May 22, 2007

This is an exciting time in Norwalk’s history. Many developments are planned that will forever change the shape of our city.

While development forces are focusing on Norwalk, housing prices are prohibitive for many families, property taxes are squeezing out many current owners, infrastructure is at a critical stage and transportation is at a crossroads. Norwalk is at the tipping point between “large town” and “small city” and good planning should ensure that the “new Norwalk” will reflect that which is good and unique about Norwalk’s past and present as it moves into the future.

Many residents have been following these development plans and asking the question: “What does the future hold for Norwalk?” Recently the Coalition of Norwalk Neighborhood Associations (CNNA) has turned its attention to how Norwalk will look and feel in 2010 and beyond. A group of neighborhood leaders has been meeting for several months and recently adopted the name “Norwalk 2010” (to express both a year in the near future and a vision even better than 20/20).

Norwalk 2010 has been working with city leaders, development professionals, the business community and experts in various fields to better understand these development forces and long-term trends. Armed with this knowledge we are hopeful that Norwalk is approaching its planning in a way that will ensure future success. Success can be defined in many ways, but many have defined it by balancing economic growth with quality-of-life.

Norwalk truly has a talented group of people looking out for its future. Norwalk 2010 encourages continued open and honest communication between all of these parties. We hope to engage more members of the community in these discussions so that people feel that they are vested in Norwalk’s future rather than a “victim” of it.

It is time for us to really consider our options and look at Norwalk as a whole. This means convening interested parties at the Federal, State and local level. We need to tap the best minds available, gather input from every quarter to help shape our future. Norwalk is no longer the “hole in the doughnut”; it is a wonderfully diverse community with a rich history and lives up to its name as a “city on the move”.

The CNNA challenges the “powers that be” to devise a grand plan that we will be proud of for generations to come. To that end, Norwalk 2010 will be initiating a series of meetings to discuss these important issues. We ask you to get involved in helping shape Norwalk’s future. Don’t let this exciting opportunity go by without making yourself heard. If we don’t make the effort now, then we shouldn’t complain about how Norwalk will look and feel in 2010 and beyond.

The first area we are tackling is the issue of “connectivity” as critical to the future success of the city’s redevelopment areas – particularly West Avenue. Norwalk, originally created out of the merger of several villages, has always had multiple “town centers”. Additionally, construction of I-95 and the “Super 7” connector created additional divisions within the city.

The proposed re-developments of the Wall Street area, West Avenue and 95/7 provide a unique opportunity to create a continuous “downtown” core connecting the vibrant South Norwalk Washington Street area all the way to Mill Hill at the Town Green.

The Norwalk 2010 working group believes that encouraging pedestrians, bicycles, mass transit and other forms of alternative transportation within this new downtown core is critical. However, I-95 forms a barrier between South Norwalk and the rest of the redevelopment area. The experience of a pedestrian or bicyclist crossing under the I-95 and Super 7 overpasses is daunting, even with wide sidewalks and an “art park” installation. This raises the question of the possible enhancement of the Crescent Street Connection on the north side of the redevelopment area, which is the only other option for getting across I-95.
Looking at all of the redevelopment plans together, the importance of Mathews Park as the “crown jewel” of Norwalk should become obvious. With proper planning and the cultural resources already established there, the Park should become the “Central Park” green space for the thousands of residents living and working in Norwalk. While the City of Norwalk proactively created a master plan for the park in 1998, implementation has been slow due to lack of funding, and major challenges remain in funding the remaining renovation of the park and the Pine Island Cemetery. While the principles of the 1998 master plan exist, further review should be considered due to changes that have occurred since the plan was originally developed.

The Norwalk 2010 working group, having identified these issues, has been aggressively working with concerned citizens, the Redevelopment Agency, various other city agencies and the developers to highlight and come up with creative solutions to benefit the citizens of Norwalk.

In the coming months, the Norwalk 2010 working group of CNNA will continue to help facilitate the continuing rebirth of Norwalk by bringing issues to the table that will foster discussions on critical issues facing our City.

While many individuals have lent their expertise to the Norwalk 2010 group over the last several months, the core group consists of the following people:

Jim DelGreco – (committee chair) - Golden Hill Association
Maribeth Becker – Eastern Norwalk Neighborhood Association
T.C. Burtt – Golden Hill Association
Brad Hotchkiss – Norwalk Association of Silvermine Homeowners
Laurel Lindstrom – Eastern Norwalk Neighborhood Association
Michael Mushak – Golden Hill Association
Moina Noor – Eastern Norwalk Neighborhood Association
Mark Pierce – Wilton Avenue Association
Lynne Pratt – Rowayton Advocates for Zoning
Bob Wagman – West Norwalk Association
David Westmorland – Golden Hill Association

Stay tuned for more news from Norwalk 2010. We look forward to hearing from you.