The City of Hartford is seeking development proposals for 8 city-owned blocks of property. The sale overview notes that the goal is to develop and/or revitalize the properties in accordance with the guiding principles of the One City, One Plan planning document.
We’re excited that the City is taking steps to get these parcels into the hands of developers. If all goes according to plan, the future projects will not only improve the various neighborhoods, but they’ll also add to the grand list. Just getting them off the City’s books will reduce the taxpayers’ collective costs to perform basic maintenance like landscaping and snow removal. Every little bit helps with the budget where it is.
We took a quick look at the City Assessor’s Property Records website to try to figure out just how many properties are owned by the City. Searching for “Last Name” = “City of Hartford” found 9 pages of results at 50 records per page … wow! Many of the random parcels we clicked on are municipal buildings, schools, parks, and open space. We have not attempted to go through the records in detail to estimate how many could be sold. Anyone looking for a project to do at night while watching TV?
The properties available in this round of sales are (info copied from the Property Description page on 2/14/2011):
279 Farmington Avenue (Map 179, Block 406, Lot 043)
This property consists of a 3,500 sq. ft. building containing move in ready professional office space, and required on site parking spaces. The property is located in a B-4 zone.415 Farmington Avenue (Map 156, Block 396, Lot 024)
Potential uses include office, residential or mixed-use development on this vacant lot. The proposed development should draw upon the principles espoused by the City’s Plan of Conservation and Development – One City One Plan – and blend with the historic character of the neighborhood. The property is located in an RO-2 zone and the lot size is 0.209 acres.202 Albany Avenue (Map 243, Block 239, Lot 006)
Potential uses for this vacant lot include office, retail, commercial or mixed-use development. The proposed development should draw upon the principles espoused by One City One Plan and blend with the historic character of the neighborhood. The property is located in a B-4 zone and the lot size is 0.458 acres.445 Zion Street (Map 183, Block 515, Lot 150)
Potential uses for the restoration and reuse of this historic brick apartment house include residential or mixed-use development. HOME funds and other historic preservation funds are available for the restoration of this building. The Property is located in a R-1 zone.272 Garden Street (Map 221, Block 273, Lot 055)
Potential uses for the rehabilitation of this four-story 9,384 sq. ft brick building include either a 2 or 3 family residence or office space. Parking is available on site. The property is located in an R-2 zone.1440 Main Street (Map 243, Block 249, Lot 141)
Potential uses for this vacant lot include office, retail, commercial or mixed-use development. The proposed development should draw upon the principles espoused by One City, One Plan, e.g. building to street facing property line(s), and include permeable facades, glassed storefronts and rear parking. This property is located in B-3 zone and the lot size is 0.987 acres.1540 Main Street (Map 243, Block 249, Lot 139)
The 2.131 acre property, accessed from New Donald Road, contains two structures including a gymnasium and office space. Any proposed reuse or redevelopment should draw upon the principles espoused by One City, One Plan. The property is located in a B-3 zone.126 New Park Avenue (Map 137, Block 481, Lot 094); 130 New Park Avenue (Map 137, Block 481, Lot 095); 8 Francis Court (Map137, Block 481, Lot 096); and 161 Francis Avenue (Map 137, Block 481, Lot 097)
This property consists of four adjacent vacant lots. The parcels may be combined to create one larger development or smaller separate developments. Proposed development must incorporate at least 50% of the entirety of the parcels. Proposed development(s) should draw upon the principles espoused by One City, One Plan and blend with the architectural character of the neighborhood. The properties are zoned B-4 and R-2 and rezoning will be considered to encourage development. The total combined lot size is 0.521 acres.
For more information on the bidding process and evaluation criteria, visit the City’s sale website.
I like the sounds of that TV project.
I agree- overall, it would be good for the city to attempt to get some of its nonproductive properties to developers who will make them into something productive… theorectically. The overall environment is a tough one for development- commerical or residential – so it will be interesting to see what comes of it. There is record high commercial vacancy in the city. Regardless, the city needs to maintain a high standards so that the parcels don’t go to developers who end up taking various tax breaks and incentives and then can’t or don’t complete. There is a history of that happening. Hopefully there will be transparency given the recent history of corruption.
I have also wondered in certain cases if at least some vacant lots in certain areas couldn’t be turned into little parks. I know that doesn’t increase the tax base – and in fact increases spending as the city must maintain these little parks lest blthey become blighted themselves – but it would be nice to see some more parks or natural spaces. I doubt its feasible – but I’d love to see a few of the vacant lots in the West End turned into beautiful little parks where there is more intimacy of experience than in the huge parks like Elizabeth and Bushnell. A dog park might be interesting too – creates a community focal point – although location would be an issue as they can be loud.