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Prepared by:
Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000
There were 42 items on the original agenda. Seven more items were submitted during the meeting. The next regular Council meeting will be Monday, September 11, 2006 at 7 P.M. The next public hearing will be Monday, August 21, 2006.
Actions taken on all items on this agenda can be found online at http://www.hartford.gov/government/Town&CityClerk/Minutes/council_meeting_minutes.htm
Lease Agreement with ADRC – The Council referred, to its Health and Human Services Committee, a resolution authorizing a ten year extension of the lease of 16 Coventry Street to the Alcohol and Drug Recovery Centers (ADRC) and an addition of 2000 square feet to the existing facility. ADRC has been providing addiction recovery services for 30 years and serves approximately 3,450 individuals per year. They have renovated three unused City buildings on the City’s Coventry Street campus. The expansion will alleviate over-crowding of the facility. Annual lease payments will be $2,500, increasing to $5,000 after construction is completed. A public hearing on this matter will be held on Monday, August 21, 2006. (Item #5)
Clean Water Project – The Council referred to its Planning and Economic Development Committee, the Mayor’s request for support for the MDC’s proposed $800,000,000 Bond offering for the Clean Water Project. The Commissioners of the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) voted, on August 7, 2006, to authorize the sale of $800,000,000 in bonds to pay for the first phase of the Clean Water Project. The project consists of improvements to the sewer systems and sewage treatment plants in Hartford and the other seven MDC member towns and will address the problems of sewage overflows into rivers, streams, streets, yards, and basements. The MDC is required to undertake this project by consent orders from the U.S. and State governments. The issuance of said bonds must be approved by the voters of the MDC member towns and will appear as a referendum on the ballot of the November 7th election. (Item #7)
Sale of City-Owned Property – A resolution authorizing the sale of the vacant lots at 21 and 25 Nelson Streets and 36 Sanford Street to the Hartford Housing Authority for construction of affordable housing was withdrawn. The sale was approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission on July 11, 2006 and approved by the Northeast NRZ. (Item #9)
Redevelopment Plan for Downtown West Section I – The Council referred, to its Planning and Economic Development Committee, a resolution approving the Redevelopment Plan for the Downtown West Section I project. The project area includes 4.29 acres of land bounded by Asylum, Ann, Jewell, and Ford Streets and includes the YMCA site on Jewell Street (now owned by Northland Investment Corporation), a fire station, and several surface parking lots. The primary goal of the project is to spur the orderly reuse and upgrade of the parcels in the project area to the betterment of the area and the City. The project area will be redeveloped as primarily residential. The plan was prompted by Northland Investment’s request for the City to provide Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to assist in development of the old YMCA site. TIF financing requires the establishment of a TIF district and a Redevelopment Plan is the best means of establishing such a district. The Redevelopment Agency approved the redevelopment plan on August 10th. (Item #10)
Hartford 2010 – The Council approved a resolution authorizing the Mayor to allocate $30,000 in Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) funds to develop and implement the Hartford 2010 Plan: A Vision and Strategic Framework. Through collaborative efforts with the MetroHartford Alliance, the project will identify actions to enhance the City’s major arteries as commercial corridors and attractions for visitors and to link downtown to neighborhoods and suburbs. The three phases, Assessment, Preparing the Strategic Framework, and Implementation are scheduled for completion by April 30, 2007. The City will contribute $30,000 of the overall budget of $250,000. (Item #16)
Immanuel Hudson House – The Council approved a resolution authorizing the sale of 363-367 Hudson Street by the Hartford Redevelopment Agency to Immanuel Hudson House, Inc. for the construction of 40 units of housing for low income elderly people. The Council’s Housing Committee recommended approval. The project was supported by the South Downtown NRZ (SoDo). (Item #20)
Bond Sales for Public Improvements – This item was withdrawn from consideration. The proposed ordinance would have authorized the sale of General Revenue Bonds in the amount of $4,750,000 for a variety of public improvement projects contained in the Capital Improvement Program of the Mayor’s Recommended 2006-2007 Budget. A public hearing on this matter was held on Monday, May 15, 2006 and the Management & Budget Committee recommended approval. The Council previously postponed action on the ordinance several times. (Item #27)
Downtown Special Services District – Action was postponed on a proposed ordinance which will, if passed, allow the creation of a Business Improvement District (BID) for a significant portion of the Central Business District. The purpose of the BID is to provide public safety (excluding police and fire), cleaning, beautification, and marketing services in and for the BID. Upon passage of the ordinance, a referendum of owners of taxable properties within the District will be held to establish the BID. The District will have the power to assess, on its property owners, an additional tax levy of up to one mill to support itself and provide enhanced services. The BID will be governed by a 23-person Board of Commissioners which will adopt a budget for the BID. A draft budget proposes $222,000 in funding from the City to support activities associated with keeping downtown clean, including installation of new trash receptacles, graffiti removal, and flower plantings. The ordinance has the strong support of Business for Downtown and the MetroHartford Alliance. The Council also postponed action in this ordinance at its July 10th meeting. (Item #28)
New Agenda Items: The following ordinances are among a group of seven items submitted to the Council meeting as “walk-in” items, i.e. they were submitted after the regular Council Agenda deadline.
Amendments to the Anti-Blight Ordinance – The Mayor submitted an ordinance amending the Anti-Blight Program, which was referred to the Planning and Economic Development Committee. Among the changes proposed are inclusion of vacant land in the definition of “blighted premises”, application of the ordinance to occupied properties as well as vacant ones, more precise definitions of “dilapidated” and “illegal activity”, elimination of most exceptions to the applicability of the ordinance, imposition of fines of $100 per day on owners who fail to correct blighting conditions, authorization to file liens against the property for fines and accrued interest not paid by the owner, requirement that owners file valid addresses with the City, and, a statement that, even if such address is not on file, the owner is still liable for penalties. A public hearing on this matter will be held on Monday, August 21, 2006. (Item #45)
Regulation of Newsracks – The Mayor submitted an ordinance for the regulation of installation, operation, and maintenance of newsracks within the public right-of-way. The Council referred the item to the Public Works, Parks, and Environment Committee. The objective is to assure that newsracks do not unduly obstruct sidewalks, create traffic congestion, damage municipal property, or endanger the safety and welfare of individuals. The ordinance requires permits, regulates the location of newsracks, and provides standards for maintenance and installation. A public hearing on this matter will be held on Monday, August 21, 2006. (Item #46)
If you have any questions about the agenda, please call Richard Frieder at the Hartford Public Library, 695-6365, or Linda Bayer at Hartford 2000, 509-3710. The Council Preview/Review is a joint project of the Hartford 2000, and the Hartford Public Library. |
