Bronin not holding breath on XL Center sale

Photo | HBJ File Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said trying to sell the XL Center will be no easy task.

Matt Pilon

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By Matt Pilon

Tucked into the recently enacted state budget is a provision requiring Hartford to put out a request for proposals to lure potential investors or buyers for the aging XL Center.

In a recent interview, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said he's happy to work with the Capital Region Development Authority to issue an RFP, but he's skeptical it will draw much interest.

“I think it is a little naive to think that there's going to be a rush of investors looking to acquire a facility that requires hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to become competitive again,” the mayor said. “That facility is obsolete. The mechanicals barely work. And it's not a competitive venue.”

Even if an interested investor or buyer emerges, there are substantial hurdles that must be cleared.

“There's a lot of complexity here,” he said, including contracts with the venue's operator Spectra Venue Management, and with UConn and other sports teams.

The state has kept the XL Center afloat in recent years with millions of dollars in capital upgrades.

The recently passed budget includes another $40 million authorization for the venue, built in the 1970s.

But that pales in comparison to the estimated $250 million that is needed for a full overhaul. Bronin and his former boss, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy — who had included the $250 million in his own budget proposal earlier this year — wrote a letter to the New York Islanders in February pitching the XL Center as a future home for the NHL team.

Bronin said he wants to see a revitalized XL Center.

“There are lots of uses for competitive modern arenas,” he said. “It continues to be an important driver of business to the many small businesses and restaurants in the city.”

But without the funding, public or private, decisions will need to be made.

“I don't think it would serve the state of Connecticut well to have a rusting hulk of metal and concrete occupying the middle of its Capital City,” he added.