Developer in North End Wants City of Hartford To Do More

Raymond Eshaghoff owns Bedford Street Gardens.  He's a New Jersey businessman who heard about the run down complex and decided to take a look. He describes finding a strong neighborhood core that was supported by a brand new YMCA complex on one side of Bedford Street and a busy Health Center on the other. These neighorhood "tentpoles" helped Eshaghoff decide to invest. On a weekday afternoon, he travelled up to Hartford to proudly show off the newly renovated apartment buildings.

 

"We're standing inside 127 Bedford Street, it's one of the 10 buildings that we took over. All 10 buildings were vacant and dilapidated, there were vacant for roughly 10 years. HUD had foreclosed on them."

 

"Lucy: So you want to go in and show me around, what you've done? Raymond: Sure."

 

The front door opens into a bright hallway with clean white walls and a shiny hardwood floor. A few steps down the hallway is a 1-bedroom apartment.

 

"You'll see brand new, all wood kitchen cabinets. Granite tiles, granite counter, brand new bathroom, a new electricity."

 

All that for $600 a month, a 4 bedroom apartment for $1400.  But three years and roughly $6 million dollars later, the buildings are more than half empty. 

 

His property manager, Lynn Ford, who is also the Executive Director of Hartford Neighborhood Centers explains her typical encounter with a prospective tenant.

 

"Well when they look at the units themselves, they love the units. But when they step outside at a certain time and look down the street and see the activity, the  drug dealers hanging out and certain element walking through that's not positive, that makes their decision right then and there, especially if they have children." 

 

The developer's biggest complaint? Drug dealers who do business inside neighborhood stores. They also say violence is up in the area and loitering remains a problem. But Hartford City Police Lieutenant, Michael Cacioli whose community service officers work the neighborhood says crime in the area is actually on the decline.  Cacioli says in the last two years, there's been a ten percent decrease in crimes like rape, murder, robbery and assault. And the trend has continued. 

 

"Since March 1, there's been a total of part 1 crimes in that area we're speaking of. 

Six arrests and 1 confirmed call of shots fired."

 

But over the same time period, police have made dozens of arrests in the streets surrounding Bedford, many for drug offenses.  Eshaghoff believes more can be done to cut down on crime. And he's not pointing a finger at police. Instead, he says city officials should do more to shut down problem sites that attract criminals.

 

"In the afternoons and on the weekends, there is open rampant drug activity on the three stores that are open on Mather and a couple of stores on Albany. As a result, it's a haven for drug dealers, as a result its a haven for gangs. Innocent bystanders get shot in the leg, a kid just got shot in the leg two blocks down the road, that's what we've seen."

 

Lieutenant Cacioli says police are working with the city licensing and inspections department and other agencies like the fire marshal and the health department to close down problem stores. He says that happened just two weeks ago at a package store on Albany Avenue. 

 

But Eshaghoff says the city needs to take an event tougher stance on problem stores like working with the Chief State's Attorney's office which has a unit that enforces a Nuisance Act and can shut down businesses for good because of illegal activity.

 

"We have not used that in awhile, but it is a tool that is at our disposal."

 

Edison Silva is with the City's Licensing and Inspections department.

 

"But I will tell you that it hasn't been our experience to this point where we have identified any business that we feel we have to go after as a nuisance."

 

But that's not the only thing Eshagoff wants from the city. An application for a fence around Bedford Gardens was denied and An attempt to get a vacant lot next door has stalled too. 

Eschagoff says he's gotten more help from the city of New York in developing parts of the South Bronx and Harlem than he's gotten in Hartford. 

 

"Indecision is what really kills the neighborhood."

 

But a city official told WNPR there are good reasons for delays on Raymond Eshagoff's requests. His fence would close off city property and might hinder emergency traffic , the vacant lot might be contaminated, and police can't just shut down local businesses without due process. 

 

Lieutenant Michael Cacioli says the city is committed to keeping property owners like Eshagoff around.

 

"We want investors, what they're doing on Bedford Street, to continue to other places. It's a good thing, we need more of it and we don't want to lose them. They're improving that area and we want to do our part too."

 

Eshaghoff says he's put too much into area to pull out of Hartford. He's hoping new leadership in city hall is the catalyst that gets city government back to helping people who are investing in the city.