Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1072227
www.HartfordBusiness.com • January 21, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 5 and the National Consumer Law Center in October sued Liberty, accusing it of violating federal laws by allegedly denying at higher rates or not providing adequate mortgage lending-services to consumers living in African-American or Latino neighborhoods. East Hartford adds brewery, brewpub zones East Hartford officials have approved new zoning rules that allow breweries and brewpubs in both commercial and industrial zones. The town's Planning and Zoning Commission recently voted to add definitions for "brewery" and "brewpub" and revise certain sections of zoning rules to add them as a special permit use in those districts, according to meeting minutes. The new zoning amendment will be effective later this month. Under the new definitions, breweries are defined as places where beer is manufactured or sold in sealed containers and brewpubs are venues where producers manufacture and sell beer for on-site consumption. Hartford Land Bank eyes citywide blight survey The Hartford Land Bank, seeded with $5 million in state funds two years ago, plans to survey and assess an estimated 400 vacant and abandoned properties in Hartford, with the assistance of a $175,000 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The city's recently beefed up remediation efforts have helped fix up nearly 140 blighted properties as of Oct. 2018, the Hartford Courant reported. The land bank is chaired by Hartford's blight enforcement director Laura Settlemyer. The land bank, which has power to acquire, manage and dispose of blighted properties, plans to hire national experts to help develop Hartford's blight- remediation strategy. Hartford industrial real estate still strong in 2018 Industrial-property sales and leasing again paced Greater Hartford's commercial realty market last year, and no let up is likely this year, commercial broker-advisor CBRE says. CBRE industrial-sales broker Kyle Roberts told an audience ealier this month at CBRE's annual 2019 Greater Hartford real estate outlook breakfast-forum at the Hartford Marriott Downtown that a net 1.2 million square feet of industrial space was absorbed last year. Mirroring recent years, the net effect, Roberts said, was that industrial- space vacancies for the Hartford region fell more than 7 percentage points, while net rents rose 5.5 percent. E-commerce giant Amazon, FedEx and grocer Trader Joe's led a roster of blue-chip tenants who debuted or expanded their regional facilities in 2018, he said. Urban League of Greater Hartford names new CEO The Urban League of Greater Hartford has tapped a primary care executive from Pittsburgh as its new CEO. The Hartford nonprofit, which provides services focused on adult education and workforce development, said David J. Hopkins, former CEO of Primary Care Health Services Inc., began leading the organization Jan. 15, replacing Adrienne W. Cochrane, who left the post last year to become CEO of the YWCA's Hartford Region. Joette Katz has joined Shipman & Goodwin as a Partner in Business Litigation. JOETTE KATZ Joette's distinguished legal career and service to the State of Connecticut provide her with knowledge and experience that make her a valuable resource to clients with a wide range of legal needs, including appellate work, mediation and investigations. We are honored that this former Connecticut Supreme Court Justice and Commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families has chosen Shipman & Goodwin to continue her outstanding career. Read more at: www.shipmangoodwin.com/jkatz www.shipmangoodwin.com G R E E N W I C H | H A R T F O R D | N E W H A V E N | N E W Y O R K | S TA M F O R D | W A S H I N G T O N D C 300 Atlantic Street Stamford, CT 06901-3522 One Constitution Plaza Hartford, CT 06103-1919 (203) 324-8147 jkatz@goodwin.com Chandler Howard, CEO of Liberty Bank. Amazon's growth is helping fill industrial space in Connecticut. PHOTO | HBJ FILE PHOTO | HBJ FILE Looking to create a custom publication? Let us take care of it for you. ADVERTISING@ HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/ CUSTOMPUBLISHING | 860.236.9998 Whether it's the celebration of a major anniversary or the opening of a new headquarters, Hartford Business Journal's Custom Publishing Division can help you create a custom magazine for your business. Our division's top fl ight team of writers and designers can help you tell your story – and make your business look great! Based on our unique publishing model, it's surprisingly affordable. ADVERTISING@ CALL TODAY!