Blue Back Square

Trolley begins operation
The trolley is a free service that runs Wednesday and Thursday from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM and Friday and Saturday from 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM.  (Click here for the map) The trolley makes a 20-minute loop at these stops:

  • Webster Walk (20 South Main Street)
  • Simmer Grille (124 LaSalle Road)
  • DeRobertis Jewelers (52 LaSalle Road)
  • SK Lavery (1003 Farmington Ave)
  • Toy Chest (975 Farmington Avenue)
  • TD Banknorth (29 South Main Street)

Click here to view photos from the November 3, 2007 Blue Back Square ribbon cutting ceremony and this collection of photos from the library. This link leads to the Hartford Courant collection.

Click here for a collection of photos of Blue Back Square construction

Last lawsuit against Blue Back Square dismissed: On April 19th the Town learned that Judge Dennis Eveleigh denied Barbara Scully’s motion to dismiss her case due to the progress of the Blue Back Square project. Connecticut court rules prohibit plaintiffs to move for the dismissal of their own case.  The developer then filed its own motion to dismiss the case on the same ground of mootness and it was granted. Throughout the legal challenges to this project, the opponents have never won a single argument. This ruling marks the conclusion of all lawsuits against Blue Back Square and the Town of West Hartford.

Letter from the Town Manager (March 23, 2007)

While the first year of construction was spent mostly underground as utilities were installed and foundations were being poured, the second year you will see steel coming out of the ground as the key elements of Blue Back Square are taking shape.

The South Garage, renamed Memorial because of its placement near Memorial Road, is slated to open for use in April. The North Garage, located across from Whole Foods, is nearing completion and will be open in late September.   New parking spaces in the town hall lot and a new main entrance to the lot off of South Main Street will be created mid-June. The Burr Street entrance will be closed at that time.

The HealthTrax wellness and fitness center will open in May for people to view its facility and sign up for membership. At the same time, the first and second floors of the Hartford Hospital medical offices will be finished in June. The remaining third and fourth floors will be completed over the next several months.

The additions to the main library and police department are well underway. On the north side of the library, a 17,000 square foot addition will contain a children's area that will double in size, a 50% larger reference room, a computer training room, an improved public meeting space, a teen room, and an area for local history. On the south side, the library will have a handicap-accessible elevator and an entrance to the new public square. 

The police department’s 6,620 sq. foot addition will feature an easily-accessible, customer-friendly records center, community/training room and administrative offices. The existing police headquarters will be upgraded with a new heating-ventilating-and cooling system and the first floor will be rehabilitated to include a new Probate Court. Also, the female locker room on the second floor will double in size, and new holding cells will be installed.

The first two floors of The Heritage, a luxury condominium, have been framed with walls and windows and the remaining two floors will follow this spring and summer.

Each month new tenants sign on to lease space in the Blue Back Square. To date, Crate and Barrel, Barnes & Noble, Criterion Cinemas, REI, Lucy Activewear, The Cheesecake Factory, National Jean Company, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar will be part of the new West Hartford Center. Steel framing for these retail shops and restaurants have been erected. A grand opening is scheduled for November 2007.

As the project moves along, I will communicate with you again to keep you up to date on progress being made. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please call me at (860) 561-7440 or the Blue Back Square office directly at 232-4800.

The above rendering reflects the former Town Hall/Board of Education building AFTER it is constructed as part of Blue Back Square. It has always been the intention of everyone involved in this project to retain the significant architectural elements associated with this building. Those elements include the clock tower cupola, the limestone panels and columns, and the gable roof line. As indicated by the rendering, all of these elements return in the reconstructed building.

It is also noted that the brick walls, north and south sides of the portico, are also reconstructed to reflect the original brick work and the upper floor windows which reflect the original architectural style of the building.

Click here to go directly to the Blue Back Square web site.

Transcript from the November 14, 2006 Public Hearing

On Friday, September 22 the cupola of the former Board of Education building was lifted off the building and placed on the ground. Click here to see a series of pictures.

(May 31, 2006) - Letter from the Town Manager
As we enter the eighth month of construction on the Blue Back Square project, I want to update you on the events that are taking place. There are six buildings to this project and all will be in some stage of construction by the end of June. Let me take a moment to label these buildings so you can follow along:

• Building A – Old Board of Education building soon to become Crate & Barrel and Bow Tie Theaters
• Building B – Commercial and retail units with condominiums located on Memorial, Isham and Raymond roads
• Building C – Hartford Hospital Wellness Center, located north of the police station
• Building D – Heritage Condominiums located on Memorial Road
• North Garage –on Raymond Road across from Whole Foods
• South Garage – between town hall and the police station

The Hartford Hospital Wellness Center (Building C) is having floors installed during the weeks of May 22 and 29. This installation requires a continuous concrete pour that takes up to 18 hours to complete for each floor followed by a day to settle. There are a total of four floors. Hartford Hospital hopes to occupy their building in February 2007.

There is activity underway at both garages. The installation of the exterior walls of the South Garage is nearly complete. Interior finish work will take several months and includes drainage, utilities, security cameras, escalators and elevators, and the connector to Hartford Hospital. Meanwhile the foundation for the North Garage is almost complete. The crane has been moved to the North Garage to begin the erection of pre-cast concrete at that site.

The excavation for the foundation of the Heritage Condominiums (Building D) on Memorial Road began this month and the foundations for Buildings A and B will begin in June. The one-way section of Isham Road from First Church of Christ Congregational to Memorial Road will close, but the section from the church to Raymond Road will be re-opened.

The American Legion and the yellow condominium on the corner of Raymond Road will be removed by mid-June. The Board of Education will be vacated mid-August and the school administration will be relocated to offices in town hall. In September the library will close to make way for improvements and construction.

Lastly, this summer you will see road improvements to the intersection of Trout Brook Drive and Farmington Avenue and the highway entrance/exit ramp to I-84 on Park Road that are part of the Blue Back Square project.

Bond Rating Agencies Affirm West Hartford’s AAA rating
 On October 1, both Moody's Investor Services and Standard & Poors, the nation’s largest bond rating agencies, have assigned their highest ratings, Aaa and AAA, respectively, to the Town of West Hartford’s $48.8 million general obligation (GO) bonds, Series 2005. Bond proceeds will be used to fund various capital projects related to the town’s Blue Back Square redevelopment plan including $13.5 million for site improvements, $11.4 million for a north garage, $11.1 million for a south garage, $5.8 million for a library expansion and $4.6 million for town hall renovations to accommodate the consolidation of the Board of Education offices in town hall.
The AAA rating reflects the town’s sound financial performance, conservative long-term planning, low debt burden, well above average wealth and income levels and a stable residential tax base. The 20-year bonds were sold October 12 at 4.25%. Click here for the complete story.

On September 13, 2005, Judge Kevin Booth granted summary judgment in favor of the Town and the developer of Blue Back Square on six out of the eight counts in a lawsuit brought by three Town residents who are trying to stop the project. Another count was dismissed, leaving only a single, fairly narrow issue open for further proceedings.

In his decision, Judge Booth made several significant findings which address claims made by the opponents to the Blue Back Square project over the past year. He found that the Town had the legal authority to convey the Board of Education building and to issue the bonds associated with this project. He found that the revenue generated by the bonds "is to be used for public improvements as well as the encouragement of private development" and that these are "valid public purposes." He also specifically found that the Town and BBS had offered "uncontroverted evidence" that the Board of Education building "was transferred for consideration in excess of its fair market value."

Construction has now commenced on this project and will continue while the few remaining legal issues are resolved in court.

Appellate Court Denies Four Zoning Appeals
On Friday, June 24, 2005, the Appellate Court of Connecticut denied four petitions for certification to appeal which had been filed by opponents of the development project. The denial of these four petitions puts an end to the four zoning appeals which had challenged various aspects of the project. While other lawsuits are ongoing, the final resolution of these appeals is a major victory for the Town. With this decision, the Appellate Court has joined the Superior Court, the Town Council, the Plan and Zoning Commission and the electors of the Town in approving Blue Back Square project.

Second Referendum Passes Favorably
By a ratio of more than 2-1, voters on Wednesday, June 22 reaffirmed their support for the $158.8 million housing, office and entertainment complex in the town center. Total votes in favor of the project were 11,861 and those against were 5,007. The affirmative vote clears the way for an August 2005 groundbreaking.

On June 22, voters were asked, "Are you in favor of the resolution authorizing the amendment of a previously approved master agreement between the Town of West Hartford and Blue Back Square, LLC which provides for the conveyance of real estate by the Town to Blue Back Square, LLC; the construction of improvements upon Town land; the conveyance of real estate by Blue Back Square, LLC to the Town; the execution of certain easements, licenses and leases between Blue Back Square, LLC and the Town?

Resolution of May 19, 2005 Establishing Date and Time for Referendum

Explanation of Proposed Amendments to the Master Agreement between the Town of West Hartford and Blue Back Square, LLC

Changes to the proposed amendments as a result of the Special Town Council Meeting held on April 13, 2005:

Transcript of the April 13, 2005 special meeting.

On April 21, 2005, Judge Kevin Booth dismissed the four appeals which were filed in connection with the Blue Back Square zoning approvals. The text of Judge Booth's decision is available here in pdf format.

On February 23, 2005, Judge Kevin Booth dismissed the lawsuit filed by West Farms LLC regarding the Blue Back Square Project, holding that West Farms had no legal standing to bring their lawsuit. A copy of Judge Booth's decision is available here in pdf. format.

Conditions of Approval
The Town Council at its special meeting held on July 14, 2004 approved with conditions an application for Special Development District approvals in connection with Blue Back Square Development - 33, 61, 65, 69, 72, 90 and 103 Raymond Road, 20, 28 and 50 South MainStreet, and 96 Memorial Road (the "Property") - amendment of SDD# 36, creation of new SDDs, zone changes from SDD/BC to SDD/CBDH and from CBDH to SDD/CBDH, and approval of development plan.

These links contain portions of the 430-page Blue Back Square proposal. They are viewed through Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free software program. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, download is required before proceeding: (Please note: Some of these files are quite large so they may take a few minutes to download.)

Transcripts of Public Hearings

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consultant Reports:

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