Downtown Stamford as seen from a platform at the Stamford Transportation Center. (Courtesy Photo / Public Domain / DBen)
With transit-oriented projects taking off in the Hartford area, Gov. Ned Lamont announced a new effort aimed at boosting the same kind of development in Fairfield County.
Lamont on Tuesday named a task force of local municipal and private sector leaders and state agency representatives to work on the problem and advance specific projects.
The mission of the group, the Governor’s Task Force on Transit-Oriented Development in Fairfield County, will be to advance a shared regional vision that drives economic vibrancy and growth in the region by providing residents with access to opportunities for employment, education and housing in walkable communities co-located with transit.
“We’re building a Connecticut that supports continued growth through the next generation, leaning forward to meet the needs of our residents and businesses now and in the future,” Lamont said in a statement. “In tandem with our laser focus on improving transportation across the state, we also need to advance the development that our workforce, communities, and employers want to see – walkable communities with a range of housing options and services, co-located with transit hubs. We have an incredible opportunity to provide what our current residents are seeking, from Millennials to retirees, and draw new residents to Connecticut by providing the type of communities they want. This task force will bring together local stakeholders with state agencies to drive a regional vision, forge public-private cooperation, and move forward specific projects.”
The task force will be co-chaired by Robert Wienner, of JDA Development Co. and Trout Brook Realty Advisers, and Jessica Casey, chief of economic and community development for the city of Norwalk. Lisa Tepper Bates, the governor’s senior coordinator for housing and transit-oriented development, will coordinate the work of the task force. Christie Stewart, director of the Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity, will provide additional support.
“I’m honored to be part of this effort to realize the potential of Fairfield County to provide the vibrant, dynamic communities that meet the needs of our residents in the 21st century,” Wienner said in a statement. “Private developers are important partners for the state, and I am pleased to bring my knowledge and expertise to this table.”
Wienner is best known as the force behind West Hartford’s transformative 600,000-square-foot live-work-play development, Blue Back Square, and is in the process of retiring from active development.
“This effort represents an important opportunity to transform neighborhoods by establishing a mix of uses and housing options that will draw new residents to our communities, increasing economic activity, further enhancing diversity and expanding the tax base,” Casey said in a statement. “There are more than 2 million Millennials in the Greater New York area and thousands of students graduating each year from Connecticut-based colleges. Through this task force, we can forge a regional response to provide the mix of housing, transportation options and economic development opportunities they are seeking.”
Other members of the task force will include the leadership of state agencies that play important roles with regard to transit oriented development, as well as planning and development officials from Fairfield County, representatives of the Councils of Government, and senior leadership of a stakeholder organizations, including universities, philanthropy and business.
The task force held its first meeting today at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.
