Speakers at a Dec. 15 public hearing presented sharply different views on a proposed sale of three city parcels to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Jeffrey Stewart, board president of the Clay Arsenal Community Development Corporation, urged the Court of Common Council to approve the sale, saying the foundation’s planned investment will support resident wealth creation and neighborhood economic development. Stewart said the CACDC has been designated as a pilot community-development corporation and welcomed the foundation as a "resident and stakeholder in Clay Arsenal."

Alyssa Peterson, a resident who said she previously filed complaints with Connecticut's attorney general, opposed the sale. Peterson criticized the foundation’s historical payout rate and called the reported plan to spend $35,000,000 on a new building "sickening," arguing the money should instead be directed to Hartford nonprofits, agencies, schools, parks and cemeteries.

Jay Williams, representing the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, described the foundation’s centennial-year investments and said the organization has given more than $1 billion in grants over its history. Williams said the foundation plans to invest $35,000,000 in a new headquarters intended as a "gateway" investment for Clay Arsenal and to comply with the city's MBE/WBE and resident participation goals. He said the foundation expects the proximity would make it a more effective community partner.

Rossetti closed public testimony with no council votes recorded at the hearing. The sale proposal (item 2.5) will return to the council for further consideration according to normal legislative procedures; no final action was taken during the hearing.