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The What

Investing in Stamford and Norwalk’s Corridors, Allocating ARPA Funds, Reorganization Meetings, and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of November 25.

Investing in Stamford and Norwalk’s Corridors, Allocating ARPA Funds, Reorganization Meetings, and more
Happy almost Thanksgiving! (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, November 25

Happy Thanksgiving week! Hope you and your families have some time to enjoy each other’s company, some delicious food, and some rest later this week. But before we get there, take a look at what’s going on around southwest Connecticut. 

Highlights 

This section will give a brief overview of the key items in the newsletter.

Spotlight

This section will feature our main reporting each week.

Both Stamford and Norwalk have neighborhoods and corridors that for a long time had been underinvested—filled with traffic, congestion, outdated infrastructure, and safety concerns. But federal funding and a new focus from local leaders have improvements coming to these areas. 

These areas, which include the West Side and East Side neighborhoods of Stamford, along with the neighborhoods surrounding Martin Luther King Boulevard in South Norwalk are some of the most diverse in our region—and some of the most underinvested.

But that’s starting to change, thanks to a combination of local, state, and federal efforts to improve and enhance these neighborhoods—both for longtime and new residents.

Norwalk received a $14 million federal RAISE grant to make MLK Boulevard and a few surrounding streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers. 

“This is an exciting project,” Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said at a press conference announcing the grant earlier this month. “We’re going to be bringing a Complete Streets project to Martin Luther King Boulevard along with some of the surrounding streets. We’re going to make this street worthy of that name, and we’re really excited to do that.” 

Stamford received a $17 million Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve connectivity and pedestrian safety on the West Side, including part of the Mill River Greenway project. In addition, the city received a $2.1 million RAISE grant to support the redesign and engineering of 1.1 miles of West Main Street from Greenwich Avenue to Havemeyer Lane. And the East Side neighborhood is next on the city’s list, with funding approved for an East Side neighborhood study that will explore ways to make the area safer for residents and discussions taking place about bringing a library to the area.

Check out our full piece, which includes more details about each community, to learn more, or watch our video. You can also learn more about each corridor: 

This Week at a Glance

This section aims to highlight the most important meetings and news taking place each week.

  • In Bridgeport, the Planning and Zoning Commission is meeting on Monday, November 25 at 6:15 p.m. to continue reviewing the plans from Swanston Family Ventures to construct a soccer stadium; brewery and restaurant at 141 Stratford Ave and 255 Kossuth St.
  • In Stamford, the Fiscal Committee will meet Monday, November 25 at 7 p.m. and review numerous items, including a few allocations of American Rescue Plan Act funds, such as $1.3 million for the Yerwood Center renovations.
  • In Norwalk, the Affordable Housing Action Plan Advisory Committee will meet on Monday, November 25 at 3 p.m. and hear a presentation of the city’s draft affordable housing plan. 
  • Also in Norwalk, the Common Council will meet on Tuesday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m. and vote on a new council president, as well as on some final ARPA allocations, including $150,000 for sidewalks on Soundview Avenue. 
  • In Fairfield, both the Board of Selectmen and Representative Town Meeting will meet on Monday, November 25 (at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively) and vote on the final reallocations of ARPA funds. 
  • In Greenwich, the Board of Selectmen will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 26 and review requests to expand the municipal food scrap recycling program and a request for roadway improvements near the Cos Cob train station.
  • In Westport, there will be a joint meeting of the RTM Finance, RTM Parks & Recreation, RTM Transit, and RTM Public Works Committees on Tuesday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m. to review and vote on spending $110,000 for the analysis, design, and preparation of construction documents for traffic signal and pedestrian improvements in Saugatuck Center. 

Plan Your Week

This section will include a list of meetings, events, and programming happening around southwest Connecticut each week.

Bridgeport

Stamford

Norwalk

Fairfield

Greenwich

Darien

Westport

Stay in touch!

As we continue to grow and evolve, please join us! You can do that by:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

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