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Hartford council amends Complete Streets policy to encourage burying utilities and stormwater measures
Summary
The Hartford Court of Common council approved an amendment to Article 10 of the city's Complete Streets policy that encourages undergrounding overhead utilities and consideration of permeable surfaces for stormwater management; the change was treated as a limited wording amendment and passed on the consent calendar.
The Hartford Court of Common Council approved an amendment to Article 10 of the municipal Complete Streets policy that adds aspirational language encouraging the undergrounding of overhead utility lines and greater use of permeable surfaces where roads are reconstructed.
Councilman Gayle said the measure aims to make Hartford more forward-looking on infrastructure resilience. "When our roads are being reconstructed, consideration be made to put the utilities underground," Councilman Gayle said during the discussion.
The amendment was described in council discussion as two aspirational concepts: first, that public-works projects consider placing utilities underground during reconstruction; second, that projects prioritize more permeable surfaces to help manage stormwater.
Corporation Counsel told the council the change was limited to wording and did not substantially alter the ordinance's core reporting requirement. "I don't find the change to be substantial," Corporation Counsel said, adding that removal of the last line in the reporting section "does not substantially change the overall ordinance."
The Majority Leader moved to place the item on the supplemental agenda (item 7.1) and to include the ordinance substitute for item 5.1 on the consent calendar. The amendment was adopted as part of the consent calendar roll call vote, with all council members present voting in favor.
Because the ordinance substitute was placed on the consent calendar and passed by roll call, the council treated the change as a limited-wording amendment and did not return the item to a new public hearing.
The measure amends the municipal code's Article 10 Complete Streets policy to add nonbinding directives for project design; it does not itself appropriate funds or mandate specific capital projects.
