Frog Hollow NRZ Strategic Plan 2010

7/21/2019 Frog Hollow NRZ Strategic Plan 2010

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The Strategic Plan

for the

Revital izat ion

of the

Frog Hollow

Neighborhood Revitalization Zone

The Frog Hollow Neighborhood

Revitalization Zone Committee

Hartford Connecticut

August 20 2010


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Procedural History

August 10, 2000 The Bylaws for the North Frog Hollow NeighborhoodRevitalization Zone Committee (the Committee) were approvedand adopted. This action was taken pursuant to Connecticut

General Statutes Chapter 118 7-601(a).August 16, 2000 The Committee published legal notice of the approval of its bylaws

in theHartford Courant. This action was taken pursuant toConnecticut General Statutes Chapter 118 7-601(a). TheHartford Courant is generally accepted as the newspaper havinggeneral circulation in the City of Hartford.

September 14, 2000 The Committee organized itself in order to develop a strategic planto revitalize the neighborhood at its second formal meeting. Thismeeting was the first regular meeting of the Committee followingthe adoption of its Bylaws on August 10, 2000, and it was at thismeeting that the Committee elected its members for the first time.

This action was taken pursuant to Connecticut General StatutesChapter 118 7-601(a).

The initial members of the Committee were as follows: Collette Andrews; Joe Barber;

Gary Collier; David Corrigan;

Jacqueline Hicks;

Roy Johansen; Norma Jones; Frank Lemos;

Barry Lubin;

Jose Martinez; Ron Newell; Teresita Petravicivus;

Immaculate Conception Shelter and Housing Corporation; Mi Casa Family and Education Center;

Saint Annes Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church;

Spanish American Merchants Association; Nick Taddei; and the City of Hartford.

October 12, 2000 The Committee accepted the withdrawal of Teresita Petravicivusas a member as she proved ineligible for membership on theCommittee. The Committee subsequently elected Broad-ParkDevelopment Corporation.

The Committee also elected its officers as follows: Chair: Jose Martinez Vice Chair: Gary Collier

Secretary: Marisol Monserrate.

The Committee met Valerie Ferro, TPA Design. The City of Hartford hired TPA Designto draft strategic plans for several NRZ Committees in Hartford, and Ms. Ferro served as theconsultant designated to draft the strategic plan with the Committee. The Committee formally


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Procedural HistoryAugust 20, 2010

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accepted this arrangement at this time, and it agreed that Ms. Ferro and the TPA Design teamwould attend several regular meetings in order to facilitate the planning process. The Committeefurther agreed that its members would be expected to be involved in every step of the processand that they would receive drafts of the strategic plan for review and for comment.

The Committee agreed that it would be responsible for the implementation of the

recommendations contained within the strategic plan. This agreement was construed to meanthat TPA Designs responsibility for the strategic plan would end with the plans adoption by theCommittee.

The Committee agreed that it would receive a draft of the strategic plan no later thanApril 12, 2001.

Ms. Ferro led a discussion about the strengths and challenges within the NRZ.November 9, 2000 The Committee discussed a list of strengths and weaknesses in the

NRZ that had been created at the October 2000 regular meeting.Citizens Research and Education Network (CREN), which had arepresentative at this meeting, agreed to provide information fromits survey of NRZ assets to the planning process. The Committee

also began a discussion about ongoing development projects withinthe NRZ. The Committee agreed that it should discuss priorityprograms and projects that address the social and economic needsof the NRZ.

The Committee authorized the City to allocate an additional $5,000 for planningconsultant services to complete the draft strategic plan.

December 14, 2000 The Committee established an inventory of major developmentprojects underway within the NRZ. The Committee also identifiedcertain specific problems that should be addressed by the draftstrategic plan.

January 25, 2001 The Committee met with Ms. Ferro to discuss the contents of thedraft strategic plan. The Committee reviewed the NRZs strengths,challenges, and a list of priority projects. The Committee alsoidentified neighborhood institutions and points of interests for amap to be included in the strategic plan.

April 4, 2001 The Committee agreed to a revised timetable for the completion ofa draft of the strategic plan. A vote to adopt the completedstrategic plan was set for July 12, 2001.

April 12, 2001 Marisol Monserrate resigned as Secretary of the Committee.Joe Barber served as Secretary of the Committee.The Committee elected David Corrigan as Secretary of the Committee beginning May

10, 2001.May 10, 2001 The Committee received a draft of the strategic plan.May 30, 2001 The Committee formed an ad hoc subcommittee of three people to

review the draft strategic plan.June 14, 2001 The Committee discussed its priorities for the draft strategic plan.

Ron Newell was removed as a member of the Committee.July 26, 2001 The Committee received a revised copy of the economic analysis

section of the strategic plan.


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August 9, 2001 The Committee received an updated copy of the draft of theeconomic analysis section of the strategic plan.

October 11, 2001 Roy Johansen resigned as a member of the Committee.January 10, 2002 The Committees planning advisor, Marina Rodriguez, reported

that she was in possession of a full and final draft of the strategic

plan.May 9, 2002 Kenneth Anderson, substituting for Ms. Rodriguez, reported thatMs. Rodriguez had transmitted the requested revisions of the draftstrategic plan subcommittee to Ms. Ferro.

June 13, 2002 The Committee authorized the draft strategic plan subcommittee toapprove the draft strategic plan for final disposition following theinclusion of revisions presented by members at this regularmeeting.

Ms. Rodriguez noted that the entire Committee would have to vote to adopt the draftstrategic plan prior to putting the plan before a public hearing. The Committee scheduled a voteon the final form of the strategic plan for the July 2002 regular meeting, and it requested that

David Corrigan, secretary of the Committee, prepare a timetable for the public approval process.The Committee removed Colette Andrews as a member.The Committee removed Nick Taddei as a member.The Committee elected Robert Painter as a member.

July 11, 2002 Ms. Rodriguez led a discussion of the final draft of the strategicplan, and she reviewed the changes that had been requested by theCommittee at the June 2002 regular meeting. She indicated thatthe changes had not yet been incorporated into the draft.

The Committee postponed its scheduled vote on the adoption of the plan for failure toobtain a quorum at this meeting.August 8, 2002 Ms. Rodriguez distributed copies of the final draft of the strategic

plan to the Committee. The Committee accepted the final draft ofthe strategic plan unanimously.

The Committee authorized Mr. Corrigan to deliver a copy of the final draft of thestrategic plan to the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.

The Committee scheduled the public hearing on the final draft of the strategic plan tocoincide with the September 2002 regular meeting of the Committee. The public hearing wouldprecede the regular meeting, and it would commence at 6:00 PM at the Pope Park RecreationCenter. Broad-Park Development Corporation and Trinity College agreed to cover the costs ofthe required public notices. Copies of the final draft of the strategic plan were to be madeavailable through Ms. Rodriguezs office and at the reference section of both the Park Branchand the Main Branch of the Hartford Public Library.August 9, 2002 The Committee submitted the proposed Strategic Plan to the

Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management for review.This action was taken pursuant to Connecticut General StatutesChapter 118 7-601(c).

August 29, 2002 The Committee published legal notice of its upcoming publichearing on its proposed Strategic Plan in theHartford Courant.This action was taken pursuant to Connecticut General StatutesChapter 118 7-601(c).


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September 10, 2002 The Committee published a second legal notice of its upcomingpublic hearing on its proposed Strategic Plan in theHartfordCourant. This action was taken pursuant to Connecticut GeneralStatutes Chapter 118 7-601(c).

September 12, 2002 The Committee conducted a public hearing on the proposed

Strategic Plan. This action was taken pursuant to ConnecticutGeneral Statutes Chapter 118 7-601(c).The proposed Strategic Plan was adopted in accordance with the bylaws of the

Committee. This action was taken pursuant to Connecticut General Statues Chapter 118 7-601(d). The vote to adopt the plan was unanimous.

The Committee accepted a process by which the strategic plan would be submitted to theCity Manager for distribution among the municipal department heads for review.

Jose Martinez resigned his membership on the Committee.Christine Moses was elected a member of the Committee.

October 10, 2002 The Committee elected the following as officers: Chair: Jorge Rivera Vice Chair: David Corrigan

Secretary: Romulo Samaniego

October 24, 2002 W. David LeVasseur, Undersecretary for the IntergovernmentalPolicy Division of the State of Connecticut Office of Policy andManagement, transmitted to Jose Martinez, chair of theCommittee, the comments of various State agencies on theproposed Strategic Plan. This action was taken pursuant toConnecticut General Statutes 7-601 (c).

November 14, 2002 The Committee formed seven subcommittees based on the sevensections of Chapter 7 of the Strategic Plan:Administrative/Organizational, Promotional/Outreach, Housing,Economic Development, Public Safety, Livability, and Self-

sufficiency.December 3, 2002 Lee Erdmann, City of Hartford City Manager, corresponded with

the Committee to inform it that he had distributed the proposedStrategic Plan to various municipal departments for review and toreport to it the results of that review. One revision was requested,and one suggestion as to the operation of the mandatedsubcommittees was made.

December 12, 2002 The Committee accepted the revision requested by the CityManager and approved the means by which it would beincorporated into the Strategic Plan.

Gary Collier ceased to be a member of the Committee.

January 9, 2003 Ms. Rodriguez, submitted the revised Strategic Plan to theCommittee, and the Committee approved the document assubmitted. Ms Rodriguez agreed to submit the revised StrategicPlan to the City Manager.

February 4, 2003 Mr. Erdmann forwarded the Strategic Plan on to the City ofHartford Court of Common Council for consideration andapproval. This action was taken pursuant to Connecticut General


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Statutes 7-601(d). The City Manager also forwarded the StrategicPlan on to the City of Hartford Mayor, Eddie A. Perez.

February 5, 2003 The draft Strategic Plan was filed with the City of Hartford CityClerk. This action was likely taken by Mr. Erdmann, and it likelycomplied with City rules regarding the submission of the ordinance

to approve the Strategic Plan before the Court of CommonCouncil. This action was not taken by the Committee.February 10, 2003 The City of Hartford Court of Common Council referred the draft

Strategic Plan to the City of Hartford Commission on the City Planand to the Planning, Economic Development and ZoningCommittee of the Common Council for their review. TheCommon Council also placed a proposed ordinance to adopt thedraft Strategic Plan on the agenda for a public hearing to be heldon February 18, 2003.

February 13, 2003 The North Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization ZoneCommittee (the Committee) accepted the addendum to the

Strategic Plan as presented to it by Ms. Rodriguez.Although the minutes for this meeting record that the Court of Common Council hadapproved the Strategic Plan, this report was erroneous. In fact, David Corrigan, vice chair of theCommittee, had attended the February 10, 2003, Common Council meeting, and he had reportedthat the Strategic Plan had been referred by the Common Council to all appropriate municipalentities.

Despite this error, this meeting was the first meeting of the Committee as a Committee.When the Court of Common Council approved the strategic plan on March 10, 2003, the date ofapproval was applied retroactively to the date on which the City Manager filed the plan with theCity Clerk. The Committee, however, was unaware that it was now operating as an Committeeat this time.February 18, 2003 Ms. Rodriguez presented the proposed Strategic Plan to the City of

Hartford Commission on the City Plan, and Mr. Corrigan made astatement supporting the proposed Strategic Plan before theCommission. The Commission voted unanimously to recommendthat the Court of Common Council approve the ordinanceamending Chapter 28, Article IX 28-196 of the Municipal Code.

A public hearing before the City of Hartford Court of Common Council was held, and theproposed Strategic Plan was the seventh item on the agenda for the public hearing. Mr. Corriganwas present, and he made a statement in support of the proposed Strategic Plan. CouncilpersonRobert Painter, who was also a member of the Committee, was the only councilperson present,and he had no questions regarding the proposed Strategic Plan. No one made any statementopposing the proposed Strategic Plan, and no comments beyond Mr. Corrigans were made fromthe gallery.February 19, 2003 The City of Hartford Commission on the City Plan reported to the

City of Hartford Court of Common Council that it had found thatthe draft Strategic Plan contained goals and implementationstrategies to identify and eliminate blight and to maintain andpreserve neighborhood assets. The Commission further reportedthat it had found that the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood


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Revitalization Zone Committee had incorporated into the draftStrategic Plan all of the suggestions proposed by City staff. TheCommission further reported that it had found that the North FrogHollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee hadprepared the draft Strategic Plan in accordance with Connecticut

General Statutes Chapter 118 7-600 et seq. The Commissionfurther reported that it had found that the proposed ordinance bythe City of Hartford Court of Common Council to adopt the draftStrategic Plan was consistent with Connecticut General StatutesChapter 118 7-600 through 7-607, inclusive. The Commissionfurther reported that it had found two errors in the text of theStrategic Plan, and it requested that they be corrected. TheCommission recommended the approval of the proposed ordinanceby the City of Hartford Court of Common Council to adopt thedraft Strategic Plan.

March 3, 2003 Ms. Rodriguez presented the proposed Strategic Plan to the

Planning, Economic Development and Zoning Committee of theCity of Hartford Court of Common Council, and Mr. Corriganmade a statement supporting the proposed Strategic Plan before theCommittee. The Committee voted unanimously to recommendthat the Court of Common Council approve the ordinanceamending Chapter 28, Article IX 28-196 of the Municipal Code.

The Planning, Economic Development and Zoning Committee communicated itsrecommended approval of the proposed ordinance by the City of Hartford Court of CommonCouncil to adopt the draft Strategic Plan to the Court of Common Council.March 10, 2003 The City of Hartford Court of Common Council approved

recommend that the Court of Common Council approve theordinance amending Chapter 28, Article IX 28-196 of theMunicipal Code regarding Neighborhood Revitalization ZoneCommittees. The Strategic Plan was made effective as of February5, 2003, the date on which it was submitted to the City of HartfordClerk, and the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood RevitalizationZone Committee formally became the North Frog HollowNeighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee.

June 12, 2003 The Committee elected Mary Cahill as a member.August 14, 2003 The Committee approved its revised Bylaws and authorized that

they be proofread before final presentation at the September 2003regular meeting on September 11, 2003.

October 28, 2003 Jorge Rivera, chair of the Committee, transmitted the Six MonthProgress Report on the Implementation of the North Frog HollowNRZ Strategic Plan to the City of Hartford Mayor and Court ofCommon Council. The report was also transmitted to the secretaryof the State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.This action was taken pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes 7-602(b).


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December 11, 2003 The Committee received a copy of the Six Month Progress Reporton the Implementation of the North Frog Hollow NRZ StrategicPlan.

February 12, 2004 The Committee created the Office of the Treasurer.March 12, 2004 The Committee elected Patrick Campbell to serve as Treasurer of

the Committee.June 24, 2004 Frank Lemos was removed as a member of the Committee.June 30, 2004 Ms. Cahill resigned her membership on the Committee.August 12, 2004 The Committee appointed Don Poland as an emergency member of

the Committee.October 14, 2004 The Committee elected the following as officers:

Chair: David Corrigan

Vice Chair: Romulo Samaniego Treasurer: Patrick Campbell

The Office of Secretary was not filled by this election.November 11, 2004 The Committee elected Christine Moses as Secretary of the

Committee beginning January 15, 2005.February 22, 2005 The Administrative/Organizational subcommittee accepted the

draft Report on the Utilization of the Statutory Powers of theCommittee with changes. The subcommittee agreed that thenumber of amendments that utilizing the statutory powers wouldrequire sufficiently justified the need for the re-establishment ofthe draft strategic plan subcommittee in order to manage thoseamendments. It recommended that the powers of the draftstrategic plan subcommittee, as well as further responsibility forrevising and amending the Strategic Plan in order to utilize thestatutory powers, should be handed over to this subcommittee.

March 8, 2005 The Housing subcommittee discussed its powers under the NRZ

statute as well as the applicability of the Citys anti-blightordinance to the Committees procedures. It determined thatwaivers as described under the NRZ statute should be used on acase-by-case basis. The Housing subcommittee also noted that anamendment to the Strategic Plan would be required in order for itto proceed with waivers.

April 14, 2005 The Committee approved Report on the Utilization of theStatutory Powers of the Committee as amended. This reportcontains the basis of the Committees interpretation of its powersunder the NRZ statute and how best to utilize them.

May 11, 2005 The Housing subcommittee initiated an effort to draft a list of

potential waivers the Committee could request to promote thedevelopment of a parcel within the NRZ pursuant to the NRZstatute.

May 12, 2005 The Committee formally approved drafting an amendment to theStrategic Plan.

June 8, 2005 David Corrigan, chair of the Committee, transmitted the NorthFrog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone CommitteeAnnual Report on the Implementation of the Strategic Plan, August


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2003 February 2005, to the City of Hartford Mayor and Court ofCommon Council. The report was also transmitted to the secretaryof the State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.This action was taken pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes 7-602(b).

June 9, 2005 The Committee approved An Act Enabling the North FrogHollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee to Utilizethe Powers Granted to It under CGS Chapter 118 7-600 et seq.as amended. Initially, the Committee intended to amend only theHousekeeping section of the strategic plan. This act constitutedthe first draft of an amended Housekeeping section.

The Committee also scheduled a public hearing on theproposed amendment to the strategic plan for September 8, 2005,but his hearing was ultimately not held.

January 12, 2006 Jacqueline Hicks ceased to be a member of the Committee.January 18, 2006 The Committee elected Billings Forge Community Works as a

member of the Committee.January 25, 2006 The Administrative/Organizational subcommittee approved thelanguage of Title XII, Chapter 4 of a proposed amendment to theStrategic Plan.

February 9, 2006 The Committee changed the names of the followingsubcommittees: Administrative/Organizational to Oversight;Promotion/Outreach to Communication; and Housing to PropertyDevelopment. The names of these subcommittees were changed inanticipation of the completion of the amended strategic plan, whichincluded the new names.

March 30, 2006 The Oversight subcommittee agreed that the Committee couldreasonably separate the plan and the manual portions of theamended Strategic Plan, leaving only the plan to be approved bythe Committee and adopted by the City.

The Oversight subcommittee approved Report to the Committee on Impasses on theConduct of Committee Business Caused by Conflicts between the Bylaws and the ProposedAmendment to the Strategic Plan as Described by the Omnibus Act and Related ActionsStemming from Those Impasses, March 30, 2006. The Oversight subcommittee also approvedAn Act Amending Article 1, Section 4 of the Bylaws of the North Frog Hollow NeighborhoodRevitalization Zone Committee, An Act Amending Article 5, Section 5 of the Bylaws of theNorth Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee, An Act Amending Article3, Section 5 of the Bylaws of the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization ZoneCommittee, An Act Amending Article 6, Section 2 of the Bylaws of the North Frog HollowNeighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee, An Act Amending Article 9, Section 2 of theBylaws of the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee, and An ActAmending the Process by which the Committee Admits New Members to Its Ranks andsubmitted them to the Committee for its consideration. The Oversight subcommittee lastlyapproved Final Changes to the Omnibus Act, March 30, 2006.


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The Oversight subcommittee agreed to submit An Omnibus Act Amending the StrategicPlan of the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee to the Committeefor its consideration with changes.April 13, 2006 The Committee accepted An Omnibus Act Amending the

Strategic Plan of the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood

Revitalization Zone Committee with revisions as reported inFinal Changes to the Omnibus Act and Report on Revisions tothe Omnibus Act Necessitated by Separating the Manual from thePlan in the Amended Version of the Strategic Plan. The vote wasunanimous.

The Committee accepted the assertions by the Oversight subcommittee that five impassesin the conduct of the Committees business are reached due to passage of An Omnibus Act toAmend the Strategic Plan of the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization ZoneCommittee and that the only remedy to these impasses was to amend the Bylaws as reported inReport to the Committee on Impasses in the Conduct of Committee Business Caused byConflicts between the Bylaws and the Proposed Amendment to the Strategic Plan as Described

by the Omnibus Act and Related Actions Stemming from Those Impasses.The Committee approved the Oversight subcommittee as the duly selected subcommitteeto propose language for the amendments called for in Report to the Committee on Impasses inthe Conduct of Committee Business Caused by Conflicts between the Bylaws and the ProposedAmendment to the Strategic Plan as Described by the Omnibus Act and Related ActionsStemming from Those Impasses.

The Committee approved that three members of the Oversight subcommittee had servedas members of the duly selected subcommittee to propose language for the amendments calledfor in Report to the Committee on Impasses in the Conduct of Committee Business Caused byConflicts between the Bylaws and the Proposed Amendment to the Strategic Plan as Describedby the Omnibus Act and Related Actions Stemming from Those Impasses.

The Committee approved an Act amending the Bylaws of the North Frog HollowRevitalization Zone Committee, the substance of which annexed certain specific parcels to theNRZ.

The Committee approved an Act amending the Bylaws of the North Frog HollowRevitalization Zone Committee, the substance of which dissolved the executive committee.

The Committee approved an Act amending the Bylaws of the North Frog HollowRevitalization Zone Committee, the substance of which changed the way the Committeedetermines its composition.

The Committee approved an Act amending the Bylaws of the North Frog HollowRevitalization Zone Committee, the substance of which altered how the Committee determinesits quorum.

The Committee approved an Act amending the Bylaws of the North Frog HollowRevitalization Zone Committee, the substance of which altered the emergency procedures of theCommittee.

The Committee approved An Act Amending the Process by which the CommitteeAdmits New Members to Its Ranks.

The Committee approved a resolution establishing the Oversight subcommittee as thesource of members of the subcommittee, pursuant to Article 10 of the Bylaws, to proposelanguage for amendments to the Bylaws.


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April 27, 2006 The Oversight subcommittee approved the recommendations asfound in Preliminary Proposal on Requisite Communicationsunder the Omnibus Act. The Oversight subcommittee authorizedits chair, David Corrigan, to draft a resolution on this matter forsubmission to the Committee, and it agreed to submit the draft

resolution to the Committee for its consideration at its May 2006regular meeting.May 11, 2006 The Committee postponed the public hearing on the proposed

amendment to the Strategic Plan until early July 2006 or lateSeptember 2006.

The Committee formed a task force to create the plan section of the amended StrategicPlan. The Committee designated the subcommittee chairs, the secretary of the Committee, thechair of the Committee, and Don Poland to serve as members of the task force. The Committeescheduled a meting for this task force on May 16, 2006, at 5:30 PM at the offices of thePartnership for Strong Communities, the Lyceum, 227 Lawrence Street.June 25, 2006 The Committee extended the term of the Strategic Plan Task Force

through the August 2006 regular meeting. The Committee alsoauthorized the Strategic Plan Task Force to take over the functionsof the ad hoc subcommittee on the Mayors Target Area uponcompleting a draft of the Strategic Plan.

July 13, 2006 The Committee agreed that the Strategic Plan would meet to assessthe summations provided in the reports on the areas for targetedrevitalization within the Mayors Target Area and then move on tothe next activities. The areas for targeted revitalization were theBabcock/Capitol/Lawrence/Russ Block Watch, the Keller HistoricDistrict, the Mortson/Putnam Heights Block Watch, and thePutnam Street Pride Block. All four of these areas were within theMayors Target Area within the North Frog Hollow NRZ.

October 12, 2006 The Committee elected the following as officers: Chair: David Corrigan

Vice Chair: Christine Moses

Treasurer: Patrick Campbell

The Office of Secretary was not filled by this election, and theCommittee appointed Ms. Moses to serve as Secretary for oneyear.

May 10, 2007 The Committee proposed the following projects for the amendedStrategic Plan: a bio-diesel fuel initiative; Billings Forgedevelopment project; annual or bi-annual forum on implementationof plan; youth program to build preservation skills, partnering with

Youth Build Program out of Co-opportunity; re-location ofConnecticut State Museum to Juvenile Detention Center; andconversion of the Hartford Office Supply Building to mixed usewith Pathways to Technology Magnet School and residentialhousing.

June 14, 2007 The Committee declined to re-authorize the task force on the plansection of the Strategic Plan. The Committee agreed that the draft


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amended Strategic Plan should be presented to the Committeedirectly for review upon its completion.

August 9, 2007 Ms. Moses resigned as a member of the Committee.The offices of Vice Chair and Secretary were vacated.The Committee appointed Chris Brown as a provisional member pursuant to its

emergency rules.August 28, 2007 The Committee submitted the 2006 and 2007 Annual Reports onthe Implementation of the Strategic Plan.

September 13, 2007 The Committee appointed Hartford Preservation Alliance areplacement member.

October 11, 2007 The Committee agreed to keep a separate record of additions madeto the Strategic Plan following this meeting. It also scheduledconsideration of the Summary of the Plan for approval for theNovember 2007 regular meeting.

Saint Annes Immaculate Conception Roman CatholicChurch was removed as a member of the Committee.

November 22, 2007 The Committee authorized a separate version for submission of theamended Strategic Plan be drafted.November 29, 2007 The Committee approved the draft Summary of the Plan, which is

Chapter 9 in the draft amended Strategic Plan.December 20, 2007 The Committee approved the version for submission of the

amended Strategic Plan.The Committee elected the following as member of the Committee: Chris Brown

David Carrier

Hartford Preservation Alliance

Mr. Poland ceased to be an emergency member of the Committee at this point.January 10, 2008 The Committee approved Timetable for Approval and

Submission of the amended Strategic Plan.The Committee established a process to provide access to the version for submission of

the amended Strategic Plan at the Park Branch of the Hartford Public Library.January 30, 2008 The Committee placed a copy of the version for submission of the

amended Strategic Plan at the Park Branch of the Hartford PublicLibrary.

February 14, 2008 The Committee approved the Articles for Agreement between theCommittee and the Frog Hollow South NRZ committee. Pursuantto this agreement, the Committee suspended the activities of theFrog Hollow South NRZ committee immediately upon ratificationof the Articles and formally began the transfer of the authority,

duties, and obligations of the Frog Hollow South NRZ committeeto the Committee.

The Committee applied its rules and procedures to the Frog Hollow South NRZcommittee.

The Committee accepted five members of the Frog Hollow South NRZ committee asmembers as follows:

Luis Cabn Annette Deonarine


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Jacqueline Maldonado

Ardmore Properties Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance

The Committee established an outreach program to promote availability of the version forsubmission of the amended Strategic Plan for review and to encourage public comment.

The Committee created the Office of the Keeper of the Seals and elected Joe Barber toserve as Keeper of the Seals.

The Committee merged the Economic Development and Self-sufficiency subcommitteesinto the Community and Economic Development subcommittee and authorized alteration of theStrategic Plan accordingly.February 21, 2008 The Committee held an open house on the version for submission

of the amended Strategic Plan at the Park Branch of the HartfordPublic Library.

February 28, 2008 The Committee held an open house on the version for submissionof the amended Strategic Plan at the Park Branch of the HartfordPublic Library.

March 6, 2008 The Committee held an open house on the version for submissionof the amended Strategic Plan at the Park Branch of the HartfordPublic Library.

March 12, 2008 The version for submission of the amended Strategic Plan wascompleted and submitted to the Committee for its review.

March 13, 2008 The Committee assumed responsibility for the external liaisons ofthe Frog Hollow South NRZ committee.

The Committee approved inclusion of Strategic Project 42 as presented in the amendedStrategic Plan.

The Committee authorized the scheduling of a public hearing on the version forsubmission of the amended Strategic Plan.

The Committee scheduled consideration of proposed draft additions to the Strategic Plan

from the Putnam Street Pride Block Area for Targeted Revitalization for the public hearing onApril 10, 2008.

The Committee scheduled consideration of proposed additions to the Strategic Plancontributed by the Park Branch of the Hartford Public Library for the public hearing on April 10,2008.

The Committee scheduled consideration of proposed additions to the Strategic Plancontributed by Knox Parks Foundation.

The Committee held an open house on the version for submission of the amendedStrategic Plan at the Park Branch of the Hartford Public Library.March 20, 2008 The Committee held an open house on the version for submission

of the amended Strategic Plan at the Park Branch of the Hartford

Public Library.March 27, 2008 The Committee held an open house on the version for submission

of the amended Strategic Plan at the Park Branch of the HartfordPublic Library.

March 28, 2008 The first public notice on the public hearing appeared in theHartford Courant.


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April 3, 2008 The Committee held an open house on the version for submissionof the amended Strategic Plan at the Park Branch of the HartfordPublic Library.

April 8, 2008 The second public notice on the public hearing appeared in theHartford Courant.

April 10, 2008 The Committee held a public hearing on the proposed amendedStrategic Plan.The Committee approved the proposed additions to the amended Strategic Plan relating

to the Putnam Street Pride Block Area for Targeted Revitalization as changed.The Committee approved the proposed additions to the amended Strategic Plan from the

Park Branch of the Hartford Public Library.The Committee approved the proposed additions to the amended Strategic Plan from the

Knox Parks Foundation.The Committee ratified the amended Strategic Plan as changed. It postponed

consideration of the amended Strategic Plan until the changes agreed upon at the April 10, 2008,public hearing could be made and distributed to the members of the Committee.

The Committee approved A Resolution Amending Paragraph 3 of Chapter 6 of TitleXVII of the Omnibus Act Amending the Strategic Plan of the North Frog Hollow NeighborhoodRevitalization Zone Committee as changed.

The Committee postponed discussion of the implementation of the approved timetablefor the approval and submission of the amended Strategic Plan until the May 2008 regularmeeting.

The Committee informed appropriate municipal officials about the Articles of Agreementbetween the Committee and the Frog Hollow South NRZ committee.May 7, 2008 The Oversight subcommittee, Communication subcommittee,

Property Development subcommittee, and Public Safetysubcommittee reporting reviewing their catalogues of assignedresponsibility under the Strategic Plan and proposed no changes tothem at this time.

May 8, 2008 The Committee postponed consideration of the amended StrategicPlan until the June 2008 regular meeting.

May 29, 2008 The Committee completed a review of the contents of the versionfor submission of the amended Strategic Plan pursuant toConnecticut General Statutes Chapter 118 7-601(b).

May 30, 2008 The Committee made changes to the version for submission of theamended Strategic Plan pursuant to Connecticut General StatutesChapter 118 7-601(b).

June 10, 2008 The Livability subcommittee reported reviewing its catalogue o fassigned responsibility under the Strategic Plan and proposed nochanges to them at this time.

June 12, 2008 The Committee tabled discussion of the particulars surroundingformal submission of the amended Strategic Plan to the City ofHartford pending inclusion of the recommended changes to theamended Strategic Plan.

July 10, 2008 The Committee approved the version of the amended StrategicPlan for submission.


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The Committee approved the formal submission of the version of the amended StrategicPlan for submission to the City and to the State.

The Committee approved submission of the amended Strategic Plan according to therecommendations for its submissions as contained in Recommendations on the Submission ofthe Amended Strategic Plan to the City and to the State.

The Committee established a process to upload the version for submission of theamended Strategic Plan to the Internet.August 14, 2008 The Committee permitted the Chair to proceed with submission of

the amended Strategic Plan without the signature of AnnetteDeonarine in the event her signature could not be secured by theend of the day on Monday, August 18, 2008.

The Committee postponed consideration of which strategic projects to open and toimplement until the September 2008 regular meeting in order to give the members time to reviewListing of Objectives of Strategic Projects, August 13, 2008.August 20, 2008 The Committee secured the last of the members signatures for the

version for submission of the amended Strategic Plan.

September 11, 2008 Mr. Corrigan merged reporting on Plan for Implementation of theApproved Timetable for the Submission and Approval of theAmended Strategic Plan, April 10, 2008 and on Submission ofthe Amended Strategic Plan for Approval, July 17, 2008 into asingle report on Strategic Project 0, which brought reporting onthe submission and approval process into conformity with thestandardized reporting for strategic projects under the StrategicPlan.

The Committee referred the matter of leaving copies of the amended Strategic Plan at theoffices of the organizational members of the Committee and of providing briefings on it for theirstaffs to the Communication subcommittee for implementation as part of a larger plan to conductoutreach into the NRZ. The Committee authorized the Communication subcommittee todetermine if there was a continuing need for the briefings.

The Committee referred consideration of strategic projects to open and to implement tothe mandated subcommittees as part of the normal procedures to implement the Strategic Plan.October 3, 2008 The Committee submitted the version for submission of the

amended Strategic Plan to Robert Genuario, Secretary,Connecticut Office of Policy and Management, and to L. DavidLeVasseur and Joan Hubbard of the intergovernmental affairsdepartment within the Connecticut Office of Policy andManagement.

October 9, 2008 The Committee elected the following as officers: Chair: David Corrigan

Vice Chair: Doug Campbell Treasurer: Patrick Campbell

Keeper of the Seals: Joe Barber

The Office of Secretary was not filled by this election.The Committee approved A Proposal to Remove the Oversight Subcommittee from the

Procedures for Statutory Action under the Omnibus Act.


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The Committee also approved an amendment to An Omnibus Act Amending theStrategic Plan of the North Frog Hollow NRZ Committee to add procedures regarding thecreation of improvement districts within the NRZ.

The Committee also established an appeals process for actions taken pursuant to theCommittees statutory authority.

November 3, 2008 The Committee submitted the version for submission of theamended Strategic Plan to the nine members of the Hartford Courtof Common Council.

The Committee submitted the version for submission of the amended Strategic Plan toLee Erdmann and Veronica Pea in the Harford Office of the Mayor.

The Committee submitted the version for submission of the amended Strategic Plan toDavid Panagore, Director, Hartford Department of Development Services; to Roger OBrien andGerry Maine within the planning division of the Hartford Department of Development Services,and to Mark McGovern within the economic development division of the Hartford Departmentof Development Services.

The Committee submitted the 2008 Annual Report on the Implementation of the Strategic

Plan.November 4, 2008 The Committee submitted the version of submission of theamended Strategic Plan to John Rose, Director, Hartford Office ofCorporation Counsel, and formally requested that he prepare thedocument for submission to the Hartford Court of CommonCouncil for its consideration.

The Committee submitted the version for submission of the amended Strategic Plan toRene Richards in the Harford Office of the Mayor.

The Committee submitted the version for submission of the amended Strategic Plan toEddie Perez, Hartford Mayor.November 19, 2008 Committee received acknowledgement from W. David LeVasseur

that he had received the version for submission of the amendedStrategic Plan.

January 7, 2009 Committee received comments on the version for submission ofthe Strategic Plan from the State Department of Economic andCommunity Development; the State Department of Public Health,Environmental Health Section; the State Department ofEnvironmental Protection; and the State Department of Labor.

January 22, 2009 The Oversight subcommittee submitted its review of the strategicplan for the revitalization of the Frog Hollow South NRZ.

February 2, 2009 Committee received additional comments on the version forsubmission of the Strategic Plan from the State Department ofPublic Health, Environmental Health Section.

Committee considered the comprehensive plan for the Frog Hollow South Area forTargeted Revitalization.February 4, 2009 Committee received comments on the version for submission of

the Strategic Plan from the State Department of Transportation.February 12, 2009 Committee received comments on the version for submission of

the Strategic Plan from Hartford Court of Common Councilmember Luis Cotto.


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February 26, 2009 Committee approved the comprehensive plan for the Frog HollowSouth NRZ Area for Targeted Revitalization and authorized itsinclusion within the Strategic Plan.

Committee approved the merger with the Frog Hollow South NRZ committee andformally dissolved the Frog Hollow South NRZ committee.

The Committee formally ceased to be the North Frog Hollow NRZ Committee andbecame the Frog Hollow NRZ Committee. The newly re-named committee remained anCommittee pursuant to the NRZ statute.

The Oversight subcommittee began the process to alter references to the Committee asthe North Frog Hollow NRZ Committee as necessary and as appropriate.

Committee considered comments in hand on the version for submission of the amendedStrategic Plan.March 18, 2009 The Oversight subcommittee incorporated the contents of the

comprehensive plan for the Frog Hollow South NRZ Area forTargeted Revitalization into the follow chapters and appendices ofthe Strategic Plan: Chapter 8

Chapter 9 Chapter 11

Chapter 13 Appendix F Appendix H

Appendix I

March 26, 2009 The Committee approved the additions to the Strategic Plan madeby the Oversight subcommittee in order to incorporate the contentsof the comprehensive plan for the Frog Hollow South NRZ Areafor Targeted Revitalization.

March 27, 2009 The Committee altered its schedule of regular meetings, its logo,

and its letterhead to reflect the merger with the Frog Hollow SouthNRZ committee.

August 6, 2009 The Committee received the report, Report on Alterations,Changes, Corrections, Revisions, and Updates to An Omnibus Act Based on a Comparison of the Omnibus Act and the Text ofthe Approved Amended Version of the Strategic Plan andProposed Amendments to the Omnibus Act, April 21, 2009.

The Committee approved the draft resolution restricting promulgation of Committeepositions regarding proposed development projects within the NRZ.

The Committee approved the draft resolution amending An Omnibus Act Amending theStrategic Plan of the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee.

September 1, 2009 Committee received word from Rene Richards, Hartford Office ofthe Mayor, that the Hartford Office of Corporation Counsel did notrecall receiving the version for submission of the amendedStrategic Plan. The Committee determined that it should updatethe version for submission of the amended Strategic Plan to reflectthe merger with the Frog Hollow South NRZ committee prior tore-submitting the document.


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The Oversight subcommittee prepared updated version for submission of the amendedStrategic Plan that included the following:

Updates to Strategic Projects 1 through 43, inclusive, as necessary to include priorities

from Frog Hollow South NRZ; Strategic Projects 44 through 54, inclusive;

Deteriorated properties from within the Frog Hollow South NRZ; and

List of additional responsibilities for mandated subcommittees from Strategic Projects 44through 54, inclusive.

September 4, 2009 Committee approved altering the Bylaws as necessitated by themerger with the Frog Hollow South NRZ committee.

Committee approved amending the Bylaws accordingly.Committee approved the language for a new introduction to the updated version for

submission of the amended Strategic Plan that reflected the merger with the Frog Hollow SouthNRZ committee.September 24, 2009 Committee authorized re-submission of the version for submission

of the amended Strategic Plan as updated.The Committee elected John Bailey to serve as Secretary of the Committee.

September 28, 2009 Oversight subcommittee added the Articles of Agreement betweenthe North Frog Hollow NRZ Committee and the Frog HollowSouth NRZ Committee to the updated version for submission ofthe amended Strategic Plan as Addendum 9.

Oversight subcommittee added the eight enabling resolutions on the merger with the FrogHollow South NRZ committee to Addendum 9 of the updated version for submission of theamended Strategic Plan.October 2, 2009 Committee delivered the updated version for submission of the

amended Strategic Plan to Rene Richards, Hartford Office of theMayor, for conveyance by her to the Hartford Office ofCorporation Counsel.

October 22, 2009 The Committee approved guidelines for the Office of the Clerk ofthe Committee.

October 28, 2009 The Committee accepted the resignation of Steve Mirsky, as hewould become ineligible for continued membership on theCommittee

November 2, 2009 Committee transmitted material added as updates to the version forsubmission of the amended Strategic Plan to all previous recipientsof the version for submission of the amended Strategic Plan.

January 28, 2010 Committee re-authorized 2009 implementation targets for 2010.February 25, 2010 The Committee acknowledged a change in the representation of

Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance that compelled a

change in the Office of the Secretary.The Committee appointed Luis Cabn to serve as Secretary of the Committee beginning

March 25, 2010.April 22, 2010 The Committee accepted the resignation of Annette Deonarine.May 6, 2010 The Committee removed Mi Casa Family and Educational Center

as a member of the Committee.June 3, 2010 The City of Hartfords Plan of Conservation and Development,

also known as One City, One Plan, was adopted by the Hartford


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Court of Common Council. The version for submission wasincluded within the Plan of Conservation and Development.

June 17, 2010 The Hartford Plan of Conservation and Development becameeffective.

August 13, 2010 The annual report on the implementation of the Strategic Plan for

February 2009 through February 2010 was completed.August 20, 2010 A comprehensive update of the Strategic Plan was completed.This update focused primarily on altering the text to reflect thevarious Acts of the Committee that had not yet been published inthe Strategic Plan. These Acts of the Committee were as follows: A Proposal to Remove the Oversight Subcommittee from the

Procedures for Statutory Action under the Omnibus Act,approved September 11, 2008;

An Act Creating Procedures for Improvement Districts under

the Strategic Plan, approved September 11, 2008; An Act Describing a Process for the Appeal of Actions Taken

Pursuant to the Statutory Authority of the North Frog Hollow

Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee, approvedOctober 9, 2008;

A Resolution Accepting the Comprehensive Plan of the Frog

Hollow South NRZ Committee, approved February 26, 2009,

which was incorporated into the Strategic Plan on March 8, 2009and approved as such on March 26, 2009;

A Resolution Merging the North Frogh Hollow NRZ and Frog

Hollow South NZ Committees, approved February 26, 2009;

A Resolution Enabling the Rules and Procedures of the FrogHollow NRZ Committee, approved February 26, 2009;

A Resolution Enabling Formal Notification of the Frog HollowNRZ Committee, approved February 26, 2009;

A Resolution Enabling Liaisons of the Frog Hollow NRZCommittee, approved February 26, 2009;

A Resolution Enabling Subcommittees of the Frog HollowNRZ Committee, approved February 26, 2009;

A Resolution Enabling the Logo of the Frog Hollow NRZCommittee, approved February 26, 2009;

A Resolution Enabling An Amendment to the Bylaws of theFrog Hollow NRZ Committee, approved February 26, 2009;

and A Resolution Amending An Omnibus Act Amending the

Strategic Plan of the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood

Revitalization Zone Committee, approved August 6, 2009.

This update also included work to correct the text of the Strategic Plan, includinggrammatical and typographical errors as they were found, and the List of Membership was alsomade current.

Chapter 12 was updated to reflect the re-authorization of the 2009 annual implementationtargets for 2010. Material extracted from the 2009 annual report on the implementation of theStrategic Plan was added to Appendix G, as was material from the completed but as yetunpublished 2010 annual report.


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Table of Contents

i Procedural History i

ii Table of Contents xixiii List of Members xxi

iv Preface xxiiv Acknowledgements xxvi

vi Executive Summary xxviiivi Authors Note xxx

Introduction 1

PART I. THE PORTRAIT OF THE NRZChapter 1. A History of the Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone 9

Chapter 2. A Census of the Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone 15PART II. THE MANUAL FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

PLANChapter 3. General Implementation Provisions. 33

Chapter 4. The Mandated Subcommittees of the Frog Hollow NeighborhoodRevitalization Zone Committee.

46

Chapter 5. The Revitalization Authority of the Frog Hollow NeighborhoodRevitalization Zone Committee.

71

Chapter 6. The Statutory Authority of the Frog Hollow NeighborhoodRevitalization Zone Committee.

91

Chapter 7. Updating and Amending the Strategic Plan. 133

PART III. THE PLAN OF REVITALIZATION FOR THE NRZChapter 8. Guidelines for the Strategic Plan. 141

Chapter 9. Summary of the Plan of Revitalization. 238Chapter 10. Strategic Areas for Revitalization Action. 277

Chapter 11. Ongoing Statutory Actions. 310Chapter 12. The Annual Implementation Targets of the Mandated

Subcommittees.

314

Chapter 13. The Plan of Revitalization for the Frog Hollow Neighborhood

Revitalization Zone.

372

APPENDICES

Appendix A. Governing Documents. 434

Appendix B. Checklist of Contents. 457Appendix C. Statutory Process to Approve the Strategic Plan. 460Appendix D. List of parcels within the Frog Hollow NRZ. 468

Appendix E. Statement on the Consideration of Waivers Pursuant to CGSChapter 118 7-605.

532

Appendix F. Inventory of Deteriorated Properties within the Frog HollowNeighborhood Revitalization Zone.

534


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Appendix G. Previous Revitalization Actions of the Frog Hollow

Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee.

539

Appendix H. Assignment of Responsibility for Strategic Projects. 544Appendix I. Catalogue of Assigned Tasks of the Mandated Subcommittees. 556Appendix J. Contact information for the Officers of the Committee and the

Mandated Subcommittees.

664

Appendix K. Standard Forms for Actions Implementing the Strategic Plan. 666

Appendix L. Formatting for the Strategic Plan. 703

Glossary. 706


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List of MembershipAs of August 20, 2010

Resident MembersJoseph BarberChris Brown

Luis CabnDavid Carrier

David CorriganNorma Irving

Barry LubinJackie Maldonado

Robert Painter

Non-resident Members

Ardmore Properties, as represented by Doug CampbellBroad-Park Development Corporation, as represented by Raquel Rivera

Center for Community at Billings Forge, as represented by Cary WheatonHartford Preservation Alliance, as represented by Tomas Nenortas

Immaculate Conception Shelter and Housing Corporation, as represented by Fred LynnSouthside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance, as represented by Steve Balcanoff

Spanish American Merchants Association, as represented by Marisol Monserrate

Municipal MemberCity of Hartford, as represented by H. Patrick Campbell

Individuals with Special Status before the CommitteeDon Poland, emergency nominee for the Committee

Officer Miguel Maldonado,Hartford Police Department Community Service Officer forFrog Hollow

Park Branch, Hartford Public Library, as represented by Leticia CottoPlanning Division, Hartford Department of Development Services, as represented by

Don Chapman

The Committee will update this list in conjunction with its annual meeting in October,

and it will update this list at any point upon a change in membership.


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Preface

The Strategic Plan of the Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee

comprises in whole or in part two separate strategic plans, those of the former North FrogHollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee and of the former Frog Hollow

South Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee. These two committees formallymerged to form the Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee on

February 25, 2010, and the process to merge included an effort to integrate the twoseparate strategic plans into a single, comprehensive, and coherent plan for the Frog

Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ).At the time of the merger, the strategic plan of the former North Frog Hollow

NRZ Committee was an amended version of the original strategic plan for the North Frog

Hollow NRZ as approved by the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization ZoneCommittee in September 2002 and adopted by the City of Hartford Court of Common

Council in March 2003. The North Frog Hollow NRZ committee voted to amend its

strategic plan on May 12, 2005 and, following a lengthy process approved the

amendment on April 10, 2008. The Committee developed a version for submission of theamended Strategic Plan that included only Chapter 9 of this document as well as addenda

that indicated the Committee had complied with the legal requirements for amending its

Strategic Plan.

The strategic plan of the former Frog Hollow South NRZ was approved by the

Frog Hollow South NRZ Committee in November 2002 and adopted by the Court ofCommon Council in April 2003. The Frog Hollow South NRZ Committee did not

undertake a similar process to amend its strategic plan prior to the merger between thetwo committees, and the process to merge the two committees represented the substantial

review and overhaul of the strategic plan for the Frog Hollow South NRZ.The process to merge the two committees began formally on February 14, 2008,

and it was completed on February 26, 2009. The Committee reviewed the objectives,priorities, and projects as contained with the strategic plan for the Frog Hollow South

NRZ and did so pursuant to the Articles of Agreement between the North Frog HollowNRZ Committee and the Frog Hollow South NRZ Committee as well as pursuant to

Strategic Project 42 of this document, which described and outlined the process to mergethe two NRZ committees. The Committee also referred to its manual for the

implementation of the Strategic Plan, which governed the formation of the Frog HollowSouth NRZ as an area for targeted revitalization, a process that eased the inclusion of

material from the strategic plan for the Frog Hollow South NRZ in this Strategic Plan.The Committee formally submitted the version for submission of the amended

Strategic Plan for consideration by the City of Hartford Court of Common Council on

November 2, 2008, but that consideration was delayed due to circumstances beyond thecontrol of the Committee. The Committee subsequently took advantage of theopportunity afforded by this delay to fully incorporate the projects and priorities of the

Frog Hollow South NRZ committee into a single strategic plan for the revitalization of

the Frog Hollow NRZ. The Committee then re-submitted this updated version for

submission of the amended Strategic Plan on October 2, 2009.

The most significant event in the development of this Strategic Plan, however, is

the amendment the North Frog Hollow NRZ Committee undertook to its original


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strategic plan. That amendment affected not only the contents of this document but alsoestablished an entirely new set of procedures for the implementation of this Strategic

Plan. Those new procedures then governed the merger of the two NRZ committees, asthey determined the course of action taken to conduct the comprehensive review of the

strategic plan for the Frog Hollow South NRZ as well as the integration of the projects

and priorities identified by that review into the Strategic Plan.Furthermore, the same reasons that drove the amendment to the strategic plan forthe North Frog Hollow NRZ are also applicable to the Frog Hollow South NRZ strategic

plan: the two strategic plans were remarkably similar to each other in terms of theircontents, structure, and intent mimic each other closely. They were not only written and

approved during the same period of time but were also conceived and drafted by the sameconsultant, who was assigned by the consulting firm that had been hired by the City to

work on NRZ strategic plans generally throughout the city. The strategic plan for theFrog Hollow South NRZ committee, therefore, suffered from the same structural

deficiencies, particularly with regards to how the document could be implemented, as didthe strategic plan for the North Frog Hollow NRZ.

The Committee, then, had three main reasons for undertaking an amendment to itsoriginal strategic plan.

First, many of the projects that were included in the original strategic plan ascurrent development initiatives were done so because they were nearing completion

and could, as a consequence, be claimed as early successes at the revitalization of theNRZ. While these projects have made noticeable improvements in the NRZ, they were

not NRZ projects as such. These current development initiatives were conceived prior tothe completion of the original North Frog Hollow strategic plan in some cases, they

had even broken ground prior to the formation of the Committee and consequently theCommittee had no say either in how they were planned or in how they were

implemented. They reflected the Committees belief that they would revitalize the NRZ,but they contained no input from the NRZ as represented by the Committee.

Second, the implementation matrix, which contained the actual objectives theCommittee was supposed to accomplish, was similarly bereft of any real possibility for

Committee involvement in the effort to revitalize the NRZ. The matrix dependedprimarily if not entirely on partnerships to accomplish the goals it laid out. This goal was

laudable and remains a goal for the Committee, but it was difficult if not entirelyimpractical for the Committee to achieve it under the original strategic plan. The

Committee was virtually unknown within the Frog Hollow neighborhood in 2003, whenits Strategic Plan was approved by the Court of Common Council. The Committee had

no standing within the community, and it had little to offer by way of incentive topotential partners to join in the implementation of the Strategic Plan. A cursory glance at

the Anticipated Funding column of the matrix reveals that all of the targets were to beaccomplished without any funding provided the Committee was compelled to seek

partnerships that would require additional work for the partners without any means tocompensate them for their efforts. The implementation matrix represented, in essence,

unfunded mandates being issued by an unknown entity. TFurthermore, the Committee lacked the ability to negotiate with partners over the

course of revitalization within the NRZ. While the matrix reflected the Committees planfor revitalizing the NRZ, it proved difficult to implement because an organization that


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was better funded and had a better standing could promote its agenda far more easily onits own than it could in tandem with the Committee. The organization would not have to

defer to the other members of the Committee if the consensus on the Committee wasgoing against the goals the organization preferred to pursue.

The Committee had a similar issue with the City: much of what the Committee

wanted to accomplish in the NRZ required the expenditure of municipal funds. Becausethe Committee lacked the standing that other organizations had already gained, it wasimpossible to compete for increasingly scarce public dollars, and the Committee was

unable to influence the City in an effective manner. Much of the implementation matrix,therefore, fell by the wayside.

Third, the original strategic plan put into place a set of procedures that severelyrestricted the ability of the Committee to respond to changing circumstances within the

NRZ. These procedures were based on an extremely narrow and, frankly, flawed reading of the state law that created the NRZs, and they required the Committee to amend

the Strategic Plan in order not only to utilize but in fact to gain access to the powersgranted to it by the state law. For example, if the Committee wanted to recommend to

the City that it waive a section of code to promote a particular development project in theNRZ, the Committee had to amend the plan to include both the project and the code to be

waived. Since the Committee could not predict the nature of a project and what waiverscould, therefore, promote it before the project was presented to it, the developer would

either have to wait the necessary amount of time for the Committee to amend the plan orthe developer could proceed without the Committee. The latter tended to be the rule, and

that cost the Committee some of the influence it might otherwise have had in guiding therevitalization of the NRZ along lines consistent with the stated goals of the Strategic

Plan.This set of procedures bordered on the absurd. Any amendment to the Strategic

Plan would have to be approved by the Court of Common Council, which would firstsend the proposed amendment to the appropriate municipal departments for review.

These municipal departments would be the very same departments that would receive theCommittees requests for action, which the Committee would need to have in the

Strategic Plan before the Committee could make the request. The municipal departmentswould thereby receive the Committees request twice once as a proposed amendment,

and then again as a formal request.The Committee never acted to amend the original strategic plan in this manner

this set of procedures was convoluted on its face, and it was clear without ever utilizingthis process that it could be streamlined. Instead, the Committee found other methods to

carry out the core mission of the Strategic Plan even if it was unable to implement someof the specific proposals contained in that plan. The Committees work in this regard

helped it to gain the standing it lacked in 2003 upon approval of its Strategic Plan, and italso helped the Committee to forge the very partnerships the original strategic plan called

on it to make. These partnerships have been borne through teamwork, through sharedconsensus, and through a growing trust that formed as the demonstrated that it will carry

its weight to the very best of its abilities. The Committee has also made inroads with theCity, and it has opened up effective lines of communication that have permitted it to

effect change in the NRZ in a manner commensurate with the stated goals of the StrategicPlan.


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Nonetheless, the Committees procedures for implementing the Strategic Planproved to be cumbersome if not outright obstacles, and by 2005 the Committee believed

it was time to change those procedures. At the Committees inception in 2000, no one onthe Committee fully understood the implications of the state law or municipal code that

governed the Committees actions. As the Committees experience with revitalization

efforts and its familiarity with state and municipal laws expanded, the Committeeenvisioned a procedure for implementing the Strategic Plan that would be vastly moreeffective. It would utilize more fully sections of the municipal code that were not

mentioned in the plan but that would stop short of the Committees full authority torequest eminent domain, rent receivership, or waivers of code, as each of those requests

should be treated as a last resort. Just as significantly, this new procedure would allowthe Committee to move rapidly to address changing circumstances within the NRZ, and it

would do so while efficiently using the limited time and resources of its members, all ofwhom are volunteers. This streamlining of the Committees procedures was all the more

important because the Committee has no funds of its own.The amended Strategic Plan not only removes the burdensome procedures of the

original strategic plan, it also fully updates the projects the Committee will propose tofurther the revitalization of the NRZ. The Frog Hollow NRZ has made significant strides

in the nearly ten years since both the North Frog Hollow and Frog Hollow South NRZcommittees were formed, and the amended Strategic Plan capitalizes on those strides and

solidifies the gains that have been made as the foundation for future revitalization. Theamended Strategic Plan offers a vision of the Frog Hollow NRZ that the Committee will

strive to realize over the next decade.

The Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone CommitteeAugust 20, 2010


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Acknowledgements

The Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee wishes to acknowledgethe efforts of the following individuals without whom this Strategic Plan would not have

been possible.

Val Ferro of TPA Design Group was the Committees consultant on the originalversion of the Strategic Plan, both for the North Frog Hollow NRZ and also the FrogHollow South NRZ. Ms. Ferro was largely responsible for the text of the original

versions, and her efforts succeeded in bringing the Committees disparate thoughts andideas together into a unified document.

Marina Rodriguez of the City of Hartford Department of Development Services,Planning Division, was the planning advisor assigned to the both North Frog Hollow

NRZ and to the Frog Hollow South NRZ, and she assisted both committees as theydrafted the original versions of their separate strategic plans. Ms. Rodriguez provided

invaluable advice on the process required to submit the plans to the municipalgovernment for review and for adoption. She was also a tireless advocate for the plans

before the City of Hartford Commission on the City Plan and the Court of CommonCouncils Planning, Economic Development, and Zoning Committee, both of which had

to recommend the adoption of the plan to the Court of Common Council before it couldbe considered for a vote.

Gerald Maine, also of the City of Hartford Department of Development Services,Planning Division, took over as planning advisor following Ms. Rodriguezs retirement.

Mr. Maine was an active participant on the Committees Property Developmentsubcommittee, and he helped to ensure that the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan

were taken into account as development proceeded within the NRZ. He also providedadvice and guidance throughout the process to amend the Strategic Plan.

Barry Lubin, a member of the Committee since its inception and the first chair of

the Committees Housing, then Property Development, subcommittee, first conceived ofthe idea of framing the plan into tasks organized into broad categories around which themandated subcommittees would be formed. Mr. Lubins vision for the implementation of

the plan was to maximize the potential of volunteers to carry out this plan by focusingtheir efforts into areas that most interested them. Such focus would not have been

possible without the framework created by subcommittees, and that framework forms thefoundation of this Strategic Plan.

Maria Negron was an instrumental part of the Frog Hollow South NRZCommittee. She served as that committees record keeper, and she lent to it her

considerable skills as a community organizer. Her knowledge of the neighborhood andits various institutions represented the institutional memory of the Frog Hollow South

NRZ Committee, and her efforts assured the committee of a continuous presence in theNRZ.

Doug Campbell served as the last chair of the Frog Hollow South NRZCommittee, and he is currently vice chair of the Committee. He helped to sustain the

Frog Hollow South NRZ committee by organizing its efforts around its availableresources. He led the effort to merge the North Frog Hollow NRZ Committee and the

Frog Hollow South NRZ Committee, and he was instrumental in ensuring that the mergermaximized the strengths of the two committees and shed some of the two committees


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individual weaknesses. That the Frog Hollow NRZ Committee has a sustainableinfrastructure built around its core assets is due to his efforts.

Luis Cabn, executive director of Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance(SINA) as well as a resident of the NRZ, provided administrative and technical support

for the Frog Hollow South NRZ. He has been a critical advocate for the revitalization of

Frog Hollow, and he continues to shape the Committees vision for the future of theneighborhood.Steve Balcanoff, a SINA board member and an administrator at the Connecticut

Childrens Medical Center, was a committed member of the Frog Hollow South NRZcommittee, and he offered his time and his expertise to the process to develop the

strategic plan for the Frog Hollow South NRZ. His longstanding involvement with theFrog Hollow South NRZ Committee helped that committee to take shape and to move

forward with the implementation of its strategic plan.Jose Martinez, the first chair of the North Frog Hollow NRZ Committee, and Edie

Lacey, the first chair of the Frog Hollow South NRZ Committee, played important rolesin the formulation of the original strategic plans of the two committees. Those plans bear

their indelible stamps. Both Mr. Martinez and Ms. Lacey were champions of theresidents of the two NRZs, and their concerns for the community are woven into the

goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan.Jorge Rivera, the second chair of the North Frog Hollow NRZ Committee, and

Jacqueline Maldonado, the second chair of the Frog Hollow South NRZ Committee,guided their respective committees through the arduous task of implementing the original

strategic plans, and they played important roles in focusing the two committees effortsaround the goals and objectives of the plans. They strove to ensure that the concerns of

the residents of the NRZ were always factored into the efforts of the two committees asthey worked to revitalize the two NRZs.

The Park Branch of the Hartford Public Library helped the Committee to reachout into the NRZ. Leticia Cotto, Assistant Community Librarian at the branch, connected

the Committee to residents in the NRZ, and Ms. Cotto has been tireless in her efforts topromote the Committees profile within the community. The Committee is also very

grateful for the assistance the staff of the Park Branch has provided. That staff LuisValentin, Library Assistant; Linda Montanez, Assistant Youth Librarian; Agnes Paterno,

Library Assistant; and Graciela Rivera, Library Assistant helped to make thisdocument accessible to the community by serving as resources on the plan and its

contents. With their assistance, the Committee gained the input of a greater portion ofthe community. There is no community without a library, and the Park Branch is firmly

located at the center of our community.The Committee is grateful to all of these individuals for their efforts on its behalf.

D. CorriganChair

Frog Hollow NRZ Committee


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Executive Summary

This document represents the plan to revitalize the NRZ as conceived by the Frog Hollow

Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee. In general, it has three parts: a portrait of

the neighborhood, including its history and a variety of statistical data describing thecurrent residents and conditions of the neighborhood; a manual for the implementation ofthe plan of revitalization; and the plan of revitalization itself. As described and defined

by Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) Chapter 118 7-600 et seq., the strategic plan isthe plan of revitalization, and only the plan of revitalization will be subject to the sections

of CGS Chapter 118 7-600 that describe the process to amend, to approve, and to adoptthe strategic plan. The portrait and the manual flow from the intent of statute, as well as

the City ordinance that adopted this statute, to provide the Committee with theinformation and the tools it needs to implement the plan of revitalization. The specific

contents of the Strategic Plan, in particular the manual, were described by An OmnibusAct Amending the Strategic Plan of the North Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization

Zone Committee, which was approved by the Committee on April 13, 2006 andamended separately on April 10, 2008, September 11, 2008, and August 6, 2009. The

specific contents of the plan of revitalization were adopted on April 10, 2008 withadditional contents approved on February 26, 2009 and approved as included in the plan

of revitalization on September 1, 2009.Chapter 1 and 2 of this document, The History of the Frog Hollow

Neighborhood Revitalization Zone and The Frog Hollow Neighborhood RevitalizationZone Today, introduce the reader to the North Frog Hollow NRZ and describe the

history and the current conditions economic, geographic, legal, and social of theNRZ. The Committee includes with that description its interpretation of those data and

how it believes it should proceed with the implementation of the Strategic Plan. The datawill be updated regularly, and the Committee will likewise update its interpretation of

these data. These chapters constitute the entirety of the portrait part of this document.Chapter 3 of this document, General Implementation Provisions, describes

those provisions that govern all of the actions the Committee will take to implement theStrategic Plan. It begins the manual part of this document.

Chapter 4, The Mandated Subcommittees of the Frog Hollow NeighborhoodRevitalization Zone Committee, describes the responsibilities of the subcommittees

formed in order to implement the Strategic Plan more efficiently and more effectively.These subcommittees were created under the original Strategic Plan, and the material

here is based on the experience of those subcommittees as they proceeded with theimplementation of the original Strategic Plan.

Chapter 5, The Revitalization Authority of the Frog Hollow NeighborhoodRevitalization Zone Committee, describes the authority the Committee has given itself

and its subcommittees to implement the plan. In general, the authority described hererelates to specific, geographic areas within the NRZ that the Committee designates for

focused revitalization efforts.Chapter 6, The Statutory Authority of the Frog Hollow Neighborhood

Revitalization Committee, outlines how the Committee will proceed with theimplementation of the Strategic Plan through utilization of the tools provided to it by


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Executive Summary

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Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 118 7-600 et seq. and the Municipal Code ofHartford Chapter 28, Article X, 28-196. This chapter will be updated as state and

municipal policies with regards to neighborhood revitalization zones evolve and developand as the Committees understanding of both deepens.

Chapter 7, Updating and Amending the Strategic Plan, describes the methods

by which the Committee may update and amend the Strategic Plan and outlines thespecific triggers for these actions. This chapter concludes the manual part of thisdocument.

Chapter 8, Guidelines for the Strategic Plan, contains the general guidelines theCommittee and its mandated subcommittees will follow as they implement the plan of

development within the Strategic Plan. This chapter will also contain some of theoverarching revitalization goals the Committee and its mandated subcommittees will

apply throughout the whole of the NRZ.Chapter 9, The Summary of the Plan of Revitalization, presents a narrative

description of all of the projects the Committee will undertake as it strives to revitalizethe NRZ.

Chapter 10, Strategic Areas for Revitalization Action, describes each of thespecific, geographic areas the Committee has designated for concentrated revitalization

efforts. This chapter will also contain specific recommendations for these areas forgovernment officials and prospective developers to follow.

Chapter 11, Ongoing Statutory Actions, describes the parcels within the NRZthat are considered threats to the health, safety, and welfare of the NRZ. These parcels

will be priorities for the Committee as it pursues the revitalization of the NRZ. In broadterms, this chapter will be the Committees inventory of vacant and abandoned buildings

in the NRZ, but it will also contain occupied buildings that pose a significant risk forpeople who reside within them.

Chapter 12, The Annual Implementation Targets of the MandatedSubcommittees, outlines the specific tasks that the subcommittees established to

implement the plan will undertake. This chapter, as well as the previous two, will bereviewed regularly throughout the year, and all three chapters will be changed to address

new circumstances as they arise.Chapter 13, The Plan of Revitalization for the Frog Hollow NRZ, is the

Committees work plan. It describes in specific and extensive detail all of the steps theCommittee will take to carry out the projects contained in the plan.

Finally, the appendices of this document will describe the laws that govern theCommittee, the rules the Committee adopts that affect directly the implementation of the

Strategic Plan, and various resources the Committee has available to it to aid it in itsefforts to implement the Strategic Plan. The appendices will also include sections of

code the Committee may request to be waived in order to further the implementation ofthe Strategic Plan. The appendices will also include a report on previous work the

Committee performed under the previous version of the Strategic Plan.


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Authors Note

Chapter 1 and 2 of this document, The History of the Frog Hollow Neighborhood

Revitalization Zone and The Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Today,

are holdovers from the original strategic plans from both the North Frog Hollow NRZand the Frog Hollow South NRZ. The Committee has not had the opportunity yet toconduct the research necessary to update these chapters according to the provisions of

An Omnibus Act Amending the Strategic Plan of the North Frog Hollow NeighborhoodRevitalization Zone Committee or according to the Plan of Revitalization for the Frog

Hollow NRZ. As the Committee anticipated that the process to update these chapterswould be a lengthy one, the Committee specifically permitted itself to retain these

chapters from the original version of the strategic plan and to replace those chapters asthe new chapters are drafted. Further information on the work that will be done to update

these two chapters can be found under Strategic Projects 44 through 46, inclusive, in thePlan of Revitalization.

The material from the two original strategic plans has been included as they werewritten, although changes were made to its format in order that it resembles the overall

format of this document. Some minor grammatical changes were also made, as werecorrections to the occasional typographical errors.


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The Strategic Plan

for the

Revitalizat ion

of the

rog Hollow

Neighborhood Revitalization Zone


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1

Introduction

The Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone was created under Chapter 118, 7-600 et seq. of the Connecticut General Statutes (CGS). This law, which the City of

Hartford adopted and put into force within its corporate limits as Chapter 28, Article IX

28-196 of the Municipal Code of Hartford, empowers stakeholders within theneighborhood revitalization zone (NRZ) to plan for the revitalization of theirneighborhood and, in partnership with state and municipal governments, to implement

that plan. These stakeholders, who include residents, merchants, and representatives ofnon-profit organizations, know their neighborhood better than anyone, and the NRZ

process is predicated on bringing that knowledge to bear in an effort to effectively utilizeboth public and private resources to revitalize the neighborhood. The NRZ process,

therefore, is a means to encouraging civic involvement among stakeholders as much as itis a means to revitalizing the infrastructure of the neighborhood. It is a sound principle,

that good neighbors build good neighborhoods, and the NRZ process harnesses thatprinciple by requiring the stakeholders to work together toward a common goal.

An NRZ covers a specific area within a city that corresponds to the definition of aneighborhood in need of revitalization pursuant to CGS Chapter 118 7-600(a). The City

of Hartford is unique in that it has thirteen separate NRZs, and while each of these NRZsdid meet the definition, their formation was driven as much by historic neighborhood

boundaries within the city as it was by the need to have an abundance of NRZs. EachNRZ reflects the distinctive character of the neighborhood it serves, and each

neighborhood has been able to design a course for revitalization that represents the hopesand aspirations of that NRZs stakeholders.

Historically speaking, Frog Hollow was likely a swamp, located at the base ofZion Hill, that drained into the Park River by a stream that flowed northward along what

is now Broad Street. The Frog Hollow NRZ is somewhat different in that it does not

exist as a geographic, historic, or political entity except as an NRZ, thereby making itexclusively a legal entity, and it is entirely unique in that it represents the merger of twoformerly independent NRZs, the North Frog Hollow NRZ and the Frog Hollow South

NRZ. It corresponds, if less than precisely, with several other areas within Hartford thatall share the name Frog Hollow in some form or another. The northern part of the Frog

Hollow NRZ, which is the former North Frog Hollow NRZ, is roughly contiguous withthe neighborhood the City officially defines as Frog Hollow, except that the Citys Frog

Hollow continues southward to Lincoln Street and includes the Zion Hill Cemetery. Theformer North Frog Hollow NRZ also roughly corresponds with the Frog Hollow Historic

District, except that the historic district does not include the parcels containing the ParkPlace Towers and the former Bradlees or the state buildings located on Capitol Avenue

east of Oak Street or along Washington Street and Lafayette Street. The southern part ofthe NRZ, which is the former Frog Ho