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Front Street: All Dressed Up And -

- No Tenants To Speak Of. But Developers say they're close.

Jeff Cohen

July 19, 2010

The last piece of the state's effort to remake downtown Hartford is almost complete. WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports.

Front Street is the last big part of downtown Hartford's construction project called Adriaen's Landing. It follows several other completed projects -- a new convention center, a new science center, new hotels, new downtown residential units, and new parking. The effort to bring more people to downtown Hartford was begun under former Governor John Rowland.

And now, the developers at the HB Nitkin Group say Front Street's exterior construction is largely done.

Still, behind the big plate glass windows are 65,000 square feet of unfinished restaurant and entertainment space -- unpainted, unfloored, and unoccupied. Front Street's developer says that talks with two retailers are close, but nothing has been signed.

Front Street was originally supposed to include housing, but that portion of the project was stalled when the economy took its downward slide.

Bill McCue chairs the Capital City Economic Development Authority that oversees the state's investment in Hartford. He says that the only obstacle facing Front Street now is the economy. McCue says he hopes to see some leasing activity soon now that the buildings are complete.