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10 Hartford Business Journal • December 11, 2017 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Gregory Seay gseay@HartfordBusiness.com T he New York landlord of downtown Hartford's Stilts Building and 100 Pearl Street office skyscrapers wants to reinvigorate "desert" acreage around Dunkin' Donuts Park into a viable commercial mixed-use development. Principals with Shelbourne Global Solu- tions LLC confirmed they are planning to take a run at redeveloping some 20 acres of city-owned land, grouped into four par- cels now used for commuter and stadium parking, into apartments, retail — includ- ing possibly a supermarket — and other amenities. Also considering a redevelopment proposal is Florida hotel owner/operator Inner Circle, owner of downtown Hartford's 18-story, 350-room Radisson Hotel, 50 Mor- gan St., overlooking Dunkin' Donuts Park, according to Inner Circle advisor and board member Mark Hall. Inner Circle has been working to convert 200 rooms in the hotel to 96 apartments, but has hit some construc- tion setbacks. It hopes to finish that project early next year. Shelbourne and Inner Circle are among eager bidders interested in redeveloping the Downtown North, or "DoNo," parcels after the city in October fired Centerplan Con- struction Co. of Middletown and its DoNo Inc. affiliate as developers. The city recently issued a new request for proposals for the project and is hosting a question/answer session for interested developers Dec. 14. Final DoNo bids are due in Feb. 2018. Centerplan garnered the city's ire after it fell behind on construction of Dunkin' Do- nuts Park, which anchors the DoNo parcels. Principal Robert Landino and partners were originally chosen for both projects by the Segarra administration after wowing the city with their vision of office, retail, more parking, apartments and condos. Later, Landino an- nounced plans for a Hard Rock Hotel in DoNo. Centerplan was also fired from the ball- park project and sued the city for wrongful termination. The legal dispute remains ongoing. Meantime, the city is eager to get DoNo development moving because repayment of mil- lions borrowed to build the stadium hinges not only on rent the ballclub pays but also on the collection of property taxes from DoNo buildings and parking revenue from visitors to the development. Ac- cording to the city, annual debt pay- ments alone on the ballpark debt runs about $4.6 million. The 6,000-seat stadium's first-year success in attendance and glowing reviews for its de- sign is seen by some as a promising omen for DoNo's eventual transformation. "What's happened over there with the ballpark has been great," said Jim Lewis, owner of Harvey & Lewis Opticians, a long-time downtown retail fixture. "To keep building on that is terrific." Yard Goats owner Josh Solomon said the ballpark proves that "if you build a quality product, the right product for this market, people will come." Ahead of the city's Dec. 14 question/an- swer meeting, the Hartford Business Jour- nal sampled some of the city's downtown landlords and other neighborhood stake- holders about their interest in the project and wish-lists of DoNo amenities. Shelbourne and Inner Circle are the only potential DoNo bidders HBJ has identi- fied. Some other landlords and de- velopers said they had no interest in redeveloping DoNo or didn't return calls seeking comment. Shelbourne of- ficials say they are assembling a "world class" team to bid on DoNo. They say the downtown re- location of UConn's suburban campus, plus demand for downtown housing signals "that the city is on the verge of a breakout." "It is true that the budget debacle, out of control property taxes and the threat of bank- ruptcy created a hostile atmosphere for inves- tors, but Shelbourne is and will continue to invest in Hartford," Principal Bernard Bertram said via email. New York City-based Shelbourne, whose 20 Church St. property also houses its Up- ward Hartford co-working spaces, did not elaborate as to its specific vision for DoNo. However, officials say that in 2018, Shel- bourne intends to demolish and rebuild the parking garage at Main and Talcott streets that LAZ Parking owns. Developers' options The DoNo redevelopment area consists of 32 properties that fall within four distinct clusters, three of which overlook the ball- park. A fourth parcel is adjacent to the city's new public safety complex, a 150,000-square foot building located on a 5.7-acre site that houses Hartford's police, fire, and first re- sponder dispatch operations. Developers can propose to purchase the land or do a ground lease. They can rede- velop parcels individually or in any combi- nation, according to the RFP. The city hopes to receive a plan for a mixed- use urban neighborhood that reestablishes es- sential connections between Hartford's north side neighborhoods and downtown. Despite the stadium's inaugural success, Solomon, who besides being a team owner is president and chief investment officer of a Massachusetts realty company — DSF Group — that has invested more than $2.5 billion in properties, says he has no plans to pursue development of DoNo. "Hartford is much better served with me as the owner of the baseball team," he said. However, Solomon and others had some ideas of what they would like to see — or not — DoNo transformed into. Top of the list, of course, was a desire for a full-size supermarket, more retail prod- ucts and services vendors, apartments, and additional dining, cultural and entertain- ment attractions. "I'd love to see more of what Hartford al- ready offers in terms of a vibrant mix of living, working and cultural venues," said 777 Main apartment tower landlord Bruce Becker. Downtown streetscape improvements the city completed just as the ballpark opened last April have benefitted pedestri- ans and motorists, but more can be done to connect downtown's hub to the ballpark and DoNo, Becker said. Eco-friendly, or "green," enterprises housed in DoNo would be a welcome addi- tion to the center city, he said. One example, he said, is an urban garden whose crops could be harvested by paid staffers and sold/ distributed to needy pockets of the city. Another idea favored by Becker, who drives an all-electric Tesla automobile and is a member of the Westport Electric Car Club, is to house a Tesla service center in DoNo. Recently, state lawmakers rejected Tesla's pitch of $14 million in direct investment in the state if it were allowed to bypass dealers and sell direct to consumers. "Couldn't the state use that $14 million in their budget?" Becker said. Albany Avenue impact Envisioned as a "gateway" to the city's North End, others say a fully developed DoNo would have immediate and lasting benefits not only to residents but to busi- nesses housed along the Albany Avenue corridor that stretches to West Hartford. Marilyn Risi, executive director of Upper Albany Main St. Inc., which supports and promotes 125 businesses, many posted along the corridor, said her group welcomes more DoNo retail. But Risi said it should be complementary retail, not more of what North End merchants already offer. "There is very sparse retail, like a Kohl's or a Target," she said. "There's no florist. No supermarket. What we're trying to do is get some diversification." Risi said she would like to see more venues — either bars/restaurants, retail, etc. — filling the four DoNo lots that now primarily serve as commuter- and game-day parking. Her least favorite DoNo amenity: Hair salons. Redeveloping DoNo As Downtown North bidders emerge, so does a vision for development around Dunkin' Donuts Park "I'd love to see more of what Hartford already offers in terms of a vibrant mix of living, working and cultural venues." Bruce Becker , 777 Main apartment tower landlord on what he would like to see DoNo transformed into. PHOTO | HBJ FILE Downtown Hartford's minor-league ballpark is flanked by underdeveloped parcels the city owns and has re-offered for commercial development. At least two potential bidders have emerged so far to succeed Centerplan Construction of Middletown, which lost its development rights following its stadium construction debacle.