[JayCT]

Originally Posted by beerbeer

More apartment conversions. Two buildings. 103/05 Allyn Street and 109/121 Allyn Street. 70 new units are expected.

Paul Khakshouri, the owner of Homewood Suites on Asylum Street, has acquired the buildings at 103-105 and 109-121 Allyn St. with plans for rentals and street-level shops. The retail space is likely to include an espresso cafe and an ice cream shop. Khakshouri also is adamant on what won't be in the storefronts. "For sure, no bars," Khakshouri said.


Developer Plans 70 Apartments In Downtown Hartford - Hartford Courant

I saw this but did not think the link would work for everyone so did not post it. What I am not sure I like is that the developer stated that one thing the storefronts would not be are bars. Allyn Street was supposed to be the city's entertainment district or as the article called it the "Bar District". I think that was a good idea since there were already a number of bars along or near it and Union Station was hoping when Hot Tomato's was the big thing. One of the buildings being redeveloped is the site of the now closed bar where a underage college student mysteriously fell from the roof a month or so ago.

The city needs more nightlife, not less and like it or not, bars bring in young people. One of the biggest complaints about Hartford is its limited nightlife. Many young singles head down to New Haven for fun, bypassing Hartford because of the lack of a concentration of bars and restaurants in one part of downtown. All these apartment conversions are nice but downtown should not become a residential district. How many coffee shops can one city support? I hope city leaders realize this and try to better work with developers to expand upon the city's nightlife, not curtail it. Jay

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I saw this but did not think the link would work for everyone so did not post it. What I am not sure I like is that the developer stated that one thing the storefronts would not be are bars. Allyn Street was supposed to be the city's entertainment district or as the article called it the "Bar District". I think that was a good idea since there were already a number of bars along or near it and Union Station was hoping when Hot Tomato's was the big thing. One of the buildings being redeveloped is the site of the now closed bar where a underage college student mysteriously fell from the roof a month or so ago.

The city needs more nightlife, not less and like it or not, bars bring in young people. One of the biggest complaints about Hartford is its limited nightlife. Many young singles head down to New Haven for fun, bypassing Hartford because of the lack of a concentration of bars and restaurants in one part of downtown. All these apartment conversions are nice but downtown should not become a residential district. How many coffee shops can one city support? I hope city leaders realize this and try to better work with developers to expand upon the city's nightlife, not curtail it. Jay

Bars and residential don't mix very well. You need to put bars at the ground level of office space, not residential buildings. That's urban planning 101. Nobody in their right mind is ever going to rent an apartment above a bar. The noise is off the charts.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Bars and residential don't mix very well. You need to put bars at the ground level of office space, not residential buildings. That's urban planning 101. Nobody in their right mind is ever going to rent an apartment above a bar. The noise is off the charts.

Perhaps if a buffer of some sort was put in place on the floor directly above the bar and then the floors above that could be for residential development?

Actually when you think about it, having a bar on the ground floor of a residential development is a perfect way to keep people from drinking and driving drunk. Years ago I recommended to a friend that transferred to KC from Providence to find a rental right next door to a bar that he could walk to. He was a boozer and still is and it was the ideal way to keep him well soused during his spare time while not having to drive. He'd simply walk a couple hundred feet to the bar next door, play pool and drink beer and then teeter his way home later at night.

[East of the River]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Bars and residential don't mix very well. You need to put bars at the ground level of office space, not residential buildings. That's urban planning 101. Nobody in their right mind is ever going to rent an apartment above a bar. The noise is off the charts.

I think bars below residential is fine. But I would make it all single bedroom units, and not to many as it will mostly be singles.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by East of the River

I think bars below residential is fine. But I would make it all single bedroom units, and not to many as it will mostly be singles.

That's fine for a flop house. If you're trying to get premium rents, you'll have a stunningly high vacancy rate. Nobody is going to sign a lease for a big dollar luxury apartment that sits on top of a bar. Any developer knows that which is why the "definitely not a bar" was in the news quote. You'd have a tough enough time getting anyone to sign a lease for an apartment above a restaurant because of the food odor issue.

[East of the River]

Not really it depends on the bar Lots of high end buildings in NY have restaurants in the retail section at the bottom. Again it's not right for every building but it's not exactly a death sentence.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business...6WJ/story.html

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by East of the River

Not really it depends on the bar Lots of high end buildings in NY have restaurants in the retail section at the bottom. Again it's not right for every building but it's not exactly a death sentence.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business...6WJ/story.html

For a tower, sure. The structures in the article in Hartford aren't tall structures. From Google street view, I see older 4 story buildings. There isn't enough noise buffer. If you're on the 2nd floor, it would sound like the band is playing to a large party in your living room.

[JayCT]

The NCAA has selected the XL Center to host Round 1 and 2 of their 2019 Men's Basketball Tournament. That is great news for the city and may help Governor Malloy's bid to rebuild the XL Center. Jay

XL Center will host ‘19 NCAA men’s basketball tourney games | HartfordBusiness.com

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The NCAA has selected the XL Center to host Round 1 and 2 of their 2019 Men's Basketball Tournament. That is great news for the city and may help Governor Malloy's bid to rebuild the XL Center. Jay

XL Center will host ‘19 NCAA men’s basketball tourney games | HartfordBusiness.com

And Rentschler got the 2019 men's lax quarterfinals and the 2021 and 2022 men's lax national championship.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Mike 75

And Rentschler got the 2019 men's lax quarterfinals and the 2021 and 2022 men's lax national championship.

That is good to hear. Jay