Hartford development leaders tell council they’ve rebuilt staffing, sped permits and launched homeownership pushes

At a meeting of the Operations Management Budget and Government Accountability Committee, Department of Development Services Director Jeff Aaker outlined organizational changes, said the department has 84 positions filled with seven vacancies and credited internal reorganization for faster permit processing and stronger cross‑department collaboration.

"We've taken a lot of pride and a lot of time in making sure we know where our different divisions interact," Aaker said, describing a refocused mission across the department's six divisions and leadership adjustments, including Judith Rothschild's promotion to deputy and the elevation of Rob Faircloth to operations manager.

Owen, the director of planning, said planning reviewed and approved more than 2,000 land‑use applications last year, including about 500 new housing units, and is proceeding with traffic‑safety work such as school speed cameras and neighborhood traffic calming. "Beginning with enforcement, we submitted to DOT the plan adopted by council for speed cameras…