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The What

The What: How Stamford Is Working to Address Homelessness, Craft Breweries Around the Region, and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of December 9.

The What: How Stamford Is Working to Address Homelessness, Craft Breweries Around the Region, and more
Hope your December is off to a good start! (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, Dec. 9

Happy Monday! With the holiday season here, we decided to mix in a little fun news this week, in addition to more in-depth reporting and important meetings.  

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.

Across Fairfield County, homelessness is up 40% in the last three years and street homelessness is up by more than 70% in that same time. Those numbers are from David Rich, the CEO of the Housing Collective, which aims to bring together communities and resources and “create regional responses to homelessness and housing affordability,” speaking at this year’s “Fairfield County Talks Housing” panel event held in October.

Now, with colder, winter temperatures arriving, Stamford is investing in one area to try and address this issue. The Board of Finance unanimously approved spending $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to expand warming centers for the next two years. The funds are from an additional $2 million Stamford received from the state earlier this year. 

“After the pandemic, there was an uptick in homelessness, not only in Stamford, but across the country,” Bridget Fox, the mayor’s chief of staff, told the Board of Finance in September. “I'm sure many people on this call have been at the Stamford Transportation Center over the last several years, especially in 2021-2022 when it was a remarkable experience to be in the train station and have so many people sleeping there at night.”

Learn more about why homelessness is up across our region and what Stamford is doing to address one part of this issue. You can also watch our video to see the highlights. 

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We know sometimes the news can be a bit heavy, and as craft beer lovers ourselves, we thought it might be fun to highlight some updates in the industry!

With at least 125 craft breweries across Connecticut, the industry has helped bring $753 million into the state’s economy, according to a 2023 report from the Brewers Association. In our region, there are at least seven craft breweries, ranging in size and distribution. And those breweries have continued to evolve, change, and grow over the past few years, growing to include event spaces, holiday markets, and more.

And there soon could be more spots as SoNo Brewing Company is looking to add a location at the South Norwalk Train Station. 

“It's a really good opportunity to get that side of the train station … to give some amenities to the commuters that utilize the train station,” Bryan Lutz, Norwalk’s assistant director of parking, told the Land Use and Building Management of the Common Council in December. 

Learn more about the potential new spot and what else is happening in the craft beer world or check out our highlight video. 

This Week at a Glance

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

  • In Bridgeport, the Board of Education will meet on Monday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m. and continue to discuss and potentially take action against two board members, Robert Traber and Willie Medina, for potentially creating “hostile workplace environment for district employees including the superintendent, endangerment of Bridgeport Public School students, violation of 9210(3), and the engagement of cyberbullying and/or harassment.” In addition, the board will discuss and vote on “potential budget gap closing measures.” 
  • In Stamford, there will be a Vision Zero Open House on Tuesday, December 10 at 6 p.m., where residents are invited to learn about the plan that aims to make the city’s streets safer for drivers and pedestrians. Learn more about Stamford’s Vision Zero work.
  • Also in Stamford, the Board of Finance will meet on Thursday, December 12 at 7 p.m. and vote on approving an additional $2 million for the Perna Lane sewer project, which we previously covered. In addition, the board will continue to discuss the cost and other concerns related to the Westhill High School project. 
  • In Norwalk, the Common Council will meet on Tuesday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m. and cover a busy agenda. The council will receive a presentation on the Maritime Aquarium’s economic outlook, and vote on numerous items, including accepting funding for the Hospital Hill street project, and spending $100,000 on an arts and cultural plan. 
  • In Fairfield, the Town Plan and Zoning Commission will meet on Tuesday, December 10 at 6:30 p.m. and hold a public hearing on the proposal to bring a 40-unit mixed use building to Post Road and Fairfield Place. 
  • In Greenwich, the Representative Town Meeting will meet on Monday, December 9 at 8 p.m. and vote on reallocating $414,350 of American Rescue Plan Act funding from affordable housing to a drainage project. In addition, the body will vote on a new moderator, which serves as its leader. 
  • In Darien, the Representative Town Meeting will meet on Monday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m. and hear “State of the Town” presentations from the First Selectman and the chairs of the Planning and Zoning Commission, Board of Finance, and Board of Education.
  • In Westport, the Board of Selectwomen will meet on Wednesday, December 11 at 9 a.m. to vote on awarding a contract to Tighe & Bond Inc. for $100,000 to conduct an engineering study, design work, and construction administration for pedestrian and traffic improvements in the 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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