HARTFORD, CT— New York developer Richard Cohen has inked a deal to build on a key Adriaens Landing block here, near the upcoming convention center and headquarter hotel, consisting of at least 150,000 square feet of retail space and 200 housing units. The project is expected to break ground in early 2003, and open two yeas later in line with the new convention center and planned Marriott Hotel at Adriaens— the 33- acre centerpiece of Gov. John Rowlands $771 million Six Pillars plan for revitalizing downtown Hartford. Design plans for Cohens “Meeting House Square” call for local retail and restaurant tenants, not big chains, and an urban feel Cohen says is missing in West Hartford Center. The development agreement finalized this month requires Cohens Capital Properties to invest at least $26 million for the housing, which he expects to locate in two towers flanking the old Hartford Times building on Prospect Street, and the retail space along Arch Street and Columbus Boulevard. The state will build, own and operate a $40 million parking garage and contribute $12 million toward the housing, while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will kick in $7 million toward the retail. Cohen said he expects the total public-private cost of the project to top $100 million. Cohens Capital Properties Associates or its affiliates own and manage more than 6,000 apartments and 3 million square feet of office and retail properties from Boston to Atlanta. SOURCE: Hartford Courant
