2026-10-19 - Public Hearing
Summary
Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard. The recording begins at 0:55 with the chair already on the line (the first seconds before that are not captioned), and the hearing is closed at about 6:21; a stray caption at 8:39 follows. This looks like the complete hearing, not a partial.
Time on topic (from transcript timestamps; approximate, includes side talk):
| Topic | Minutes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Opening and hearing procedure | 2 | 40% |
| 98-104 Edwards Street development agreement | 2 | 33% |
| Edge 400 tax fixing agreement | 1 | 27% |
- Monday, October 19, 2026.
- Public hearing chaired by Councilwoman Surgeon, joined by Majority Leader Kelly Bilodeau and, later, Council President T.J. Clark.
- Two agenda items; no member of the public spoke on either, and the hearing was closed at about 6:21 into the recording.
Opening and hearing procedure
0:55-3:07
- Broadcast on HBATV.org, Comcast channel 96, Frontier channel 6032, and HBATV Facebook and YouTube.
- Rules read: speakers give name and address, 5 minutes each, remarks limited to the items designated for the hearing, addressed to the Council as a body; no debate by the Council, though members may ask questions of presenters.
Edge 400 tax fixing agreement
3:07-4:35
- Agenda item 2.1: the mayor's resolution (Mayor Arulampalam) authorizing a 15-year tax fixing agreement with two 5-year renewal options with the developers of the Edge 400 project at 338 New Park Avenue.
- The chair asked three times each for speakers in favor and against; none came forward, and the hearing moved on.
98-104 Edwards Street development agreement
4:35-6:21
- Agenda item 2.2: the mayor's resolution authorizing a development agreement and ground lease with VASE Management LLC (captioned "VAZ") for two city-owned parcels at 98 and 104 Edwards Street.
- No one spoke in favor or against after repeated calls; the chair closed the public hearing on both items and pointed to the next council meeting.
Sources
Video
Transcript
These are auto-generated captions; names and numbers may be misheard.
Transcript
00:55Councilwoman, you're muted if you're if
00:58you're speaking.
00:59>> Yes, well, but I was muted, so let me
01:01start over again. Good evening. I would
01:03like to thank everyone for being here
01:05this evening.
01:06Today is Monday, October 19th, and I
01:08would like to call tonight's public
01:10hearing to order. I'm Councilwoman
01:13Shirley Surgeon, and I'll be cheering
01:14this public hearing tonight, and I'm
01:16being joined
01:18by Council Sorry, Majority Leader Kelly
01:21Billidu, who is also part of the public
01:23hearing.
01:25The public hearing is being broadcast
01:27live on HBATV.org,
01:30Comcast Channel 96, Frontier Channel
01:336032, HBATV Facebook, and YouTube.
01:38The public hearing shall be conducted in
01:40accordance with the following procedure.
01:43Each person wishing to address the
01:44Council or the Committee therefore
01:46shall, upon recognizing or recognition
01:50by the presiding officer, give his or
01:53her name, address, and if he or she
01:55represents a group, shall in addition
01:58state for the record the name and
02:00address of said group at or
02:02organization.
02:04Each speaker shall be limited to his or
02:06her
02:07remarks to 5 minutes, and it is the duty
02:10of the public presiding officer to
02:13enforce this limitation in an equitable
02:16fashion. All remarks shall be addressed
02:18to the council as a body and not any
02:21member thereof. All remarks shall be
02:23limited
02:25to present to the present or proposed
02:27city of Hartford policies, budget,
02:30ordinance, or resolutions that are
02:32designated for such public hearing.
02:35During the public hearing, no member of
02:37the council may address the council as a
02:39member of the public. Any person making
02:43personal, impertinent, or slanderous
02:45remark or who becomes boisterous while
02:48addressing the council shall be
02:49forthwith barred by the presiding
02:51officer and further ordinance at the
02:55said meeting uh be limited.
02:58During the public hearing, there shall
02:59be no debate by the council, although
03:02questions may be asked by the council of
03:04person making such presentation.
03:07We have two items on the agenda tonight.
03:10The first item is items 2.1.
03:13It's a resolution for Mayor Arulampalam
03:16authorizing the city of Hartford to
03:19enter into a 15-year tax fixing
03:21agreement with two five with two
03:25five-year renewal options with the
03:27developers of for the Edge 400 project
03:31located at 338 New Park Avenue.
03:36Do we have anyone at the public hearing
03:40um or individuals who wish to speak on
03:42the merits of items 2.1?
03:48Do we have anyone speaking in favor of
03:51items 2.1.
03:54Do we have anyone
03:57speaking in favor of item 2.1?
04:01We're also joined at the meeting
04:03by Council President T.J. Clark.
04:08Do we have anyone speaking against items
04:112.1?
04:13Do we have anyone speaking against items
04:162.1?
04:18Do we have anyone speaking against items
04:202.1?
04:22Again, uh items 2.1 is a tax fixing
04:25agreement and since we have no one
04:28uh here at the committee public hearing
04:31who wants to speak for this
04:34we will move on
04:35to items 2.2 on the agenda.
04:40A resolution, items 2.2 resolution from
04:43Mayor Arulampalam, uh authorizing the
04:46mayor to enter
04:48>> [clears throat]
04:48>> into a development agreement and ground
04:50lease with VAZ Management LLC for two
04:54city-owned parcel located at 98 and 104
04:58Edwards Street.
05:01Do we have anyone here to speak in favor
05:04of items 2.2?
05:09Do we have anyone at the meeting here to
05:12speak in favor of items 2.2?
05:16Do we have anyone here in favor of
05:19speaking
05:20for items 2.2?
05:24I'm seeing no one, let me move on. Is
05:26there anyone here speaking against items
05:292.2?
05:32Do we have anyone here in the meeting to
05:34speak against the item 2.2?
05:38Do we have anyone here at the meeting to
05:41speak against items 2.2?
05:44Seeing or hearing no one speak.
05:47Item two.
05:49Those are the only two items we have on
05:51the agenda tonight.
05:53I am now going to call this public
05:57hearing to close.
05:59Um
06:01Yep. Don't see anyone is joining us. So
06:03again, I'm going to call this public
06:05hearing to close since that we have no
06:07one to speak for items in favor or
06:09against for 2.1 or in favor or against
06:12for items 2.2.
06:14I call this um public hearing to a
06:16close. Thank everyone for joining us and
06:19look forward to seeing everyone at the
06:21next council meeting. Thank you.
08:39>> Mhm.