A New York developer is looking to build a sprawling $40 million mixed-use complex on the Connecticut River in downtown Hartford.
The proposed development by Aqua Ark LLC, of Rye, N.Y., aims to include a variety of retail, restaurant and event spaces along city-owned land within Riverfront Park adjacent to the Mortensen Riverfront Plaza at 300 Columbus Blvd.
Aqua Ark President George Bryant on Tuesday said the complex would be built on land-based floating technology that it’s leveraged in recent projects in Europe. The “amphibious” promenade would be able to float and rise upon the water during flood conditions, he said.
Moreover, during typical flood stages, the promenade would be connected to the Mortensen Plaza in a way that allows continuous use, he added.
He is scheduled to present his vision to the city’s planning, economic development and housing committee Tuesday, Dec. 3.
“This is a preliminary vision, but the elements of the technology have been done before,” Bryant said. “Everything we are looking at has been accomplished some place else.”
Bryant said the ambitious proposal would mark his firm’s first major development project in Connecticut. Aqua pitched a waterfront project in Bridgeport in recent years, but city officials did not select the proposal.
Under the proposal, Aqua plans to fully fund the mixed-use complex with help from several minority partners. City and state funding has not yet been proposed for the project at this point, Bryant said. The proposed site is currently zoned as open space and has no structures on-site.
Bryant’s vision for redeveloping the waterfront property sprang out of Hartford City Councilman John Gale’s resolution last year that encouraged development along the Connecticut River, including dining options, a marina and houseboat accommodations. That resolution, however, got pushback as environmental advocates, including the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), who warned Mayor Luke Bronin and other city leaders to remain cautious of any proposed development along the river given that the waterway regularly floods.
Climate change is also likely to continue deteriorating the banks of the Connecticut River, they argued.
On Tuesday, Gale, a former engineer, said he understands the challenges of riverfront development but he thinks they can be overcome.
“The engineer in me says this is a serious proposal,” said Gale, adding he hopes the vision sparks a conversation about the project’s feasibility.
“The idea is to whet people’s appetite,” he said.
Gale said Bryant reached out to him about the idea last April, shortly after this resolution started getting press coverage.
Gale said cities all over the world have exploited their riverfronts while Hartford has remained a laggard. For example, San Antonio’s Riverwalk adds $2 billion to that city’s economy.
Before Bryant’s vision begins to take shape, Aqua would first need to score a slew of approvals from the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, DEEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
