Spring Neighborhood Cleanup

Our Neighborhood is what we make it -- help make ours more beautiful with a spring cleanup!

Saturday, June 7, from 9 to 11 am.
Meet on the NW corner of Buckingham & Main.
Gloves, trash bags, water, etc. will be provided.

We’ll be picking up trash, tree branches, etc. on Capitol Avenue, Main Street, Buckingham Street, and Whitman Court.
Even if you can participate for only half an hour, many hands make light work, and we all benefit from it.

Join our 2025-26 Board!

 

The South Downtown NRZ has openings for Board Members in the following categories: Residential Tenant, Property Owner, Social Services representative, and Business Owner.

Elections are Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 6:00 pm during our Annual Meeting.

Any member of the SoDo NRZ can run for Board elections. To be considered a member, an individual must:

1. own property OR 
2. own a business OR 
3. be a residential tenant of a property OR 
4. be a representative of a social service/non-profit 

within the physical boundaries of the NRZ (see map here).

Board Terms are three years, and we request that Board members attend and actively participate in meetings and events, and have a non-partisan interest in improving the quality of life in our neighborhood. We meet on the third Wednesday of the month, September through June. Click here for more information about the NRZ and the neighborhood boundaries.

Not ready to join the Board? Consider joining a Committee or Working Group.

Nominees should send a brief paragraph about themselves and why they are interested in joining SoDo NRZ leadership to SoDoNRZ@gmail.com by 5 pm Thursday, June 12.

May Development News + Meeting

 

Lilacs and Ivy on Buckingham Street.

The end of April/beginning of May has been a busy time for our neighborhood. In addition to the NRZ-specific projects noted below, three separate SoDo redevelopment projects were featured in the news: the federal government chose Allyn Street as the location for the new Federal courthouse (they had been considering Hudson/Buckingham in SoDo), the City hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the apartment conversions at 18-20 and 30 Trinity Street, and UConn announced it would be housing students in the redeveloped building at 525 Main. News articles about these projects are linked on the Redevelopment page of our website.

June 18 is our Annual Meeting and Elections. Any member of the SoDo neighborhood is eligible for nomination to the Board, a Committee, or a Working Group. If you or someone you know is interested in taking a more active role in our neighborhood, please email us for more info. Not sure if you are a member? Visit the About page to see if you qualify (it’s very likely that you do).

Read this month's newsletter for more info on our exciting new Longest Table event, Welcome Packets, and Neighborhood Plan. Our next SoDo meeting is Wednesday, May 21 at 6:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church of Hartford, 136 Capitol Avenue (enter through the small building to the right of the main church), or join us via Zoom. Check the newsletter for the links to join the Meeting or download the Agenda and Minutes from the last meeting. We look forward to catching up on neighborhood news with you!

April 2025 meeting

 

Header image: Kanzan Cherry Blossoms on the corner of Capitol Avenue & Whitman Court. Photo by Rebecca Morris.

Header image: Kanzan Cherry Blossoms on the corner of Capitol Avenue & Whitman Court. Photo by Rebecca Morris.

Header image: Kanzan Cherry Blossoms on the corner of Capitol Avenue & Whitman Court. Photo by Rebecca Morris.

Welcome to life on the other side of winter, Neighbors. Here's a link to our April email, with neighborhood news, special events, and useful resources, as well as info to join our next meeting, Wednesday, April 16 at 6:00 pm in person at First Presbyterian Church of Hartford, 136 Capitol Avenue (enter through the small building to the right of the main church), or join us via Zoom. 

Scroll down in the newsletter for the Meeting link, Agenda, and Minutes from the last meeting. We look forward to catching up on neighborhood news with you! 

March meeting: Update on 17 Wells St. residential project

Happy Vernal Equinox, Neighbors.

Over a year ago, the City’s Department of Development Services shared a presentation for a new residential development at 17 Wells Street, facing Pulaski Circle. Since then there have been changes to the scope and size of the project. DDS shared an update with us at our March 19 meeting, which you can view here. In addition, CRDA shared an update on the Bushnell South parking and traffic study that’s currently underway, as well as their work with the MDC on stormwater system upgrades in our neighborhood. You can listen to both presentations on the Zoom recording of the meeting, here.

Check out our March newsletter for other neighborhood and city news.

Thank you for a successful 2025 Progressive Dinner!

On March 8, about 50 neighbors gathered for SoDo’s 10th Downtown Progressive Dinner. Many thanks to Annette Blackwood & Frank Sentner for hosting the wine reception in their beautifully restored 1870s brownstone, to all our attendees -- 60% of whom were first-timers! -- and to our hosts who welcomed Attendees to their respective homes before we all met again at Peppercorns for dessert.

Thank you Dinner Hosts: Heather McLarney, Jane Macy-Painter & Earl Henrichon, Pat Downs & John Chase, Jon Cabral & Leah Reyes, Robert Tollis & Peter Chester, and Robin Zaleski & Bill Morgan. Social Committee: Heather Oakes, Heather McLarney, Jane Macy-Painter, and Robin Zaleski.

February News, CVS Petition

After its four-year hiatus and only ten days of ticket sales, the 10th Downtown Progressive Dinner, Sponsored by the SoDo NRZ, is almost sold out (as of this morning, only six tickets left). If you’d like to attend, get your tickets ASAP at the link below. And if you are considering hosting, we’d love to have you. Sign up at the link below or email sodonrz@gmail.com if you have questions about what hosting entails. (More Hosts = more space for more Attendees!)

In other Downtown news, CVS has indicated they will close their store at 777 Main Street (corner of Pearl). Some concerned SoDo neighbors have drafted a petition asking them to keep that location open, or move to a nearby location to serve downtown residents, office workers, and visitors. Please scroll down and add your name and voice to this appeal.

Our next SoDo meeting is Wednesday, February 19 at 6:00 pm. Due to the anticipated temperatures, this meeting will be Zoom only. Here are links to the Zoom Meeting, Agenda, and Minutes from the January meeting.