[ryanthegoldengod]

Originally Posted by JayCT

This is a media hype and just not true.

Hartford has a number of grocery stores within its city limits. Downtown has Greenway Market. There is a Super Stop & Shop on New Park Avenue and a Super Walmart on Flatbush Avenue. There are C Town Markets on Wethersfield Avenue and Park Street, a Bravo Market on Maple Avenue and a Save A Lot on Main Street.

And then there are two supermarkets just over the town line in Wethersfield and one each in West Hartford, Windsor and Bloomfield. I’m not sure how much more a city its size would need. Jay

A very Glastonian persepctive. I know you are a Hartford cheerleader but this takes the cake. Stop and Shop is the only legitimate option you mentioned there. Have you ever actually shopped in Greenway Market? I used to be a regular. Their produce for one thing is......hit or miss. And I'm being kind. It does not pass any test as a credible grocery store. When I lived downtown I had to do Instacart to get most of my groceries.

And to go to the Stop & Shop, a person would either need to live in the neighborhood or have a car. That's the issue. When people talk about food deserts they are often talking about city residents who can't just grab the car keys and go because they can't afford a car. And carrying multiple bags on a bus? Not going to work so well.

So then you're saying but it's perfectly fine for those who live downtown and can drive. Okay, but when people talk about revitalizing downtown Hartford they are not talking about people just going to their building's parking garage and driving places and never setting foot on the streets of downtown Hartford. The whole appeal of city life vs. suburban life is it's supposed to be less of a car culture, more walkable. When you can't offer that, you really don't offer much of an advantage at all over living in the suburbs. So the lack of a walkable legitimate grocery store in downtown Hartford does hold it back. Boston has a couple grocery stores within the city itself. I'm guessing most major or even mid-sized cities do as well. If Hartford wants to call itself even a credible mid-sized city, it will need one too. The problem is I have a hard time seeing it working. All those residents who live in those new downtown apartments....where are they? You just do not see them walking around except for occasionally people walking their dogs. They seem to shelter in place inside their buildings, maybe afraid of the panhandlers. Which is a shame because the pandhandlers really are a harmless nuisance, but perception is reality.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by ryanthegoldengod

A very Glastonian persepctive. I know you are a Hartford cheerleader but this takes the cake. Stop and Shop is the only legitimate option you mentioned there. Have you ever actually shopped in Greenway Market? I used to be a regular. Their produce for one thing is......hit or miss. And I'm being kind. It does not pass any test as a credible grocery store. When I lived downtown I had to do Instacart to get most of my groceries.

And to go to the Stop & Shop, a person would either need to live in the neighborhood or have a car. That's the issue. When people talk about food deserts they are often talking about city residents who can't just grab the car keys and go because they can't afford a car. And carrying multiple bags on a bus? Not going to work so well.

So then you're saying but it's perfectly fine for those who live downtown and can drive. Okay, but when people talk about revitalizing downtown Hartford they are not talking about people just going to their building's parking garage and driving places and never setting foot on the streets of downtown Hartford. The whole appeal of city life vs. suburban life is it's supposed to be less of a car culture, more walkable. When you can't offer that, you really don't offer much of an advantage at all over living in the suburbs. So the lack of a walkable legitimate grocery store in downtown Hartford does hold it back. Boston has a couple grocery stores within the city itself. I'm guessing most major or even mid-sized cities do as well. If Hartford wants to call itself even a credible mid-sized city, it will need one too. The problem is I have a hard time seeing it working. All those residents who live in those new downtown apartments....where are they? You just do not see them walking around except for occasionally people walking their dogs. They seem to shelter in place inside their buildings, maybe afraid of the panhandlers. Which is a shame because the pandhandlers really are a harmless nuisance, but perception is reality.

Super Walmart is also in Hartford. I know Greenway is limited but it is there, as are the other markets I mentioned. Just because you have to cross an invisible line to get to some of them doesn’t mean that they are less accessible. Also with grocery delivery services, you can’t say buying groceries is a big problem.

That said I’m not saying getting another market wouldn’t be good. I know it is and hope they are able to find one soon. It would definitely add to the city’s appeal. I’m just pointing out that it’s not as bad as the media and okbymeman is contending. That’s all. Jay

[JayCT]

Oh my God, this is terrible news for greater Hartford.

Martin Kenny, one of the area’s leading developers has died suddenly at 67. Mr. Kenny and his Lexington Partners have developed some of the areas most prominent projects. From The Tannery in Glastonbury to the nearly complete Sisters of St. Joesph Convent redevelopment in West Hartford, he built thousands of apartments in the area.

He is part of the team that is redeveloping Pratt Street in downtown Hartford and he was the lead in the massive, just announced $850 million Port Eastside in East Hartford. So sad. Jay

https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/art...ontinuing-work

[JayCT]

Two more older commercial buildings in downtown Hartford are being converted to residential use. The Simon Konover Company has plans to convert the old Society for Savings building at 31-45 Pratt Street into 37 market rate apartments. The existing banquet venue in the building would remain.

Over at 15 Lewis Street, developer Lexington Partners and building owner, LAZ Investments, are partnering to convert the five story building to 78 units. Ten percent of those units will be designated affordable. Nice additions to the city. Jay

https://www.courant.com/2023/09/18/i...le-apartments/

[JayCT]

Randy Salvatore, the developer of the fully occupied apartment complex called The Pennant, is under contract to purchase the 12.7 acre former RPI campus just northeast of Dunkin Park. With a first phase of 269 apartment, he envisions a mixed use complex with more than 1,200 apartments. The Capitol Region Development Authority has approved allowing Salvatore to apply to use approved funds for his lawsuit stalled North Crossing project across from the ballpark.

https://www.ctinsider.com/business/a...s-18372972.php

To add to this the city currently has 2,293 new apartment units under construction or about to start construction. That’s amazing. Jay

https://www.ctinsider.com/business/a...n-18375304.php

[Johnho771]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Randy Salvatore, the developer of the fully occupied apartment complex called The Pennant, is under contract to purchase the 12.7 acre former RPI campus just northeast of Dunkin Park. With a first phase of 269 apartment, he envisions a mixed use complex with more than 1,200 apartments. The Capitol Region Development Authority has approved allowing Salvatore to apply to use approved funds for his lawsuit stalled North Crossing project across from the ballpark.

https://www.ctinsider.com/business/a...s-18372972.php

To add to this the city currently has 2,293 new apartment units under construction or about to start construction. That’s amazing. Jay

https://www.ctinsider.com/business/a...n-18375304.php

Very encouraging to see as Salvatore's DoNo project is stalled with the city's litigation. Shows he really is committed to Hartford and sees promise.

[JayCT]

According to its Economic Development Director, West Hartford is experiencing an unprecedented building boom with more than 1,500 new apartments and more than $100 million in major property purchases. Crazy, but understandable. It’s a great town. Jay

https://www.courant.com/2023/10/19/w...ential-market/

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by JayCT

According to its Economic Development Director, West Hartford is experiencing an unprecedented building boom with more than 1,500 new apartments and more than $100 million in major property purchases.

Hopefully the residents are prepared to deal with more traffic and congestion than there already is. And the only method of getting from place to place is the car (no need to bring up bicycling or taking the bus, because the vast majority of residents are not going to do this).

Originally Posted by JayCT

Crazy, but understandable. It’s a great town.

No, just crazy. It WAS a nice town. It's becoming Stamford 2.0 in the name of "progress". It's sad how town council members and TPZ are just cravenly ceding to whatever out of town, carpetbagger developers want. Sad to see it devolve like this, but alas, nothing good lasts. Years from now, we will look back and reminisce about the nice place it used to be.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

Hopefully the residents are prepared to deal with more traffic and congestion than there already is. And the only method of getting from place to place is the car (no need to bring up bicycling or taking the bus, because the vast majority of residents are not going to do this).



No, just crazy. It WAS a nice town. It's becoming Stamford 2.0 in the name of "progress". It's sad how town council members and TPZ are just cravenly ceding to whatever out of town, carpetbagger developers want. Sad to see it devolve like this, but alas, nothing good lasts. Years from now, we will look back and reminisce about the nice place it used to be.

I hear you. I think that like previous generations, we have to accept that towns like West Hartford and Fairfield are not going to be like we remember it.

My grandfather complained when the farms of Fairfield were subdivided for single family homes after World War II. My father bemoaned the building of condominiums in town in the 70’s and 80’s and now we complain about the increased density of the urbanization of these towns. It’s kind of like the Circle of Life and progress that we can’t stop. Jay

[SteveM85]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I hear you. I think that like previous generations, we have to accept that towns like West Hartford and Fairfield are not going to be like we remember it.

My grandfather complained when the farms of Fairfield were subdivided for single family homes after World War II. My father bemoaned the building of condominiums in town in the 70’s and 80’s and now we complain about the increased density of the urbanization of these towns. It’s kind of like the Circle of Life and progress that we can’t stop. Jay

Right, eventually at some point in time everyone becomes the old man on the front porch, literally. It's like when a boomer or GenXer says today's music sucks, it's the same with building progress and development.
In 70 years, today's toddlers will be tell everyone they just don't build 830gs like they used to.