Despite their research showing a region of Hartford’s size only capable of supporting one outlet mall, the developers of the Outlet Shoppes at Rentschler Field in East Hartford are boldly moving forward with their plans.
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Despite their research showing a region of Hartford's size only capable of supporting one outlet mall, the developers of the Outlet Shoppes at Rentschler Field in East Hartford are boldly moving forward with their plans.
Gary Skoien, CEO of Chicago-based Horizon Group Properties, said the new Tanger Outlet mall at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket is far enough away from his company's planned East Hartford development. He also said the indoor and outdoor malls in the Greater Hartford area, such as Evergreen Walk in South Windsor, provide a different kind of shopping experience than the discount, name-brand merchandise the East Hartford shops plan to sell.
Pending approval of its 410,000-square-foot site plan on Sept. 23, Horizon intends to break ground on the new facility in October. If the weather is mild, the outlet mall will open in late 2016 or early 2017, said Skoien.
If all goes according to plan, the mall will create 1,208 construction jobs and another 1,628 permanent and seasonal jobs. Horizon estimates the property will generate $405 million over 20 years in sales, property, income, corporate and excise taxes.
Those figures are based on the Outlet Shoppes being the premier destination for outlet shopping in the region and attracting high-profile stores to the development; Skoien said he already has high-profile tenants lined up.
Typically, metropolitan regions with less than 2.5 million people can only support one outlet mall, Skoien said, and with 1.2 million people, Greater Hartford certainly falls into that category.
Skoien said his development has the advantage over any competition because it is closest to the urban core of Hartford, is adjacent to the already established Cabela's outdoor store, and will be in the midst of United Technologies Corp.'s expanded campus for its new Pratt & Whitney and United Technologies Research Center.
Because of its proximity to this large daytime population, the Outlet Shoppes will boast more restaurants than the typical outdoor mall, Skoien said.
Horizon has eight outlet malls across the U.S. totaling 2.5 million square feet with another 1 million square feet under construction.
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