant Staff Writer A last-minute partnership change in one of three proposals to take over the Hartford Civic Center has one competitor crying foul, state officials asking questions, and downtown's largest landowner pleading his case.

In the short run, the state is looking for someone to help reduce its $4 million annual loss at the downtown arena. But the Civic Center is widely considered outdated and ill-suited for major league sports, and longer-term plans for the site are under discussion by a broad range of private developers and public officials.

But one of the bidders - Northland Investment Corp., which is run by Lawrence R. Gottesdiener and which owns more than $500 million in downtown Hartford real estate - has replaced its major partner in his bid, prompting questions.

Frank E. Russo Jr. - whose company, Global Spectrum, is working with former Whalers owner Howard Baldwin - said the move is highly unusual and thinks Northland should be disqualified.

"I don't know why it was done at the last minute, why they were allowed to change it in the last minute," said Russo. "It's a big question in my mind."

Gottesdiener defended his company's actions.

"Our core proposal is identical," Gottesdiener said Tuesday. "The underlying spirit of fair dealing is that you can't change the economics and the merits of your proposal after the fact. That is unequivocally not what we're doing."

The Connecticut Development Authority, which is scheduled to hold a meeting today to hear presentations on the three Civic Center proposals, will ask questions today about the nature of the change in Gottesdiener's plan, said Marie O'Brien, the authority's executive director.

"It depends on how the RFP [request for proposal] was written and the leeway that you have in contractual negotiations," said O'Brien, when asked whether the authority would allow Gottesdiener's bid to proceed with a new partner.

"Until we understand what they are actually requesting and what the impact is to their proposal, we don't have any idea as to whether their proposal becomes invalid."

The bidders include the current operator, Madison Square Garden; a partnership between Northland and its new partner, AEG Worldwide of Los Angeles; and the Baldwin/Global Spectrum partnership.

MSG, which has the region's AHL franchise, wants to continue managing the center, has pledged to keep the Wolf Pack in Hartford through 2013, and has offered to revise its current contract to leave more money in state hands.

Gottesdiener - who says he is about to have talks with two NHL teams and one NBA team about buying those teams - wants to own an AHL team and improve programming in the short term. But in the long term he wants to knock the Civic Center down, build a bigger arena, and bring back the NHL.

"Northland has unequivocally stated since December 2005 that our first priority is to bring back the NHL," Gottesdiener said. "We're not interested in this for AHL hockey."

He said he changed partners because the original company he was working with, SMG, was unable to move forward with the plan.

Baldwin wants to rebuild the city's market for the American Hockey League, and he wants to do it with a minor league team called the Hartford Whalers. He says his long-term goal is the NHL, too. But he's realistic, he said.

"Anybody that thinks you can go out and buy an NHL team today with the way the market is is just totally naïve," Baldwin said. "If I'm wrong, if somebody can do it today and bring it there today, I'd be the happiest guy in the world and I'd happily buy season tickets."

Contact Jeffrey B. Cohen at jcohen@courant.com.

Well I am a part-time resident of the city of Stamford and sometimes use skyscrapercity.com. I just found out this great thread seemingly dominated by 2 people, so now I'll be the third. I live on Tresser Blvd. Thank you StamfordCT for scanning in the article about that huge monstrosity. I wonder if it will be loud in our apartment over the next several years with high-rises under construction to the north (Tresser Sq), south (RBS), west (Post-House) and east (Ritz) of us. A huge wave of overdevelopment is upon us.

I am now in Illinois, but on the 10th of December I took a walk around the city to snap pictures of current development. Here we go:

This is on the east side of Adams Avenue north of West Broad Street. It is phase 2 of Mill River House, a condominium complex. These are expensive homes in a low-income area where middle-school students like to linger after class lets out at Cloonan Middle School, just up the street. This building is right next to Hart Elementary School. Phase 1 faces a Getty gas station; it was completed about one year ago.
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/9072/adamsave1vc3.jpg

These appear to be homes for people who have more money than brains. Not only is phase 1 in a low-income neighborhood next to a Getty gas station (and across the street from a VW dealership and a Shell gas station) but it is just down the hill from the hospital, so you've got ambulances with their sirens on passing by all the time.
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/1050/adamsave2ep0.jpg
On the plus side, the nearby city park has beautiful Japanese cherry trees.

Here is a view from in front of Hart School.
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/1466/adamsave4jf4.jpg

Now I will turn your attention to the area just north of downtown Stamford and just south of the Ridgeway Shopping Center. This area does not really have a name and some might even consider it to be part of downtown. It seems to have a high concentration of doctors' and dentists' offices. In fact, 1515 Summer Street used to be such a building of professional offices, but it was recently decided to turn it into loft apartments. This type of renovation is somewhat unusual for Stamford, but not at all uncommon in larger cities. Summer Street is a busy one-way arterial street, but this is city living after all. The name of this development is The Metropolitan and it is incidentally by the same company that is doing Mill River House on the West Side (you can find out more info about their plans for Stamford here: http://www.hannahrealestateinvestors.com/currentdev.php)

It will look like this.
http://www.hannahrealestateinvestors.com/images/currentdev/fifteen.jpg

There will be 42 luxury condos. Here is the view on 10 Dec 2006:
http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/512/1515summerst1yb5.jpg

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/6320/1515summerst3lo1.jpg

Yea man i hear ya man. Just trying to keep my head above the water down here ( they keep trying to drown us with these taxes)....

i see alot is going on in Hartford.

The RBS building is being built down here, and they are about to tear down two high rise buildings ( St Johns Towers) and replace it with a hotel, shops, restaraunts and new residential buildings.I dont have renderings, and info, but i'll try and keep ya posted.

I wish to clarify this statement about St John's Towers. There are 3 towers in all and they were built c. 1970. There are plans to tear down one of them (the northern one at 873 Washington Blvd) and replace with three towers of up to 30 stories high and more than 800 residential units. The proceeds from the sale are supposed to be paid to renovate the other two towers.

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/2681/from400atlanticgarage14qv3.jpg
Now take a look at this photo here. This is what this part of downtown Stamford looks like now. As you see, there are 3 cylindrical towers; the one on the right is referred to as Tower C and it will likely be demolished within one year. I must note this is NOT a housing project but rather a subsidized complex for people with low and moderate incomes. There are no problems with crime, gangs or drugs, and it is very diverse (with white Americans, black Americans, numerous immigrants from Poland and former USSR, Asians, etc.) This is good affordable housing right in the middle of downtown, in a city that sorely needs affordable housing.

The post office is the building on the left with the flag in front of it. It is a historic landmark so it won't be torn down. According to The Advocate, it will serve as the Ritz Carlton's restaurant and that little raised plaza in front will have outdoor seating. One 39-story tower will be behind the post office and the other to the right of it. That strip mall to the right of the post office has been vacant for many years as the developers figure out what they want to do with this site. And across the street, in place of that right cylindrical tower, there will be 3 huge towers. Now in this picture you see Stamford. If you snap the same shot in five years, you will see Manhattan.

Construction on Royal Bank of Scotland's NA headquarters began just a few months ago and there's not much to see just yet. They closed off a stretch of Richmond Hill Ave. As you can see, it's right across the street from UBS and will create a huge financial center for the world economy. The back of RBS will face onto a low-income neighborhood home to a Haitian immigrant community, and there is also a cemetery there dating back to colonial times (you can see it at the right of this photo) and a small housing project for the elderly.

The rich get richer. The poor get encroached upon. The dead need their rest.
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/4948/rbssite2cq7.jpg

Across the river from RBS on the West Side of Stamford you will find the Taylor Street Apartments development courtesy of Stamford Housing Authority.

Affordable housing in Stamford comes one small piece at a time. This is right next to busy I-95, though there is a sound barrier separating the neighborhood from the freeway.

http://www.stamfordhousing.org/images/Development%202.jpg
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/5651/taylorstreetcondos1mn3.jpg

During the fall construction began on this site on the west end of downtown. It will be home to Post-House, a development for the physically and mentally challenged. Stamford Housing Authority has not released any renderings or said how tall the building will be, except that it will have 60 units. So if you have a mental disorder, what better way to cure you than give you an apartment on a busy six-lane boulevard?
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/5278/tresserblvdclintonave2ft2.jpg
Tresser Blvd & Clinton Ave in Dec 2006

A notorious crack house on Renwick Street was among about half a dozen buildings demolished to make way for City Place, which will curve at the corner of Washington Blvd & North St in the northwest corner of downtown Stamford. It will have about 100 units in about 10 floors.

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9895/washingtonblvdnorthst2lv7.jpg

Here is what the crack house (on right) and the adjoining house looked like when I snapped this pic in Jun 06. Both are no longer around. Actually I don't know for sure if it was crack or pot or heroin or what was going on there (city property records call it a "rooming house") but I sure remember seeing folks from 8 Renwick Street in police blotter a lot, typically on drug possession charges.
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/1097/northstrenwickstlz4.jpg

I really love this thread.
I lived in Stamford and Bridgeport many for many years.
I'm not back in Connecticut living downtown Bridgeport. So many changes going on :)

Great pics, Woonsocket54! :okay:

Although I posted the plans of UConn's new "college town"...here's more detailed and updated information.

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/ec/hc-25012810.apds.m0612.bc-ct--colldec25,0,4659868.story?coll=hc-headlines-ec


UConn launches a plan to build a college town from scratch
December 25, 2006

Associated Press STORRS, Conn. -- The University of Connecticut's main campus boasts a string of new buildings, thanks to a multibillion-dollar infusion of state cash. The student body is growing. And there are two powerhouse basketball teams that bring big-time sports to a rural corner of the state.

There's one thing, however, that UConn doesn't have: a college town.

So it has decided to help build one from scratch - complete with shops, restaurants, hundreds of apartments and even a traditional New England town green.

The project exemplifies the growing interest of colleges and universities in their surrounding communities. Many have realized that a building boom of dormitories, student centers and libraries isn't enough. Students don't want an "ivory tower" experience; they want to be part of broader communities that offer commerce, culture and cuisine.

But while many colleges are working to expand or revitalize nearby neighborhoods, this project may be unique in that it is trying to construct one anew.

"People ask us if there are other examples," says Cynthia van Zelm, executive director of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership. "I'm like, 'No, not really."'

Most colleges, even small rural ones, have grown up around a town or spawned one, as businesses opened to keep students supplied with books, pizza, beer and coffee.

Thanks to accidents of geography, infrastructure and municipal history, that never really happened here. Even though 20,000 people attend school on campus, the tiny village of Storrs is little more than a handful of businesses in a strip mall, a post office and a dateline for stories about the basketball teams.

Surveys of admitted students who turn down UConn, and of students who drop out, show the lack of off-campus options is the chief complaint. Most students can't have cars until they earn 54 credits.

"We were getting comments like, 'I really like the education but you walk across the street and there's nothing there,"' said Dolan Evanovich, vice provost for enrollment management. "The expectation is the creation of a town will be the missing link."

The plans are slow moving, with completion targeted for 2013. And the mayor of Mansfield - the town that includes the village of Storrs - points out the university is just one of several players.

But for UConn, the project is a matter of urgency because of the college's growth in the past decade. Two initiatives by the Legislature have committed more than $2.3 billion to the university, and much of that money has gone into a building boom on the Storrs campus.

During the last 10 years, average SAT scores have risen 82 points, says Evanovich. The percentage of students from out of state has doubled from 15 percent to 30 percent, demonstrating the school's emerging national appeal.

Renderings of the town project depict bustling shops and restaurants, with apartments above them. Construction on the first building of what will grow into a $175 million, 50-acre project (including 35 protected acres) could begin this summer.

Most of the financing will be private. The developer, LeylandAlliance, specializes in dense but pedestrian-friendly and environmentally sensitive communities in a style called "new urbanism." The new "Storrs Center" will stand across the street from a proposed fine arts building to be designed by Frank Gehry.

The challenge is imbuing the place with the kind of charm that other college towns have acquired over decades and even centuries, without making it feel artificial or forced.

"We don't have that 300 years to create a place that has that organic quality," said Macon Toledano, who is overseeing the project for LeylandAlliance. But, he said, the careful study that has gone into what the community wants and how the buildings will be used will eventually produce a place with most of the virtues of more seasoned college towns.

The local community also has a lot riding on the partnership, which both sides say has gone some way to repair strained relations between the university and Mansfield. The mayor, Elizabeth Paterson (who also works at UConn), says people here have been talking at least since the 1960s about the need for some kind of town center in Storrs.

"We need a place where friends and neighbors can come together with other friends and neighbors while they're getting a cup of coffee or going to the post office," she said. Mansfield also needs to expand its tax base and derive more revenue from the thousands who visit campus.

"Why do they have to go out of town to get a nice meal?" she said.

The same thought has occurred to Nathaniel Slade, a junior from Bolton, Mass., though he hadn't been aware of the plans.

"I kind of like the idea of going to a college a little out in the country because I don't like to deal with the city," he said. "But sometimes something else would be nice too."

---

On the Net:

University of Connecticut: http://www.uconn.edu

Mansfield town plan: http://www.mansfieldct.org/town/departments/downtown-partnership/

Good pics man. I know what the area looks like, i just meant i didn't have renderings yet of what they have planned. But good job man, its good to see someone else here for CT.

But as you say, the rich get richer. And Malloy continues to push taxes up. Only problem is, that even some of the white collared employeed can't afford here neither. Not everyone at UBS making over 100K a year...

They need to start building affordable homes, NO MORE luxury condo's and lofts. Just affordable units. I'm just wondering how much room Downtown has left, because it really doesn't have much room to me. And i'm happy that Landmark Square will not be the tallest building in Stamford anymore, its time has come and gone....it's about time we get someting over 300 feet. At least from far away, we'll be able to see stamford Skyline.....because the landmark building doesn't even stand up over the other downtown buildings....and from far away you can't even see any buildings......

So its a good thing for the city, but the only thing for me is how this affects taxpayers ( they paying a load already) and how it affects the cost of living. Its crazy that, cities liek philadelphia, miami, houston are 20-30 times larger than stamford and have lots and lots of Big fortune 500 companies, and STILL are affordable.......I dont kno why and how stamford is more expensive..it puzzles me. You would think the big cities would have a higher cost of living than these smaller CT cities.......

Nazaire and Woonsocket........since you have lived in Stamford before. You would agree with me that Stamford needs to have more nightlife, BADLY. More attractions and restaraunts. The mall is adding restaraunts which is good, but a barnes n nobles book store to cover Filene's?? I mean they should look at the Trumbull Mall and learn from them. It has more of a fun and vibrant environment about it. Now after these buildings get built, they need to go extend the mall to the "hole in the ground". The mall needs more stores, and more places for people to sit. and needs a gameroom simialr to the trumbull mall, people wanna shop, but also they wanna have fun.

For the mall:
1. Extension to hole in ground
2. Needs a game room ( like trumbull)
3. NEEDS A CENTRAL FOOD COURT ( we need on inside the mall)

Downtown:
1. More shops, restaraunts
2. More space ( downtown is too small to me, i'd rather see it extend about 4-5 blocks or so)

Stamford:
1. AFFORDABLE HOUSING
2. And more excitement to town
3. We need more carnivals and parades ( like other towns)

Actually, I think the mall is alright. I think it's cool that it has a 9-screen movie theater and that it's right in the middle of town, unlike Trumbull or Danbury where you have to drive to. Filene's was nice to have, but given the kind of luxury developments that are sprouting in town, it will really be Saks that will be doing the most business in coming years. The main problem with the mall was lack of direct access from street (the only direct entrance is on Greyrock across from hole in the ground). Barnes and Noble extension should theoretically help connect the mall to downtown, but I have a feeling it won't. It will face Tresser Blvd, and there are very few pedestrians on Tresser Blvd. It's hard to imagine the south end of the mall getting a lot of pedestrian access.

The "hole in the ground" will remain empty for a while. All the new luxury developments will create a glut in the market, and it will be impossible to redevelop the site as housing. At the same time, I can't imagine the mall expanding into that site. The best use for that site will be to have an office building, but with the current vacancy rates, that won't be happening anytime soon.

As far as the tax situation goes, the effect of the luxury skyscrapers is ambiguous. On one hand, they will add property tax and lower the tax burden on the other residents of the city. On the other hand, the infusion of multi-millionaires will raise the assessed value of the surrounding property. Like I've suggested in a previous post, if these people are so dumb as to want to buy overpriced property in downtown Stamford, I'm not sure I even want them in town. I mean, with that kind of money, why not buy a villa in New Canaan or a nice condo in Manhattan? Where is the demand for these condos?

I mean i see what you saying man, but honestly the mall i sboring. Everyone i know HATES the Stamford Mall. You go in there and you're finished walking around the mall in like 3 minutes as opposed to every mall around stamford, where you can spend a lot of time. Every mall around Stamford is better, everyone knows that. The galleria, The Westchester, Trumbull Shopping Mall, The CT Post Mall.......they're wayyyyy better than Stamford's mall. The biggest problem is that they built the mall in that small bloc of space, but that was a mistake. They should have done it in a more spacious open environment. Second, the facade and appearance of the building is horrendous. I don't know what they was thinking.

Stamford needs to wake up, because alot of young people are leaving Stamford, and CT as a whole. Why? # 1. THERE IS NOTHING TO DO. Every other state has lots of sites, attractions, and alway have things to do, CT pales in comparison to most states. Often on a friday or saturday night, alot of young people are bored. Only thin gto do in town is either : A) Go to the movies. B) Go walk around the mall for like 5 minutes and then go to a friends house.

Other than that, there isn't anything to do really. That HAS TO change.
CT as a whole needs to really show people there are things to do here, it needs to show there is entertainment, attractions, things to see, nightlife....it needs to show people that it's affordable.......A LOT of things in CT has got to change if they want people to move here.

I would have loved to see stamford get a arena/stadium though, that would have been nice. Go to the restaraunt, and then go to a game friday or saturday night, that would be a nice change for stamford.

Actually, I think the mall is alright. I think it's cool that it has a 9-screen movie theater and that it's right in the middle of town, unlike Trumbull or Danbury where you have to drive to. Filene's was nice to have, but given the kind of luxury developments that are sprouting in town, it will really be Saks that will be doing the most business in coming years. The main problem with the mall was lack of direct access from street (the only direct entrance is on Greyrock across from hole in the ground). Barnes and Noble extension should theoretically help connect the mall to downtown, but I have a feeling it won't. It will face Tresser Blvd, and there are very few pedestrians on Tresser Blvd. It's hard to imagine the south end of the mall getting a lot of pedestrian access.

The "hole in the ground" will remain empty for a while. All the new luxury developments will create a glut in the market, and it will be impossible to redevelop the site as housing. At the same time, I can't imagine the mall expanding into that site. The best use for that site will be to have an office building, but with the current vacancy rates, that won't be happening anytime soon.

As far as the tax situation goes, the effect of the luxury skyscrapers is ambiguous. On one hand, they will add property tax and lower the tax burden on the other residents of the city. On the other hand, the infusion of multi-millionaires will raise the assessed value of the surrounding property. Like I've suggested in a previous post, if these people are so dumb as to want to buy overpriced property in downtown Stamford, I'm not sure I even want them in town. I mean, with that kind of money, why not buy a villa in New Canaan or a nice condo in Manhattan? Where is the demand for these condos?

Well, where the mall is located, there are few pedestrians anyway. There be more cars downtown than people, from what i know/see. Some days i see alot of people, some days i don't. But as far as Barnes and Nobles, i think it's dissappointing though. To waste that big of a space on a bookstore....when they could have had a multitude of stores. Could've just had restaraunts outside, and then leading into the mall a bunch of stores, a fountain, benches, vending machines( vending machines are only in two locations. Near Macy's and down near the parking lots), a big game room, a play place for little children, etc etc..........

Furthermore, our mall needs a makeover, inside and out. Outside...it's obvious. Inside things need making over. The mall may have some new trendy stores, but for the most part to me, it's a bit stuck in the 80's.

In the hole in the ground, they can build an office building, ya know about 35-45 stories high. Or make it Residential 35-45 Stories high, with retail shops, and restaraunts on the bottom.

I am wondering too, where is this demand for these condo's??

Also, Downtown isn't vibrant enough. Only place its vibrant is the corner of Atlantic and Main ( Where the Ferguson Library and McDonald's is located) and ( The bottom Half of Summer street with the movie theatre, and the section where Bobby V's is located) thats downtown basically. I'd like to see downtown get some shops and restaraunts along tresser Blvd ( where the hole in the ground is)

The ritz carlton thing should bring some life to that area of downtown next to the rich forum. But after you pass the rich forum on Tresser Blvd (going northbound near the Stamford Town Center) its dead. The outdoor restaraunts will help, but that hole in the ground can really be a big boost. If not a high rise, then put some restaraunts, shops there. Even though the mall "claims" they'd lose some business if they build things around it, i dont think it would do much. The Stamford Town Center, acts liek they have Millions of Customers a day, in reality they dont. I've worked there, in the morning til' afternoon its DEAD. Only time it gains a little pulse is maybe around 4-5 pm. The residential developments will help alot, but with more residents, you gotta keep them entertained, ESPECIALY in a downtown. You CANNOT have a boring mall, you CANNOT have a downtown radius of 2-3 blocks. Forget trying to price everyone out the area and being greedy for money, the goal is to bring people to your city....so accomadate them, ALL of them. Not only for the rich and those who can afford buying Filet Mignone for like 30 dollars a plate..but accomodate places for those who are just "regular" people, not these rich and powerful folk that they are bending over backwards for.

Alot of people i know already always hang out in White Plains, Port Chester etc...With all this development downtown, they BETTER do something about it's nightlife....and do it FAST.

The Galleria in White Plains? No, I think Stamford mall is way better than Galleria. I mean, isn't it just Sears and JC Penney in Galleria, along with Macy*s? Now Westchester is a real nice mall with Nordstrom and Neiman's.

Oh, and they should play some loud classical music in Veterans Park at Atlantic St & Main St. I mean real loud so the teenage punks that hang out there are forced to leave. I mean, I am sick and tired of those kids - I swear some of them are in gangs. There have even been a few stabbings over the years near the Saks entrance. They need to leave. I sometimes have to pass by them when entering the mall, and it's not a pleasant experience.

I feel out of loop living all the way here in Hartford, so bear with me :D




Stamford needs to wake up, because alot of young people are leaving Stamford, and CT as a whole. Why? # 1. THERE IS NOTHING TO DO. Every other state has lots of sites, attractions, and alway have things to do, CT pales in comparison to most states. Often on a friday or saturday night, alot of young people are bored. Only thin gto do in town is either : A) Go to the movies. B) Go walk around the mall for like 5 minutes and then go to a friends house.


Seriously...that's the truth right there.

I really don't know how it is down in Fairfield Co (having NYC less than an hour away) but it's basically the same scenario up here.

Is it much better past the border in White Plains, New Rochelle or Port Chester though?

Stamford Mall is okay, it is being expanded some right?
When in Stamford I would only go to the movies or go to a good restaurant

Stamford Nightlife is dead for a reason, it is very costly to be competitive against NYC clubbing hotspots for the young people. The Stamford Police Dept. loves it this way.

When I was in high school (Westhill) we had "Tipton's" which wasnt much

Hope it changes, I don't always want to have to go to NY just to dance or hang out. But I'm much older now so the fine dining and arts is cool with me. I'm a painter so I had my Art up at the Rich Forum and Palace a few times. Also did some exhibits at UBS and Purdue Pharma in Stamford.
So I can say for me as an artist Stamford does have some good points when it come to the Arts.

Some more news going on Hartford, showing the willingness to pay more to buy properties downtown.

Link: http://www.courant.com/business/hc-statehousesquare1013.artjan13,0,6814955.story?coll=hc-headlines-business


Wave Of Office Sales In City Keeps Flowing
State House Square Now Under Contract

January 13, 2007

By KENNETH R. GOSSELIN, Courant Staff Writer A string of office building sales in downtown Hartford last year is poised to keep running right into 2007.

State House Square, a marquee office complex next to the Old State House, is now under contract for between $90 million and $100 million and is expected to sell first, changing owners next month for the second time in three years.

That's well above the $66 million that was paid in 2003.

Experts say the pending sale is more evidence that investor confidence in the city is growing amid redevelopment. And buyers of prime properties are increasingly willing to pay significantly higher prices than they would have a few years ago, they said.

"Buyers are just getting more comfortable with Hartford," said Patrick Mulready, a broker at CB Richard Ellis in Hartford who spoke at the firm's annual outlook conference this week.

In the late 1990s, buyers often looked to Hartford for office properties that may have been in need of renovations or could be purchased at a low price. The strategy then was to make improvements, attract new tenants and sell at a profit.

Now, Mulready said, that is starting to change. Buyers are seeing value in a city that continues to show tangible signs of progress, and they are now willing to pay more to own property in the city and surrounding suburbs, he said.

State House Square, with 845,000 square feet of office and retail space, is expected to sell for between $106 and $118 a square foot, well above the $78 a square foot that the current owner, Harbor Group International of Norfolk, Va, paid.

Mulready, whose firm represents Harbor Group, declined to identify the buyers, except that they are two private equity firms from New York. Harbor Group declined to comment.

At least two other downtown Hartford buildings - 100 Pearl Street and 10 Columbus Boulevard, the "Candy Cane Building" - could sell this year, Mulready said.

WTIC news has recordings of the three different proposals for the future of hockey and an arena in Hartford...

http://www.wtic.com/pages/181018.php?contentType=4&contentId=286990

Article published Jan 12, 2007
Potential developer takes look at former hospital land
Northland has not made plans public
By ADAM BOWLES
Norwich Bulletin

PRESTON -- Northland Investment officials toured the former Norwich Hospital site Thursday and met with First Selectman Robert Congdon regarding their interest in the land even as the company makes a push to secure an NHL and an NBA team in Hartford.

As part of his state-approved visit, Northland chairman and chief executive officer Lawrence Gottesdiener, a New London native, drove a silver Range Rover off road to the undeveloped portion of the 419-acre property, leaving scratches on the vehicle.

"The core thesis is to create a centerpiece for the region -- fundamentally the capital of southeastern Connecticut, a magnet for locals, tourists and casino visitors," he said.

Preston has two years to act on its option to buy the property from the state, a move it would make only after securing a developer to pay by closing approximately $40 million to clean up contamination on the site.

For more than three years, Utopia Studios of Long Island had been the most aggressive suitor for the prime piece of real estate, situated across the Thames River from Mohegan Sun. But when Utopia failed to meet several conditions of a development deal with Preston, the town terminated the agreement in November.

Both sides are preparing to mediate the deal on Utopia's $1.6 billion proposal for an entertainment complex, but Utopia's fading prospects have encouraged at least seven developers to express their respective interest in the land publicly.

Northland has not made its proposal public yet. The company owns $500 million of Hartford property, including Hartford 21, which features a 36-story luxury apartment tower, the tallest in New England.

Northland, which is based in Newton, Mass., has made bold development moves before, including becoming the runner-up among bidders for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Gottesdiener wants to build an arena in downtown Hartford and bring back an NHL team. Next week, he said he will meet with a couple of NHL teams and a NBA team about his proposal.

Gottesdiener said his projects in Hartford are a microcosm of what could be developed in Preston, including densely built components of office, retail, restaurants and housing that cause minimum impact on the environment and conserve energy.

He said much like passion for Hartford, a city in which his father served as a mailman, he has an "emotional attachment" to the region. Gottesdiener said that attachment is as important as an economic commitment because it helps a developer see a project through to completion.

Congdon and Joseph Biber, co-chairman of the Norwich Hospital Advisory Committee, met with Gottesdiener and five Northland officials for about an hour-and-a-half at Town Hall. Congdon said the meeting was preliminary and that no substantive talks could take place until after mediation with Utopia.

The town is advertising the property in local newspapers so it can use responses from interested parties to help create a request for proposals.

Congdon said he told Northland Utopia has threatened to tie up the property for years in litigation, but the disclosure did not seem to discourage Northland.

Keleigh Baretincic of Preston, a longtime critic of Utopia, said she was confident the town was headed in the right direction.

"I think it is imperative with the time constraints we are facing on our option to be aware of all of the opportunities that are available to us," she said.

Stamford Mall is okay, it is being expanded some right?
When in Stamford I would only go to the movies or go to a good restaurant

Stamford Nightlife is dead for a reason, it is very costly to be competitive against NYC clubbing hotspots for the young people. The Stamford Police Dept. loves it this way.

When I was in high school (Westhill) we had "Tipton's" which wasnt much

Hope it changes, I don't always want to have to go to NY just to dance or hang out. But I'm much older now so the fine dining and arts is cool with me. I'm a painter so I had my Art up at the Rich Forum and Palace a few times. Also did some exhibits at UBS and Purdue Pharma in Stamford.
So I can say for me as an artist Stamford does have some good points when it come to the Arts.


Yea man.Mall here, is NOTHING SPECIAL. The malls surrounding Stamford's are better. The nightlife is dead, and of course it can't compete with NYC but at least have some energy downtown. I dont want to always go to NY neither in order to have something to do. Besides the movies and chinese buffet, there isnt anything to do, for young folks. I just like to see some more restaraunts, clubs, and music ( all types of music) downtown. Because Downtown stamford shuts down after 9/10 o'clock. I just want to see an applebee's or TGIF open up downtown in the mall or somethin. Its good to have these little restaraunts here, but liek White Plains they have applebee's and so many other "chain" restaraunts. I aint asking for 15 applebee's or so, but jus have an applebee's, a ruby tuesday or somethin.

But as for the mall, the outdoor restaraunts are great, but we also need a real food court in there. Because a food court in the mall is non existent... and it is badly needed.

Just in case you guys have not already found this site. It is not quite as up to date as I would hope, but an incredible site. If you type in city name you will find quite a bit of info on Hartford and Stamford and every city in the world. I believe that they will pay you for photos as well if you take them and send them in of recent construction. Enjoy...

http://www.emporis.com/en/

Yea i know about emporis man. I been posting pics from that site. It has good stuff on there. Pay for pictures?? Well then if that's the case, then i'll take hundreds of photos. lol

Emporis is probably the best site to find info about buildings...

They got some info about proposed projects that I'd like to put my hands on, but I don't want to spend money on ordering Emporis research.

GREAT pics of buildings there, but you gotta buy them as well.

ah i see what u mean.

SO far it seems all of CT major cities are booming with development, New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartofrd, Stamford. Waterbury though seems to be relatively quiet....Danbury and Norwalk, are making some moves as well. It's looking good so far, its just time to make this state more affordable.

Stamford Mall is okay, it is being expanded some right?
When in Stamford I would only go to the movies or go to a good restaurant

Stamford Nightlife is dead for a reason, it is very costly to be competitive against NYC clubbing hotspots for the young people. The Stamford Police Dept. loves it this way.

When I was in high school (Westhill) we had "Tipton's" which wasnt much

Hope it changes, I don't always want to have to go to NY just to dance or hang out. But I'm much older now so the fine dining and arts is cool with me. I'm a painter so I had my Art up at the Rich Forum and Palace a few times. Also did some exhibits at UBS and Purdue Pharma in Stamford.
So I can say for me as an artist Stamford does have some good points when it come to the Arts.

The Stamford Mall is undergoing a whole new "outdoor" wing. Some of the stores are Connecticut's largest Barnes and Noble bookstore, an H&M clothing store, and 6 or 8 restaurants--PF Chang's, California Pizza, a high-end seafood place, and many others. It will add an important nightlife element to downtown.

There is so much development going on in Stamford--it rivals parts of NYC. The Ritz Carlton hotel is coming downtown, Trump Tower is being built, the south end is being entirely rezoned with thousands of apartments/condos going in and massive retail. There is the RBS headquarters currently being built, along with many smaller luxury condo/apartment buildings going up. Stamford is an EXCELLENT place to invest in with real estate right now.

As for downtown nightlife, it will get better with time. Downtown in 5 yrs will be full of power players with money.

ah i see what u mean.

SO far it seems all of CT major cities are booming with development, New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartofrd, Stamford. Waterbury though seems to be relatively quiet....Danbury and Norwalk, are making some moves as well. It's looking good so far, its just time to make this state more affordable.

I was in Waterbury last week, not that bad.

Not much going on there, but it has potential...especially around the train station/center. No skyscrapers there, and as you said, Danbury and Norwalk are eating it's dust...

Lets not forget the developments going in the New London/Norwich corridor. But, its good that development is going on all across the board.

@ JJ

Yea power players is right, but i dont think it would be a good thing in the long run, havin too many power players. Because then everything will be expensive, even a hamburger will probably cost you like 15 dollars.

Stamford just needs to do these developments justice, becuase lord knows how the downtown buildings look like right now...hopefully the designs for these new buildings will be nice and better than some of the current buildings in stamford.

My gripe about barnes and nobles is, why waste all that space on one store, when you can put many stores, restaraunts and a game room in there. It's obvious the mall needs a place where kids can hangout and have some fun ( ie game room). A bookstore occupying the whole space filense was?? I think thats wayyyy too much. I'd like to see about 10-15 more stores come to the mall, and the restaraunts outside is god, but a centrlized food court should have been a part of the mall, because now the restaraunts outside will be seperated from the restaraunts all the way at the top floor. If they could have the restaraunts all in one centralized food court, that woul dbe great, with lots of seating, that woud be nice. But i for one, think that the mall needs a game room/arcade to at least appeal more to the youth, because i know when i used to frequent the mall when i was in high school a few years ago, i would go to foot locker check out the latest sneakers, and then walk aimlessly around and around and around in the mall with nothing to do really.

The malls design hurts it more than anything else....the location is terrible...i wish it had more space. ANd trust me, i know loads and loads of people who dont go to stamford mall, and go other places, because its either too boring, or they dont have enough variety, compared to other shopping centers around the area.

I just hope Barnes and nobles don't flop, because if it does, then it would be a terrible waste of space........

And another problem, is that Stamford's east-west borders in teh city are very very very small, compared t how large and extensive North Stamford is.

Downtown is cramped as it is, and you can drive down E. Main Street and /or Atlantic/Bedford and you'll travel through downtown in like less than 2 minutes...

I hate that Stamford's Greenwhich and Darien borders ( East and West) are so tight. Compared to every other Major CT city, Stamford city center is small, while other cities seemingly have a bit more breathing room.

And another problem, is that Stamford's east-west borders in teh city are very very very small, compared t how large and extensive North Stamford is.

Downtown is cramped as it is, and you can drive down E. Main Street and /or Atlantic/Bedford and you'll travel through downtown in like less than 2 minutes...

I hate that Stamford's Greenwhich and Darien borders ( East and West) are so tight. Compared to every other Major CT city, Stamford city center is small, while other cities seemingly have a bit more breathing room.

I have lived in Kingsport, TN, Tucson, AZ, Los Angeles, CA, Atlanta, GA, and Brooklyn, NY--and now I live in Stamford. Stamford has a unique and "picky" zoning plan/board when it comes to "national chain stores" "big box stores" and competitive retail/restaurant stores. All the other cities I've lived in have a crazy--I mean crazy--amount of Burger Kings, Wal-Marts, Kohls, Olive Gardens, etc. all over the city/suburbs.
Stamford--as you know--is different. With 120,000+people in the city, there are only a small, very small handful of chain anything. I like the fact that most retail is downtown. It's how a city should work and should be. I think Stamford has it right, for the most part, with their hardcore zoning plan. I am a bit worried that the South End zoning change/massive development will drain some traffic and business from downtown--but not if downtown residential keeps at the current pace AND people keep moving to Stamford in droves.

Some news about Metro-North...

Link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/fc/hc-16063617.apds.m0895.bc-ct--railjan16,0,700138.story

Commuter council issues report card on Metro-North
January 16, 2007

Associated Press STAMFORD, Conn. -- Advocates for Connecticut rail commuters say there is room for improvement on the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven line.

The Connecticut Rail Commuter Council issued its annual report Monday and concludes that the rail line falls short on parking, seating and adequate climate control.

The report will be presented this week to Gov. M. Jodi Rell and state Department of Transportation officials.

While things have improved in recent years, the group contends that there is room for much more improvement.

Though the New Haven Line stands to improve because of the recent investment in new rail cars and maintenance facilities, the report should still serve as a "reality check" for state leaders who may be unaware of the current conditions, commuter council chairman Jim Cameron said.

"The council is not a cheerleader," he said. "Our goals are to reflect the concerns of commuters. We're nonpartisan and realistic."

Cameron says that the reality includes no available parking for rail commuters at many stations. Most towns have waiting lists as long as four years, while some people who have monthly parking permits but rarely use their spaces, "hoarding" them so others can't take their spots, according to the report.

Many stations are covered in graffiti and have steps and platforms that are cracking or falling apart, the report said. The state has identified the problems at these stations, but has not fixed many of them, the report added.

The 30-year-old rail cars often are overcrowded and dirty. The state and Metro-North Railroad do a "commendable" job getting the trains to run on time, but it often comes at the expense of available seats, the report said.

The report also says that New Haven Line commuters pay some of the highest fares in the country.

---

Information from: The Advocate, http://www.stamfordadvocate.com

i was reading about that in the newspaper the other day too^^^

^^ Oh man, people need to stop bitching about Metro North. The trains run on time, so what more can you ask? Sucks that it's such a dilemma:

Choice 1: Metro-North - trains are old and dirty, but always on time
Choice 2: Amtrak - trains are new and clean, but always embarassingly late

You just can't have your cake and eat it too.

Now regarding the people who wanted the Applebee's, I remember reading a proposal to put a Houlihan's underneath the Target on Broad Street in Stamford, but I guess nothing really came of it. It was nice when there was the Stamford Diner on Summer Street, but that was replaced by Commerce Bank about a year ago. Boo Commerce Bank!!! :ohno:

And today I read in The Advocate about a proposed office-to-residential conversion just to the north of downtown. This would be the second such conversion in the city in recent years, the other being 1515 Summer St.
The building looks like this:
http://www.gardenhomesmanagement.com/art/offices/240/111-Prospect-Street-1.jpg
http://www.gardenhomesmanagement.com/art/offices/240/111-Prospect-Street-2.jpg

Here's the article:

Planners approve building conversion

By Doug Dalena
Staff Writer

January 17, 2007

STAMFORD - Studio apartments would replace offices in a five-story building on Prospect Street if the Zoning Board approves a developer's plan.

The Planning Board last night unanimously endorsed the proposal, which includes trading increased housing density for affordable housing. The Zoning Board has not scheduled a public hearing on the plan.

Developer Richard Freedman has proposed converting the 1968 office building at 111 Prospect St. into 55 apartments - 54 studios and a one-bedroom unit.

To build that many apartments, Freedman has asked for a change to zoning regulations, which require 800 square feet of building area for each unit in a converted building. Under that rule, Freedman said he could build about 40 units.

He has proposed allowing developers who convert buildings from commercial use to residential to instead build one unit for every 600 square feet of building area.

The apartments, which he said would rent for $1,000 to $1,100, would be from 413 square feet to 570 square feet.

In return, developers who built at the higher density would have to set aside 15 percent of the units - nine in this case - for renters who earn less than $40,700.

Current building conversion regulations don't require any affordable units, Land Use Bureau Chief Robin Stein told the board.

The board rejected Freedman's proposal that the affordable units not be required to have the same amenities as market-rate units. The city's affordable housing regulations require the below-market-rate units to be distributed evenly in the building and have the same finishes, appliances and other amenities as market-rate units.

Freedman had proposed allocating all parking for the affordable units to the parking lot farther from the building.

He said because those who rent the market-rate apartments would pay more, despite the fact that they might qualify for a limited number of affordable units, they should get something extra.

"To me, it was a question of equity," Freedman said.

But board members said granting that exception would set a precedent of economic discrimination against buyers and tenants in affordable units, something they said the affordability regulations seek to prevent.

"I think from a perception point of view, the attempt to achieve equity really appears to be inequity," Chairman Duane Hill said.

Freedman, a Board of Education member, owns Garden Homes Management, a Springdale-based real estate company, as well as the State Cinema on Hope Street and Garden Cinema in Norwalk.

The Planning Board also recommended approval of Freedman's plan to replace 3,200 square feet of office space under the State Cinema with four apartments - two studios and two one-bedrooms.

In return for the approval, which would require higher-than-normal density, Freedman would agree to preserve the theater's historic facade.

Concerns about parking in the busy neighborhood have dogged the theater, which has about 30 spaces on its own site. Freedman said the apartments would require less parking than the existing office space.

In 2005, the Zoning Board approved a regulation change Freedman requested in 2005 to make the conversion possible. The change allows conversion of uses in historic buildings as long as the new uses do not require more parking. It also included an exception that bars conversion of street-front retail into housing.
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.

Also, I just stumbled upon these renderings of a proposed residential building across Broad Street from Stamford mall. What do people think of putting this in the middle of downtown?
http://www.bildnercapital.com/BildnerWeb/Site10/Street128Broad.jpg
http://www.bildnercapital.com/BildnerWeb/Site10/AerialView128Broad.jpg

Also, what do you guys think of Naugatuck? My interaction with the borough is mostly composed of passing through on Route 8 on my way to the Hartford area. The general conception is that it's a blue-collar suburb of Waterbury where rubber was made and naugahyde was invented.

With the latest development plans for Naugatuck that I read about in the Waterbury Republican-American today, it might soon get a downtown that will rival Waterbury in scale:


NAUGATUCK: Downtown plan going to voters in May

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

BY PAUL SINGLEY


Copyright © 2007 Republican-American

NAUGATUCK -- The fate of a planned $729 million downtown revitalization project will be decided by voters in May.

Mayor Ronald S. San Angelo said Tuesday there will be a referendum May 7 to decide whether Renaissance Place will become a reality. Voters will be asked whether they support or oppose the plan proposed by Fairfield developer Alexius C. Conroy.

"This is the most important decision the people of Naugatuck will make in 200 years," San Angelo said of the vote, which will be held on municipal election day in Naugatuck. "I believe that the millions of dollars in tax revenue, the thousands of jobs and the revitalization of downtown this project will bring is important enough for the voters to decide."

He said the wording of the question on the referendum ballot has not been decided yet, but he expects the question to be "very basic."

"It will probably be something like, 'Do you support Renaissance Place?'" he said.

Plans say the project would bring retail buildings, office space, a parking garage, at least one hotel, a movie theater, about 2,000 condominiums and several other developments to 60 acres in and around downtown. It would be completed in four phases over several years.

Once a development agreement is reached by Conroy and members of the borough's negotiating team, the Naugatuck Economic Development Corp. and the Board of Mayor and Burgesses will review the agreement, San Angelo said.

"At that point, I expect those groups will say that the mayor will be allowed to sign the development agreement if it is approved by a majority of the people at the referendum," he said.

He will ask the burgesses at a 7 p.m. special meeting tonight to approve an extension for the agreement to be signed. The deadline for the agreement has been postponed three times,with the latest deadline Jan. 21.

He said once the details of the agreement are finalized, the Board of Mayor and Burgesses and NEDC will hold a meeting in executive session to discuss the plan. San Angelo said he will likely make public all of the details of the agreement right after the meeting.

"All of the basic terms of the development agreement have been negotiated, and attorneys for both sides are working out the legal terms of the agreement," he said.

Conroy expects about 80 percent of the project to be funded from unnamed private backers. It is still unknown how much the project would cost taxpayers, how the borough's portion would be funded and how much grant money the borough would try to secure for the plan. All of those details are being finalized in negotiations.

San Angelo said he plans to put the development agreement on the Internet so people can review it to make an informed decision. There will also be forums for residents before the vote.

"I will be supporting this 100 percent," he said. "I expect the business community to support it as well. And I think the people will make the right decision."

Burgess Anthony R. Campbell said he is glad the community will have a say in the project.

"I believe a referendum is the only way to go," he said. "I hope something like this does go through because the town does need it."

Deputy Mayor Tamath K. Rossi said voters have a "tremendous responsibility" to vote on the project, and she thanked Conroy for bringing "a great opportunity" to the community.

Conroy believes a majority of the community will see the project as a wonderful opportunity.

"I have complete confidence in the people of Naugatuck," he said. "They are intelligent, and once they are given all of the information about this project, I am confident they will realize that this is a milestone they want to see as part of their future, not an opportunity that is missed."

San Angelo said the decision to hold a referendum had nothing to do with the almost 200 signs around town that say "Referendum First On Renaissance Place." Those signs were ordered by mayoral candidate Curtis Bosco, a Democrat who lost to San Angelo, a Republican, in 2005.

"Those signs were a political stunt," San Angelo said. "All of the burgesses, Democrats and Republicans, have been in favor of a referendum. Now that we know there is going to be a development agreement, we will have a vote."

Bosco believes the signs forced San Angelo to hold a referendum.

"People listen when the lion roars," Bosco said.

San Angelo, who has been mayor since 2003, has not announced whether he will seek a third term.

"If I run, or if I don't run, I will be supporting Renaissance Place," he said.

^^ Uh yeah, it looks like some solar panels, a bunch of windmills and two high-rise condo buildings are all part of the plan. Check it out at http://www.naugatuckrenaissanceplace.com/
http://www.naugatuckrenaissanceplace.com/images/planrendering.jpg

Also, I just stumbled upon these renderings of a proposed residential building across Broad Street from Stamford mall. What do people think of putting this in the middle of downtown?
http://www.bildnercapital.com/BildnerWeb/Site10/Street128Broad.jpg
http://www.bildnercapital.com/BildnerWeb/Site10/AerialView128Broad.jpg

Yea man, seen the prospect street thing, i seen it. It sounds nice, but 1,000 to 1100 dollars is a bit steep...i'd rather see 800 bucks, but 1000+...nah
As far as the railroad thing man, i aint complaining, i just said i seen it thats all.

As far as teh building across from the landmark, it looks good, but thats been proposed for the area for a while now, and nothing is happening. Thats a great pic of the area right there, it would be good in the sense that more peopel will be downtown.

As far as houlihan's, yes it is gonna be below target. Below target is will be houlihans, then a citibank opened under there too, and some other stores as well will be under there. I just meant that, an applebee's won.t hurt.....Norwalk has: The American Steak House, Bertucci's, The Outback, and a few other restaraunts. It would be nice to see a Ruby Tuesdays or a Applebee's or Chocolate Factory ( restaraunt), it would be nice. That is what i'm saying.

By the way man, i dont ride the train anyway....:lol:

where did you get those renderings from? How come i can't find any renderings from stamford? It seems like they hide them or its just very rare. where u get em man?

where u get the renderings from? How come i can't find them? It seems that they hide them, where u get em man

where u get the renderings from? How come i can't find them? It seems that they hide them, where u get em man

Unfortunately there's no central authority on renderings, though I'm sure if you dropped by Stamford Government Center and said "FOIA!!!" they would let you look at whatever you wanted. Just browse through developers' Web sites and you will find it. Here is a list of Stamford projects and where you can find renderings.

Adams Mill River House (Adams Ave & Green St, SE corner)
http://www.adamsmillriverhouse.com/Default.htm

Atlantic Centre (Tresser Blvd & Atlantic St, SW corner):
rendering published in The Advocate

Broadgate (128 Broad Street)
http://www.bildnercapital.com/BildnerWeb/Site10/BildnerBroadgate.html

Center City Lofts (Greyrock Pl & Main St, SE corner):
no rendering released

City Place (Washington Blvd & North St, SW corner):
rendering on site

Eastside Commons (Lafayette St & E Main St)
http://www.liveateastside.com/EastsideCommons.htm

Glen View House (11 Glenbrook Rd - will include 15,000 sq ft Walgreens)
http://www.hannahrealestateinvestors.com/currentdev.php?dev=glenview

Greyrock Place (Greyrock Pl & Broad St, NW corner):
rendering on site

Highgrove (96 Grove St):
http://www.highgrovestamford.com/index.htm

James Grunberger's Building (Crystal St north of E Main St):
no rendering released but expect 8 stories/120 condos

Metro Center II (Station Place):
no rendering but info here: http://www.wmproperties.com/proptalk/proptalk.spring.2005/2.html

The Metropolitan (1515 Summer St):
http://www.themetropolitan1515summer.com/UpscaleLiving.htm

Post-House (Tresser Blvd & Clinton Ave, NE corner):
no rendering released

South End redevelopment:
http://www.antaresrealestate.com/mu_stamford_harbor.php

Stamford Town Center (Tresser Blvd & Greyrock Pl, NW corner):
http://www.shopstamfordtowncenter.com/infodesk/media/5267.html

Taylor Street Apartments (Taylor St & Perry St)
http://www.stamfordhousing.org/Development%20-%20Fairfield%20Court.htm

Tresser Square:
http://www.loweenterprises.com/reg/development/

Trump Parc (Broad St & Washington Blvd):
http://www.christinatracy.com/parc_tower_stamford.htm

Village at River's Edge (south side of Camp Ave in Springdale):
http://www.riversedgestamford.com/flash.html and
http://www.riveroakic.com/properties.html

And you can't forget Old Town Hall with its finely shaped rear:
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/5898/townhallwv6.png

I posted about Naugatuck, but there's also a proposed high-rise in another rural Route 8 town - Seymour. Here's the article from The Valley Gazette:


Plans rise from drawing board
High-rise condos proposed for Seymour riverfront

SUSAN HUNTER, Editor
December 22, 2006

SEYMOUR - Town officials got an end-of-the year glimpse into a possible rosy future Monday as developers presented a proposal for a $70 million mixed-use project that would transform one corner of town.

It would encompass the area at Bank and River streets -home of the Seymour Lumber and Supply Co. for 85 years and also home to the Housatonic Wire Co.

The development would include a 23-story condominium tower, retail and professional office space, and a town park complete with a fountain, wading pool and walking paths.

"The site lends itself to magnificent development," said Craig Dean of CDM Development in Norfolk, Va. Dean and Seymour architect Joseph Migani presented details to town officials Monday.

Waterfalls and a brook would separate two portions of the project, they said. On one side, three wire company buildings would be restored for retail and professional use; on the other side, the lumber company site would be developed as a town park.

The 100 condominiums would start at $800,000, Dean said, and would house from 200 to 400 upper-income people ranging in age from 40 to 70. The condominiums would not be age-restricted, he said, and younger couples would be welcome.

"It will be like living in a five-star hotel," he said.

Dean said he was visiting relatives in the Seymour area and "fell in love with the (Housatonic Wire Co.) building.

"Seymour is a great place to live," he continued, and he went on to describe his project as providing "urban living in a suburban setting."

Dean said he plans to start meetings with town regulatory officials in January and will meet with other developers who plan projects in town.

"I think it's the right thing at the right time," he said. "I want the input of townspeople. Seymour has an abundance of great people [living] in it."

He also wants the project to reflect the town's history. "It should be a statement of the town of Seymour," Dean said.

Dean shares a vision of a revitalized Seymour, said Jon Szuch, chairman of Seymour's Economic Development Commission.

"It will be a high-end, high quality development, Szuch said. He anticipates it will be a catalyst for other developers as well.

He said the approval process is expected to take several months, and there will be hurdles.

The project, which would bring in an estimated $4 million to $5 million in annual taxes, is similar in concept to urban revitalization projects in Manhattan and Norwalk.

Refining the project is "like focusing a camera" to draw details out of a blurry image, Migani said.

The developer has obtained site control through negotiated agreements to acquire the properties, he said

Town officials have indicated they're willing to support the project, said Migani, who went on to explain unique qualities of the proposal.

The second floor of the retail buildings could be used as residences, with views of the river, high ceilings and loft spaces.

A parking garage and the condominium tower would be built behind the retail space. The tower could be built into the steep hill, providing privacy from neighbors and a visible public landmark presence.

"It would be a merging of the old and the new," he said. A marketing stage would follow municipal approval.

"Just the fact it is proposed is a big thing for the town," said Migani, who has been hired as design architect for the project. "We're optimistic."

Tom Tkacz, owner of Seymour Lumber and Supply Co. agrees with Migani and others that such a complicated project will take time to come to fruition.

Although he realizes it is a just a proposal at this point, he, too, remains optimistic.

"I'm anxious for this to happen," Tkacz said.

©The Valley Gazette 2007


Here's a graphic that appeared on the front page of the Waterbury Republican-American on Dec 20, 2006:

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/5729/seymourkb2.png

^^ Very interesting...

Not much development going on in the Naugatuck valley (Derby to Waterbury). I always thought of it as a "Rust-belt like" area in Connecticut. But, any development like this is good news.

It's going to be embarassing for Waterbury to have no tower taller than the one proposed in Seymour. That city is just screaming for a highrise, I could see the potential.

Not knocking the city, but having a train station tower as the highest point is kinda pathetic.

http://www.trainweb.org/rshs/waterbury1.jpg

http://www.bildnercapital.com/BildnerWeb/Site10/AerialView128Broad.jpg

This is a great psuedo-aerial pic (obviously a render) of Stamford.

I wish I could find something like this for Hartford.

How about some news about New Haven?

I have to admit, I've been neglecting the Elm City a bit...

Link:http://www.courant.com/news/local/nh/hc-17005837.apds.m0012.bc-ct--impljan17,0,1084158.story

New Haven coliseum will be imploded Saturday
January 17, 2007

Associated Press
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- This city that has struggled for decades to be a model of urban renewal plans to blow up a centerpiece of its past Saturday in 18 seconds and try another strategy.

The oft-delayed implosion of Veterans Memorial Coliseum has been scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Crews are trucking in 15,000 rented tires to absorb the impact and traffic at the busy Interstate 95/91 interchange will be stopped so drivers aren't startled by the noise and vibrations.

"It's the passing of an old friend whose time had come," Mayor John DeStefano said Tuesday.

After the rubble is cleared, Gateway Community College and Long Wharf Theatre will move from the outskirts of the city to the coliseum site and an adjacent property. Those moves are part of a $230 million development project that also includes stores and up to 280 housing units.

The coliseum opened in 1972 and hosted minor league hockey, wrestling matches, monster truck rallies, the circus and concerts from performers including Elvis Presley and the Grateful Dead.

Like many similar projects around the country, the arena was designed to resuscitate a once blighted downtown.

But the coliseum, which closed in 2002, never generated the kind of business officials expected. Instead of crowding restaurants and shops, visitors parked on the rooftop garage, saw a show and left.

Critics argue that DeStefano is replacing one failed plan with another, more expensive one.

"The last thing New Haven needs is more nonprofit activities," said developer Joel Schiavone. "It's the worst possible approach to try and revive downtown."

Schiavone said non-profits will take up valuable downtown blocks without paying taxes or generating more business. A better approach, used by successful cities, would be to build apartments and condominiums, he said.

"They've got to get people to live downtown," Schiavone said. "They have a wonderful opportunity to restore New Haven to what it was - a place where people lived and where people shopped."

City officials said the plan includes more housing and taxable properties and will enhance New Haven's role as the cultural arts capital of Connecticut. The new development will create thousands of construction jobs, millions of dollars in new taxes and additional spending by bringing college students and theater visitors downtown, officials say.

New Haven has enjoyed a revival in recent years with more stores downtown, the emergence of biotechnology firms and a growing nightlife. But it didn't come easily.

New Haven spent more per capita in federal money than any other city in the 1960s. Whole neighborhoods were bulldozed and one in five residents was displaced to make way for a highway, a mall, parking garages and, finally, a sweeping modernistic coliseum of steel and concrete.

Besides the failed coliseum, New Haven tried for years to open a major mall, but finally gave up amid litigation from the owner of nearby malls. IKEA, the Swedish furniture and houseware retailer, opened on the site instead.

The implosion of the coliseum was supposed to happen in September 2005, but was delayed by concerns about protecting sensitive utility lines. Those concerns added $1.8 million to the cost of the project.

Part of the building has already been dismantled and there is no interior stone, meaning the implosion should not create much dust.

The implosion will leave 50-foot piles of rubble. Within a few months, the rubble will be cleared and the area will be paved as a temporary parking lot until New Haven embarks on its next development.