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SONO SOUTH DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
ACTIONS
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| Click Here for Minutes from July 15 2004 Meeting |
DRAFT Summary of Public Gathering 1 – August 12, 2004
Mayor Knopp began the meeting by explaining the purpose for the South Norwalk Planning Study. As required by state statute, the City must update its Plan of Conservation and Development at least once every ten years, and Norwalk does this neighborhood by neighborhood, granting individual attention to its many diverse districts. For neighborhoods unlikely to experience a lot of change, plan updates are done through a collaboration of residents with the City. However, some neighborhoods are finding that market forces are rapidly making land and buildings more desirable, to more people, for more kinds of uses. Since private property rights in the United States give owners of land right to make improvements to it, rising land values make it increasingly likely that the lawful efforts of individual owners will bring about isolated changes. Recognizing this, the City felt it was important to bring in the help of a professional land use planning consultant to help create the update for South Norwalk. The City aims to influence impending changes in such ways that everyone benefits, and to help ensure certain shared goals relative to the public good are realized. Planning and zoning are the powers through which the City can, with the input of local residents, accomplish this.
This plan aims to figure out how the City can best use its abilities—including zoning, infrastructure upgrades, and others—to guide the changes made by private property owners in ways that helps improve the lives of all who live and work within the neighborhood. There is a particular focus on the South Norwalk Train Station and how its potential future as an enhanced intermodal facility could bring benefits to surrounding areas.
The consultant for South Norwalk, Chan Krieger & Associates (CKA), made a presentation outlining the goals for the study and preliminary analysis of the existing conditions. This included a brief look at housing and other land uses, transportation issues, open space opportunities, existing zoning and land ownership. This analysis was based on initial observations of the area, input from the Development Committee (comprised of local stakeholders to guide the study), and interviews with focus groups representing many stakeholder groups in South Norwalk. These interviews and the resulting analysis were only part-way completed at the time of this public gathering. The purpose of the public gathering was to solicit input from as broad an audience as possible, early in this process, in order to understand the area, what stakeholders want to see happen there, and what they feel needs to be improved. Comments and questions arising from the discussion following the presentation are provided below.
Questions and Comments from attendees:
Question: Where will there be “pictures” and plans in City Hall? (A: The presentation
given this evening will be on the City of Norwalk website)
Question: Who do you talk to at City Hall about this? (A: Alanna Kabel)
Question: Doesn’t the City have to use the parcel it owns on Day Street for manufacturing or light industrial—weren’t those the terms when it got it from the state?
Concern: Changes to zoning will effect industrial businesses.
Concern: Congestion is already bad, and will get worse when more and more housing comes to the area. Think carefully about how many people are really going to take the bus and train.
Concern: There is concern that a lot of condos are going to go up along the water, and they won’t be affordable to most people.
Concern: Development doesn’t benefit current residents.
Comment/Question: Why redevelop? Problems can be solved in ways other than redeveloping.
Comment: Assist people to take care of the buildings that are there. Offer “cheap” money (grants and other affordable assistance?) for current owners to fix up homes. Let’s “work with what we already have.”
Comment: Consider looking at the arteries that continue past the boundaries of the study area as currently defined.
Comment: Need cooperation from the housing authority—rents don’t have to be so high.
Comment: We should keep cars from coming into the center of town as much as possible—take control of transit.
Comment: We need zoning enforcement more than we need new developers.
Question: How do you know you’ll be able to get retail tenants at or around the South Norwalk Train Station?
Comment: No matter what you do, people will still have to have a car to live here.
Comment: TOD is a nationally preferred model for growth around train stations, however we need to remember that bringing jobs is also a key piece that TOD doesn’t often focus on.
Comment: Need clarification about what is “affordable” housing. Concern that lower-income residents and businesses will get kicked out.
Question: How many new residents are we talking about?
Comment: Would like to hear more about homeowners, and working with the minority communities.
Comment: Section 8 waiting list is very long. We should limit allowable cars per unit at a complex. Buses sometimes go by a stop without picking you up.
Comment: Interest in seeing the station improved, support this and other improvements that will in fact effect us directly. Looking forward to participating in this process.
Comment: Tired of drug dealers and prostitutes on the street all night long. Area needs change, and building only for very low income isn’t fair.
Comment/Question: Developers don’t bring answers to drug dealers. Are we going to talk about jobs? Is this a conversation about making Washington Street more welcoming to residents?
Comment: There are state and federal programs relative to historic preservation that can assist people to renovate and stay where they are and improve their lives.
Question: Is there any interest in high-speed ferries?
Question: Is this going to make the area safer? Will more people really take the train? Will retail be more successful? Will there be something like a family grocery store here
Comment: Would like to see something like a Boys & Girls Club in South Norwalk, to get kids off the streets.
Question: Are tax abatements and other home-owner incentives being considered
in this plan to help allow current residents to stay? Look at what is being
done in South Bronx.
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