September Meeting Wednesday 9/20

This week brings the Autumnal Equinox, and the first SoDo NRZ meeting of the 2023-24 year, Wednesday, September 20 at 6:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church (136 Capitol Ave., enter through the white building to the right of the main church). Please join us!

Our meetings typically include reports from Hartford NEXT, Community Garden, and the Outreach and Social Committees (check out this month's newsletter for info in the return of SoDo’s Progressive Dinner!), reports from HPD and HFD on activity in the neighborhood, and updates from various City offices such as Community Engagement, Planning & Development Services, and Sustainability. We occasionally have special guests who share information relevant to quality of life in the neighborhood/city.

It feels like Hartford activities are back up to pre-2020 levels: live music, festivals, yoga in the park, and non-profit fundraising events. Not sure where to start? Visit the new “Things To Do” page of our website, or the Hartford.com website.

Danger at Pulaski Circle: 6/29 last day to vote

 

View of Pulaski Circle looking north from Hudson Street.

Please vote TODAY to make Pulaski Circle a safer intersection.

If you have ever tried to walk across Hudson Street or Elm Street to get to or from Bushnell Park on foot you very likely have felt like you might be taking your life in your hands.

Pulaski Circle is a dangerous** intersection/rotary that functions poorly (looking at you Whitehead Highway exit ramp). Despite multiple yield signs, stop signs, painted crosswalks, and pedestrian crossing signs in neon green, this area is a hazard to motorists and pedestrians.

SoDo neighbor and Board Member Michael Robbins has submitted a Pulaski Circle Safety project to Hartford Decide$, the City of Hartford's Participatory Budgeting initiative. The project has made it to the final round and now needs as many votes as possible to be selected. This project will benefit pedestrians, particularly those walking to and from Bushnell Park, and drivers who have difficulty noticing pedestrians crossing the streets that intersect with Pulaski Circle. 

The project can succeed only if enough Hartford residents vote for it. Please visit Hartford Decide$ and vote for this safety initiative by 11:59 pm Thursday, June 29. Any Hartford resident aged 10 and up can vote.

**In March 2022 the Hartford Courant reported* “Between 2017 and 2021, there were 121 crashes in Pulaski Circle, 18 involving pedestrians with rear-end collisions accounting for more than half of incidents, according to traffic statistics. Nearly 20% resulted in injuries.”

*Gift link, you can read this article without a subscription to the Courant.

55 Elm Presentation at June 21 Annual Meeting & Elections

So much SoDo News this month! Pulaski Circle, Federal Courthouse, Bushnell South, and our Love Your Block submission. Our Annual Meeting & Elections is Wednesday, June 21, at 6 pm at First Presbyterian in the main part of the church.
Guest speaker: Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, with an update on the redevelopment of 55 Elm Street.

Click here for more info on the above, the meeting agenda, and other useful neighborhood info. We hope to see many neighbors at Wednesday’s meeting!

SoDo Relocation of Federal Courthouse?

The federal government is considering relocating the Hartford federal court operations from its present location at 450 Main Street (across from The Linden) and building a new courthouse elsewhere in the city. Three locations are under consideration, including a 2.5-acre parcel of land in SoDo, on Hudson Street between Capitol Avenue and Buckingham Street. This parcel is currently state-owned, exempt from taxation, and is used as a parking lot for state employees. This parcel is also earmarked for Phase 3 of the Bushnell South development of mixed-use housing and retail, which would put it back on the city's tax rolls. 

There will be a public hearing regarding an upcoming environmental study of the Capitol Avenue parcel as well as the two other potential court sites on Tuesday, June 6, 5:30 - 7:30 pm at the Park Street Library, 603 Park Street. You can read more about the courthouse project from this announcement letter and on the GSA website.

News articles about the proposed Bushnell South redevelopment and proposed courthouse move are on the Capitol Avenue Redevelopment page of this site.

Join our Board!

 

The South Downtown NRZ has openings for Board Members in the following categories: Residential Tenant, Property Owner, Social Services representative, and Business Owner.

Elections are Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 6:00 pm during our Annual Meeting.

Any member of the SoDo NRZ can run for Board elections. Membership in the SoDo NRZ requires that an individual must (a) live in or, (b) own property in or, (c) own a business located in, or (d) represent a social services agency located in the South Downtown (SoDo) area. Board Terms are three years, and we request that Board members attend and actively participate in meetings and events, and have a non-partisan interest in improving the quality of life in our neighborhood. We meet on the third Wednesday of the month, September through June. Click here for more information about the NRZ and the neighborhood boundaries.

Nominees should send a brief paragraph about themselves and why they are interested in joining the SoDo NRZ Board to SoDoNRZ@gmail.com by 5 pm Friday, June 9.

May News & Neighborhood Meeting

Hope you all have been enjoying this lovely spring weather and all the great outdoor events that have started in our capital city. Not sure where to start? Visit the new “Things To Do” page of our website, or the Hartford.com website. 

The next SoDo NRZ meeting of the 2022-23 year will be IN PERSON Wednesday, May 17 at 6:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church of Hartford, 136 Capitol Avenue (enter through the small white building to the right of the main church).

We will share updates on our Love Your Block submission, our neighborhood’s Strategic Plan, and the City’s community outreach for their Neighborhood Planning study.

In June we host our Annual Meeting & Elections. If you or someone you know is interested in serving on the SoDo NRZ Board, please reach out. More info can be found in this prior post and this month's newsletter.

Many thanks to our neighbors Pastor Nancy Baseel and the First Presbyterian staff for generously offering us their space for our meeting. We look forward to catching up on neighborhood news with you in person!

April News and Neighborhood Meeting

Although Summer tried to stick her foot in the door this weekend, at last it truly is Spring, as seen by the lengthening days and all the flowering bulbs and trees in our neighborhood and local parks.

Warmer weather also means the start of new construction projects, including resurfacing of Main Street all along SoDo’s eastern border. Learn more about this and other neighborhood happenings at our next meeting. 

And if you are wondering what to do with yourself and all this extra daylight, visit the new “Things To Do” page of our website!

The next SoDo NRZ meeting of the 2022-23 year will be IN PERSON Wednesday, April 18 at 6:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church of Hartford, 136 Capitol Avenue (enter through the small white building to the right of the main church). We will discuss our Love Your Block submission, our neighborhood’s Strategic Plan, and the City’s community outreach for their Neighborhood Planning study. 

Many thanks to our neighbors Pastor Nancy Baseel and the First Presbyterian staff for generously offering us their space for our meeting. Check out this month's Newsletter here, which also includes the meeting Agenda. We look forward to catching up on neighborhood news with you in person!