[AntonioR]

I think jjbradleynyc confused the Trump Parc with the Ritz Carlton/luxury apartment twin towers that were going to be built on Atlantic and Tresser. The Rich family has a stake in both projects (actually, most of the highrises in the city, especially the office buildings, were built by the Rich family -such a fitting name for that family, lol-.) They are a very influential family in the city, UConn even named the concourse at their Stamford Campus after this family, although I think they donated a significant amount that made it possible for UConn Stamford to be built at the old Bloomingdale site.

I also heard that the St. John's buildings (the ugly round buildings near The Government Center) are slated for demolition. They were being evacuated a few months ago, but don't know what has stalled the project. Considering all the construction of new residential projects all over downtown, the economic downturn is probably not the reason.

[Tops1234]

Thats great news, those are an eyesore. As messed up as it sounds, if they want DT Stamford to live up to its potential, they do need to eliminate things like those subsidized housings in the heart of DT, they bring some sketchy characters to the area.

[elinyc]

Originally Posted by Tops1234

Thats great news, those are an eyesore. As messed up as it sounds, if they want DT Stamford to live up to its potential, they do need to eliminate things like those subsidized housings in the heart of DT, they bring some sketchy characters to the area.

I could not agree more. As non PC as it sounds, it's the truth!

[AntonioR]

Originally Posted by Antonio84

A Ritz Carlton hotel, a luxury residential building, and the post office will be converted to a restaurant. This project has been slow, but as far as I know its still in the works. The developers and the city's zoning board have not seen eye-to-eye on the scale of the project.

Remember when I said that? Scratch it!

This is what's now proposed for the area:


425 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT, 06901 - Street Retail Property for Lease on LoopNet.com

I actually think the new design is much better than this (the original plans):


Checkout time for downtown hotel and condo project - StamfordAdvocate

Or this:


Checkout time for downtown hotel and condo project - StamfordAdvocate

[Tops1234]

When will this start??

[elinyc]

Any thoughts as to whether all this development (not to mention all the development at Harbor Point) will improve Stamford as far as making it a more family-friendly city? It seems like a lot of young people flee Stamford to the suburbs when they purchase houses, start families, etc. I'm sure a huge component of this is the foul schools of Stamford, but I think a part of it is also that a lot of Stamford has a grimy, ghettoish (for lack of a better word) feel. These areas are not necessarily unsafe, but they certainly don't look like the kind of place where a lot of families want to plant roots. Any thoughts on whether that aspect of Stamford life will improve in the future?

[Tops1234]

Doubt it....can't think of any cities Stamford's size that have great schools. With cities come city problems

[elinyc]

Originally Posted by Tops1234

Doubt it....can't think of any cities Stamford's size that have great schools. With cities come city problems

Right, but my point was that it seems like Stamford has issue beyond just the schools...the general feeling of sketchiness that exists throughout town and the high population of sketchy people roaming around downtown (especially in front of the McDonalds and the library).

[Stylo]

You sound unfamiliar with Stamford. The majority of it isn't sketchy. All cities have this element, and Stamford is no worse and in most cases much better.

[elinyc]

Originally Posted by Stylo

You sound unfamiliar with Stamford. The majority of it isn't sketchy. All cities have this element, and Stamford is no worse and in most cases much better.

I'm actually very familiar with Stamford. I realize that North Stamford doens't have this element, but I was talking about the parts of Stamford that make Stamford feel like a city (aka: the urban downtown).