[synchem]

I hope it goes through. CT needs to grow grow grow, and if the growth happens in someone else's town all the better.

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by synchem

I hope it goes through. CT needs to grow grow grow, and if the growth happens in someone else's town all the better.

Not this way. And you can expect steep resistance from residents with this, as there should be. I'm sure people will whine that this is just NIMBYism, and to those who do, my question is this: Can we build monstrosities like this in YOUR municipality? If it's the way to grow grow grow, I'm sure you won't mind.

[synchem]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

Not this way. And you can expect steep resistance from residents with this, as there should be. I'm sure people will whine that this is just NIMBYism, and to those who do, my question is this: Can we build monstrosities like this in YOUR municipality? If it's the way to grow grow grow, I'm sure you won't mind.

We didn't have a giant former campus that was for sale.

[JayCT]

So plans for the massive redevelopment of the old UConn campus in West Hartford are being aired and it will truly be a unique project. Called the unimaginative Oakwood Park, as currently proposed there would be a mix of residential, retail, medical and commercial space, plus retention of the ball fields and park amenities. Take a look. Jay

https://patch.com/connecticut/westha...old-uconn-site

https://www.oakwoodparkwh.com/

https://resources.finalsite.net/imag...023-0223_r.pdf

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by JayCT

So plans for the massive redevelopment of the old UConn campus in West Hartford are being aired and it will truly be a unique project. Called the unimaginative Oakwood Park, as currently proposed there would be a mix of residential, retail, medical and commercial space, plus retention of the ball fields and park amenities. Take a look. Jay

https://patch.com/connecticut/westha...old-uconn-site

https://www.oakwoodparkwh.com/

https://resources.finalsite.net/imag...023-0223_r.pdf

Horrible idea. Which is probably why it will go through. The direction that town is going is so wrong. On so many levels. Thank Christ I'm not there anymore so I don't have to bear witness all the dim-witted planning going on. And when all is said and done, traffic congestion will be worse than it is now, property taxes will continue to soar, and the public will continue to vote for the same people putting forward these proposals.

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

Horrible idea. Which is probably why it will go through. The direction that town is going is so wrong. On so many levels. Thank Christ I'm not there anymore so I don't have to bear witness all the dim-witted planning going on. And when all is said and done, traffic congestion will be worse than it is now, property taxes will continue to soar, and the public will continue to vote for the same people putting forward these proposals.

Looks good to me, better than seeing some weird company go there. It is good urban planning and bulking up the urbanity oft he area.

[Johnho771]

I live in a surrounding town. I like the proposed development. Hope it truly is mixed with restaurants and more.

I'm sure there will definitely be some opposition to the development especially with people who live closer to the site. Will have concerns with traffic etcetera, but lets not forget that the site used to be home to a college campus.

I think a lot of people are upset that West Hartford is seeing so much development and losing its "town" feel. I think this is the result of West Hartford being the defacto city of central CT over Hartford. West Hartford seems to have provided better mixed urban development and planning over Hartford with areas like Blueback, the center, and more. Look at how busy the center can get at times. And West Hartford often seems to be the place for young urban professionals in central CT

Ideally Hartford should have more of these mixed developments, and take away the burden from West Hartford, but West Hartford has been so much more desirable. It seems that Hartford is making some progress, but with DoNo stagnate because of a legal battle, and the Bushnell development with minimal commercial space and brutalist architecture, time will tell.

[CTlibrarian]

From today's We-Ha news:

There’s some interesting information on the Town Plan and Zoning Commission (TPZ) agenda for Monday night, although these are not things that are going to be decided. You may have seen reports by other media outlets that there is going to be a hearing about Oakwood Park – the proposed development by West Hartford 1 LLC for the former UConn property – but the application that was initially submitted has been withdrawn and the TPZ will be setting a public hearing for a new wetlands application within the next 65 days. I know there’s been so much hype about this project, but sometimes stories have been appearing seemingly just to rile up the community when the actual decisions about the development are still a very, very long way off. I’ll have more details this week as soon as I get some important questions answered, but from reviewing the plans it appears that one building has been eliminated from the east side of the development, and on the west side there is some much lower-density residential occupancy in the plans, with townhomes fronting Lawler and Asylum. There’s also no parking garage in the most recent plans.

[CTlibrarian]

The links provided by JayCT and MikefromCT describe a project that sounds a lot like Blue Back Square. Many people who are not life long West Hartford residents absolutely hate BBS and never come here. It definitely has an upper-income vibe. I work in BBS and have seen a lot of changes in terms of tenants over the past 15 years. Initially, there was more retail than restaurants, but that has changed dramatically with only 2 significant retailers left: Barnes & Noble and Crate & Barrel. The restaurants are geared toward the young, after-hours bar crowd. Nothing for families and not much for those of us that work here. The UConn project will obviously have a different owner than BBS so perhaps a different vibe. One of the biggest complaints from local residents is the hassle of parking in Blue Back. People don't like using the parking garages, but the on-street metered parking is a turn off as well. Since the town is not the landlord at BBS, parking is the only source of revenue for West Hartford (well, except for the real estate taxes, obviously.) I would expect a similar situation at the new development.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Johnho771

I live in a surrounding town. I like the proposed development. Hope it truly is mixed with restaurants and more.

I'm sure there will definitely be some opposition to the development especially with people who live closer to the site. Will have concerns with traffic etcetera, but lets not forget that the site used to be home to a college campus.

I think a lot of people are upset that West Hartford is seeing so much development and losing its "town" feel. I think this is the result of West Hartford being the defacto city of central CT over Hartford. West Hartford seems to have provided better mixed urban development and planning over Hartford with areas like Blueback, the center, and more. Look at how busy the center can get at times. And West Hartford often seems to be the place for young urban professionals in central CT

Ideally Hartford should have more of these mixed developments, and take away the burden from West Hartford, but West Hartford has been so much more desirable. It seems that Hartford is making some progress, but with DoNo stagnate because of a legal battle, and the Bushnell development with minimal commercial space and brutalist architecture, time will tell.

West Hartford doesn't have poverty to battle uphill like Hartford. It's more set up to succeed.