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www.HartfordBusiness.com • March 12, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 17 Government Total revenue (2015) $232,946,000 Per capita tax $1,651 Total expenditures $228,633,000 Total indebtedness $248,334,000 as % of expenditures 108.6% Annual debt service $33,465,000 Moody's Bond Rating Baa1 Actual Mill Rate 49 Net Grand List $2,443,274,834 Housing stock Existing units 31,670 % single unit 29% New permits (2015) 6 as % of existing units 0.0% Demolitions 13 Residential sales 422 Median price $159,900 Top 5 grand list Company Amount CT Light & Power $63.7M Pebblebrook Apartments $19.7M Stanley Works $15.7M CT Natural Gas Corp. $13.1M Investment Associates LTP $11.6M Town Profile New Britain Town Hall address: 27 West Main St. New Britain, CT 06051 (860) 826-3303 News Around Town ■ ■ In February, New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart was invited to The White House to discuss federal aid for impoverished cities. ■ ■ Also in February, Polamer Precision Inc. and Okay Industries Inc., both in New Britain , were among three companies receiving $5.5 million in loans and grants from the state to abet their expansions and more hiring. ■ ■ In January, the federal government announced New Britain saw an increase in its unemployment rate in November from 5.5 percent to 6.1 percent month to month. General Land area (sq. miles) 13 sq. mi. Households 27,858 Median household income $40,457 Poverty Rate 23.40% Crime Rate (per 100,000 residents) 3,232 Population 2000 71,538 Projected 2020 75,277 Median age 34 Largest age demographic 25-44 (28%) Educational attainment (2012) Persons age 25 or older % of population High school graduate 38% Associate's Degree 7% Bachelor's or more 19% Labor Force (Residence) Employed 33,704 Unemployed 3,024 Unemployment Rate 8.2% Place of work # of units 1,220 Total Employment 24,848 Economics Business profile Sector Units Employ- ment Construction 79 784 Manufacturing 103 3,416 Retail Trade 167 1,767 Health Care and Social Assistance 158 6,738 Total Government 36 5,233 Major Employers • City of New Britain • Hospital for Special Care • Stanley Black & Decker • Hospital of Central CT • State of CT "We've worked hard,'' Regan said, ''to bring more features on both the tech- nology side and the accessibility side, so people can live more independently." With Maryland's Casaplex LLC pro- viding system design and installation, the Favarh-Regan apartments' other digital features will include program- mable window shades that raise at sunrise and lower at sunset. Hard-of-hearing residents also can have room lights set to dim or flash as a bedtime or medication reminder. State and private caregivers/monitors will be able to communicate two-way via residents' smart TVs. While each apartment will have these monitoring and other conveniences hardwired into them, Morris cautions that none will be activated unless resi- dents want them. Indeed, one of the over- riding concerns for many of those eligible to live there is their privacy, he said. "The apartments are going to be 'smart-tech' ready,'' Morris said. "But we'll customize them based on resi- dents' health and safety needs. We're not going to intrude.'' Favarh says it has all Canton approv- als to erect the apartments on a wooded lot at 300-350 Commerce Drive, diago- nally across the street from Favarh's 225 Commerce Drive headquarters. A Favarh spokesman said Canton neigh- bors largely embraced the development during review-approval proceedings. In Bloomfield, Favarh and Regan have obtained town approvals to build on a reclaimed brownfield patch that was the former Valco Machine Co. site, 470-480 Cottage Grove Road. Jose Giner, Bloomfield's director of planning and economic development, said after some initial skepticism, town residents ultimately embraced Favarh's and Regan's housing vision for the site, once listed by the town and state as a brownfield. "They approached it the right way,'' Giner said of early informational meetings Favarh and Regan held with town residents. Favarh apartment technology features Favarh and Regan Development's planned supported housing in Bloomfield and Canton will stress resident safety and convenience. Using custom software and other technology provided through a Maryland vendor, the developers say many of the 79 units can be programmed for: • Two-way video communication directly through the TV in an apart- ment. The system also will monitor units for open windows, water on the bathroom floor, or missed medications. • Environmental cuing: At bedtime, interior lights can be activated or dimmed and shades lowered at a preset time. • Fall prevention: Bed and floor sen- sors raise lighting from the bedroom to the bathroom, then darken once the resident is back in bed. • Safe internet access: Residents will be able to access networked internet service via a single firewall, equipped with utomatic virus and malware protection, and parental controls. • Americans With Disabilities Act customization: Those with limited hearing can have a bed shaker linked to an alarm clock to waken them, flashing lights connected to smoke and fire alarms, and/or two- way visual communication on their Smart TV to assist with lip reading and/or sign language. (Top) Sketch of 40-unit Canton apartment building. (Above) Interior spaces at Simsbury's Ojakian Commons. Source: Connecticut Economic Resource Center RENDERING | CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED