A more pedestrian-, visitor-, and business-friendly Fairfield Center could be on its way, should the town be awarded a grant from the state.
Mark Barnhart, Fairfield’s director of community economic development, intends to submit an application for a $500,000 grant from Connecticut's Main Street Investment Fund. The money would go extending the Post Road's streetscape further west, from Thorpe Street to South Pine Creek Road.
The project includes improving sidewalks and curbing, installing pedestrian ramps, decorative brick pavers, ornamental streetlights, benches, and other street furniture. Survey, design, and construction administration is expected to be performed in-house by the Department of Public Works and capital costs will be covered by the grant, according to Barnhart.
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Should Fairfield be granted only a portion of the $500,000, the project will be scaled down accordingly, Barnhart told the Representative Town Meeting Monday. If Fairfield is not granted any money, "we will try, try again," Barnhart said.
The Board of Selectmen signed off on the application earlier this month. The RTM did the same Monday, but not without some discussion.
RTM member Michael Herley, R-1, identified another area of the Post Road "that need rehabilitation."
He pointed out the portion of the Post Road entering Southport. Fellow member Eric Sundman, R-1, agreed that the area near Athena Diner "is a mess."
But Barnhart explained that in order to apply for the grant, a municipality has to submit an improvement plan that has already been endorsed by the town's governing body. The Thorpe Street to South Pine Creek Road area is included in the Fairfield Center's Improvement Plan, which was created in 1984, approved, and updated for the current application.
Barnhart was informed of the grant in the summer and had limited time to put together the application, let alone create a plan for another area of town and have it approved by the appropriate town bodies. The application is due Friday. The town will know whether it received funds in early 2013.
"There are several areas in town in need of attention," Barnhart said. Areas, like the part of the Post Road identified by Herley and Sundman, could be included in future grants once an improvement plan is in place.
Prior to the RTM's vote, Ellen Jacob, R-9, delivered a few words of caution.
"We need to be careful what we develop and where we develop. It's possible there could be unintended consequences," she said. "[The project] could pave way for more high-density housing applications."
Jacob referred to the recently approved 12-unit affordable housing development to be built on Campfield Drive; an application initially denied by the Town Plan and Zoning Commission until the state's Superior Court overturned the decision. There was also the recent denial of an application for one unit of affordable housing in a three-unit development on Homeland Street.
"These [applications] are causing an uproar in town," she said.
"....a noisy car wash and two stinky boxes that sell tires." Good Lord how pretentious can you be. I'd figure that the majority of the car washes customers come from this town; probably mostly from Southport itself. And, I guess your car never needs new tires or have to have a flat repaired. Those places create jobs for folks, provide services for the town and generate additional business (many are the cups of coffee/lunches I've had in the area waiting for my car to be fixed). It's the POST ROAD, not Harbor Road!
As for pollution problems, you are talking heavy metals. it's been remediated. It's far cleaner than many other sites, e.g. Veteran's Park.
http://fairfield.patch.com/articles/prime-downtown-property-cant-be-developed Note, the date, 2010. Every time someone tries to take a step forward, Steinke inserts himself. I think his last one was that he wanted Exide and Superior to work simultaneously. Every time the target moves, or another objection pops up, it causes delays, more permitting work, more analysis... In the end, Exide doesn't care if Fairfield and the DEP delay it until kingdom come. Think about it. Every delay means it is that much longer before they have to write a check. It isn't that Steinke doesn't care about the environment, clearly, he does. The problem is, he is just totally disconnected from the concept of compromise and realistic goals. Further, there is the ego and stubbornness. He doesn't seem to have the ability to admit it when he's gone too far, or at least, shut his mouth and let others proceed.
I don't think there is a connection between this grant and low income housing. I think the RTM rep was using that to illustrate the need for a thoughtful approach. That housing unit was inconsistent with our zoning regs, building heights, et cetera. 8-30g allows the developer to ignore all zoning regs except health and safety when low income housing is included in the app.
You are hitting the nail on the head, but only from one perspective. Sure, it's good for the town and would cost the town little (not nothing, we still have to do all the analysis, surveys, planning, oversee the project, et cetera--those are all man-hours coming from the town). Some would argue that the state shouldn't be spending money on this while it has other financial liabilities (what are we borrowing, $4B/yr to make up the shortfall between revenue and budget...I'm not sure). Others would point out the money is already earmarked, so it doesn't matter. Others would point out that the state has taken back funds like that before and should now. Still others would argue that the state must invest in the towns, making them more attractive for businesses, to create jobs,... economic stimulus. Lots of views. Lots of stakeholders.
I agree brian! Have you seen the downtown train station lately? It is disgusting with all of the graffit! Especially in the stairwells that take you up and over the train tracks! There is graffiti and stickers all over the walls of the stairwells. Welcome to Fairfield....Trash Town USA. Hopefully when the town puts up the new canopies over the stairwells this fall they will clean up the mess at the train station as well!
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