Hartford Business Journal

22 Hartford Business Journal • September 5, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com city's Planning and Zoning Commission. In some cases, staff can now review and approve zoning requests in a single day. Moreover, the city has embraced the devel- opment-review concept, known as "form- based code.'' Under it, individual buildings and other elements of large, master-planned projects are reviewed as a single package, rather than individually, saving developers time and money. Simsbury and Windsor are among other Connecticut communities that have adopted form-based zoning codes. Hartford's land-use revisions and new zoning map come at a crucial juncture as the city comes under mounting pressure to either sell off or leverage development of many of its abandoned or underused public and private parcels and buildings, to ease the property- tax burden on residents and businesses. Jamie Bratt, the city's director of planning and economic development, said the old land- use regulations "were pretty far from ideal,'' but acknowledged that while better, the new rules will require massaging over time to reflect all development permutations. "It's a living code. It's not carved in stone,'' Bratt said. "All in all, it's come out pretty well.'' At least two recent or planned develop- ments are beneficiaries of the city's new land-use review approach, says Sara Bronin, chair of the city's Planning and Zoning Com- mission, which spent the past two years over- seeing the revisions. One was the recent opening of a tap room inside Hog River Brewing Co.'s brewery in the city's Parkville neighborhood. Hog River benefitted, Bronin said, from a reversal of the city's previous ban on making and serv- ing alcoholic beverages under the same roof. The other is the proposed makeover of the aged, 410-unit Chester Bowles Park public-housing com- munity, in the city's North End. The city applied its new "cam- pus overlay format'' in its review of Bowles' new street and infra- structure layout, number and place- ment of buildings, parking and landscaping. Doing it this way vs. the old, authorities say, saves the city and devel- oper the time, money and headache of review- ing and approving each element separately. Hartford land-use lawyer Thomas Regan, who represents Bowles' private developer, hailed the changes. The developer plans to recast Bowles' 1950s-era apartment buildings into 62 units to be known as Willow Creek Apartments. "Overall, the new zoning regulations are very positive,'' said Regan, of Brown Rudnick LLP. "They allow for a great deal more flexi- bility on the part of the developer. It will make it a lot easier to develop a project." Hartford architect William Crosskey, who designed Bowles/Willow Creek so that it blends with the surrounding neighborhood's existing architectural style, too, hailed the city's revised zoning scheme. "For the most part, they are about 98 per- cent better than what we had,'' Crosskey said. However, Crosskey, whose firm relied on the old land-use format to design a num- ber of citywide housing-rehabilitation and building-conservation projects, particularly downtown, says the new format comes up short in one respect. It, he said, promotes certain building types and styles as redevel- opment ideals. "It takes away a little bit of the creativity,'' Crosskey said, on the part of designers who covet options for creating buildings that bet- ter fit with their neighborhoods. Other developers and land-use profession- als who packed an Aug. 16 MetroHartford Alliance breakfast session at which Bronin and city-planning staff outlined the zoning changes and reaffirmed the city's commit- ment to encouraging development, assessed its benefits similarly. Sharon Castelli, chief executive officer at ISSUE DATE: in print and digital November 22, 2016 G I V I N G G U I D E 2015 www.HartfordBusiness.com December 15, 2015 • Hartford Business Journal 29 The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving provides financial and other support to enable individuals and institutions to serve the community. The Foundation promotes informed charitable giving and participates actively in efforts to identify key community needs and opportunities, as well as the means to address them. GOALS The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is a catalyst for the Greater Hartford community. We unite often divergent groups for a greater goal: to enable all within the 29-town region we serve to thrive. 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The South Asian Bar Association Endowed Fund is just one of the many scholarships, programs and funds created by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to bring those who need, and those who give, together for good. Help us celebrate 90 years of making a difference in the Hartford region by finding out how you can become a philanthropist too at hfpg.org. I support a scholarship fund that serves my community and honors my culture. HFPG_0114_AshaAd_HBJ_10x13_875_Issue1124.indd 1 10/15/15 1:45 PM Your nonprofit organization seen by 31,000+ business readers. Hartford Business Journal is pleased to bring you the 2016 edition of the Giving Guide: Business Gives Back. This informative guide highlights nonprofit organizations — including the Arts & Humanities, Health & Human Services, Education, Foundations and Fundraising — that have a presence in the 61-Town Central Connecticut (Greater Hartford) region that are making a difference in our community. Nonprofits play a huge role in the region and this guide will showcase their missions, progress, governance and many initiatives. A publication of For more information, call Donna Collins, Associate Publisher: 860.236.9998 ext. 121 or email dcollins@HartfordBusiness.com 2015 cover shown SPACE RESERVATION DEADLINE: September 12, 2016 Be in the 2016 Business Gives Back Sample profile spread shown. Visit HartfordBusiness.com for more information and to view the 2015 digital edition. from page 1 Highlights of Hartford's new land-use code • Eliminates the requirement that downtown developers include parking in their projects. However, new developments downtown must provide ample parking for bicycles as well as "charging stations'' for electric vehicles. • Embraces a "green'' focus, by de-emphasizing automobiles as the primary mobility mode in favor of mass-transit, walking and biking. Developers who build near bus routes or busway depots outside downtown earn "credits'' that count toward reducing their on-site parking requirements. • Encourages the planting of "rooftop gardens'' and other sustainable forms of environmentally sensitive building features and design. S O U R C E S : C I T Y O F H A R T F O R D P L A N N I N G D I V I S I O N ; C I T Y P L A N N I N G & Z O N I N G C O M M I S S I O N Land-use pros hail new rules as 'positive' Sara Bronin, chair, City of Hartford Planning and Zoning Commission

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