Most Significant Developments of 2008 [1]

RBS’s Stamford headquarters is a project that was neither conceived, announced, started, or finished in 2008, however it’s makes my #1 most significant development of 2008 for no other reason that it stayed fixed on the promise in at least all public pronouncements, despite the occasional rumor to the contrary, that they would occupy their new Stamford based headquarters upon completion. In a year when financial institutions starting folding like cheap suits, Royal Bank of Scotland's brick and mortar prospects in town didn’t crap out. Perception can often become reality, so even while tangible effects of the finical crisis seeped into town from home foreclosures to office vacancies, I don't think anyone in town was eager to see a half-built, highway adjacent testament to the economic meltdown. (We use holes in the ground for that!)

Feel free to argue. Even if you think another egg in the financial service basket is the last thing Stamford needs, had RBS pulled out it would still be a major swift kick to the City That Works.

Most Significant Developments of 2008 [2]

When Harbor Point broke ground this summer it started what could ultimately become one of the largest urban redevelopment efforts in the country.

The South End in recent history has been home to industry and low income housing. As the industrial base diminished, artists and antique dealers filled some of the void in addition to some office complexes along the coast. I95 and the train tracks cut line of demarcation from the downtown and any development that occurred to the North stopped sharp along the border.

Antares recognized some inherent advantages to the neighborhood including proximity to the downtown, access to the train station, and location on the waterfront when assembling 82 acres of abandoned factories and brown fields throughout the South End and proposed a vision of a mixed use community of retail, housing, office, & park space oriented towards the pedestrian. Another firm, Building & Land Technology has since taken over the project. Despite a bad economy, the Harbor Point has moved forward, although Phase One is slightly less ambitious than originally proposed. I’ve also noticed BLT (sweet acronym guys) has choosen to focus almost exclusively on the specific buildings currently under construction on the most recent iteration of their website and is downplaying the overall site plan Antares was previously hyping. I wonder if they are putting some distance to give themselves license to alter plans down the line.

There have been a few controversies – labor isn’t happy about out of state contracts. The developer tried to get around polluted soil in a proposed park by building a mini mountain on top of it – which looked to have been reversed this week after the city objected. The proposed Fairway market was attacked as architecturally uninspired along its street facing walls, but seems to be moving ahead regardless.

Still, Stamford has pushed forward a large scale waterfront development that will only make neighbors like Bridgeport look foolish with their grandiose & unitainable waterfront casino plans.

Harbor Point is definitely the biggest kid on the South End playground, but there is all kinds of funky stuff planned or in progress for this little corner of town. In terms of transportation, the train station is not alone – the idea of a light rail line and ferry dock have been floated, and the Urban Transitway should also wrap soon. In addition to all the Harbor Point parks, Kosciuszko Park (one of the hidden gems in town) continues to be upgraded and the Mill River greenway is expected to reach the Harbor eventually. Other developers have large scale projects on paper for the South End. The Metro Green tower and apartments are planned in back of the train station, hell even the Department of Transportation wants in and is talking about replacing the crumbling transportation center parking garage with mixed use development and supplementing the parking elsewhere (which seems freaking nuts to me, unless the adjacent Metro Green can somehow absorbs the lost parking)

Assuming all of this continues to play out - it will certainly be the largest transformation of Stamford since the original urban redevelopment of the 60's and 70's. While that ushered in a wave of monolith, fortress style development downtown. Harbor Point will hopefully encourage more pedestrian scale communities and an interesting and engaging urban environment.

Wishing I Was a Teacher Today

Skaters on the Mill River Pond, courtesy of Stamford History Real Time.

Survival of the Fittest.

Interesting bit from the Downtown Stamford Blog, Zody will be “changing” before Valentine’s Day. New concept, new owner, not sure exactly what that means.

Zody never did it for me so I'm curious what it will become.

Most Significant Developments of 2008 [3]

“That place looks nice – I’d live there”
- Girl in car

“That’s assisted living public housing”
- Guy with sometimes embarrassingly in-depth knowledge of Stamford.

“oh”
- Girl in car

Girls from the suburbs of Connecticut who are apartment shopping don’t often looking longingly at public housing. The building here was the Post House, a 5 story brick building on Tresser Blvd recently completed in 2008 next to the Government Center. The building was part of a project aimed at replacing the below market rate units in an outdated public housing complex with low density, architecturally attractive, and in some instances mixed income housing. The other two complexes – completed townhouse on Taylor St. & a collection of townhouses still in construction on the site of the former Fairfield Court complete the replacement of all affordable housing units lost in addition to a number of market rate units incorporated into these developments.

The concept is not new, Southfield Village, a not so nice project was previously torn down and replaced with clutters of suburban style housing on the West Side. The main difference in this project is a one for one replacement of all affordable housing units, which Southfield did not include.

Charter Oak Communities, formally the Stamford Housing Authority is behind the project which receives its funding largely from the federal HOPE IV program. The name change coincides with pivot in their mission – from simply providing low income housing to creating mixed use, mixed income communities. In 2009 they are expected to break ground on their largest project to date – replacement of Vidal Court.

The recent work on Fairfield Court, as well as the new Charter Oak is nationally recognized as leaders in a new strategy to transform public housing traditionally designed as barracks for the poor to something more integrated into the larger community. There is a land swap in the works with Stamford Hospital to provide each with parcels more relevant to their expansion plans. Inclusion of market rate units will bring the middle class into the community putting cracks in some of the natural segregation in town. Future phases include ground floor retail in buildings encouraging full service, functioning neighborhoods. The West Side, long one of Stamford’s struggling neighborhoods could ultimately stand to see significant physical and sociological change Charter Oaks evolving role in the community.

Tortoise Dead by Dehydration.

The Thirsty Turtle came to a rather quiet end this week, closing the doors on it's Columbus park location.

I can't say I'll miss it - my distaste stemming from my first visit not only to the Turtle, but Stamford in general. One particular summer home from college Stamford was opened up as a potential playground, balancing as the halfway point between my parents and some new friends in Westchester. I hadn't paid the City That Works any mind at that point. Stamford didn't fit into the trifecta of "going out" me and my friends had carved out. My hometown covered the far too often nights one felt unambitious. The city (a name which actual Manhattan residents would later tease the suburban kids over as if too colloquial and implying familiarity and ownership they thought undeserved) for adventure and just enough cred to continue bragging about living so close. South Norwalk was the in between - slightly more exotic and inhabited by just enough woman we didn't go to high school with. Stamford lost it's chance to carve a niche that summer on that first visit when the Turtle turned us away at the door - not on account of our crude fake IDs, but the baggy cargo pants someone in our party was sporting. I don't think I returned to Stamford (outside train transfers) until years later for a job interview.

I swung through the Turtle on the bar tour but never got around to writing it up which surprises me because I bumped into an high school aquaintce there who gave me a great summation of the place I fully intended to use in a post. I've since forgotten though, which suppose proves even discriptions of the Turtle are unremarkable.

The Turtle was a flithy place, and not necesarily in the charming way many a pub can pull off. To me it always had that "room with a liquor license" feel. That's not to say its a bad space some other establishment can't run with. I think it has potential with minor reworking as a small concert hall/ club. I'd be surprised if the Black Bear (same owner) hasn't considered relocating acoss the street into the space. What they lose in a shared kithen with the Hula Hanks and outdoor seating, they more than make up for with tons of extra room. As it is the Bear in Stamford in it's current location is always packed to capacity.

Anyone have any inside info?

Most Significant Developments of 2008 [4]

I know, it will probably be 2010 before I cap these off...

Surprised Trump isn't number one? As Stamford's tallest building and possibly the largest construction project in the city for some time it certainly earns a spot on list. The tower, by sheer size alone will etch it's place as a defining landmark. The mass of people it bring to live in the downtown (and wealthy ones at that) could certainly buoy business and attract new ones. And when it started rain debris (so many instances that when something dropped recently it barely elicited a peep), it raised some import safety concerns for a city that will inevitably be under construction big and small far into the foreseeable future.

Mostly though I think Trump Parc's real impact is overstated. I'd imagine the economy, combined with the size of the building will more than fill the market for downtown ultra luxury and limit any immediate need for development of any similar ilk or scale. It has filled the role of cartoon villain quite nicely for some and perceived as the secret conspirator behind everything from cherry tree removal, to artificial turf, to the elimination of backyard trash pickup. Whatever the next growing pain to come down the pike, Trump Parc will be there for people to shake their fists at.

Better Not See Any Red Dots At The Movies You Little Punks!

Christmas gifts from vendors all but dried up this year at work, but among the best of what did float my way was a donation to DonorsChoose.org. The site is a resource where underfunded teachers can make the case for a project they need donations to realize. Stamford has 11 projects listed right now.

Should we pick one to try and knock off together? How do you feel about light refraction? I gave to help buy laser pointers for a science lab.

And I'm serious about the title of the post you little f'ers. I'll kick all your little asses if I find you're using them to point at Jennifer Aniston's nipples at the Majestic!

Do You Really Need to Hear One More Cover of Don't Stop Believing...

UPADATED: SHOW IS MOVED DUE TO SNOW.

...no you don't. Good news for those of you looking for some unique live music in the area. Next, a music show on 107.1 The Peak, is putting on a year long monthly concert series in Stamford at the Rack ‘N Roll benefiting the Big Brothers Big Sisters. It kicks off this Saturday night at 9p with indie rock band Jukebox the Ghost. They have a Ben Folds Five vibe going with the piano/ bass/ drum combo. Advanced tickets can be purchased here.



Check out the next few months of shows here.

Buffalo Wild Wings

A break in the top ten action for a restaurant scoop. Buffalo Wild Wings is moving into the old Hacienda location on Summer St across from Ferrante. Can’t say I’ve ever been to one, anyone have an opinion? It can’t make SBC or Houlihan's happy.

Restaurant row is filling back up. Just the old Chinese Buffet to go unless Barcelona has bailed on the former Zinc spot. (Haven’t seen any action on the place since the matador poster went up.)

Everyone has that one friend who won’t stop going on about how hot they can eat their wings. Maybe they’ll have a sauce to shut that guy up.

Most Significant Development 2008 - [5]

2008 saw the Urban Transitway begin to finally cut its swath through Stamford. Phase 1 of the project runs an east west connection through the South End opening the train station to cleaner connections to the highway, The Cove, & Shippan. The road will ultimately not only improve traffic flow, but also include dedicated high occupancy & bike lanes, new sidewalks and potentially open up the strip to new interest in mixed use development.

Perhaps most significant though, the federally funded project could potentially be a precursor to one of hopefully many in the coming year if Stamford is able to line up a taste of the incoming Obama administrations economic stimulus package with its stated focus on infrastructure investment. What exactly that could mean is anyone’s guess right now; conditions thus far have only called for projects to be “shovel ready”. Stamford has enough ideas, from the rather mundane of underpass widening to the more progressive like a light rail line or ferry terminal. The transitway set to open later this year (which seems so long for laying a road) will hopefully demonstrate that our city has a comprehensive transportation vision worthy of investment.