[JayCT]

Originally Posted by HumpDay

The only thing about it that I like is that it was built with private money. Other than that, I don't think new hotels are appropriate in and around downtown Hartford since it may oversaturate the hotel market. You have the Radisson across the street, the Hilton by the XL Center, Homewood Suites on Asylum, Residence Inn on Main St, the Hartford Downtown Marriott, and countless more in East Hartford across the river. That piece of property that Candlewood was built on had so much potential and building another hotel in that area may counter the willingness for Hard Rock to build a prestigious hotel brand right down the road. If the Hard Rock Hotel ends up not being built then Hartford made a huge mistake ditching something many cities would die for. This wasn't Hartford's first mistake in this situation though. They hired the developer that offered the lowest bid and they have a history of not completing projects on time so they knew it was going to happen.

A city cannot deny someone from building what they want on their property as long as it conforms to local zoning laws. Would you like your town to tell you that you can't live or do something with your home when it conforms to zoning? That property has sat vacant for decades so it is unlikely that anything major would have been proposed there in the near future so a hotel is a fine use for it. I also doubt that a small lower cost hotel like this would have an impact on Hard Rock's decision to build or not but that is something we may never know for certain.

As for the low bid, cities are obligated to accept the low bid on a project as long as they cannot prove the company is incompetent. Centerplan has a long history of developing projects including the wildly successful Storrs Center project in Storrs. There was no reason to even think they could not complete the ballpark on time and under budget if they said they could. The real problem with the project was that it was conceived in great haste so a lot of things were not well thought out or planned beforehand. Changes during construction can kill a project schedule and its budget which is exactly what happened here. I am not sure the city is entirely blameless and I can see the legal action being dragged out for years as the fingers are pointed at each other. Jay

[JayCT]

A Hartford City Councilor is proposing that the city sell the new Dunkin Donuts Baseball Park. The city has spent $71 million to build the park and it is hoped that it could be sold to recoup that cost plus 6%. I find it highly unlikely that the city would get that much for a minor league stadium but I guess they will not know unless they try. Jay

Hartford Councilor Proposes Selling Dunkin

[ryanthegoldengod]

Originally Posted by East of the River

I have to agree were a bit small and too close to other markets. Our only bet would be a team leaving Boston I think. I don't think sports are that great a driver thou. I do think the XL center needs a rehab as it's Hartford's best winter venue for large concerts and events that don't fit well in the convention center.

Well I sure hope you're wrong about that because the Bruins will never leave Boston in a million years.

[beerbeer]

The long talked about 200 million dollar project may be moving forward. Nothing solid yet but planning and coordination have begun.

The Bushnell preps for next performance: Realty developer | HartfordBusiness.com

[JayCT]

I guess the Hartford City Council agrees that selling Dunkin Donuts Park is not a good idea. They rejected the proposal. Jay

City rejects 'far-fetched' plan to sell Dunkin' Donuts Park | HartfordBusiness.com

[JayCT]

Well this is wonderful. Hartford's three largest private employers, Aetna, Travelers and The Hartford are offering to give the city a combined $10 million per year for the next 5 years to assist the city with their finances in addition to their current taxes and charitable contributions. They want to be part of developing a plan to get the city on a sound fiscal foundation. They acknowledged that they have a big stake in making sure the city succeeds so they are willing to help. This is great news for Mayor Bronin and the city.

I know Travelers and The Hartford have expanded their presence in the city by quietly spending millions to improve their facilities there and bring workers in from suburban offices. Aetna has however been the big question particularly since their CEO ignored Hartford almost completely during their recent failed merger deal with Humana and then with the rumors that they may move their headquarters to Boston. I just hope they step up to the plate, stop playing games and stand by their intention to support the city. We will see. Jay

Top CEOs offer $50M to help bail out Hartford | HartfordBusiness.com

[allanny13]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Well this is wonderful. Hartford's three largest private employers, Aetna, Travelers and The Hartford are offering to give the city a combined $10 million per year for the next 5 years to assist the city with their finances in addition to their current taxes and charitable contributions. They want to be part of developing a plan to get the city on a sound fiscal foundation. They acknowledged that they have a big stake in making sure the city succeeds so they are willing to help. This is great news for Mayor Bronin and the city.

I know Travelers and The Hartford have expanded their presence in the city by quietly spending millions to improve their facilities there and bring workers in from suburban offices. Aetna has however been the big question particularly since their CEO ignored Hartford almost completely during their recent failed merger deal with Humana and then with the rumors that they may move their headquarters to Boston. I just hope they step up to the plate, stop playing games and stand by their intention to support the city. We will see. Jay

Top CEOs offer $50M to help bail out Hartford | HartfordBusiness.com

I wonder how their shareholders feel about what is essentially charity. It does raise an interesting question about what responsibility corporations have on the communities they base themselves in though.

I also wonder what kind of precedent it might set too in terms of expectations on assistance from private companies:
"As we think about Hartford's budget problems, this does help, but we also want to caution that with this great gift from these insurance companies did come a warning that this is not meant for us to find ourselves back in further trouble 10 years from now,'' he said. (Matt Ritter of Hartford)

[Mr_250]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Well this is wonderful. Hartford's three largest private employers, Aetna, Travelers and The Hartford are offering to give the city a combined $10 million per year for the next 5 years to assist the city with their finances in addition to their current taxes and charitable contributions. They want to be part of developing a plan to get the city on a sound fiscal foundation. They acknowledged that they have a big stake in making sure the city succeeds so they are willing to help. This is great news for Mayor Bronin and the city.

I know Travelers and The Hartford have expanded their presence in the city by quietly spending millions to improve their facilities there and bring workers in from suburban offices. Aetna has however been the big question particularly since their CEO ignored Hartford almost completely during their recent failed merger deal with Humana and then with the rumors that they may move their headquarters to Boston. I just hope they step up to the plate, stop playing games and stand by their intention to support the city. We will see. Jay

Top CEOs offer $50M to help bail out Hartford | HartfordBusiness.com

Wonder if this is connected with the $75 per employee "fee" Hartford floated last year? The CEOs did say is has to be put towards the good of the community like libraries and police.

Just a thought.

Either way, it does offer some hope that, with the help as stated in the deal, Hartford could find a footing.

[beerbeer]

Love or hate the ball park, they really messed up its construction. But...it will be a center of city life for the next 30 years. It should provide in excess of 300,000 downtown visitors every year. People can debate whether the ball park influenced the building of the Candlewood, however that project was stalled for almost a decade. The restart of the project and its construction was timed to open it at the same time as the ball park. Coincidence?

The land around the park has been empty for many decades. It will be interesting to see what it looks like 2027. My guess is that the north downtown will have begun to blossom. In the long run all the problems and lawsuits will fade away and the pluses will far outweigh the negatives. It won't be perfect, but there will be some perfect nights for baseball and families will have a reason to come to city and enjoy he summer air.

[RogerAnthony]

Originally Posted by beerbeer

The land around the park has been empty for many decades. It will be interesting to see what it looks like 2027. My guess is that the north downtown will have begun to blossom.

We will see. My guess is that it will look like it does today with basically a vast wasteland surrounding a ballpark. The rest of that development will never be built.