[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I don’t have to commute on I-84 to know the traffic conditions on it and I strongly disagree with you.

You can disagree, but I'm telling you, traffic has not eased at all. If you don't want to take my word for it, ask anyone else who sits in traffic day after day if they feel better off than before Fasttrack was here. They would find it impossible to answer in the affirmative, and they know because they, too, experience it. It's not just me.

Originally Posted by JayCT

And what about those that live in all the new apartments that have been built along the CTfastrak route? How would they get into and out of Hartford?

Sure, they've built new apartments along the route and the stops, but not everyone is necessarily using it. Some do, but we shouldn't assume that everyone living in them uses it. There are plenty of cars parked in those lots, and you can rest assured plenty of people are using them.

Originally Posted by JayCT

I can tell you: many, if not most, would use I-84. So to say CTfastrak “has done zilch” to reduce traffic congestion is inaccurate at best.

I don't understand what you mean by this. I'm just telling you, west of the river I-84 getting into the city and leaving it at the end of the day is a nightmare. If you were to ask the typical commuter, they wouldn't see a difference as far as a reduction in traffic.

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by bushewick

And yet, boston and its suburbs are far denser and busier then metro hartford. Woudn't you like to see metro hartford thrive in the same way?

I think we're forgetting that Hartford, both the city and metro area, are different – and smaller – than Boston. Unlike Massachusetts, where two-thirds of the state's population is concentrated in one metro area, Connecticut's population is spread out throughout the state, with sizable chunks of the population centered around greater Hartford and New Haven, and lower Fairfield County. We're just different, so IMO it doesn't make sense to model us after Boston – why would we? Our cities can grow without modeling ourselves after other cities we aspire to be, but never will be. Because our state is different, we will grow different. I think we need to be more realistic about the role our cities play, and what their capabilities are. Boston is booming, mostly thanks to a growing private sector and a well-educated workforce. To be sure, we have that here too, but it seems we're constantly over-reliant on the government to kickstart the city and their economies. Do we have the ability – and the appeal – to lure companies here from out of state en masse the way Boston does? It happens, albeit on a seldom basis.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

You can disagree, but I'm telling you, traffic has not eased at all. If you don't want to take my word for it, ask anyone else who sits in traffic day after day if they feel better off than before Fasttrack was here. They would find it impossible to answer in the affirmative, and they know because they, too, experience it. It's not just me.



Sure, they've built new apartments along the route and the stops, but not everyone is necessarily using it. Some do, but we shouldn't assume that everyone living in them uses it. There are plenty of cars parked in those lots, and you can rest assured plenty of people are using them.



I don't understand what you mean by this. I'm just telling you, west of the river I-84 getting into the city and leaving it at the end of the day is a nightmare. If you were to ask the typical commuter, they wouldn't see a difference as far as a reduction in traffic.

I never said that I-84 west of the river wasn’t bad but what you seem to not realize is that without CTfastrak it would be worse.

You wouldn’t notice a significant difference because it’s not like there was a massive shift of commuters from driving to CTfastrak in one day. After CTfastrak service began though CTDOT noted a modest drop in traffic on I-84 west of the city. That was not a coincidence.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

I think we're forgetting that Hartford, both the city and metro area, are different – and smaller – than Boston. Unlike Massachusetts, where two-thirds of the state's population is concentrated in one metro area, Connecticut's population is spread out throughout the state, with sizable chunks of the population centered around greater Hartford and New Haven, and lower Fairfield County. We're just different, so IMO it doesn't make sense to model us after Boston – why would we? Our cities can grow without modeling ourselves after other cities we aspire to be, but never will be. Because our state is different, we will grow different. I think we need to be more realistic about the role our cities play, and what their capabilities are. Boston is booming, mostly thanks to a growing private sector and a well-educated workforce. To be sure, we have that here too, but it seems we're constantly over-reliant on the government to kickstart the city and their economies. Do we have the ability – and the appeal – to lure companies here from out of state en masse the way Boston does? It happens, albeit on a seldom basis.

I agree. Hartford is not like Boston and that’s what I like most about it. I like living 7 miles from downtown Hartford and not having to pay $1 million for a modest home. Or to deal with unbearable traffic in my town. Or having to wait an hour or more to get into a mediocre restaurant. Or take an hour to commute a few miles across a dense city with inadequate mass transit.

Boston is the center for our country’s higher education. The concentration of institutions of higher learning there is unprecedented. They have been able to capitalize on that. But do note that Boston too must provide government assistance to attract businesses.

When GE moved from Fairfield to Boston, the city and State of Massachusetts provided a massive $145 million in incentives to move. That proved to be a bad investment since many GE executives refused to make the move (less than 200 jobs actually moved) and that GE is today a shell of the once grand corporation it once was. It now occupies less than 30,000 square feet of a downtown Boston office building. That’s significantly less than the 100,000 square foot space they moved into why they left Connecticut or the 411,000 square feet they had in Fairfield.

[JayCT]

UConn is looking to expand its downtown Hartford campus by leasing the old St. Joseph School of Pharmacy space at Hartford 21. The space would be used for clinical labs, an innovation center, UConn Health Center research, and possibly sports medicine. Sounds great to me.

https://www.courant.com/2023/12/09/u...owntown-lease/

[JayCT]

More apartments are being proposed by the developers of the municipal building across from City Hall and the old downtown Firehouse. They are proposing 126 units on city owned parking lots in an eight story building. More great news.

https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/art...-hartford-city

[mdovell]

Apartments are nice don't get me wrong but from what I've read it seems like the new mayor is probably going to shift to houses vs apartments. I can't see someone from the land bank not promote homeownership. Anything in the works now will stay but I can't see new announcements after he gets his policies in. About 3/4th of the city rents. that can be find for younger people but if you want kids eventually you need a house. Fast trak is fine.

[bushewick]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Apartments are nice don't get me wrong but from what I've read it seems like the new mayor is probably going to shift to houses vs apartments. I can't see someone from the land bank not promote homeownership. Anything in the works now will stay but I can't see new announcements after he gets his policies in. About 3/4th of the city rents. that can be find for younger people but if you want kids eventually you need a house. Fast trak is fine.

it's better than a parking lot

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Apartments are nice don't get me wrong but from what I've read it seems like the new mayor is probably going to shift to houses vs apartments. I can't see someone from the land bank not promote homeownership. Anything in the works now will stay but I can't see new announcements after he gets his policies in. About 3/4th of the city rents. that can be find for younger people but if you want kids eventually you need a house. Fast trak is fine.

I do not agree. The interest in building apartments in Hartford is because the city has one of the tightest rental markets in the country and new apartments are renting almost as fast as they are being built. Until that changes I highly doubt the interest in developing new apartments will stop, no matter who or what the new mayor says or does.

[JayCT]

Three British insurance tech companies have announced plans to locate their US headquarters in Hartford. The companies, Gaia, Matrix iQ and Previsico, are looking for space and employeesl in Hartford because of the city’s strong insurance base. Hartford has the largest cluster of insurance companies in the country. They will certainly be a welcomed addition to the city.

https://www.ctinsider.com/business/a...s-18552045.php