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On Track – All Aboard

Prepared for the Town of Windsor Locks CT First Selectman – Chris Kervick

© Aaron Zaretsky Public Market Development

828 645-9291 www.publicmarketdevelopment.com

pohlzaret@aol.com

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Table of Contents:

Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………. P. 5 Executive Summary……………………………………………………………… P. 6 Existing conditions in Windsor Locks………………………………………….. P. 7 Who is the author of this report?........................................................................ P. 17 What is a Public Market?.................................................................................... P. 18 A brief review of past relevant documents……………………………………… P. 27 Mapping Windsor Locks………………………………………………………… P. 28 Complementary and competitive factors……………………………………….. P. 32 Strengths and weaknesses of customer based demographics…………………. P. 37

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Demand and Feasibility for a Public Market in Windsor Locks………………. P. 50 What should a Windsor Locks Public Market be like?....................................... P. 57 Recommended Market size, components and amenities………………………. P. 64 Three possible special tenants…………………………………………………… P. 65 The Public Market site and name………………………………………………... P. 69 Suggested potential partners………………………………………………........... P. 75 Recommended development options…………………………………………….. P. 77 Draft Mission and Goals…………………………………………………………... P. 81 Management Plan………………………………………………………………….. P. 84 Costs & Timing for the Connecticut River Valley Public Market……………….. P. 86 Funding the Market………………………………………………………………… P. 87 Next steps…………………………………………………………………………… P. 89

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………... P. 90

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MAPS: Map 1: Windsor Locks relationship to Hartfield and Springfield…………………………… P. 28 Map 2: Windsor Locks location in Connecticut……………………………………………… P. 28 Map 3: Relationship to other towns in Hartford County…………………………………….. P. 29 Map 4: Original town plat for Windsor Locks………………………………………………….P. 29 Map 5: Aerial View……………………………………………………………………………….P. 30 Map 6: Windsor Locks today…………………………………………………………………… P. 30 Map 7 and 8:……………………………………………………………………………………... P. 31 Map 9: Existing area Farmers Markets………………………………………………………… P. 36 Map 10: Concentric Customer Trade Areas:…………………………………………………… P. 38

TABLES: Table 1: Shopping Venues. Asheville NC vs. Windsor Locks………………………………… P. 33 Table 2: Trade Area Demographics……………………………………………………………. P. 39 Table 3: Ancestry of Windsor Locks Residents………………………………………………... P. 44 Table 4: Windsor Locks Household Income Distribution……………………………………. P. 45 Table 5: Windsor Locks vs. Connecticut - Work and Jobs……………………………………. P. 46 Table 6: Means of Transportation to Work…………………………………………………….. P. 47 Table 7: Windsor Locks Concerning Statistics………………………………………………… P. 48 Table 8: Average Climate Activity in Windsor Locks………………………………………….. P. 49 Table 9: ESRI Prediction of Retail Demand and Supply in Windsor Locks…………………. P. 51 Table 10: Windsor Locks Traffic Counts……………………………………………………….. P. 54 Table 11: Tourist Spending Away from Home…………………………………………………. P. 55 Table 12: Successful Public Markets in Similar Sized Communities………………………….. P. 56

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Acknowledgements: This Study would not be possible without the insights and creative leadership of Chris Kervick, First Selectman of Windsor Locks. He is a treasure. His energetic commitment and affection for his home were always apparent. His deep understanding of the opportunities and problems facing Windsor Locks were invaluable in shaping this Study. The high level of enthusiasm for the project combined with the many citizens wanting to contribute ideas, support, and time to make the Public Market a reality is unusual for a venture at this early stage of development. Several people made substantial contributions to helping inform the endeavor and move the concept forward. These people included: Mary Jane Perrier, Market Master of the Windsor Locks Farmers Market. Chris Ferrero, Planner with Fuss and O’Neil Tony Karlowicz of the Back East Brewing Co. Vincent Cianfrani, proprietor of Vinnies Little Acre Robert Rybick, Geissler’s Supermarkets Tina Salvatore, proprietress of Tina’s Cake Emporium Jen Rodriguez, Town Planner Heidi Gilmore, Windsor Locks Social Service Director Jim Pearce, Winlox Farms Windsor Locks is lucky to have a broad array of citizens, both in and out of its government with deep roots and a deep love of their community. This Study builds on the many prior reports and information made available to me by Chris Kervick and his staff. The ideas and suggestions contained herein, and any mistakes or oversights are solely the responsibility of the author.

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Executive Summary: This Report examines the feasibility of locating a Public Market in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The economy and the community fabric of Windsor Locks was devastated decades ago by the destruction of the Main Street retail infrastructure and its replacement by a few substandard strip malls. Windsor Locks has the ability to take advantage of its location astride two major metropolitan areas with a potential customer base of nearly 2,000,000 residents within the 20-minute drive time that residents typically will travel to shop at “their” Public Market. This potential geographic advantage is further enhanced by the siting of the only regional airport for both Hartford and Springfield in Windsor Locks as well as Amtrak and soon-to-come Hartford Line commuter rail line stop. Currently, the Town is losing an enormous resource to neighboring communities by having a paltry selection of retail opportunities. This is especially apparent in the lack of opportunities for buying fresh foods and first-class restaurants. The impact of this is that hundreds of jobs, scores of entrepreneurial opportunities, and millions in tax revenues are lost to surrounding communities. Despite these concerns, Windsor Locks is a wonderful community that has tremendous resources. It has many of the best “Mayberry-like” qualities that many other suburban communities sorely lack. Its strong emphasis on family, relatively low-crime rate, stable housing infrastructure, tradition of citizen involvement, and its potentially fabulous geographic location on the Canal and the Connecticut River are all tremendous assets which could be leveraged into creating a distinctive, economically prosperous, cohesive and attractive community. Windsor Locks is at a crossroads. If its future is as a bedroom exurban community where residents leave to shop, work and be entertained, then little needs to change. If, however, resident’s vision is to rebuild their community as a vibrant, distinctive, and healthy community, then a Public Market will substantially help to realize that vision. The Report details specific suggestions of how to establish and maintain a healthy and vibrant Public Market environment. Public Markets’ showcase what is best about a community while meeting their everyday shopping needs. The vibrancy and color of the Windsor Locks Public Market will expand economic opportunities and improve life for all residents of Windsor Locks. The study suggests that a Public Market is feasible. The viability of a Public Market is established through the lens of geography, demographics, a demand analysis, visitor characteristics & existing uses. The Plan concludes that the Public Market is feasible on its own and that its success will help address other issues that will enhance the Windsor Locks community. Specific characteristics of the Public Market and its tenant mixes are recommended. Several potential anchor tenants are suggested. The recommended components of the Market are described along with the Market’s recommended size, rough capital costs and timing for development. The Plan concludes that the Public Market and its associated components and enhancements are not only feasible but could be transformative for Windsor Locks’ business and residential community.

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Existing conditions in Windsor Locks Originally, the land that is now Windsor Locks was settled by members of the Algonquian tribe. Europeans began to trickle into the area in the early 1600’s. By the 1700’s the population was still overwhelmingly Native American. Pine Meadow, a portion of the original settlement of Windsor, occupied the land that is now Windsor Locks.

By 1829, the first canal and locks were built to bypass the treacherous Enfield Falls that prevented larger boats from travelling north up the Connecticut River. As the Windsor locks were created to lift boats up and around the falls, water power became available and spurred the creation of numerous mills.

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The Montgomery Mill Building 1890 and 2017

This helped transform the local economy from one based almost entirely on agriculture, to a mixed economy where manufacturing & industry were important. Although Windsor Locks is known as a manufacturing and milling center, the land in the region surrounding Windsor Locks remains fertile and is an important agricultural resource to this day. Numerous farm stands & farmers markets provided shopping opportunities for local residents to purchase fresh food throughout the past centuries.

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Library of Congress agriculture photos of Windsor Locks from the 1940’s Drawn by the rich alluvial soil left by the Connecticut River, immigrants from all over Europe, especially those of Italian, German and Polish descent, settled in Windsor Locks because of the fertile agricultural lands. Tobacco was and remains an important cash crop.

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Windsor Locks Polish Tobacco Farmers – 1940

Windsor Locks youngsters helping out on the farm.

Windsor Locks was incorporated as a distinct entity in 1854. The railroad connecting Hartford and Springfield arrived soon after and hastened the development of the community.

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From 1870 until 1950, Windsor Locks had a slowly growing population (2000 to 4,500 residents). However, starting around 1950, the population experienced a major spurt so that by 1975, the town’s population was nearly 16,000 residents. Main Street, adjacent to the Connecticut River, the railroad and the canal on the east side was lined with shops one the west side of the street and the economy boomed.

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Sadly, in an attempt to ‘modernize’, during the 1960’s and 70’s, the heyday of “Urban Removal”, most of the historic commercial buildings and mills were torn down. Main St. was left mostly barren on the side facing the railroad tracks. As the economy spun into decline, many residents left the community. From 1975 to 1985 the population seriously declined and then remained relatively stable at its current population of roughly 14,500. Entertainment venues such as the ice skating rink & Rialto theatre, as well as supermarkets such as the A&P, Johnny’s Market, Aldo’s and Geissler’s helped to weave the fabric of the city together and celebrate its varied ethnic heritage. Sadly, they were all lost to the wrecking ball of urban renewal.

. Windsor Locks is located roughly 20 minutes from the much larger communities of Hartford Connecticut and Springfield Massachusetts, then and now, Windsor Locks had and has a distinct identity. Likewise, despite its location near two metropolitan areas, it has the feel of a discrete community dripping with character, culture and commitment. It is not at all like so many exurban American communities filled with characterless cul-de-sacs and franchises. Similar communities all over Connecticut changed over the last score of years, growing quickly as people moved to the suburbs. Shopping centers with their big box stores sprang up alongside of gated communities. The move to suburbia was often characterized by increased homogeneity. Suburban communities frequently lacked a distinctive personality. One could drive through countless Connecticut suburban towns and have no idea whether you were in Maryland or Montana. Commercial strips consisting of endless franchises and chain stores have no distinct character. Americans laughed at the presentation of Andy Griffith’s “Mayberry” which became synonymous with the place that modernity had bypassed. Yet, Windsor Locks was and is different. It embodies many of the best and sweetest qualities of that ‘Mayberry-like’ stereotype… a family orientation, citizens who care deeply for “their” community, and an aura of hard-working, largely blue-collar residents that stand in sharp contrast to the stereotype of some Connecticut residents as wealthy, stuck-up, and stuffy.

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Distinctively, here one finds in Windsor Locks:

Well-kept single-family homes with BBQs and children’s play equipment in the backyard.

A stunning geographic setting on the Connecticut River.

Bradley Airport, in Windsor Locks, the only major airport serving New England south or west of Boston.

Within two years, a new commuter rail stop adjacent to the Connecticut River will be built in the heart of what should be the new Downtown for Windsor Locks. This will mean that in minutes, for a $3.50 ticket, residents from Springfield to Hartford will be able to be in the shopping district for Windsor Locks.

Family homes shaded by mature trees.

A relatively low crime rate.

A community that values education.

Caring families with rich traditions that go back many generations.

Owner-operated shops and businesses that exude thoughtful character that stand in stark contrast to the homogenous collections of McDonalds, Wendy’s, and similar chain stores and franchises that frequently characterize, and all too often overwhelm near and distant communities, thereby stripping them of any distinctive quality that they may possess.

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THIS:

NOT:

A forward-thinking municipal government that seeks to reverse the devastating impacts of past ‘urban renewal’.

A town administration that has successfully created legal tools (like a TIF District) to put Windsor Locks back on track.

A town where teenagers want to return after college.

A community where citizens are engaged in the future of their community and where citizens volunteer readily.

A community where both historically and currently, different ethnicities and races coexisted peacefully.

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Windsor Locks is a medium sized community with many of the best characteristics of a small 1950’s town. Windsor Locks is truly a very special place.

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Yet, there is trouble in ‘paradise’.

Windsor Locks’ per capita income is 5% less than the state as a whole - ($36,775/35,129).

Windsor Locks’ median household income is 6% less than the state as a whole - $71,346/67,222.

Anecdotally, many young people in Windsor Locks are addicted to opioids. This is characteristic of communities where residents fear they don’t have much to do or much of a future.

Windsor Locks’ children who graduate college and wish to return home, too often are faced with a lack of opportunity.

There are no supermarkets in the community. Taxes are lost to other communities.

There are no first-rate restaurants in the community. Taxes are lost to other communities.

While there are parks, there are few other entertainment venues in the community.

The “Concerning Statistics” Table 7 in the ‘Demographics’ section of this Plan calls for changes.

Many residents are forced to commute 20 minutes to half an hour to get to work. This translates into both health and quality of life concerns.

The Connecticut River, one of Windsor Locks’ finest geographic attributes, is relatively inaccessible. It is not advertised as a regional attraction and has no public access for boats.

There is not much of a “Downtown”. There is no obvious place where citizens can gather for recreation, social interaction, shopping and entertainment.

Despite an ethnically diverse community and a comparatively open attitude toward race and class among most residents, there is virtually no “common ground” where different races and classes mix in a safe and fun venue…outside of the schools.

“Windsor Locks, at the time, was home to immigrants, their children and their grandchildren. They were mostly English, Irish, French, Italian and Polish. The cultural heritage of our nationality played a big role…I never saw any trouble between people of different nationalities while I was growing up in Windsor Locks.” Mel Montemerlo – Growing Up in Windsor Locks in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

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Windsor Locks has a rich history with so many strengths and struggles. It is prime for the next phase of development to fully realize its vitality.

Mel Montemerlo – Growing Up in Windsor Locks in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

Who is the Author of this Plan? The author of this Plan spent fifteen years as a Director at Seattle’s Pike Place Public Market, the nation’s most successful Public Market with fourteen and a half million annual customer visits. He was a Director during the $65 million renewal of Pike Place Market. The Market’s redevelopment is credited with transforming downtown Seattle from the nation’s original ‘skid road’, with countless derelict buildings, abandoned housing, and relatively low employment, into the nation’s healthiest and most prosperous downtown. Pike Place is also the #1 tourist attraction in the surrounding four state region. When the author began his tenure at Pike Place Market, there were no upper-income downtown residents, a handful of middle-income downtown residents, and a few hundred low-income and homeless downtown residents. Today, 54,000 Seattleites live downtown. Some of the most expensive condominiums in the U.S. are located overlooking the Market. Pike Place Market is universally credited with leading and causing this renewal. Furthermore, there are more middle and low-income housing units in and around Pike Place Market today than when its renewal begun in the mid 1970’s. For 38 years, through his company, Public Market Development, the author has helped to plan, redevelop, develop, and/or manage over 50 Public Markets across the country and internationally. He has worked for cities, states, counties, CRA’s, Downtown Development entities, and private developers. He has spoken on community and economic development at numerous national conferences, has helped to advise a variety of national initiatives for the federal government, and has convened a task force of national funders led by the Ford Foundation focused on utilizing Public Markets as a proven tool for community economic development. Finally, he has helped to raise over $120 million in grants helping to create Public Markets nationwide.

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Additional information about the author, as well as Public Markets in general will be found at the author’s professional website – www.publicmarketdevelopment.com

Defining the Market - What is a Public Market?

A Public Market is a year-round, carefully crafted, intentional and diverse medley of owner-operated

shops, stalls and/or "daytables". Public Markets exist to fulfill a public purpose, and to reflect what is

distinctive about a community, while serving its everyday shopping needs.

Public Markets typically focus on the sale of a full array of fresh and prepared foods, rounded out by

locally made crafts, and a variety of needed neighborhood businesses. Sales are made from stores,

stalls, carts, and daytables.

Public Markets typically incorporate an outdoor, seasonal farmer’s market for the sale of "in season",

fresh and value-added farm products, sold on tables rented by the day. These ‘daytables’ are augmented

with local crafts outside the growing season.

Public Markets are alive with people and color

Public Markets prohibit chain stores and franchises. They focus on businesses that are locally owned

and operated, which highlight local foods, character and culture.

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Public Markets throb with vitality

The Public Market building is typically owned and operated by public or non-profit entities. They exist

for multiple public purposes, such as agricultural development, small business incubation, tourist

attraction, job creation, access to fresh and nutritious food and increasing surrounding property values. They are very different from festival marketplaces, farmers markets, malls or flea markets. They are public spaces where different ages, income and ethnic groups, can rub shoulders in a safe, vibrant and fun environment. They have a proven history of being a powerful economic engine. Public Markets sales will translate into many tens of millions of dollars in new revenue to local entrepreneurs, creates hundreds of new jobs, scores of entrepreneurial opportunities, and millions of dollars in new tax revenues.

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According to the S.B.A., roughly 94% of all new jobs that are created in our economy are created by firms that employ between 0 and 4 employees. The reason that Public Markets are so economically beneficial is that they create a needed critical mass by amalgamating these small retailers in a central location with enough critical mass, institutional advertising, display and business support, attractive and needed products, and exciting social energy (the “jazz” factor) to help maximize their chance of success. Large firms employing hundreds are actually responsible for the loss of millions of new jobs as plants relocate to Mexico, China, etc. The traditional economic development paradigm is to create jobs by running new water, sewer, electric lines and roads to a new industrial plant and offering a corporation a 30-year tax abatement to locate their plant in a new industrial park that creates a few hundred new jobs. Public Market turn this model upside down. By plugging into existing utilities, locating “downtown” and by harnessing the job-creating engine of small, private, for-profit businesses, Public Markets create hundreds of good jobs while adding tremendous value to surrounding properties, encourage housing development, as well as fashioning a year-round attraction for locals and tourists alike. The $65 million dollars in grants, which funded the initial renovation of Seattle’s Pike Place Market, has leveraged well over twenty times that amount in nearby, surrounding private investment. Public Markets, once they are built and occupied, pay their own operating expenses and generate million in new tax revenues, hundreds of new jobs and scores of entrepreneurial opportunities for their communities.

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Upscale housing adjacent to Pike Place Market has among the highest sq. ft. cost in the world Public Markets attract new visitors to a community. For example, the author developed a Master Plan for the expansion and renewal of the historic Findlay Market in Cincinnati, Ohio - http://www.findlaymarket.org/. The City followed the Master Plan and Findlay Market is now one of the principle reasons that tourists cite for visiting Cincinnati.

Entrance (first proposed by the author) outside of Cincinnati’s Findlay (Public) Market Similarly, Roanoke, Virginia (which has a regional population similar to Windsor Locks) rebranded and renovated their Public Market – http://www.downtownroanoke.org/city-market. This effort is cited as the principle reason that the owners of the historic Roanoke Hotel invested tens of millions of dollars to reopen the hotel and expand it to include a conference center. See:

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http://www.hotelroanoke.com/index.php. Before the Market’s renewal, the hotel had stood empty for decades.

Roanoke Hotel and Conference Center

Public Markets are beloved by their customers. Recently, in the midst of the recession, Seattle citizens, voted overwhelmingly to raise their property taxes by $73 million to complete a new round of physical renovations at “their” Pike Place Public Market. They did so because they understood how critical the Public Market was to the lifeblood of the City. Public Markets typically focus on fresh food and local foods. They often have many types of local foods produced on site such as fresh roasted coffee, cheeses, homemade chocolates, fruit and berry based vinegars, salsas, fresh made tortillas, and other value-added products. Local handmade crafts are highlighted. Prepared food stalls with counter seating, often focus on ethnic specialties. Restaurants with table seating are typically rounded out by other needed neighborhood services such as a shoe repair shop. In Public Markets across the country, customers closely mirror the demographic makeup of the larger communities where the Market is located. Unlike malls, which are typically geared towards a particular economic and/or ethnic slice of the local population, Public Markets have historically proven their ability to cut across economic and racial lines in bringing together a broad cross section of the local population in a safe, lively, and exciting venue, where everyone feels welcome. Most successful Public Markets incorporate vibrant public spaces that provide opportunities for local festivals, concerts, health fairs, etc. Often, they include a commercial kitchen where local farmers can create value-added products, local citizens can create and professionalize their food offerings, local chefs can demonstrate their cooking talents, and regional hospitals and health departments can teach citizens about nutrition and healthy eating. These kitchens also serve as a commissary kitchen to prepare food for Public Market-sponsored events. Public Markets are catalysts for the creation of vibrant, mixed-use, successful communities.

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Public Markets around the country have helped to create the local emphasis on buying healthful, locally grown, fresh foods. Public Markets are an idea that is 6,000 years young. Thousands of years ago, Plato and Socrates strolled through the ancient Agora in Athens. Public Markets have proven their ability to be a key economic engine and builder of community cohesiveness. Following the proven success of Pike Place Market at turning around downtown Seattle, in the last 30 years, approximately 300 new successful Public Markets have been developed/redeveloped. In addition to attracting a broad cross section of the local population, Public Markets have proven their ability to become significant tourist attractions. The customer base at most Public Markets is roughly 1/3 tourists. In most cities where they are located, the Public Market is the #1 tourist attraction.

Pike Place Market on a “slow” day – 14,500,00 annual customer visits to 250 merchants

This has occurred during a time when most ‘Festival Markets’ (upscale agglomerations of national chain stores – Gucci Shoes, Crabtree and Evelyn, Banana Republic, etc.) have been dying and going bankrupt. See the article “After the Festival is Over” - linked to on the author’s website, for the documentation of this fact.

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DC’s Old Post Office - a failed “Festival Market” following a $280 million-dollar renovation. Now re-renovated again as the ‘Trump Hotel’. Gorgeous architecture, very few customers Likewise, across the country, shopping malls have barely kept up with inflation, as they try, without a lot of success, to compete with the internet and catalog sales. See “Why Malls are Getting Mauled” NY Times, 12-22-12.

Many malls are dying

Public Markets succeed economically because they are fundamentally social places. Many Public Market individual businesses succeed phenomenally well.

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Many multibillion-dollar international businesses started as ‘mom and pop’ shops or farm stands at a Public Market. These businesses include Starbucks Coffee, Sur La Table (kitchen supplies), Cascadian Foods (largest organic food distributor in the world), Wax Orchards (Cider), Chukar Cherries, Tradewell Foods, etc.

The original Starbucks at Pike Place Market

When the author of this Plan was a Director at Seattle’s Pike Place Market, we commissioned a customer intercept survey. Customers in the Public Market and in a nearby mall were asked – “Why did you come down here today” and “How much did you spend here today". At the mall, 94% of respondents said one form or another of “I came to shop” – “I needed to buy a vacuum cleaner bag and this was the place to get it.” In contrast, at the Public Market, only 26% of respondents “came to shop”. Public Market customers however, came for fundamentally social reasons. They came to meet a friend, to people watch, to enjoy the street musicians, to mix with people who were different from themselves in a secure and vital environment. Despite the fact that Public Market customers did not “come to shop”, they actually spent roughly twice as much money per customer visit at the Public Market, then the shoppers at the Mall. This is the secret to creating a successful Public Market. As workers have less and less time for shopping, they prefer to combine their shopping time with their social time. Creating this kind of “experience” takes the planning and management expertise necessary to create a dynamic environment of ‘controlled chaos.’

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Public Market ‘experiences’ are often unforgettable

This will encourage shoppers to drive past their neighborhood supermarket to delight in ‘their’ Public Market. As in any other city, The Connecticut River Valley Public Market would need to focus on the special attributes and needs of its local community.

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Review of Past Relevant Documents: In order to evaluate and make recommendations that honor the history and past initiatives of the Town, the author of this Study has reviewed various news articles, Town planning documents, and the Library of Congress documents online and a broad array of historical, demographic and descriptive reports and information compiled from the internet. Also reviewed were the Downtown Complete Street Improvements Report, issues of the Windsor Locks Journal, Site and Phasing Plan for the new Commuter Rail station, the Windsor Locks Assessment, TIF District and Master Plan and Map, the Market Feasibility Study for the Historic Train Station, the 2016 LOTCIP application for Windsor Locks Downtown Street Improvements, the Hartford Line Action Plan, and the Windsor Locks Once and Future Transit Oriented Development Study, as well as numerous press releases and articles all provided by the Town of Windsor Locks. The picture that emerges is that of an energetic, safe, quaint, family-oriented City that embodies many of the best historic attributes of small-town America, but lacks shopping, eating, entertainment and employment opportunities. Windsor Locks shines as a place that is beloved by its citizens yet a place where residents must leave to do most anything – work, play, eat, socialize. The well-prepared planning documents all point to the need for the redevelopment of the Main Street District initially focused on the area around the coming commuter rail station. The deficiency in attractive restaurants, shopping venues, social settings, entertainment opportunities, clubs, etc., exacerbates a concern that there is not much in Windsor Locks to attract and retain millennials.

In spite of its history, Windsor Locks has a current reputation as a relatively sedate community. However, this trend has begun to change. In the opinion of this Study’s author, there is clearly a yearning for a downtown community that is vibrant, full of life, and exciting. If a Public Market is built, it will respond to this yearning and will spin off other uses that will help to create and strengthen a lively urban core.

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Mapping Windsor Locks

Map 1: Windsor Locks – relationship to Hartford CT and Springfield MA

Map 2: Location in the State of Connecticut

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Map 3: Relationship to other towns in Hartford County

Map 4: Original town plat

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Map 5: Aerial view of Windsor Locks

Map 6: Windsor Locks today

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Map 7 & 8: Main St. – Likely location for new downtown commercial area

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Complementary and Competitive factors Competitive factors:

There are very few competitive businesses that will negatively impact the Public Market. In fact there is a surprising dearth of shopping opportunities in Windsor Locks. Based on the author’s experience, people will drive roughly 20 minutes to shop weekly for fresh foods from “their” Public Market. This distance encompasses most of Hartford CT and Springfield MA. One imperfect but revealing way of illustrating this, is to contrast Windsor Locks (population around 15,000) lying midway between the Hartford Metro area (population 1,214,295) and Springfield MA Metro area (population 692,942) with the larger city of Asheville N.C. (city population of 89,121). The combined metro areas surrounding Windsor Locks has a total of nearly 2,000,000 residents, while the somewhat larger city of Asheville N.C., has a much smaller metro area of 424,858. For a Public Market in Windsor Locks, almost all customers will come from the combined Hartford - Springfield metro area. This area has roughly 4 times the population than the metro area surrounding Asheville. Windsor Locks’ in-city population, however, is 1/5th the size of Asheville. Thus, one would expect a somewhat smaller number of retail outlets in Windsor Locks compared to Asheville. However, assuming that it is successful as a regional attraction, the potential customer base of Windsor Locks is far greater. The truth reflected in the chart that follows, is dramatic.

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Asheville N.C. - A city whose population is constrained by surrounding mountains. Table 1: Comparison of shopping opportunities in Windsor Locks Ct. and Asheville NC. (All numbers are for in-city venues only).

Shopping venue Asheville NC Windsor Locks CT

Shopping malls 2 0

2 star and better Hotels 118 13

Supermarkets 53 0

Farmers Markets 18 1

Brew Pubs 52 0

Live Music Venues (Non-restaurant)

23 0

Cinemas 9 (+/- 85 screens)

0

Non-Chain First Class Restaurants (4* +)

+/- 75 +/- 7

Upscale Specialty Food Stores 20 0

Live theatres 9 0

Arts and Crafts galleries +/- 50 0

Ethnic food stores (excluding Mexican groceries)

7 0

Books stores (non-religious) 21 0

Organic food stores +/- 23 0

Shopping venues in Asheville NC vs. Windsor Locks

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How does one account for the shockingly dramatic differences evident in the above chart? Median household income in Asheville is $42,333. In Windsor Locks, median household income is $67,222. Windsor Locks’ population is over 50% more wealthy than Asheville’s. Clearly, higher income is not responsible for the disparity. Part of the disparity lies in the number of tourists. Asheville enjoys roughly 5,000,000 annual out-of-area visitors. In contrast, Windsor Locks enjoys few out-of-area visitors who are not coming to the airport or for business or personal reasons. The obvious question is why Windsor Locks has so dramatically fewer visitors that shop in the community and, how to reverse that trend. One reason for the low visitation rate in Windsor Locks is the fact that there are roughly 1/10th as many quality hotels and restaurants in Windsor Locks compared to Asheville NC. The fact is that despite the fact that the Bradley airport receives nearly 1,500,000 enplanements and deplanements annually (see http://www.bradleyairport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/March-2017-Passenger-Numbers.pdf), hardly any of those potential customers stop to shop or spend money in Windsor Locks. The roughly 20,000 Amtrak passengers annually stopping or embarking in Windsor Locks will certainly increase once the new commuter rail station is in place. According to James Redecker, Ct. Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, the new $769 million commuter line between Hartford and Springfield, will be in place by 2018, with a projected initial ridership of 585,000 riders in 2018 ultimately increasing to between 800,000 – 1,000,000 riders annually. The Windsor Locks stop will be one of three stops between Harford and Springfield. Despite these relatively high numbers of potential customers from outside the area, there are virtually no regional attractions that beckon outsiders to spend their time in Windsor Locks. The New England Air Museum is the sole regional attraction and receives roughly 50,000 annual visitors. The Firefighters Memorial, Noden Reed Museum, and the Canal State Park are not marketed as regional attractions. Although the Canal State Park hike along the Connecticut River has the potential to become a regional attraction, it is not completed and has no small boat access to the Connecticut River or the canal. It has few of the kinds of public amenities {proper interpretive signage, kiosk (for renting kayaks and canoes, selling kites, bubble creators, bait, etc.), benches, fishing piers, swimming access, etc.) that would make it marketable as a regional attraction. The two major annual festivals in Windsor Locks are Octoberfest and the Heritage Day Festival. Both are well attended by locals but make no special attempts to be a regional draw. The past Strawberry Festival is no longer held. These kinds of public events can be expanded and regionally marketed in conjunction with the Public Market to bring in area customers. The bottom line is that Windsor Locks’ citizens are constrained because they mostly have to leave the community to shop, work, or be entertained. The government is constrained because the sales tax revenues that underwrite much of the infrastructure in most cities, are being left at the door of neighboring communities.

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When the author of this Study moved to the Asheville area 27 years ago, there were far fewer restaurants and hotels. As new restaurants and other entertainment venues located in Asheville, the number of visitors and residents grew dramatically. As attractions developed, the number of visitors grew and local residents enjoyed the growing amenities. Traditional supermarkets provide only limited competition for Public Markets. Pike Place Market still enjoys 14.5 million annual customer visits despite having 3 supermarkets within 1 block of its Market District. The supermarkets adjacent to Windsor Locks will provide scant competition to a properly designed and tenanted Public Market. As the Market is successful, many residents will shop the Public Market primarily for fresh food and will visit the supermarkets for boxed, canned, paper, and health related goods. The reality is that a successful Public Market will pull in customers from the surrounding communities and these customers will shop the area supermarkets for their non-fresh items. Residents of communities with Public Markets often drive by 2-3 supermarkets to buy their fresh foods at “their” Public Market. Complementary Factors: Public Markets generally have a mix of roughly 1/3 truly new start-up businesses, 1/3 businesses run by seasoned prior business owners, and one third, second locations of successful and flavorful existing businesses. Windsor Locks and its surrounding communities are full of potential gems that can be cultivated and enhanced once the Market opens. Some may choose to simply upgrade their displays and their street frontage as they take advantage of the increased customers that the Public Market will bring. Others will choose to open a second location in the Public Market and will benefit from the increased exposure brought on by the Public Market’s critical mass, complementary uses and institutional advertising that will inevitably help drive new customers to their door. There will be a synergy that will likely complement and assist in the success of surrounding existing businesses. Furthermore, new businesses will open nearby, attracted by the substantial customer traffic generated by the Public Market. This will happen initially in the area around the Market but will inevitably expand up and down Main St. Eventually, new retail businesses will begin to concentrate on both sides of Main St. within several blocks of the Market’s location. Five examples of local Windsor Locks’ businesses that are flavorful, run by experienced operators and would benefit from having a presence in the Market are Tina’s Cake Emporium, Vinnies Little Acre, H & M Pizza & Giant Grinders and Pho 75. Each would have a separate character than their existing shop. Pho75 might have a stall with counter seating that specializes in Vietnamese dumplings and other specialties, Tina’s might have a full line pastry shop with on-site baking, H & M may wish to focus on Grinders and Palestinian specialties, and Vinny may wish to run one of the produce or deli stalls. These are, of course, simply initial suggestions.

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In addition, there are many shops in the area that would experience tremendous benefits from the critical mass, entertainment amenities, and institutional advertising that the Public Market would present. Many of these shops are small ethnic groceries and delis that reflect the ethnic diversity of the residents living in the area. These include specialty shops reflecting goods from Italian, German, Polish, Jamaican, Puerto Rican, Indian, Hispanic, Arab, and Asian heritages. Many of these shops are currently located as stand-alone businesses or in strip centers in surrounding communities such as Windsor, Enfield, Suffield, East Granby, East Windsor, Ellington, etc. Examples include: Asia Grocers in East Windsor, Belvedere Polish Deli in East Windsor, Cosmos International in West Hartford, Delicacy Market (Polish, Ukrainian and Russian specialties) in Hartford, Lotte Market (Korean) in Hartford, A Dong (Asian grocery) in Hartford, Bosna Mini Market (Bosnian and S. European specialties), Armata’s Supermarket (Spanish), Cedars Food Market (Lebanese) Springfield, Ma, Burnside supermarket (African, Jamaican) East Hartford, Broad Brook Beef as well as several venues at the Hartford Regional Farmers Market and Italian bakeries from the South End of Hartford. Windsor Locks, reflecting its rich agricultural heritage, is surrounded by many producers of fresh foods. Some area farms that have farm stands and/or u-pick operations may wish to sell at the outside farmers market or the inside Market stalls. These include Winlox Farms, Windsor Locks, Rowe Honey, Windsor Locks, Newgate Farms, Windsor, Bordua Farms, South Windsor, Easy Pickin's Orchard, Enfield, Cupola Hollow Farm LLC. West Suffield, Strong Family Farm, Vernon, Pleasant Valley Botanicals. West Granby, Scantic Valley CSA, East Longmeadow, Colgan Farm LLC. Manchester, etc.

Last but certainly not least, potential vendors may be recruited from over 25 area farmers markets within 20 minutes of Windsor Locks, in addition to the scores of farmers and retail outlets present at the Hartford Regional Farmers Market. Descriptions of specific area farmers markets may be found at https://www.localharvest.org/windsor-locks-ct/farmers-markets

Map 9: Existing Windsor Locks-area Farmers’ Markets represented by triangles

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Local vendors at the Windsor Locks Farmers Market

There are no fresh fish markets nearby despite the presence of the rich fishing grounds of New England. The many wholesale fresh fish Markets located in the Boston area are only 1 ¾ hours drive from Windsor Locks.

Customer based analysis of Windsor Locks by the numbers By itself, Windsor Locks, with its population of around 15,000 clearly does not have a large enough potential customer base to support a year-round, six day a week, indoor and outdoor Public Market. If it is to succeed, the Public Market must have sufficient critical mass and promotion to be a regional facility that attracts a regional customer base of potential customers from Hartford to Springfield If Windsor Locks were a neighborhood in a larger city, there is no question that a population of nearly 2,000,000 potential customers within a 20-minute drive time is far more than enough of a potential customer base to support a year-round Public Market. The fact that Windsor Locks lies midway between the Hartford and Springfield metro areas makes the feasibility a bit more complicated to predict. Questionnaire surveys to be part of a future Business Plan will test whether and how often customers in Hartford and Springfield are likely to frequent a Public Market in Windsor Locks. This will certainly better inform this question. However, the existing population base within a 20-minute drive is certainly a positive factor. There is every reason to believe that the answer to whether or not there is a sufficient customer base is highly likely as the charts that follows attest. The fact that there are more than 1.5 million people arriving or leaving from Windsor Locks via Bradley Airport and Amtrak is certainly encouraging. The additional 800,000 riders on the soon-to-be commuter rail will substantially increases the likely feasibility of the Public Market. The challenge of course is to create a sufficiently powerful and attractive draw to turn these potential customer visits into actual customer visits.

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In order to enhance the likelihood of success, the Public Market should have sufficient size to offer a critical mass sufficient to give regional residents a reason to go out of their way to shop at “their” Public Market. Furthermore, public amenities and attractions that surround the Public Market – especially attractive ties to the Canal and/or the Connecticut River, will substantially enhance the likely success of the Public Market and give both area and regional residents a reason to enjoy visiting and shopping at the Public Market. The following charts represent demographics of the first through fifth trade areas that the Public Market will be drawing from. The closer the potential customer is to the Public Market, the more likely and more often they will shop. Likewise, the closer customers will tend to spend more per customer visit since they are more likely to shop in the Public Market week in and week out as their primary source for fresh food shopping. Because the Public Market needs to be a regional attraction in order to succeed, it is critical to understand the regional demographics. The following statistics form the basis for predicting where the customers will actually come from to support a Connecticut River Valley Public Market. These statistics are grounded in demographics that are based on concentric rings that are fixed distances and roughly defined drive times from the proposed Public Market site.

Where will customers come from?

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Map 10: Concentric Trade Areas

Future Vendor with ‘attitude’ at the future Connecticut River Valley Public Market

Market Site

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Quaternary

Quinary

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Table 2: Trade Area Demographics based on the concentric trade area Map (#10) above.

Most #s are from 2010 Census (2012 projected #s)

4 miles from site Roughly the larger boundaries of greater Windsor Locks. +/- 6 min. drive

8 miles from site Roughly to Windsor and E. Granby. +/- 12 min. drive

12 miles froFuturem site Roughly to MA border & Blue Hills +/- 16 min. dr.

16 miles from site Roughly to all of Hartford and Springfield +/- 20 minute drive

20 miles from site Roughly through Farmington Ct to Chicopee Ma. +/- 25 – 30 min. drive)

Connecticut

Trade area: (1)

Primary Secondary Tertiary Quaternary Quinary

Total pop. (1)

34,411 98,865 354,903 541,275 695,184 Total:1,236,459

3,576,452

Urban pop. 88.3% 87.3% 92.9% 94.2 92.3 88.0%

Rural pop. 11.7% 12.7% 7.1% 5.8 7.7 12.0%

Population Density/Sq Mi

592.9 681.4 1013.5 1131.7 1006.0 738.1

0-17 years 22.9% 23.4% 24.9% 25.2% 25.2% 32.0%

65 & over 14.1% 15.1% 13.5% 14.2% 14.3% 16.1%

Caucasion – not

Hispanic

83.7% 79.00 68.6% 69.8% 72.4% 67.7%

Black %

7.6% 14% 16.9% 13.3% 10.9% 11.8%

Native American %

0.5% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.5%

Asian % 2.4% 1.9% 2.4% 2.3% 2.1% 4.7%

Hispanic %

3.7% 3.1% 10.5% 13.1% 13.1% 15.7%

Other race or mixed %

4.4% 3.6% 8.8% 10.6% 10.2% %

% owner occupied

77.5% 76.1% 61.9% 62.1% 62.9% 66.5%

% renter occupied

22.5% 23.9% 38.1% 37.9% 37.1% 30.5%

% vacant units incl. seasonal

3.2% 3.5% 5.6% 5.2% 5.1% 3.0%

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Most #s are from 2010 Census

4 miles from site Roughly the boundaries of greater Windsor Locks. +/- 6 min. drive

8 miles from site Roughly to Windsor and E. Granby. +/- 12 min. drive

12 miles from site Roughly to MA border and Blue Hills. +/- 16 min. drive

16 miles from site Roughly to all of Hartford and Springfield +/- 20 minute drive

20 miles from site Roughly through Farmington Ct to Chicopee Ma. +/- 25 – 30 min. drive)

Connecticut

Trade area: Primary Secondary Tertiary Quaternary Quinary

Foreign Born

7% 8.5% 10.6 10.3 10.2 9.8%

Per Capita Income

$27,278 $27,024 $25,318 $24,088 $23,958 $37,892

% Persons in poverty

3.6% 4.4% 10.6% 11.8% 11.4% 9.8%

Avg. household size

2.48 2.52 2.49 2.49 2.52 2.56

HS Graduate or higher

87.3% 86.7% 83.3 % 82.2% 82.7% 90.1%

College graduate or higher

28.0% 41.2% 43.4% 40.4% 41.4% 38.0%

No vehicle avail. In household

4.8% 5.6% 13.2% 12.7% 5.6 9.2%

Mean travel time to work

21.3 min. 22.6 min. 22.7 min 22.2 min 22.2 min. 25.7 min.

Median home value in $

$150,799 $149,079 $161,566 $151,745 $150,628 $173,900

Avg. Gross Rent (2010)

$730 $729 $648 $627 $618 $1,133

% employed in retail trade

9.7% 10.2% 10.6% 11.2% 11.3% 37.6% (SBA)

1) Trade area figures for population are net (they subtract the lesser internal concentric circles to

derive net population – ex. CT). Other demographic #s are for the entire concentric circle.

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Source: http://mcdc.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/broker?_PROGRAM=websas.caps.sas&_SERVICE=appdev&latitude=41.9228771&longitude=-72.6722226&sitename=Windsor+Locks&radii=4+8+12+16+20&units=+&tablelist=all&_debug=

A 4-mile radius, roughly the boundaries of Windsor Locks, equates to an approximate 6-minute drive from the proposed Market site. This defines the primary customer base for the Market. Many of the primary customer base residents can be expected to shop at the Market twice a week – which is how often most citizens shop for fresh foods. An 8-mile radius customer base is roughly equal to the distance to Windsor and East Granby. This equates to an approximate 12-minute drive time and defines the secondary customer base for the Market. Many of the secondary customer base residents can be expected to shop at the Market once a week. A 12-mile radius is roughly equal to the distance to the MA border and Blue Hills. This equates to an approximate 16-minute drive time and defines the tertiary customer base for the Market. Many of the tertiary customer base residents can be expected to shop at the Market once or twice a month. A 16-mile radius is roughly equal to the immediate region out to Hartford and Springfield. This is a roughly 20-minute drive time and defines the quaternary customer base for the Market. Many of the quaternary base residents may be expected to shop at the Market once every two months, especially when coming in the direction of Windsor Locks for other reasons. 20 minutes is roughly the distance that customers are willing to drive for desired fresh food. A 20-mile radius is roughly equal to the drive to the Farmington CT and Chincopee MA. This equates to an approximate 30-minute drive time. This defines the quinary customer base for the Market. Many of the quinary customer base residents may be expected to shop at the Market once every 4 months. The Public Market should position itself as THE place for residents to provision when going to and from Bradley Airfield and/or the Amtrak or commuter train station. The following observations based on the demographic statistics in Table 2 above bode well for the future success of a Public Market in Windsor Locks:

The vast majority of residential shoppers at the Public Market will come from the primary, seconday and teriary areas. The nearly 500,000 residents living within 12 miles of the Public Market, is more than enough to support a Public Market. This equates to the primary, secondary, and tertiary customer trade areas. The additional 1.2 million quaternary and quinary residents as well as additional out of area visitors clearly leaves a very significant potential customer base. In a survey of adult King County residents, (30 miles out from Pike Place Market, a long established Market that enjoys 14.5 million customer visits annually), 98% had visited the Market at least twice in the prior year.

Interestingly, population density in and around Windsor Locks is a substantial +/- 3/5 of the entire potential trade area including Hartford and Springfield. Again, a positive indicator of future success.

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The proportion of young people under 18 or over 65 is considerably less than for Connecticut as a whole. 18 – 65 year olds shop and eat at Public Markets with much greater frequency than their younger and older counterparts.

Windsor Locks area residents are primarily Caucasion but come from ethnicly diverse backgrounds with no one ethnicity predominating. Around 10% of area residents in the larger trade area were born outside of the US. The fact that the community is diverse suggests that neither the town, nor the proposed sites, are anybodies “turf” and can therefore become everybodies “turf”. There was no evidence of substantial racial tensions during my Windsor Locks visit. Interviewees reported an accepting attitude of all kinds of folks. For the Market to succeed, it needs to be a common ground that serves all cultures and welcomes all citizens. Happily, there is every reason to believe that this is possible in Windsor Locks.

Efforts should be made to recruit minority and ethnic vendors and to assure that prepared food vendors represent a variety of ethnic foods in order to avoid the homogeneity that can be a negative attribute for a Public Market.

The relatively higher percentage of owner-occupied residences in Windsor Locks likely reflects the relatively higher household income.

Median household income in the area around the proposed Market site is higher than for the entire trade area as well as the State of Connecticut. Surprisingly, this does not seem to be reflected in the overall local retail mix of shops and restaurants.

It is curious that the rate of HS graduates in Windsor Locks is higher than for the entire trade area yet the rate of educational attainment college or post college degrees is less than for the trade area or for Connecticut.

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Surprisingly, given the relatively higher incomes of Windsor Locks area residents, their housing averages the same or less than the average for the trade area or the State. These lower values can likely be explained by the lack of nearby amenities reflected earlier in this Plan. Housing values can be expected to rise significantly as the Public Market helps to create a more vibrant economy round the Public Market.

Remarkably, the fact that the median travel time to work in the larger trade area is over 20 minutes bodes well for the likelihood that customers will be willing to drive 20 minutes to shop at the Public Market.

The lack of a robust retail economy addressed earlier in this study is reflected in the fact that the % of the economy in Windsor Locks tied to the retail trade is less than any of the larger trade areas and is substantially less than for Connecticut as a whole.

Although the once flourishing retail economy of Windsor Locks has been devastated, a successful Public Market can help to bring it back to life.

The ancestry of residents of the Windsor Locks is surprisingly diverse as reflected in the chart below.

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Table 3: Ancestry of Windsor Locks residents. Source: http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genealogyInfo.php?locIndex=9317 If the Public Market is to succeed, it needs to reflect everyone’s culture and be welcoming to all.

The future customers of the Connecticut River Valley Public Market

Windsor Locks has a relatively even distribution of income compared to many other communities. This is reflected in the chart below.

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Table 4: Windsor Locks household income distribution Source: http://www.city-data.com/city/Windsor-Locks-Connecticut.html Windsor Locks has a relatively balanced economy. Unsurprisingly, the proportion of workers in retail is relatively low. This chart suggests that a relatively high percentage of the population has disposable income. This is more good news for the Public Market. As noted earlier, the lack of economic opportunity in Windsor Locks translates to a relatively long average commute to work time of over ½ an hour.

Table 5: Work and Jobs in Windsor Locks compared to Connecticut Source: http://www.city-data.com/city/Windsor-Locks-Connecticut.html

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According to City Data, the daytime population of Windsor Locks increases by 22.1% due to people commuting in to work. This bodes well for the Public Market as many workers shop on their way home from work.

Table 6: Windsor Locks means of transportation to work - 2016 Source: http://www.city-data.com/work/work-Windsor-Locks-Connecticut.html

Windsor Locks: Many People…One Community

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Despite the relatively high income, less than 20% of Windsor Locks’ residents work in white collar occuptions. These numbers suggest a relatively skilled, and well paid, blue collar labor force. Windsor Locks statistics of concern

Concerning Issue Windsor Locks

Connecticut % worse in Windsor Locks

Preschool obesity rate 16.0% H.C. 15.8% 1.3%

Less than a H.S. degree 12.6 9.9 27%

Bachelors Degree 28% 38% 26%

Air Quality Index – (lower is better) 92.6 74.6 24%

Average natural disasters per fixed area (1)

24 H.C. 13 (US) 85%

Table 7: Windsor Locks Concerning Statistics (H.C. = Hartford County)

Source: http://www.city-data.com/city/Windsor-Locks-Connecticut.html

(1) Causes of natural disasters: Storms: 7, Hurricanes: 5, Floods: 4, Snowstorms: 4,

Blizzards: 3, Snows: 3, Tropical Storms: 2, Winter Storms: 2, Snowfall: 1, Tornado: 1, Wind: 1 (Note: Some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).

Sadly, some of these numbers are dramatic. Once the Public Market is a reality, the relatively poor comparative health statistics reflected in this chart, should see some improvement due to the increased availability of fresh and local foods and local jobs and opportunity which will be available.

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Table 8: Average climate activity in Windsor Locks, Connecticut: Because the Market should help to revitalize the local economy and decrease drive times to work, the Public Market should have a positive impact on many of the aforementioned ‘statistics of concern’. Because a Public Market will focus on local businesses that will reflect homegrown culture and products, it will help to fill the gap in jobs, entrepreneurial opportunities, tax generating businesses, places for dining, entertainment, shopping, and socializing, without harming the authentic and wholesome qualities that make Windsor Locks so special. If the Market is correctly designed and tenanted, it will in fact, reinforce those qualities by providing a needed showcase for everything that is special and distinctive about Windsor Locks.

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Feasibility and Demand for a Public Market ESRI, and Neilson/Claritas numbers are typically used for evaluating supply and demand statistics for various retail uses. While these numbers are abstracted from small samples taken by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, they are instructive for our purposes. ESRI statistics are used for the purposes of this Study. These statistics, suggest that in Windsor Locks, there is considerable unmet “demand” (retail potential) for food and beverage stores. This amounts to an annual loss to outside communities of $27,918,135. Thus 71.0% of what one would expect to be spent in Windsor Locks on food and beverages is leaving the community to be spent elsewhere. Similarly, $16,325,900 in spending on Food services and drinking establishments and $6,936,653 in anticipated restaurant sales are annually not being spent in Windsor Locks and are leaving the community to generate jobs, opportunities and civic taxes elsewhere. These statistics are especially troubling since the daytime population in the community in Windsor Locks increases by 22% daily due to outside commuters traveling into Windsor Locks. Thus, one would expect that food and restaurant supply should outstrip demand, not the reverse, as is the case. The deficit in restaurant expenditures is especially surprising due to the large number of restaurants serving Bradley Airport and the relatively prosperous local median income. These statistics would indicate that a Public Market in Windsor Locks is likely to be successful. The lack of retail and especially food shopping and restaurant opportunities combined with the aforementioned demographics is strongly indicative that the Market would be successful – if properly designed and tenanted. This retail “gap”, reflected in the chart that follows, represents an enormous cost to Windsor Locks in taxes, opportunities and jobs for the Town as well as a cost to the Town in convenience and creating a true sense of community for its citizens.

Money leaving the community can return with a Public Market.

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Table 9: ESRI prediction of retail “gap’ in goods to be sold at the Public Market

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Additional factors that bode well for a Public Market success include:

A: The reported success of nearby Farmers Markets. B: The success of local festivals, and other events that draw area residents searching for experiential community events. C: The lack of quality fresh food outlets in a community that has a great number of potential consumers with incomes that can easily afford quality local, fresh foods. D: The existence of a strong agricultural community with many potential vendors selling value added products, which would be available year–round. E: An enlightened Town staff and leadership that understands the need for a Public Market and what it can contribute to the community. F: Extremely limited availability of quality retail fresh food and restaurant outlets. H: An appreciation for local businesses and the availability of local gems like Tina’s Cake Emporium. I: Demographics that point to a more than sufficient customer base that can easily afford Market products. 354,903 potential customers that may shop at the Market at least twice a month. In addition, nearly 700,000 outer area residents and visitors who will potentially shop the Market occasionally.

The author of this Plan has produced more than 20 feasibility studies for Public Markets. Roughly 1/3 of the studies conclude that locating a Public Market is inadvisable. When first reviewing the research materials on Windsor Locks, prior to the author’s first visit, his gut sense was that the conclusion would be to urge the Townnot to build a Public Market. How could a Public Market in a suburban community of 12,500 succeed? Yet, as the author got to know Windsor Locks and its demographics, it became clear that a properly designed and tenanted Public Market is not only feasible but is desperately needed. It will likely be transformational for Windsor Locks, while allowing the community to retain its very special character. These conclusions are strengthened by the following:

Windsor Locks is changing. The younger generation desiring to return to their hometown are increasingly constrained by the limited local economy. This generation is looking for quality food, along with a bit of “jazz’. The Public Market will help to meet this need.

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There is very little competition for quality fresh food: No Trader Joes, no Whole Foods, no local supermarkets, in spite of local demographics that show many residents with considerably higher than average incomes. Many locals can easily afford quality fresh and local foods.

There is a demographic mix of ancestry, ethnicity and origins that can make for a healthy and diverse Market.

Windsor Locks could be a primary urban shopping area for a much larger customer base area – 1.2 million potential occasional customers within a 30-minute drive.

According to Connecticut DOT, ____ commuters are anticipated to arrive by rail once the commuter rail project is completed. 14,600 vehicles traverse Main St. daily where it crosses the Bridge St. bridge in the vicinity of the potential Market site. This is a large number of people who can observe the Public Market activities and return as customers.

There are few opportunities for purchasing fine handmade crafts in the Windsor Locks area, even

though there is clearly a demand for it. This is one of the most sought-after items that visitors and residents typically seek, both as gifts and for themselves.

The regular traffic between 2 cities with large residential populations (Hartford to Springfield)

_____ vehicles on I-91 through Windsor Locks, allows Windsor Locks to position itself as THE place to stop for provisions.

Public Market development can be daunting!

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Table 10: Traffic Counts in the vicinity of potential Public Market sites

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The Table below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It breaks down consumer expenditures while traveling out-of-town into four categories – Food and Beverages, Lodging, Transportation, and “Fees and Admissions”. The author of this research, informed me that fees and admissions includes other non-food retail expenditures. Thus, based on this research, tourists spend 24% (329/1372) of their dollars on food and beverages while travelling. This is more than is spent on lodging, and on all other retail and recreation/entertainment expenditures.

Table 11: Tourist spending away from home.

Source:http://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-1/pdf/travel-expenditures-2005-2011-spending-slows-during-recent-recession.pdf

Of the 24% of tourist dollars spent on food and beverages, 28% is spent on “food prepared by tourists on out of town trips” (primarily fresh food), and alcoholic beverages. This means that nearly the same amount of funds is spent on this category than is spent on all other retail non-food and entertainment classifications. The above website also concludes that tourist expenditures for restaurant and alcohol spending is declining while spending for food purchased and prepared while travelling out of town is increasing. This further explains the importance of the Connecticut River Valley Public Market tapping visitor and traveler expenditures. The location of the commuter rail and AMTRAK stations, Bradley Airport, and the nearby I-91 exit presents a tremendous opportunity to capture this important potential customer base. It is clear from the above chart that there is an enormous opportunity for a complex that focuses on fresh and prepared foods in Windsor Locks. Bringing these uses together under the roof of a Public Market will add the synergy, excitement and “jazz” to create a new and irresistible retail venue that will serve local residents, attract new tourists, and increase the stay of existing visitors.

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Windsor Locks is unique. It is in the nature of all Public Markets to be fine-tuned to the unique mix of history, character residents and tourists that exist in the individual City where the Public Market is located. That is part of the attraction and recipe for success of great Public Markets. Although there is no place just like the Windsor Locks, there are many successful Public Markets in communities that have similar numbers of potential customers all over the country. The Table below captures a small number of these Public Markets.

City Name of the Public Market Approximate Number of potential customers within 12 miles

Windsor Locks CT Connecticut River Valley Public Market

354,903

York PA York Public Market 40,000

Lancaster PA Central Market 50,000

Cincinnati OH Findlay Market 297,000

Pittsburgh PA Pittsburgh Public Market 305,000

Roanoke VA City Market 98,000

Little Rock AR Little Rock River Market 193,000

Waterloo IA Riverloop Public Market 68,000

Table 12: Successful Public Markets in similar size communities Like other Public Markets, raising the necessary capital to build the Public Market takes time. One of the first tasks that should be done if the Town decides to proceed is to test the demand, visitation and use assumptions contained in this document via a questionnaire targeted to different cohort groups – especially, residents in Hartford and Springfield. The willingness of a small percentage of these residents to sometimes visit the Public Market will have a major impact on the viability of the Market. Clearly, they will not shop at the Market weekly, but if a relatively small percentage anticipates visiting the Market even monthly or bimonthly, because of their large population, this would be important information to have in planning the Market. A strong, relatively united effort to proceed with developing the Public Market will be necessary for a successful outcome, but the resources clearly exist to allow this Plan to be realized.

Attractive displays and a welcoming attitude help Public Markets succeed

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What should a Windsor Locks Public Market be like? The Windsor Locks Public Market should have 5 separate but interdependent components. First: An indoor permanent building: initially open year-round for 6 days a week.

The Public Market building should house dozens of permanent, owner-operated businesses selling from stores, stalls and carts. The Public Market should have roughly the following breakdown of uses.

60% should focus on fresh foods with a non-exclusive emphasis on fresh foods and food products that are locally grown or produced.

15% should include some or all of the 3 special uses to be found below combined with permanent craft stores and/or stalls as well as a small number of needed neighborhood businesses.

25% should be a combination of sit down restaurants and counter-style prepared food stalls with some emphasis on ethnic foods to balance the primarily American and generic franchise/chain fare emphasized throughout the Windsor Locks region.

According to the USDA, Economic Research Division, the average American, for all of their food expenditures, spends 50.4% of their food budget on “food at home” and 49.6% of their food budget on “food away from home”. ‘Eating out’ has become as American as apple pie.

The Public Market should also have a small indoor special events space that can be programmed with regular public events. This use is further detailed below. A sampling of businesses that would do well in the Market building include:

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Ethnic delis (particularly German, Italian, Eastern European and Mexican reflecting the heritage of regional residents),

An artisan bakery

A Café

A comfortable brew pub with live blues or jazz

A bookstore/newsstand

A dairy/cheese store

A flower stall

A juicery

A dairy and yogurt stall

A mix of restaurants and prepared food stalls

A chocolate store (as in the movie Chocolat – see: https://frenchbroadchocolates.com/the-chocolate-lounge/ for an extremely successful example)

Wood fired pizza

Fresh fish with an emphasis on the bounty from the nearby Atlantic

Homemade ice cream

Locally made sausages

On site made tortillas

Fresh pasta

Produce stalls

Meat and poultry stalls

Fine handmade local crafts

Stalls or carts featuring local products such as cherries, nuts, honey products, pickled products, jerky, mushroom products, berry based products, etc.

If Windsor Locks is to attain its true potential as a healthy business, retail and restaurant environment, it needs to expand its downtown offerings well beyond the existing tenant mix.

The most important transformation in food retailing in the past decade is the huge growth in consumer demand (in part driven by the success of Public Markets) for food products that are fresh and locally made. These kinds of products account for hundreds of billions of dollars in food sales annually.

There are numerous terrific examples of successful Public Market businesses that will be further detailed in a comprehensive Business Plan. This document will have a “Tenant Leasing Plan” chapter that will illuminate an idealized tenant mix.

The Market should have businesses that actually produce on site and then sell their finished products. This brings “eye candy” and good smells (bakery, chocolate maker, coffee roaster, etc.) to the Market. One good example is presented by “Beecher’s Handmade Cheese”, a very successful shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Public Market. Beecher’s Cheese is owned by a dairy farmer. Each day, milk is brought into the shop and made into 2-3 varieties of cheeses. The cheese making process is in full view of customers. The shop also sells 1,600 varieties of other cheeses from all over the world. Customers love the scintillating experience presented by the local cheese making. They then buy all kinds of

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international cheeses because their perception is that they are all fresh and local. See http://www.beechershandmadecheese.com/

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese at Seattle’s Pike Place Public Market

Special attention needs to be paid to designing a Market that highlights displays of products.

Proper display of Public Market fresh food includes a sense of abundance, colors are balanced, good smells permeate the air, products are displayed on the diagonal and fill the display space on horizontal & vertical planes, food is resupplied from off-site locations – not stored on site, & the offerings look scrumptious.

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The Windsor Locks Public Market will assemble a critical mass of local and fresh food businesses as well as regional crafts and prepared foods. The success of the Public Market’s businesses will incentivize existing businesses to expand, and new businesses to locate in and around the Market’s vicinity.

It is important that Public Market shops as well as Downtown shops offer goods targeted towards a broad cross section of customers from different economic income levels.

Second: An outdoor farmers market “portico” that gives first priority to farmers during the growing season and allows carefully juried crafts to fill in as the growing season ends and the holidays season begins.

A Market ‘portico’ designed by the author

There are many high value specialty products and value-added products that are locally grown and produced that will be well received in an outdoor, farmers market that is initially open 6 days a week. The local Cooperative Extension offices can also help identify potential grower vendors and products.

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Third: A public outdoor plaza: for programmed events and social gatherings.

A public plaza in front of Vancouver’s Granville Island Public Market

The plaza should be adjacent to the Public Market building. When a special event is not occurring, the plaza should be an active public space. Active uses, such as bike rentals, outdoor seating for Public Market restaurants and food stalls, etc. should be included. A creative children’s play area should be incorporated as well as plenty of public seating and picnic tables, chess and checker tables, bike racks, hopscotch and other gaming courts (bocce ball? horseshoes?) etc. The plaza should be a place for special events, movies, concerts, etc. as well as people watching. It should encourage interacting with old friends and opportunities for meeting new friends. Public art should be incorporated into the design of the Plaza. Other public amenities such as picnic/BBQ areas, a children’s playground, splash pads/water features, basketball court, skateboard park, etc. should be considered to be incorporated into the entire Market complex. The Market buildings success will rise as the outside amenities are more varied, exciting, and attractive.

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Fourth: On-site “green” parking.

A “green” parking lot

The roughly 30,000 net square feet of retail uses proposed for the Public Market building along with the other proposed Market site uses will need roughly 150 parking spaces. To the extent possible, these should be “green” spaces located within a short stroll from the Market building. Since the use of the Public Market will be quite countercyclical with the demand from the commuter rail, it may make sense if the Market is located at the rail station to share parking development between the two uses. The rail demand will peak on weekdays and the Market’s demand will peak on weekends. Also, if the adjacent shopping center is to be revamped, free but validated parking for shoppers might be shared between the shopping center and the Public Market. This could be accommodated by decked parking. Wherever the parking ends up, it is key that free, validated parking be available to Market customers. Taken together, the Public Market building, plaza, and outdoor farmers market will reinforce each other’s success and would be transformative for the area.

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Fifth: An attractive crossing to the Canal and the Connecticut River. There should be a fishing pier, a kiosk for renting small crafts (canoes/kayaks), a place to buy bait, kites, bubble makers, Birding field guides, etc., picnic tables, and a BBQ pit and picnic area. Finally, the hill down to the River might be a place for a performance amphitheater with a stage at the bottom adjacent to the River.

This could be Windsor Locks!

It is possible that the only way to safely cross the RR tracks is via an elevated bridge. If this is the case every effort should be made to transform a lemon into lemonade. Consider a loft space for a restaurant that has an outdoor public viewing area that overlooks the rails and the canal and provides level access to the bridge over the rails. The bridge should be designed to be an attraction in itself. It could be an extension of the upper floor of the Public Market. It could be wide enough to accommodate a single or double loaded corridor of outdoor stall spaces during favorable weather.

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Retail shops on the iconic “Ponte Vechio bridge in Florence Italy

The combination of these changes would leave Windsor Locks a transformed City. While still retaining its lovely character, it would be capable of attracting many new visitors, customers, employers and residents. Having a Public Market with these kinds of amenities would attract customers from Springfield to Hartford and would help assure the Market’s success. Life would also be substantially improved for local residents who would not have to leave “their” community to shop, dine, or socialize.

Recommended Market size, components and amenities Market Size:

In order to properly cast a wide enough net, a new Public Market must have enough of a critical mass to encourage potential customers to bypass their traditional supermarkets in order to shop for their fresh food at the Public Market. The Public Market will not succeed if it is merely a Windsor Locks’ grocery serving only local residents. It needs to be a regional facility with enough vitality to excite and attract a broad customer base of regional residents and visitors. Given the demographics cited above and the necessity to create enough “umph” to generate the necessary critical mass, the ground floor of the Public Market building should contain roughly 37,500 gross square feet. This would provide +/- 30,000 net leasable square feet of retail uses. This is an early sizing estimate and may well be revised once the results from the questionnaire are analyzed.

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The difference between the gross and net square foot sizes is due to aisles, the indoor public plaza space, walls, delivery dock, freight elevator, garbage/recycling, public restrooms, etc. The Public Market will need +/- 2,000 - 4,000 SF in either a basement or an upper floor for back-of-the-house uses. All retail uses should be on the ground floor with the possible exception of loft seating for a restaurant and the possible aforementioned bridge uses. Additionally, the ground floor should accommodate delivery and garbage uses as well as an indoor special event space of roughly 2,000 square feet. The special events space should be regularly programmed with events including music, films, festivals, dances, food fairs, art shows, children’s movies, Taste of Windsor Locks Festivals, etc. In addition, the event space should accommodate educational and public health related uses. For example, many health-related entities utilize Public Markets for things like blood pressure screenings, diabetes or AIDS education, nutritional information, etc. At Pike Place Market, there is a fixed curriculum that uses the Public Market to instruct every 4th grader within a 50-mile radius about where food comes from. Children “meet the producer” and are shocked to learn that steak does not grow in Styrofoam containers! They go home and drag their parents back to “their” Public Market and the families become regular customers. The additional floor (basement or second level) should accommodate support uses such as a meeting space, management offices, utility space, room for janitorial, maintenance and security related uses, refrigerated and dry ‘resupply’ storage, etc. Consideration should be given to creating an upper floor, public and/or restaurant loft seating deck on the second floor or roof of the building that takes advantage of the Canal view. Other significant components of the Public Market complex such as the plaza, parking etc., are addressed earlier in this Study. A comprehensive “Design Program” will flesh out and detail the above recommendations as part of a larger Business Plan.

Three Possible Special Tenants at the Public Market: In addition to the potential uses suggested in this chapter, there are three specific uses that should be considered as possible anchor tenants of the Connecticut River Valley Public Market. Each is a special use that would take extra effort to recruit and/or fund and/or create. They are presented in this Study so that community leaders can think through which of them makes sense to be included in the Market’s tenant mix.

1) A State sponsored ‘Connecticut Gallery of Fine Crafts” A potential business anchor that might be sought, is to work with the State of Connecticut to create a Gallery of Fine Connecticut Crafts. This State funded concept has been successfully realized in many states, for example:

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West Virginia (Tamarack - http://www.tamarackwv.com/).

South Carolina (The South Carolina Artisan Center - http://www.scartisanscenter.com/).

North Carolina (The Southern Highlands Crafts Center - http://www.southernhighlandguild.org/pages/guild-shops/craft-fair-of-the-southern-highlands.php).

Vermont Craft Center (Several that are State sponsored - http://vermontcraftcenters.com/).

Illinois Artisan Program (http://www.museum.state.il.us/programs/illinois-artisans/).

Kentucky (Kentucky Artisan Center - http://www.kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov/vi.aspx etc…

All craft products would be hand wrought by State artists and craftspeople. The products would be for sale. The Gallery would focus on museum quality crafts that showcase the best of State artisans. It would be a State funded economic development effort.

A handmade chest at the Tamarack Crafts Center, Beckley, West Virginia

2) An aquaponics demonstration and sales center One exciting part of the Public Market could be a demonstration of “aquaponics”. This would be “green eye candy”. A portion of the permanent Public Market could have a greenhouse with stacked

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hydroponic, u-pick growing units directly plumbed to fish tanks growing a variety of fresh water fish for sale. This is nearly a closed growing system. The sun provides the energy. The soiled fish water is pumped into hydroponic stacks for fertilizing the plants. Finally, the plants clean the water which is recycled back into the fish tanks. This allows consumers to have freshly grown you-pick salad or herbs with their fresh fish dinners along with hand-picked strawberries for dessert…all in the middle of winter! In addition to its commercial possibilities, the use would also be educational. It communicates the three most important messages that can be communicated in any food market. Our food is fresh! local! and ecologically produced! The greenhouse would be an especially welcome place in the colder seasons. See: www.coopext.colostate.edu/adams/gh/pdf/Intro_Aquaponics.pdf and

http://www.opb.org/news/blog/ecotrope/aquaponics-growing-fish-and-plants-without-soil/ and http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/aquaponic-gardening-growing-fish-vegetables-together.aspx#ixzz2TE7Hyrlp

The Aquaponic Cycle

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Would you like salad with your fish? Is it fresh?

Yes, pick and scoop it yourself!

Hydroponic stacks of strawberries

If there is interest in pursuing this option, a place to start would be to contact any of a number of Connecticut companies that specialize in aquaponics listed on the internet.

3) A Made in Connecticut Store

This can be a purely commercial enterprise that should not need special subsidy. It would showcase a broad variety of prepackaged foods, gift baskets, clothes, etc. that are ‘Made in Connecticut’, not particularly crafts. The “Made in Washington” store, started at Pike Place Market is a good example of a successful model that incorporates this concept. See: https://www.madeinwashington.com/ Any of these three proposed uses would take special efforts for recruiting/organizing/ and/or funding. Each would add to the Market’s success.

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The Public Market Site & Name Selecting the general area for the Public Market site is not difficult. The large swath of land located along Main St. is the obvious choice for locating the Public Market building with its associated amenities.

Main St. Windsor Locks – 1960’s

MAIN STREET “There is one single thing that everyone who grew up in Windsor Locks in the 40s, 50s and 60s will carry with them forever. That is the memory of the old Main Street, as it existed before re-development in the late 1960s. It didn’t matter whether you lived downtown, in the Southwest section or in the northern section of Windsor Locks, you spent an enormous amount of time on Main St. You went to Syd’s Modern Drug, the Rialto, Wuzzy’s, Bidwell’s Hardware, the First National Bank, the First National Grocery Store, Bianchi’s Restaurant, the A&P, AD’s, Barberi’s Home Style Bakery, Swede’s Jewelry store, the Donut Kettle, LaRussa’s appliance store, Bianchi’s Shoe store, the Post Office, the Library, and certainly the train station. Main St is where where we went to shop, to hang out, and to live the Windsor Locks life. The sound of the train whistle, the scents coming from Dexter’s, the hustle and bustle of a small town center ...... They all are embedded in our memory forever. Main Street was the vital center of small town life. It was a big part of growing up in Windsor Locks. Here are a few photos of the old Main St.” –

From: Mel Montemerlo

Growing Up in Windsor Locks in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

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There are three potential sites for the location of the Public Market. These have been studied in-depth in this Report. The analysis below compares the three sites and then makes a specific site recommendation. The downstream Business Plan will schematically lay out the building and amenities to be located on the recommended site. What’s in a name? The name of the Public Market should express its mission as a regional (not simply a local) Market. Thus, the name ‘Windsor Locks Public Market’ should not be used. I would also use the term “Public Market”, not just ‘Market’ Many people have visited other Public Markets in the US or internationally. To those folks, “Public Market” will denote something more exciting than the overly generic “Market”. Any name should have a tag line below the name that says “In Windsor Locks”. To date, the domains for the following names have been acquired via godaddy.com by the author: Connecticut River Public Market Connecticut River Valley Public Market Windsor Locks Public Market (to prevent confusion)

Reserved domain names for the Public Market

As this effort proceeds, any other possible domain name should be quickly registered. A future Business Plan will include a questionnaire that, among many other things, could perhaps test which name is most favored by local residents.

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3 Sites: Strengths and Weaknesses: The author evaluated three potential Public Market general sites in Windsor Locks. Site # 1: N of the Historic RR Station

Advantages:

Closest and best visibility from the future commuter rail station

Possibility of shared parking with either Amtrak or shopping center

Potentially good visibility of Canal/River

Easy access from low income housing units across Main St.

Will encourage substandard retail/office complex across Main St. to upgrade. The recent

$1.8 million redevelopment grant for this property will help to assure that this property

complements the Public Market.

Walkable from new units in the Montgomery building

Traffic slows as it enters the curve on Main St. This equals higher visibility

Inside the TIF District

Closest site to the Historic RR station which is an important and iconic feature in the Windsor Locks landscape.

Site 1

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Disadvantages:

Possible difficulty of negotiating with Amtrak

Possible difficulty of negotiating with existing shopping center owner

Crossing the tracks to gain access to the Canal Walk may require a skybridge

Site may be somewhat constrained by RR and shopping center. Sufficient space to build all

necessary uses will need to be identified in the Business Plan.

Location is a bit out of the way for potential Hartford & Springfield customers driving via

I-91.

Site #2: Dexter Plaza shopping center

Advantages:

Walking distance to the future commuter rail station, close to public library

Removes a substandard strip center

Site 2

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Sufficient parking

Room for Public Plaza

Higher traffic counts and some visibility at Bridge St. bridge

Close to new units in the Montgomery building

Inside the TIF District

Disadvantages:

Expensive proposition to buy out existing shopping center and leases

Necessity to cross a busy Main St to access the Canal/River

Crossing the tracks to gain access to the Canal Walk may require a skybridge

Some will resent displacing existing businesses

Location is out of the way for potential Hartford and Springfield customers commuting on I-91.

View of River partially blocked by mill building

Site #3 – Existing Amtrak Station

Site 3

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Advantages:

Site is already primarily owned by the town of Windsor Locks. Will be available when the Market is ready

Potentially the best site for Hartford and Springfield auto users – closest to and visible from

I-91.

Direct access to the Connecticut River for amenities without the need for a skybridge

Possibility of leveraging future expansion or private growth on a portion of Windsor Locks Public Works land

Because it is an existing Amtrak station, most locals are familiar with the location

Disadvantages:

Out of the historical and actual commercial mainstream

There may not be sufficient room for all uses

While easier of access for commuters, it is more difficult to access for locals

Less central location

Outside the TIF District

Recommended Site:

There is no question that the site North of the Historic Rail Station and adjacent to the new commuter rail station is the best site. The reasons listed in the “Advantages” are far more important than the Advantages listed for the other 2 sites. Furthermore, the “Disadvantages” can be potentially addressed more easily than the corresponding “Disadvantages” relating to the other sites. That said, sufficient attention needs to be paid to addressing the detailed siting issues especially in relationship to the Amtrak and shopping center properties. This needs to be done as part of the Business Plan. Sufficient funds need to be budgeted so that the Business Plan is addressing a specific site with a specific building, parking and amenities. The Dexter Plaza shopping center site and the existing Amtrak station are clearly in need of redevelopment. However, there is nothing that will better help to jump-start that effort than the successful development of the Public Market.

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Suggested potential partners Many institutions should be brought on board to help plan and support the Public Market. Some of these institutions and their recommended roles follow:

1) Local Colleges and Jr. Colleges – can help design websites and administers surveys. They can

help provide volunteers and lend technical assistance to individual prospective tenants in

developing their Business Plans, etc.

2) Cooperative Extension can provide technical assistance to local growers regarding the ideal

crops to sell via direct marketing and how to create and market value-added products. They

can also identify potential farmer vendors.

3) The local Hartford County Public Health Department and regional hospitals can provide

health education, diabetes/AIDS blood pressure screening and nutritional education in the

special events area of the Market and/or the outdoor event space.

4) The local School District can develop a Market curriculum for 4th graders and commit to field

trips so that students can learn where food actually comes from and so they can “Meet the

Producer”.

5) Local Small Business Technical Development Centers, SBTDC and the SBA can provide

technical assistance to prospective merchants in best business practices and in writing their

own Business Plans.

6) Local banks and any micro lending institutions can help provide financing for prospective

tenants in fulfillment of their obligations under the Community Reinvestment Act.

7) Area farmer markets and food truck operators should be consulted as they are a potential

feeder for new fresh food Market tenants. Some of their vendors might be ready to “graduate”

to become full time Market vendors.

8) The Connecticut Visitors and Convention Bureau should be a source of promotions and

events.

9) Organizations representing various ethnic communities should be involved from the start as

key components of the community and because they can help steer potential vendors and

sponsor ethnic festivals, etc.

10) Hartford County and State of Connecticut community, agricultural, arts and economic

development officials should participate in the planning process.

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11) Area representatives of the Connecticut Restaurant Association should be involved as

potential sources of cooking demonstrations, and potential second locations of existing

successful restaurant tenants.

12) Representatives of Connecticut philanthropies should be involved in the planning process - as

a source of local wisdom and funding.

13) Representatives of the Windsor Locks business community who are located near the Market

site should be welcomed to the planning table, as they will have resources as well as concerns

that need to be addressed.

14) Key representatives from area churches and/or community organizations representing

interests such as Historical Preservation, Local History, Windsor Locks Beautification, the

local Food Bank, and any Education Foundation should be invited to participate.

In short, the development of the Connecticut River Valley Public Market should be a community wide effort.

Partners are stronger together

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Recommended Development Options

The development of the Market should be led by the Town of Windsor Locks with assistance from a consultant who has experience in the development of Public Markets. The nascent ‘Advisory Committee’ should be expanded to include other community leaders, community representatives, potential merchants, an attorney, an accountant, a commercial property manager or realtor. They should meet on a regular basis with whatever consultant is helping to oversee the development and they should be closely involved and informed. In addition, other partners should be sought for advice in the planning and execution of the development. The Advisory Committee is fertile ground for choosing downstream members of the Capital Campaign Committee as well as the Non-profit Board that should ultimately be responsible for overseeing the operation of the Public Market.

The design for the Public Market should be initially done in consultation with a consultant with deep experience in the design and management of Public Markets. Ultimately, following the creation of a Business Plan with a rough design schematic, an AE firm that has successfully designed other Public Markets should be hired to design the building and the numerous amenities that create active uses on the site’s open spaces. The Public Market should not be seen as simply a building and a parking lot. It should be a vital environment that is experiential and exciting. The connection to the outdoors and the quality and quantity of surrounding public amenities is critical in helping to allow the Market to become a regional attraction. Special attention must be paid to this element of the Markets development. For example:

Benches should face each other to facilitate social interaction.

Benches should facilitate social interaction

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There should be traditional Board games, a hopscotch court, bike racks, picnic tables, water fountains, and outdoor restaurant seating.

Create outdoor dining opportunities:

Outdoor restaurant seating at a Public Market designed by the author

Consider kids oriented water features, planters, public art, a community bulletin board, information kiosks, exterior plug ins to facilitate outdoor special events and festivals, space for buskers, etc.

Planters as seating at the Findlay Market

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Tree-surround seating

Windsor Locks can get hot in the summer limiting the attractiveness of outdoor dining and recreation.

Mitigation: Create outdoor shaded areas with misting fans. These works surprising well and allow comfortable dining despite 104-degree temperatures.

Cooling misting fans

Currently, the existing surrounding Farmers Markets are reportedly quite successful but they are limited to fresh items that limit their ability to provide food year-round.

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Mitigation: While the Market should, to the extent possible, showcase local and seasonal products, they should encourage producers to create “value added” products – herb vinegars, cherry jam, etc. The Market should also not be concerned about bringing in out of area, non-seasonal products.

The Public Market should have a yearlong “portico” on the outside plaza that features a limited number (12?) of farmer tables augmented by craftspeople outside of the growing season.

To address problems of seasonality: Attract great businesses with lots of local flavor and character. Focus on things that we shop for on a weekly basis like fresh and prepared foods. Make sure that products are affordable for the target audience and focus on quality, quality, and quality. Have plenty of “eye candy”. Focus on creating a welcoming, diverse, atmosphere sizzling with vitality. Promote great displays.

Proper display of Public Market fresh food shows off the

Product’s delight and deliciousness.

Merchants in the area around Windsor Locks, for the most part have an underdeveloped sense of design and display. Furthermore, consumers are unfamiliar with the Public Market concept and for the most part, are not used to coming to the Market site.

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Mitigation: Staff should ultimately include someone who can provide necessary training in display and merchandising for new merchants. Many widely promoted special events should be scheduled on the Market site – particularly in the early years of the Market’s operation.

Plan a huge grand opening with world-class performers should be scheduled.

Flying Wallendas at the Grand opening of the Public Market

in Asheville NC (developed by the author).

There is currently no single focal point in Windsor Locks. Nothing that helps to define the community. Nowhere that locals can come together in a secure, vital, and fun environment.

Mitigation: Create the Public Market! Throughout the Americas and throughout the World, Public Markets are the beloved heart and soul of the communities that they inhabit. With the location of a Public Market in Windsor Locks, the tag line “Come get fresh in Windsor Locks” will have a very different meaning than it did during the first half of the 20th Century. It will, however, be no less of an attraction!

Public Markets are not easy to develop. They are complicated and take a long time to create. Each must be designed from scratch and can be initially misunderstood. Often, there aren’t good comparable models that citizens are familiar with. They require major grant infusions for their capital costs, etc. Mitigation: There are none…..except to know that they’re worth it. Despite the initial investment, there is no single project that will be as transformative to the area, that will have as large an impact on community and economic development, and that will eventually be as beloved by the surrounding citizenry.

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Mission and Goals: While the ownership of the Public Market site should remain in the hands of the town, the property should be leased at a nominal cost to a newly created Non-profit that will oversee the professional operation of the Public Market. This new operating entity should be legally bound to fulfill the Mission and Goals adopted by the town. Their leasehold operational and management responsibilities should be capable of being legally revoked by the Town if they do not meet these agreed-on expectations. What follows is a draft. The final Mission and Goals should be developed in conjunction with the Town, the Advisory Committee, and other community leaders. Mission Statement: The Mission of the Connecticut River Valley Public Market is “to create a powerful engine for economic, community, and agricultural development that fills the Market with successful and distinctive, owner-operated private businesses and public events that represent the unique character and culture of the Connecticut River Valley region, increases visitation, provides a net benefit to the existing business community, and reflects and serves its citizen’s everyday shopping needs for fresh and prepared food, fine local, handmade crafts, entertainment and education.” Market Goals:

1) Provide a source of affordable, fresh and local foods for the existing regional residential population. 2) Generate a significant new customer stream that creates a net sales increase among existing Windsor

Locks businesses. 3) Leverage the creation of significant commercial and residential redevelopment and property value

appreciation within 4 blocks of the Public Market.

4) Create scores of new, year-round, decent paying jobs that are especially targeted towards residents of the region in and around Windsor Locks.

5) Create dozens of new entrepreneurial opportunities for farmers, crafters, and business entrepreneurs. 6) Generate over one million dollars in new, annual sales and real estate local tax revenues. This includes

taxes generated by indirect and induced expenditures and includes taxes on capital expenditures such as the building itself, leasehold improvements, business and real estate taxes, as well as the sales tax on items that will be sold.

7) Encourage rural preservation and development in the Windsor Locks region by enhancing the

existing markets for agricultural, cottage industries, and handmade craft products. 8) Diversify the Windsor Locks economy and attract new businesses to the area by creating a significant

new ‘quality of life’ attraction.

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9) Provide 12 new fixed outdoor retail selling spaces for many regional small farmers and artisans. 10) Assist 3 existing ‘cottage industry’ producers in establishing legitimate, tax generating businesses. 11) Provide a place where all kinds of people come together for shopping, dining and socialization, and

in doing so, create an interesting environment for “people watching.” 12) Create a reason for local residents to come to shop locally, thereby keeping money circulating in the

community. 13) Provide a full calendar of Market sponsored special events and activities that are free and open to

the public.

14) Increase a sense of pride among area residents by showcasing the unique diversity, character and history of the region. 15) At full occupancy, generate millions of dollars in annual sales for local owner-operators. 16) Create a "showcase" local project that flows from the collaboration of neighborhood residents, local

business owners, civic leaders, and regional officials that builds local trust and paves the way for future collaborative projects.

17) Provide a centrally located, desirable meeting space for community groups. 18) Build a sense of community ownership and participation by creating a "common ground” where

different ages, ethnicities, classes, genders, races, and beliefs, come together in a vital, secure, and exciting environment.

19) Enhance the existing reasons that visitors come to Windsor Locks. Create a major tourist destination

that extends the stay of existing tourists and attracts new visitors to Windsor Locks. 20) Help to create a pedestrian oriented zone that spurs the creation of a new downtown that links the

Main Street, the Canal, and the River and other existing and new attractions. 21) Create a dramatic community and economic development project that respects, enhances and

honors the history, traditions and character of Windsor Locks. 22) Reach out to users of Bradley Airport and the Amtrak and new commuter station to do more of

their shopping in Windsor Locks

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Reaching goals is not easy…but it’s worth it

Management Plan

Managing a Public Market is a bit like herding cats!

Historically, there have been four models for managing a Public Market:

1) Direct management by a City or Town has proven problematic as the inevitable political agendas and electoral turnovers interfere with the stable management needed for a successful management outcome.

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2) Private management has led to a few successful models, but only in places with high concentrations of wealthy residents (Chelsea Market in Manhattan) or wealthy tourists (Oxbow Market in Napa Valley). Most “Public Markets” managed by private entities have failed to flourish since the need to maximize profits typically conflicts with the goal of maximizing public benefits.

There are two successful management models that have worked historically.

3) Management by a single purpose Public Development Authority (PDA), is similar to an Airport Authority. This model has been successful in larger cities with more complex Markets such as Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Due to various legal complexities, it is not a recommended model for a smaller Town such as Windsor Locks.

4) What does make sense is management by a newly formed Not-for-Profit which should be run

by a Board of Directors that combines community interests, representatives from the Town, vested interests such as merchant representatives, and professional representatives such as an attorney, accountant, retail property manager, etc. that can lend their professional expertise to the Board’s success. Non-profit management allows market decision making to be guided by public rather than solely economic goals.

Nonprofits are tax exempt. They can receive public and private grant funds. Their level of necessary bureaucracy is minimal. They can have a Board that is finely tuned to the sole purpose of running a successful Market. This Board should be responsible for setting policies, adhering to the Market’s Mission and Goals and hiring a professional Executive Director who should be responsible for staffing and managing the Public Market on a day to day basis. The main Market building and immediate outside public areas should not be managed either by the Town or a private entity. There are a number of disaster stories associated with this kind of Market management. The Town and community leaders should review, modify, take ownership of and adopt the Mission and Goals for the Market contained earlier in this document. The Town should retain direct ownership and management of the amenities and public spaces that will be a part of the Public Market. This will include the parking and public amenity areas that should include access across the tracks to the Canal hiking trail. The business Plan should propose and locate a range of other public amenities to be included in the plan that might include a kids/splashpad area, picnic area, a landscaped pathway and possible bridge to the canal pathway, a skate board park, basketball court, etc. The relatively minor cost of paying for patrolling and maintaining these amenities should be borne by the Town and should be paid for out of a small portion of the revenues derived by the Town from the Market’s operation. The Market building itself should be leased on a long-term basis to a new not-for-profit entity to be created.

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During the development period, an Advisory Committee with representation from professional and business interests, the Town, and various ethnic and residential communities, should meet to advise during the development process. The skills that need to be represented during the Market’s development are different than those that are needed for the Market’s management. That said, the long-term lease should come with the proviso that the managing nonprofit entity should make an annual report to the Town Council. The lease should explicitly require that the managing entity manage the Market in a manner consistent with the adopted Mission, and Goals for the Market. In an extreme instance where the Market is being mismanaged, the Town should have the right to assume the lease in the event that the management entity is not pursuing and moving towards meeting the Mission, and Goals for the Market. In that event, the managing entity should be reconstituted by the Town that owns the underlying property. A new management entity should be put in place that can more effectively advance the Market’s Mission, and Goals. The Business Plan will spell out in far more detail the ideal composition of the Market’s Board and staff.

Costs and Timing for a Windsor Locks Public Market

Cost: Obviously, at this stage of planning, any cost estimates are necessarily very rough approximations. That said, the total project cost for the ground floor space (including a significant amount of assistance with tenant build-out) is about $250 - $ 300 per SF of gross space. The upper floor or basement should cost less, perhaps $200 per SF. These are “Project” costs. They include construction, planning, design, and everything else (except the cost of land) necessary to realize a stand-alone Public Market project. Thus, assuming the rough size of 37,500 gross square feet suggested earlier, the project cost for the entire turnkey Public Market building (not including land, amenity or parking costs) might be roughly $10,000,000. Site improvements and public amenities and parking would likely add an additional $2,000,000. Public costs will be repaid many times in new downstream taxes, jobs, businesses, etc. In the experience of the author, no properly run Public Market should require any operating subsidy once it is fully leased up – typically 3 years from opening. While the average Public Market may be able to carry 0 – 15% of its capital cost in debt service at low interest rates. It will need to raise the balance of its costs in grants. Ideally however, the Market should open debt free to allow for proper staffing, advertising, events, and tenant education and support. While development of a detailed income and expense capital and operating budget is beyond the scope of this Study, it will be presented in the Business Plan.

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Of the 300 new U.S. Public Markets that have opened in the past 30 years, 299 have been successful. The one in Portland, Maine failed because of an improper tenant mix, lack of affordable products and poor location. It moved and its replacement has been successful. None of these new Public Markets have required ongoing operating subsidies once they were fully operational. All received significant grant funds to become established. There is clearly significant grant funding available for this kind of community and economic development project from a variety of sources. In order to access this kind of funding, there needs to be clear local buy-in, local financial support and completed initial planning through the Business Plan and renderings phase. A visit to other Markets, a comprehensive Business Plan and Site/Market renderings need to be financed with local funds. Once this is accomplished, a capital campaign should be able to raise substantial additional funds. Timing: Once a firm decision to proceed is made, it will take roughly 8 months to complete all necessary planning, 12 months to complete all necessary design and engineering, and roughly a year to build. Tenants will need an additional 3 months to plan and complete their part of their build-out and product stocking. This does not include time necessary for any land acquisition and fundraising. In the best of circumstances, the project will take 3 years to develop. It could take considerably longer depending on numerous variables.

Funding the Public Market:

Detailed potential sources of grant funding will be provided in the Business Plan. The author of this Study has helped to raise over $120,000,000 in grant funds for Public Markets. Clearly, non-local resources to help create Public Markets exist. Local funding, however, especially through the planning, land acquisition and Business Plan development phase are critical to the ability to attract outside funding. Non local funding sources will typically not contribute grant funds to a concept. They will be looking for a firm plan. There are numerous Foundations that have a history of giving to projects of this type in Connecticut. Examples that specifically target Windsor Locks include the Guilford Foundation, and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. In addition, there are dozens of national foundations that have a history of giving to economic and/or community development projects in Connecticut. For a list of Foundations with a history of Connecticut giving of between $1,000,000 – $112,000,000 for these kinds of projects, see https://www.tgci.com/funding-sources/CT/top

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Outside funders, whether individuals, corporations, foundations, County, State, or Federal sources, will not contribute to a project that has not been properly planned. The Business Plan will provide a much more comprehensive list of alternative local, state, federal, and private funding sources. Why do Public Markets need/deserve grant funding? Throughout history, Public Markets were considered in the same light as highways, traffic signals, and airports. They were seen as needed “utilities” that facilitated the smooth flow of commerce. Governments recognized how critical Public Markets were to the economic and community development of the regions where they were located. From the time humanity began living in cities, Public Markets have served as the center of their community. Their region’s heart and soul. For 6,000 years, communities considered it to be their responsibility to provide the Market “utility” that supported trade and development. 2,500 years ago, Plato and Socrates walked in the Agora (Marketplace) in Athens where democracy and modernity were first born. It was at “their Market” that anyone could touch the fabric and feel the pulse of the community’s food, character and culture. It was from there, that arteries of commerce flowed – infused with the economic juices created by the Public Market. Repeatedly, Public Markets have proven to be the most effective generators of entrepreneurial opportunity and economic growth. Time after time, Public Markets have tremendously increased the value of surrounding real estate, been the driver in revitalizing a community, become the most visited tourist attraction, and been an economic engine that has generated millions in new tax revenues. In addition to providing a lifeline for those who have enjoyed their jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, Public Markets are beloved by their customers – who come in droves because they want to – not because they have to. In order to fulfill their public purpose mission and goals, Public Markets always need initial outside funding to get established. It is unlikely that a single grant provider will offer the necessary funding in one large grant. Thus, it will be necessary to assemble a complex web of different funding sources. Ideally, a Public Market should open debt-free. Based on the experience of many other Markets, the Market should be expected to cover 100% of its operating costs when at full occupancy – typically about three years after opening.

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During the first years of the operation of a Public Market, costs will be higher – due to necessary construction “fixes” and training that will inevitably occur, and due to the need to maximize spending for marketing. It is much more expensive to bring in a new customer, than to maintain an existing customer. During this same time, income from rents will also be much lower as the Market is unlikely to open at full occupancy. Thus, an early year operational shortfall will typically result. The capital budget should provide for this initial shortfall as a “start-up leasing reserve”. Following, the lease-up stabilization period, the Connecticut River Valley Public Market should be designed to operate in the black. Clearly, there are significant funds available to support the creation of a Public Market in Windsor Locks - once the initial planning stage is completed. None of these sources is likely to entertain a proposal unless there is local buy-in and until the initial planning is completed. The challenge at this time is to get the planning right so that the impacts of the Public Market complex can best serve the entire Windsor Locks community.

Next Steps:

Windsor Locks is at a crossroads. It is in the process of redefining itself. If the area wishes to remain a primarily bedroom community, then little else is required. Tremendous opportunities however, will be forever lost.

On the other hand, if the leadership of the community wishes to exploit its location astride two metropolitan areas, take advantage of the existing airport and future commuter rail station, and enhance its financial viability, vibrancy and attractiveness to the young and the young-at-heart, then developing a Public Market should be considered an urgent opportunity.

If Windsor Locks’ governance wishes to follow the recommendations described in this Study, the Study should be shared with the broader community leadership. Eventually, the recommended “partners” should be included in the discussion of how best to proceed.

The following are logical “next steps” in implementing the recommendations contained in this Study.

1) A trip for principals guided by a Public Market expert to visit other existing, relevant Public Markets should occur to sharpen the vision of what kinds of components and design the Public

Market should reflect.

2) A comprehensive Public Market Business Plan should be commissioned. This Plan should contain detailed operating and capital budgets for the Public Market, a Design Program, a Tenant Leasing Plan, a Marketing Plan, detailed cohort surveys, a staff operations plan, a calculation of the number of new jobs, entrepreneurial opportunities, newly generated taxes that will be created, a simple proposed layout for the Public Market floor, as well as its relationship to other outdoor components, and a detailed plan for raising the necessary funds for this project. This Business

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Plan should be a comprehensive roadmap guiding the transformation from its current conceptual stage to the grand opening of the Public Market.

3) Site renderings (interior and exterior) that show the relationship of the Public Market’s components should be commissioned. A Public Market expert should oversee preparation of the renderings.

4) Throughout this process, the Advisory Committee should be constituted and consulted.

Community planning meetings should be held to receive public input on the project.

5) Once a name has been finalized, a Public Market website should be developed that updates the community and allows citizens to volunteer and/or express their interest in becoming Market tenants.

6) A Capital Campaign Committee should be formed once the Business Plan and renderings are prepared.

7) The planning and development of the Market should culminate in a celebratory grand opening of the Market.

These steps have resulted in the successful creation of about 300 new Public Markets in the last 40 years. It is a cumbersome, time consuming and sometimes-frustrating process.

The result, however, will transform Main Street, Windsor Locks and the surrounding region into a

better place for its citizens, businesses, and visitors.

Conclusion Windsor Locks is a wonderful community. It will reap enormous returns from becoming far more than a primarily bedroom community. Historically, Windsor Locks had its own discrete commerce and identity. With the near destruction of Main Street, that distinctiveness has become somewhat diluted. Development of a Public Market will be the tremendously important spark that will result in helping return Windsor Locks back to its successful roots. Proceeding with the development of the Public Market will improve Windsor Locks as a gainful and spirited place to live and work for its residents and visitors. It will allow the community to compete successfully in the economy of the future. There is no such a thing as a “sure thing” when it comes to real estate development. However, based on the evidence presented in this Study, the Public Market will likely be very successful on its own. It will provide hundreds of new jobs, scores of new entrepreneurial opportunities and millions of dollars in new tax revenues for the community.

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It will transform the Windsor Locks community by reversing the flow of shopping and entertainment expenditures that are currently leaving the City. It will create a vibrant, safe and exciting new place where area residents, visitors, employees, and business and property owners can come together. It will help leverage the creation of surrounding new businesses and a desperately needed downtown. Creation of the Public Market will provide an urgently needed local shopping venue that will showcase fresh and local and prepared foods and crafts. It will increase area real estate values. The proposed public amenities and connections to the enhanced Canal path will, by itself, create a regional attraction that will help put Windsor Locks on the map as a beautiful, exciting and fun place to visit. Finally, the Public Market will build on Windsor Locks’ wonderful qualities while resulting in a reinvigorated economy and community for all of its citizens.