Author: Christina Raiti

Sheff vs O’Neil 2003

Posted on Author Christina Raiti, Bianca Brenz

Sheff vs. O’Neill Stipulation and Order (Phase I, 2003) is a document dealing with the opening and production of Magnet Schools in the Hartford area.  In an attempt to create racial, ethnic, and economic equality, this document provides an abundant plan.  The purpose of a magnet school is to integrate the suburban and city students.  However, there must be guidelines for this to take place.  The percentage of minority students in any school cannot exceed the Sheff region minority percentage enrollment plus thirty percent.  They must reach this number by their third year of operation.  The schools will be run by the public school system and they must follow the Open Choice policy.  The Open Choice policy allows children from Avon, Bloomfield, Canton, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Manchester, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, South Windsor, Suffield, Vernon, Wethersfield, Windsor, and Windsor Locks to have access to enter a lottery in order to attend these Magnet Schools.  It is important to note that none of these schools are guarantees for residents of these areas.  Seats are guaranteed for a certain number of minority students and the remaining seats are based on lottery.  The State will be an extreme catalyst in the building of these schools.  They will aid in everything from regulating the amount of students per complex to funding the actual construction projects.  The Commissioner also plays a large role in the process of these magnet schools as well.  Through the Commissioner, student’s time spent on the bus was supposed to be cut down, parents were to become more informed, and suburban students were to be persuaded to participate in the Open Choice Policy.   To avoid stagnant educational patterns, parties are to meet no less than twice a year to make sure everything stays fresh and up to date.

Paul von Zielbauer mentions in his article “Change in Hartford” a quote from Susan Eaton. This was prior to the book The Children in Room E4, however Eaton makes a comment stating ”If you compare what they got with what the original vision was, it’s a huge disappointment,” This Sheff case runs parallel and is mentioned in Eaton’s chapter called The Plantiff and is indirectly referred to in the chapter named Separate but Equal? On page 266.  It outlines the inequality within urban and suburban school districts through telling a story of a field trip to Simpson-Waverly Marlborough.

West Hartford Zoning: Report to the Zoning Commission on the Zoning of West Hartford

Posted on Author Christina Raiti and Alexander Conaway

In 1854 West Hartford established itself as its own independent town housing less than 1,200 residents, and by the early 1920’s the town had gone from a farming community to a suburb where people came to get away from the overcrowded area of Hartford and were “attracted to the comfort and beauty” (8) that the open space had provided.  “West Hartford Zoning: Report to the Zoning Commission on the Zoning of West Hartford” is a document written in 1924, which allows us to understand the reasoning and guidelines for the process of zoning.  Robert Whitten allows us to understand the process of zoning and what regulations and aspects go into the creation of zoning a specific area.

The purpose of zoning is to help create a uniform, neat, upscale community.  It serves to eliminate trash, and ensure a sense of comfort, health, and happiness in an attempt to build an ascending city.  Essentially, in order to get an area zoned there must be a proposal which contains reasoning, supporting evidence, and a site map.  For this article in particular, it focuses on the importance of zoning in West Hartford.  It also allows us to understand the mindset and powers the Commissioners had.

One big proponent is that West Hartford must serve as a home for many classes of workers who will be commuting into the city of Hartford.  Transportation is taken care of for the most part in this area and with that being said, there should be no traffic or congestion of people.  The article mentions that many people moved to West Hartford from Hartford because the land and space is very desirable.  They were in search for a less hectic city with less chaos.   In order to make sure it remains that way, zoning must take place.  Rules on building size, type, materials used, etc., will assist in bringing the city to its largest potential.  West Hartford was to be divided into three sections, residential, business, industrial.  Within the residential areas no business can occur.  Places like schools, churches, and houses are permitted.  Within the residential area itself there are sub divisions such as single and triple family homes.  In the business area of town establishments such as restaurants, office buildings, shops, and malls are permitted.  Rules included are building lines and front yard restrictions, side and rear yard restrictions, percentage of lot occupancy, height of buildings restrictions, and a few other personal restrictions.  All these restrictions and laws are put in place in order to keep West Hartford safe and are meant to keep it an ideal place to raise a family.

Other Sources:

“Land Use Without Zoning” by Bernard Siegan.  We found this source by using the key word “zoning” on Trincoll.worldcat.org.

“Zoning of Planned Residental Developments” by Eli Godlston and James Scheuer.  We found this source by searching “Zoning” and “Hartford” in the JSTOR search bar.

“Density Zoning And Class Segregation In U.S. Metropolitan Areas” by Jonathon Rothwell and Douglas Massey. We found this source by searching the “Zoning” and “Segregation”  America: History & Life.

Discussion Questions:

1)   Why would it be important to put a time limit on renovating older homes?  Is it possible for people to take advantage of parts of the restrictions?

2)   Do you think zoning ultimately helped equalize the community or did it do more harm than good?  And why?

3)   After doing research and learning Robert Whitten was a white male in the 1920’s do you think the African Americans living in the area were encouraged to leave?  Do you think everyone was in favor of zoning?

Goldston, Eli, and James H. Scheuer. “Zoning of Planned Residential Developments.” JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2013.

Rothwell, Jonathan T., and Douglas S. Massey. “Density Zoning And Class Segregation In U.S. Metropolitan Areas ” Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) 91.5 (2010): 1123-1143. America: History & Life. Web. 14 Sept. 2013.

Siegan, Bernard H. Land Use without Zoning. Lexington, MA: Lexington, 1972. Print.

Whitten, Robert Harvey. West Hartford Zoning. Report to the Zoning Commission on the Zoning of West Hartford,. West Hartford, CT: Zoning Commission, 1924. 6+. Web.

Home Buying Simulation

Posted on Author Christina Raiti

Throughout this exercise I learned a number of lessons.  My annual gross income was $42,000 which allowed me to spend a minimum of $136,774 and a maximum of $167,265 on a house and or apartment.  I found there was a wider variety of buying options as opposed to renting.  I could afford 1320 dollars of rent per month, which made it extremely difficult to find a house/apartment that had more than two bedrooms.  Keeping in mind, I had a third grader and a sixth grader, their schooling options needed to be within acceptable distance to the house.  I didn’t chose a house or apartment that did not have a public school system to fall back on.  There were plenty of magnet schools which would fulfill both of my children’s needs however, since a lottery is necessary for placement, they could have spent over an hour on the bus to and from school.  With that being said, I was also lucky enough to have a car which would assist with my children’s transportation and with my route to work.  However, necessities were not particularly close so while choosing a house to buy/rent I went a little under my budget making sure to set aside extra money for gas.  The four houses I was willing to buy were 167 Hillcrest Ave in West Hartford, 1047 Boulevard in West Hartford, 178 Cooper Street in Manchester, and 69 New street in Manchester.  Out of those four I personally felt my best buy would be 1047 Boulevard in West Hartford.  Below is a picture of the front view of the house.  Screen Shot 2013-09-05 at 9.02.54 PMThis is because the location allowed for three schools in very close proximity.  My children would be able to attend Bristow Middle School, Environmental Sciences Magnet, and the Smith School of Science all which were close enough for myself to get to incase of an emergency.  The house was on the pricier end of the spectrum with a total cost of $160,000 and a thirty percent year fixed price of $656.  However, it was the most centrally located in terms of schooling which I felt was an asset that was invaluable.  It also was one of the few houses with three bedrooms and two baths.

From our class standings, I was under the impression that my yearly/monthly salary was towards the top of the spectrum.  However, I found just the opposite when I looked into renting houses.  I could barely afford to rent a house in a nice suburban area.  I found many condos but most of them were one or two bedrooms which would not accommodate a third grader and a sixth grader.  I also found four places to rent within the inner Hartford area.  I figured the best choice would be 20 Otis street in Manchester.  That was listed for $1,200 and my limit was $1320.  17 Ellsworth Street, 98 Washington Ave, 123 Williamstown, were all good choices however the square footage was significantly smaller than the houses and from my final rental choice.  Overall, I think this exercise was an eye opener.  I was not aware how expensive houses were and how difficult it would be to rent a house. I also did not realize all the excess responsibilities that go into picking the perfect place to live.