If you drive down Columbus Boulevard you’ll see that Phase 1 of the Front Street District is almost done.   Front Street is the final phase of the massive Adriaen’s Landing project unveiled in the late 1990s.   It’s been a long time in coming.

Phase one will be home to restaurants and shops, although no tenants have signed on the dotted line yet.   A spokesman for the Nitkin Group told me details are still being worked out and discussions are underway with potential tenants. 

With the Connecticut Convention Center, Science Center and Marriott attracting thousands of visitors, Front Street couldn’t come at a better time.    The riverfront remains one of the top tourist attractions in Metro Hartford, and many of  these folks complain about one thing:  they want a place to eat nearby.  

The Nitkin group is looking for a music venue similar to a Toad’s Place to be one of the anchor tenants.   It’s also been reported that ESPN wants to open some sort of venue at Front Street as well.    A restaurateur with a location in West Hartford Center told me he has an idea for something at Front Street.  It is also possible some of Nitkin’s other tenants at their other developments in the state might set up camp there.   One selling point is the location:  the views on Front Street are awesome.  Someone would be wise to open a rooftop eatery there where diners can look at the city skyline.   

Plans are already in the making for phase 2 will include more retail and badly needed housing.