On Tuesday evening, the Town Council voted yes to amend Special Development District No. 6 to accommodate signage for a new indoor recreation establishment in Corbins Corner. 

By Bridget Bronsdon and Kaily Martinez

An amendment application for Special Development District No. 6 came before the town council on Tuesday evening to approve one element: signage. 

The tenant applying for updates to the Special Development District is Level99, a social gaming and restaurant establishment, and has proposed to occupy the space that has an entrance next to Crumbl Cookies in the Corbin Collection and would be located on the second floor, above Saks Off Fifth. 

While Level99 has several exciting elements, Robin Pearson of Alter & Pearson, LLC, said the vote was strictly “to approve an increase, a slight increase, in the number and size of signs for this proposed tenant.” Level99 has not yet signed a lease for the space.

“It seems to fit very, very well with the other locations,” Mayor Shari Cantor said regarding the signage revision. Photo Credit: Kaily Martinez

While the signage changes are minor, the amendment and vote were necessary. The original Special Development District established for the Corbin’s Corner Shopping Center involved a sign criteria package that “allocated only 200 square feet of signage for the tenant that might someday occupy the top floor of Sears,” said Pearson. 

Initially, Pearson and her team proposed a 200 square feet Level99 sign at the top of the building and two additional signs: a smaller restaurant sign above the entrance and a Level99 sign around the building’s corner facing New Britain Avenue and the parking lot for “wayfinding purposes,” said Pearson. 

The town’s Design Review and Advisory Commission (DRAC) said the initially proposed signage was too big, so the measurements were reduced. 

The final measurements of the signage are 180 square feet for the main Level99 sign, 74 square feet for the restaurant sign, and 60 square feet for the sign facing New Britain Ave.

The current signage has a beige pannel but they plan change the color to a darker shade to create contrast between the builidng and the sign. Photo Credit: Kaily Martinez

The Town Council was unanimous in support of the signage change and expressed excitement for the incoming establishment. 

“I know our economic development team and our town planner as well has been working towards getting some really high quality entertainment here in West Hartford for a long time on a larger scale. I have felt very strongly about this, I think it’s a big hole that was missing from the town and I really believe that this fit for this particular business,” said Mayor Shari Cantor. 

Councilor Alberto Cortes agreed. “Thank you for coming to West Hartford. We are changing and we have become a destination location, and I think this is a perfect fit. This is something outside of the box that you don’t see everywhere else, I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

The town council voted yes 9-0 to approve the signage changes, and further plans regarding the establishment are underway.

Nighttime rendering of Level99 in Corbins Corner. August 6, 2024. Photo credit: Bridget Bronsdon

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