At a press conference in the Hartford Municipal Building (aka “City Hall”) Arunan Arulampalam and Ned Lamont announced the new “Lots to Homes” program, which is an effort to create affordable opportunities for homeownership on vacant lots owned by the City of Hartford.  The City plans to connect qualified, non-profit community development corporations (such as NINA) and local housing developers with these lots, in the hopes of creating new economic opportunities for small, minority- and women-owned businesses in Hartford alongside the new homeownership opportunities for Hartford residents.

NINA and the City have been discussing recently the vacant lot at 97-99 Ashley Street, which is part of this program and which the City prepares to transfer to NINA early next year.

Photos are of Arunan Arulampalam, Mayor, City of Hartford; Jonathan Cabral, director, Housing Division, Hartford Department of Development Services; Seila Mosquera-Bruno, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Housing; and Ned Lamont, Governor, State of Connecticut.

The parking lot on the other side of the tracks – which once upon a time was part of the Veeder Manufacturing complex – is hardly used these days, but something was going on this morning.

One of the advantages of walking to work.  This is a very nice touch.

It looks like Night Fall has taken up the corner retail space at 207 Garden Street.  Very exciting!

These are the southbound lanes on Garden Street, just off of the intersection with Cogswell and Myrtle.  First, it looks like DPW just dumped the salt here.  And second, if they did just dump it, why not dump it on the through lane, which is used far more often than the left turn lane?

Is it lit?  I couldn’t tell, and security isn’t always keen on people walking off the sidewalks.  On this gray day, it does look sort of ethereal, though.

More paint on the exterior, and a walk through the house.