Thomas Hooker Brewery’s proposal to build a restaurant and brewing operation adjacent to the Downtown North ballpark now under construction may be in question, sources confirmed to Hartford Business Journal.
Approximately 10 months after Hartford city officials selected Centerplan Development Co. as the developer for the Downtown North project, Hooker has yet to come to terms with Centerplan on a sale or lease of space at 150 Windsor St., a former bank data center site where Hooker wishes to build a nearly 50,000-square-foot restaurant and brewery, Hooker owner Curt Cameron confirmed Wednesday morning.
“We can’t jeopardize the health of our company by not entering into an appropriate deal,” Cameron said.
Cameron said he has not yet given up on the project, though he admitted he expected to have a deal in place by now.
He said he wants to own the brewery’s building, but leasing or owning the land around it have both been discussed.
Cameron said he is scheduled to meet with Centerplan next week to continue deal negotiations.
Cameron said he has also been looking at other Hartford properties, just in case.
“It is our desire to be in Hartford,” he said “If the DoNo development doesn’t work out, we won’t have all our eggs in one basket.”
Centerplan Vice President Yves-Georges Joseph III said Wednesday that Hooker’s DoNo proposal remains on the table and that talks between the parties are ongoing.
“We’re in conversations with Curt to try to put together a deal that works for everybody,” Joseph said. “We’re excited about having him be a part of DoNo.”
Mayor Pedro Segarra’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
