NORWALK – As part of the redevelopment of South Norwalk’s Lexington Avenue and South Main Street area, some residents were clear about two things: more homeownership and less truck traffic.
That was the view of a handful of residents in person at the South Norwalk Library and online Monday, Nov. 18 during a community meeting held by the consultant hired by the City of Norwalk.
“There needs to be more homeownership,” said a woman at the meeting. “When I moved here five years ago, it was predominantly homeowners who took pride in their homes.”
Instead, she has seen an influx of renters who bring in more tenants than the homes can hold.
“There are people parking on both sides of the street,” she said. “That’s because there are more people living in the homes than there is supposed to be. That means about five or so cars per apartment that are parked on the street taking other people’s spots.”
Ken Schwartz, who represents the city consultant VHB of Wethersfield, acknowledge homeownership and transportation as big issues his firm has noticed over the past nine months. VHB was hired by the City of Norwalk’s Redevelopment Agency to analyze and share best practices for achieving equitable development in South Norwalk.
Another resident at the community meeting mentioned how many people park trucks next to homes mainly because they are company vehicles that those workers bring home at the end of a shift.
“The focus of our study area is in the neighborhoods of the south of the train station,” said Schwartz, a senior VP and planning service leader for VHB. “There are concerns that have been guiding our work over the past nine months. They include things like addressing concerns about disinvestment, displacement and gentrification. This was something that was brought to our attention at the beginning of the project.”
Schwartz laid out key findings from the first phase of the Lexington and South Main community redevelopment plan.
Key findings
Land use and open space:
Seventy-four percent of land uses are residential, 9% commercial, 5% industrial, 9% vacant. Land uses are not well connected, industrial parcels create visual and physical barriers, lack of open space.
Environment:
There is a lack of trees. Washington, Water, Meadow streets, Martin Luther King Drive are susceptible to flooding and storm surge. There is a lack of trees creates risks during extreme heat, flooding poses risks to people and infrastructure, challenges with existing brownfields properties.
Real estate:
There is a young, diverse population (30% foreign born), many households are low income with 43% making $50,000 annually. Rising housing costs are making the area less affordable.
Digital equity:
Fifteen percent of residents do not have an internet subscription and 18% of households only have a smart phone and no other kind of device.
Community health and safety:
There is lower life expectancy (77 years) compared to City of Norwalk and the state. SoNo is a low-income and low-access food area.
Transportation:
There are missing or disconnected sidewalks particularly near parks and schools, truck traffic mixing with residential traffic, vehicles speeding. There is an opportunity for mobility hubs, particularly around the SoNo train station.
“Just about how we arrived at this information, it was based upon field operations,” Schwartz said. “We spent a considerable amount of time out in the neighborhoods driving around, taking photographs, walking the streets, and experiencing the community.”
His firm collected data from the City of Norwalk and the U.S. Census and real estate records. They also spoke to a lot of people in the community.
Here are the recommendations for the Lexington and South Main community development plan, according to VHB:
Land use and open space:
- Create spaces in underutilized lots
- Develop pocket parks
- Enhance industrial properties (setbacks, landscaping and façade improvements)
Environment:
- Mitigate flooding, storm surge, and heat impacts along at-risk corridors
- Review and strengthen renewable energy policies
- Promote tree-planting
Real estate:
- Establish regulatory framework policies, leverage existing local/state housing programs
- Preserve existing affordable housing by incentivizing affordable housing development
- Consider tenant rights protections
Digital equity:
- Establish centralized resource hub
- Provide multi-lingual training
- Improve communication between community anchor institutions
Community health and safety:
- Develop active recreation and transportation options
- Support community health centers and community policing
- Establish centralized resource hub
Transportation:
- Establish designated truck routes
- Develop mobility hubs
- Connect sidewalks around public schools and outdoor amenities
- Adopt traffic calming policies
The SoNo redevelopment plan aims to create a clear roadmap for equity, focusing on the economic, aesthetic, social and environmental impacts of development, according to the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency’s website. In response to concerns about the rising cost of living and economic inclusion among many long-time residents of the neighborhood, this planning initiative will focus on the development of policies and strategies to improve resident quality of life throughout the planning area and throughout the city.
