Hartford Blight
Posted: March 4th, 2008 | Tags: death watch, downtown, Hartford government, Hartford image, media, politics & government | 2 Comments »WFSB’s Dennis House did an interesting interview with Mayor Eddie Perez last Sunday, March 2, on urban blight in Hartford. I like House. He lives downtown (or used to), married well, and genuinely seems to care about Hartford while he waits to get a gig in a bigger market.
Eddie told House that he had City Council approval to take $50M of “his” capital fund (money, he said, that was normally used for schools and libraries) and reallocate it towards resolving blight in three target areas downtown and one in each of the Franklin Avenue, North Hartford and Frog Hollow neighborhoods. Through use of eminent domain and his war chest, he predicted he’d be able to wrestle under used property from negligent owners and hand them over to developers.
House and Eddie then reviewed plans for dilapidated and empty property (including major parking lots) in the downtown area.
Here are some of the interview highlights, but go watch the full thing since I had to set my universal translator to “WHAT-THE-HELL-IS-HE-MUMBLING” in order to understand Eddie.
Capitol West BuildingPerez says that the building’s owner is very cooperative and even replaced the broken windows. He wants “worker’s housing” owing to the “pent up demand for entry level worker housing in downtown near the insurance companies and union station.” It looks like Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace Hospital.
111 Pearl StreetIt’s been empty for 20 years, but a local firm was selected to develop. Perez would like to see a mixture of retail and housing (he didn’t sound too sure about what the plan was) and expects it to move forward in 6-8 months. I’m thinking Barney’s Warehouse or a (Way) Off-Saks outlet.
Maharishi Hotel on Constitution PlazaI always liken Constitution Plaza to the one-day movie set for Logan’s Run 2: Get Out of Town Before the Crystal in Your Hand Starts Blinking. Think about the big boom it would add to the downtown economy. Anyway, this is one of Perez’s target areas. He will retake it by the Force of Eminent Domain (FoED) if it comes to that. Which would be cool to watch.
410 Asylum StreetThis is where I like to go when I’m lonely to party with pretend friends. Kind of like that scene in Home Alone, but more A-lonlier. Perez wants affordable housing. State’s on board. Should move forward next year.
Main/Trumbull StreetPerez said former councilman Bob Painter coined the “Butt Ugly Building” moniker for the site. Scary Bunny #4 says the GHAC’s Ken Kahn said it first. Either way, Perez will use his FoED to retake the land after highly paid advisers figure out what to do with it.
Former YMCALuxury condos next year, bitches.
Asylum & Main Parking Lot“It is providing parking downtown, which is very much needed.”




Recent Comments