Amid celebration of renovation in CT, broad challenges emerge
The next challenge is already waiting.
A rousing grand opening of the $145 million renovation of downtown Hartford’s PeoplesBank Arena was crowned by the simultaneous popping of a half-dozen champagne bottle corks, but outside the front entrance on Trumbull Street : empty storefronts.
A $2 million matching grant program could inject life into those spaces and build on the momentum of the long-debated arena renovation, officials say.
The grants of $250,000 or potentially more would encourage minimum 5-year leases in long-vacant storefronts along Trumbull and Asylum streets in the privately-owned Hartford 21 complex that surrounds the arena.
The exact boundaries have yet to be determined, but it is likely that they also could also encompass a corridor that extends up Pratt Street to Main Street, forming and “I” that visually leads to west to the 16,000-seat arena.
One property that already has been earmarked for the program is the former City Steam Brewery, which operated at 942 Main St. for 44 years before closing last year.
Peter Luukko, facilities chairman for Oak View Group, which invested $20 million in the arena renovations and runs the day-to-day operations of the venue, said Denver-based OVG is enthusiastic about the grant program and would support those efforts.
“We do have retail relationships, and importantly, anybody who does rent those storefronts, we want to cross-market with them,” Luukko said, after the grand opening ceremonies.
“So, it wouldn’t be something that would be rented, and you’re on your own,” Luukko said. “We would like to support their business, maybe even — depending on what they sell — sell some of those items at events, or just cross-market and usually we have a massive data list.”
OVG has a depth of experience in repositioning sports and entertainment venues. The organization manages 300 sports and entertainment venues globally and redevelops others.
‘Experiential’ uses
The new program — recently created by the Capital Region Development Authority using funding approved by the state legislature — aims to build on the success of the city’s $9 million Hart Lift storefront revitalization program. Hart Lift provided matching grants, focusing heavily on downtown, especially along the pedestrian-only Pratt Street.
The MetroHartford Alliance, the region’s chamber of commerce, lobbied successfully for the $2 million, and believes that leasing vacant space near the renovated arena will boost vibrancy in the center of downtown.
David Griggs, the alliance’s president and chief executive, said he believes the storefronts along Trumbull Street west of the main entrance to the arena would be ideal for so-called “experiential” uses.
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A pedestrian passes empty storefronts attached to the front of the PeoplesBank Arena along Trumbull Street in Hartford on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
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A pedestrian passes empty storefronts attached to the front of the PeoplesBank Arena along Trumbull Street in Hartford on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
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Those uses combine restaurant, bar or both with another activity, much like the national franchise Dave & Buster’s that marries food and drink with an arcade, tabletop games and billiards.
“We need to pull something down here that on a Tuesday in February, when there isn’t a game or a concert, you can still come downtown, and there’s something to do,” Griggs said.
The alliance said it also has in mind tenants that would be attractive to what’s expected to be growing population of college students in the downtown area. A residence hall for up to 200 students enrolled at the University of Connecticut’s regional campus on Front Street is now under construction on Pratt Street in former office space. The residence hall is expected to be ready for the fall of 2026.
Some UConn students are already living in apartments on Main Street across from City Hall.
Vacant for years
The storefronts along Trumbull Street in the Hartford 21 complex encompass 13,000 square feet that stretch from the main entrance to the arena’s atrium on Trumbull north to Church Street.
Those spaces have been largely vacant — except for storage or the occasional pop-up — since the redevelopment of the then Hartford Civic Center in 2006 that added a soaring apartment tower, eliminated a shopping mall and created the storefronts.
Griggs said those spaces have been difficult to lease because they are basically shells without plumbing, electricity, restrooms or floors.
“If you were a restaurant and you want to go in there, you’re going to have to pay for that,” Griggs said. “And that just shoots up the cost to the level that, clearly today, a restaurant or retail or whatever hasn’t been willing to bear.”
The grant program would help to fill in that gap,” Griggs said.
Newton-based Northland, the developer and owner of the Hartford 21 residential tower and complex that surrounds the arena, said the grant program has the potential to attract new businesses to downtown Hartford.
“With the recent PeoplesBank Arena renovations and UConn’s expanded presence, the area is set to attract more visitors, students, and activity,” Rita Tyszka, Northland’s vice president, commercial, said, in a statement. “The grant will help reduce high construction costs that have impacted the ability to lease retail spaces, creating an opportunity to contribute to a more vibrant downtown.”
The grant funding still must be approved by the State Bond Commission. But CRDA’s executive director Michael W. Freimuth said he expects it will get the needed backing.
“The one thing that we want to do is hug the arena,” Freimuth said. “We don’t want to travel too far away. There are other programs that get at that. I do think it might maybe stretch to Main, because once you walk up Pratt, it’s that same general entertainment area. And maybe even drift down to Allyn Street.”
Freimuth said, “It could probably stretch a little, but I really don’t want to snap the elastic on it.”
The grants must be matched 100% by the property owner, the tenant or a combination of both. The program would be administered by the Hartford Chamber of Commerce.
Funding decisions would be made by a six-member committee representing CRDA, the city of Hartford, the alliance, the Hartford chamber and experts in other related areas such as commercial real estate and real estate law. The city of Hartford has final approval and could deny if the applicant is not in good standing with the city.
Decade of debate
The arena renovation celebrated Friday came after more than a decade of debate.
Opponents said it was not worth investing tens of millions in a structure that is now 50 years old, making it a better candidate for tearing down. Supporters said a refurbished arena would provide a boost to the local ecosystem of restaurants, bars and shops and re-establish the arena as a regional attraction.
Key to the project was the $20 million investment by OVG, which saw the potential to double or even triple the number of concerts booked for Hartford, to 30 or more annually. More concerts — key moneymakers for modern arenas — are seen as path to profitability.
On Saturday, rock icon Stevie Nicks was the first concert performer scheduled to take the stage since the renovation. Nicks, also the lead singer for Fleetwood Mac, will be followed by Pentatonix on Dec. 6; Andrea Bocelli on Dec.13, Ricardo Arjona in February and Cardi B in April. OVG says more concert announcements are expected soon.
In addition to more concert bookings, the renovated arena offers more options for premium seating — loge boxes and bunker suites — and accompanying amenities such as an event-level club — all commanding higher ticket prices. Together, it is hoped the state-run arena’s money-losing track record, at about $2 million annually, will be reversed in the coming years.
While the grand opening was held last week, work is expected to continue for the next six to eight months, but won’t interrupt the venue’s operations, CRDA’s Freimuth said. CRDA oversees the operations of the arena.
The renovations still underway include the bunker suites and the visiting artist suite of rooms. There are also plans to add more women’s restrooms on the concourse level and spruce up the exterior along Church Street with sports- or entertainment-themed murals.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at [email protected].
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