Council Review
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, November 22, 1999

Prepared by: Citizens’ Research Education Network, Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000

There were 48 items on the regular agenda; eleven were added on the supplemental agenda. One item was added during the meeting. Council member Mike McGarry was absent.

Consent Decree – Several hundred community members crowded Council Chambers prior to the meeting to express concern over a resolution dealing with police standards and governance. Among other things, the resolution recommitted the city to a consent decree it signed in 1973, acknowledged that the city had violated the decree, and reconstituted the Use of Firearms Board of Inquiry. (Legal action has been initiated against the city for not adhering to the consent decree.)

The Council passed an amended resolution which added several of the groups present as interveners or parties to the consent decree and postponed until Tuesday, November 23, at 7 PM discussion of the other portions of the resolution. The postponed resolution included a clause which would commit the city to reconstituting the Board and investigating the “Aquan Salmon matter.”

The 1973 Consent Decree Order dates from a civil action which set standards for a range of police actions including use of firearms. The original consent decree established a Firearm Board of Inquiry to determine whether the discharge of a firearm conformed to the Police Manual

Renaissance Place -- The Council began with a brief Public Hearing on the granting of a Preliminary Special Permit Approval for Renaissance Place - a proposed development of the downtown block bounded by Asylum, Pratt, Main, and Trumbull Streets. Both the Design Review Board and the Commission on the City Plan recommended approval of the permit.

According to the communications from the Design Review Board and the Commission on the City Plan, the proposed development will enhance the pedestrian environment and acknowledge the importance of historical buildings like the Old State House and the Society for Savings building.

Sale of 960 Main Street and Proposed Morgan Street Garage – The Council passed a resolution authorizing the sale of the old G. Fox Building (960 Main Street) and rights to use up to 1,100 spaces in the proposed Morgan Street Garage. The sale, for $4,250,000, is to the state of Connecticut for use by the Capital Community Technical College. The terms include a tentative “Tax Fixing Agreement” in which CCTC will pay at least 15% of the tax cost the first year and gradually increase its payments until full taxes are paid in the 7^th year.

Housing Overlay District – The Council passed two ordinances and failed three which would create a housing overlay district (HOD) in the downtown area north of Bushnell Park. HODs establish a residential development requirement in areas zoned for office use. The vote on each of the ordinances was the same (two Republican “No’s” to six Democrat “Yes’s”) but two of the ordinances required only six votes for passage and three required seven. Those which required seven failed.

The vote established housing overlay districts in the block bounded by Lewis, Gold, Trumbull, and Pearl Streets and the block bounded by Service Court, Hicks, Ann, and Pearl Streets.

Council member Park argued before the vote that the HODs would encourage development along the recommendations of the Greenberg Plan. Council member O’Connell argued that it would be better to work with developers on a case by case basis to encourage downtown residential development.

Housing overlay districts are zoning mechanisms which require any new structures or enlargements of existing buildings in the HOD to include 25% gross floor area be reserved for residential use. Several businesses in the effected area filed official protests to the proposed district; the Planning, Economic Development, and Zoning Committee recommended passage.

Island of Vieques – The Council passed on consent a resolution urging the Congress and President to order the United States Navy to stop using the Island of Vieques for bombing practice. The resolution argues that the bombing is dangerous for residents, destroys the environment, and hurts the local economy.

Signal Update -- The Council passed an ordinance appropriating federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program funds to update the city’s traffic signals. The funds ($1,480,000) will be used to make the city’s system Y2K compliant.

Community Computer Business – The Council passed on consent a resolution which will provide $25,000 to help fund a community business which will recycle, repair, and reuse used personal computers. The business has been developed by the Interdenominational Minister Alliance and will be known as the Community PC/Tech Center.

If you have any questions about the agenda, call the Council at 522‑4888 or Greg Vickers at CREN, 249‑1416.  The Citizens' Research Education Network is a non‑profit information center for Hartford community‑based organizations.