Work on Front Street, the commercial-residential phase of the Adriaen’s Landing development in downtown Hartford, is progressing.
Peter Christian, an official with HB Nitkin Group, developer of the $30 million retail-only first phase, said foundation work is underway on the first of two commercial buildings that anchor the site, across Columbus Boulevard, in the shadow of the Connecticut Convention Center.
Foundation work on the second structure, Block A, Christian said, will begin in May, once footings are completed for Block B.
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. will begin raising steel for both buildings in June, with completion set for spring 2010, he said.
Design concepts for Phase II, including residential and additional retail, are being weighed, Christian said.
Meantime, Front Street is being “well- received’’ in discussions between GVA Williams Group, a Stamford lease broker working for Nitkin, and prospective tenants for the eight storefronts, ranging from 4,500 square feet to 15,600 square feet, Christian said.
He declined to say what vendors have signed on and for how much space in the 65,000-square-foot first phase, but hinted progress is slower than expected.
“It’s just a difficult economic time for leasing,’’ he said.
One familiar name most likely to have space on Front Street is ESPN.
Christian insisted that the Bristol sports media company, contrary to previous reports, hasn’t wavered from its desire for a presence in downtown Hartford.
ESPN at one time said it envisioned a shop retailing sports apparel and memorabilia — not one of its ESPN Zone restaurants — for Front Street.
Reader response:
“An ESPN apparel and memorabilia store is exactly the kind of destination retail that would add vibrancy and pedestrian traffic to the Front Street area and connect the Convention Center and Marriott to the rest of downtown. It would simultaneously enhance ESPN’s regional profile. What an excellent complement it would be to the nearby office and cultural activity expected to occur with the construction of the AI Technology Center, opening of the Connecticut Science Center and leasing of Northeast Utilities’s headquarters. Phase 2 should certainly include housing (developers might note that there are waiting lists for studios and one bedroom units downtown), a key use that will build upon all else occurring in the district.” — J. Chase, PREA
