The Plaza
By midyear, the Hartford Redevelopment Agency is supposed to report back to the mayor with proposed plans for the further revitalization of downtown Hartford. Specifically, the agency has been asked to come up with solutions for three problem properties: 1161 Main St., called by some as the “Butt Ugly building;” Capital West, near the train station; and the vacant hotel located next to the former WFSB Channel 3 building on Constitution Plaza.
The mayor is expecting detailed plans, not theories. What can the city do to take these three properties off its list of eyesores? Should the city look beyond the buildings themselves and establish new development districts, sweeping other under-performing properties into the mix? Should they be taken by eminent domain?
1161 Main and Capital West appear, to the naked eye of the casual observer, to be beyond redemption. Their prominent locations off I-84 make them brick and mortar billboards for Hartford’s unrealized dreams. A nuisance abatement citation from city hall might be the best avenue to bring these crumbling hulks to their demise and open up new possibilities.
Bigger Woes
A more difficult problem is the former Constitution Plaza hotel, which is currently owned by a religious group that has stubbornly demanded more than the building is worth from potential buyers. It sits in a prime location that could tie Constitution Plaza directly to Adriaen’s Landing and provide desperately needed hotel inventory. It’s a project that cries out for a new partnership between Hartford and state government.
As the redevelopment agency considers the options, it is well aware of a study by two recent graduates of the University of Connecticut School of Business Executive MBA program on Market Street. Matt Fleury, the executive vice president of the Connecticut Science Center and Thomas Humble, a veteran of the aerospace and semiconductor industries, spent several months looking into the viability of renovating and re-opening the former hotel.
They concluded there is a $15 to $16 million gap preventing anyone from pursuing this project in the current market environment. A big part of the problem, perhaps $10 million worth, is the inflated asking price. The rest is the cost of renovation, which cannot be supported by projected business levels. One of two government solutions could narrow the gap. Eminent domain would remove the price obstacle and some form of state or local subsidy could then make the project work.
Taxpayer Investment
We as taxpayers have made a huge and overdue investment in a state convention center and the revitalization of the capital city. The $1 billion we have poured onto the city’s streets is about more than putting new windows in old buildings. It’s about getting Connecticut into the convention business, making Hartford viable as a place to build new, and to grow, existing businesses.
It’s not about building islands of new development — as Constitution Plaza was. It is about connecting the city, making it usable, walkable and liveable.
The plaza hotel is a logical step forward in this investment strategy. The hotel, and the now vacant Channel 3 building, are prime real estate that could complete a key connection. The recent departure of Channel 3 puts other options in the mix, including residential and commercial space. Dormant as they are, these properties serve as a barrier to growth.
The plaza hotel has been rotting in place for more than ten years. Will the decay be allowed to continue, or will the city and state work together to build on previous investments? Adriaen’s Landing was not meant to be the end, it was only the first big step.
Dean Pagani is a former gubernatorial advisor. He is V.P. of Public Affairs for Cashman and Katz Integrated Communications in Glastonbury.
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