Hartford has issued a Request for Proposals for the Downtown North area surrounding Dunkin’ Donuts Park.
There are 32 city-owned properties, totaling 13 acres, that the city is looking to develop. The city is specifically looking for mixed-use space, with residential space as well as retail and office spaces.
The city estimates that nearly 400,000 attended Hartford Yard Goats games at the 6,000-seat ballpark, which makes the surrounding area ripe for development.
“We believe there’s significant potential for development in the area, and we hope bidders will recognize the importance of pedestrian-friendly development that connects Downtown North with the Clay Arsenal and Upper Albany neighborhoods as well as Main Street. We’re going to thoroughly vet any proposals to make sure bidders have the interest, capacity, and experience to follow through on their proposals,” Mayor Luke Bronin wrote in a statement.
The development rights for the area were originally awarded to Centerplan, the same company that was meant to develop Dunkin’ Donuts Park. Bronin’s administration called off that contract after ongoing construction and cost issues that delayed the completion of the park.
In October the city of Hartford terminated Centerplan’s contract to develop the surrounding parcels due to their "failure to deliver the ballpark and lack of honesty and transparency."
Centerplan Construction filed a lawsuit against the city last year after it was terminated from the stadium project. The city has since filed a counter-claim. The case is ongoing.
Proposals must include some kind of structure parking to replace the lots that are currently being used as parking spaces on each parcel.
The city of Hartford is working with the state to make improvements to traffic in the area, specifically to redesign the intersection of Albany Avenue and Main Street.
The deadline to submit a proposal is Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 at 2 p.m. Before that, there will be a non-mandatory pre-bid conference at the Dunkin’ Donuts Park Community Center at 1214 Main Street on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017 at 10 a.m.
Read the full RFP below:
