The move by WFSB Channel 3 from Constitution Plaza (above) to another location in Hartford is seen as a possible catalyst for future development in the city’s downtown area.
The city of Hartford will be keeping one of its longtime residents and, in doing so, may see spurred growth in an oft-forgotten section of its downtown.
Mayor Eddie Perez and WFSB Channel 3 have announced that the television station, which had been looking for a new address because it has outgrown its current location in Constitution Plaza, will be moving to a parcel of land adjacent to the downtown skyscrapers just north of Interstate 84. The station plans to move into its new facility in 2007.
The television station, which has been in Hartford since the 1960s, reached an agreement with the city to buy the parcel on Main Street and build a $20 million facility there. The city offered the station, which also had been shopping for land in the suburbs, several incentives to stay in the city, according to John Palmieri, director of the Department of Development Services.
The station paid $800,000 in cash for the 3.4-acre site and will relocate its current Constitution Plaza operations to the parcel. The city provided a discount in the cost of the land as an incentive for the station to remain in Hartford, Palmieri said. The cost reflected what the station would have paid for land in the suburbs. The city also instated a tax abatement program that allows the station to pay taxes on the land’s selling price and to gradually – over seven years – move up to paying taxes on the full value of the land, Palmieri said.
“[The] announcement [that the station will remain in Hartford] is another indication that Hartford is a great place to do business,” Perez said in a prepared statement. “The commitment by WFSB and [its parent company] Meredith Corp. to invest $20 million in a leading broadcasting television facility right in downtown is building on the tremendous momentum of development that you see in every neighborhood of our city. WFSB Channel 3 has been an integral part of our community for five decades and we are excited that they have made the decision to reinvest in Hartford.”
‘A Great Investment’
The city wanted to keep the station in town for several reasons. The station has 200 employees and an $11 million payroll, according to a press release from the city of Hartford. The city’s aggressive pursuit of the station shows that Hartford is serious about keeping its businesses, Palmieri said. The station’s decision to stay also shows that it is important for major media outlets to stay central and close to the capital.
“This new digital broadcast facility is a commitment to our viewers throughout Connecticut,” said WRSB Vice President and General Manager Elden Hale in a prepared statement. “WFSB-TV is the most watched television station in the state. As the No. 1 news station, this new home will enable Eyewitness News to deliver even more news and information programming over the air, cable, satellite and the Internet.”
The development north of I-84 also will create an important link to neighborhoods there, Palmieri said.
“This is an area that will really connect downtown with the neighborhoods,” he noted.
There are about 60 developable acres north of I-84 and the city would like to see them occupied. The television station’s investment could spur developers into building more in that area, Palmieri said.
“It’s a great site, a great investment,” he said.
The area is in the downtown zone, which means it is zoned for retail, residential or office use, he said. Palmieri would like to see some mixed use come into the area to go along with Hartford’s goal of becoming a 24-hour city. Downtown residents are integral to that plan.
“We’d like to see a residential development take place,” he said.
Palmieri expects that developers, because of the high price of land in the area, would build high-rises to get the most density possible for the location. Channel 3 is the exception, he said. The company will build a 2- or 3-story building with a tower to accommodate its antennas. Almost anyone else would want to build up there, he noted.
“You’d want to go up there,” Palmieri said. The parcel is only about 100 yards away from the downtown skyscrapers, he added.
The station’s new facility will be the key project in the area.
“It’s kind of an exciting initiative,” Palmieri said.
Several city leaders also have been talking about the possibility of making the area into a college campus, Palmieri said. With two colleges nearby, there could be some additional investment by businesses if the city made the area attractive for education.
The transaction also will give the city a chance to find a suitable development for the station’s old location in Constitution Plaza – one of the city’s premier addresses. That site is also in the downtown zone and could be used as retail, office or residential space. The parcel is small, about half an acre, but is surrounded by buildings that are 20 or 30 stories high, so building another tall building would be likely, Palmieri said.
“It could go any number of ways,” he said.
As would be the case in the area north of I-84, a mixed-use building combining residences, shops and restaurants would be welcome there, Palmieri said. But an office could also go there.
“We’d like to bring more activity to [Constitution] Plaza,” he said.
WFSB began thinking about moving when the company outgrew its current facility. Because the lot is relatively small, there was no room for parking or more expansion, Palmieri said.
“The building they occupy is kind of landlocked,” he said.
