Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin on Thursday morning issued a call to action for local employers to get more of their workers back to the office regularly as soon as possible.
The vibrancy of the city depends on it, he said.
“I know this is easier said than done, but we need you to try to have as many people in the office as possible, as many days as possible,” Bronin said during a MetroHartford Alliance event Thursday morning held at Dunkin’ Park. “Because one of the biggest threats we face — and it’s not unique to Hartford, but it is important in Hartford — one of the biggest threats we face is that there are thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of people who would normally be in downtown … who are working from home.”
He continued: “I understand that the world of work has shifted, and in some ways it may have shifted for the long term, maybe for the good, but I also think that anything you do at the margins makes a difference. … If you are helping to get your teams back in three days a week instead of two days a week that makes a difference. If you’re holding a happy hour for your team on a Thursday evening that helps keep people in Hartford afterwards a little longer, that makes a difference.”
Bronin spoke to a crowd of several hundred business, arts, nonprofit, higher-ed and other leaders who packed the second-floor event space at Dunkin’ Park. During his Q&A with Bank of America Hartford Market President Joe Gianni, Bronin reflected on his two terms in office, saying the city made significant strides pre-pandemic — including avoiding a possible bankruptcy.
He noted the city hasn’t taken on new debt since 2016. He also touted last year’s mill rate reduction, from 74.29 to 68.95.
However, Bronin was frank that the pandemic has posed significant challenges to the city’s progress, particularly the impact on the office market.
Companies’ embrace of remote and hybrid work has led to significant office space downsizing and fewer workers downtown on a daily basis. That’s led to a rise in office vacancies.
Downtown Hartford’s overall office vacancy rate stood at 27.1% at the end of the fourth quarter, while center-city Class A buildings had a 27.1% vacancy with 34.6% of space available for lease, according to research from brokerage firm CBRE.
Bronin noted that higher office vacancy rates don’t just impact local merchants. It will also erode the value of major office buildings that serve as the foundation of the city’s tax base. That could lead to future budget issues.
Even still, there is positive momentum downtown, Bronin said, especially with ongoing apartment development, which will be key to the city’s future growth.
“As soon as apartments are built, they fill up because we have a housing shortage in this state,” he said. “People need residential units but also people want to be in downtowns. And we need to provide that opportunity.”
Bronin said there are currently a thousand units in the downtown apartment development pipeline and that the city should double or triple down on rental housing development in the years ahead. He stressed the need for continued state support of the Capital Region Development Authority, the quasi-public state agency that provides gap financing to downtown apartment developments.
He also said downtown Hartford’s population grew 50% between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census, despite the city’s overall population declining during that time period.
“We are constrained by supply, not demand,” Bronin said.
