In the nearly 12 months since the Capital City lured away the neighboring Hardware City’s long-time minor-league baseball team, the former Rock Cats, with a new ballpark that anchors the planned Downtown North redevelopment, New Britain has witnessed some redevelopment vigor of its own. It has recruited another minor-league team to begin play next season […]
In the nearly 12 months since the Capital City lured away the neighboring Hardware City’s long-time minor-league baseball team, the former Rock Cats, with a new ballpark that anchors the planned Downtown North redevelopment, New Britain has witnessed some redevelopment vigor of its own.
It has recruited another minor-league team to begin play next season in New Britain’s ballpark. Last week, the city began demolishing its former downtown police station, to attract development interest in the site.
Mayor Erin E. Stewart and other city and business leaders also attended last Wednesday’s announcement by a New York partnership to redevelop a former consumer-appliances factory into a $35 million community of 150 luxury condominiums. It would be the biggest private development in the city in 50 years, she said. Afterwards, Stewart confirmed her interest in seeing a casino within the city’s limits.
Asked about her city’s economic-development progress since losing the Rock Cats, Stewart could barely contain herself. She says the loss of the ball team, plus the opening of the CTfastrak terminal downtown last March, has sparked numerous inquiries from local and out-of-state developers about opportunities in New Britain
“If anything, we’ve gained a whole lot more,’’ she said. “We’ve proved that there’s a lot more happening here because of it. Good luck, Hartford, but we’re going to keep it moving.’’
— GREGORY SEAY
