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Summary of Fairfield TOD Public Kick-Off Meeting

Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at the Penfield Pavilion Open House: 7pm-7:30pm; Presentation & Group Discussion: 7:30-9:30pm

On Tuesday, June 26, the Town of Fairfield hosted a kick-off meeting for the Fairfield TOD plan. This event was the first in a series of public workshops that will continue through winter 2018-2019. Approximately 80 community members participated and shared their ideas and questions related to opportunities around transit-oriented development in two study areas – the areas within walking distance of the Fairfield Metro and Fairfield Center railroad stations. The Fairfield Metro area includes portions of the Commerce Drive and Kings Highway Corridors. The Fairfield Center area includes the town’s traditional center or downtown.

The main intent of the planning project is to confirm any potential updates to zoning or other town land use policies that would help the study areas better serve community goals for economic development.

During the meeting, attendees were invited to participate in a mapping exercise to indicate their relationship to the study areas, places they love, and locations where change is needed. This exercise indicated that while most attendees do not live directly in the study areas, many live nearby and frequent both areas for retail and dining. Overall, attendees saw more opportunity for development and other changes around the Fairfield Metro station.

Fairfield town planning staff and consultants, Goody Clancy, also gave a slide presentation highlighting recent planning initiatives and goals for each study area. Throughout the presentation, attendees were prompted to answer multiple choice and open-answered questions using their mobile phones. Audience responses were captured in real time and displayed on the projector. Fifty attendees used their mobile phones to participate in this portion of the meeting. According to responses captured through Poll Everywhere, 45% of participants live near the study areas and 80% of participants have been affiliated (resident, business owner, patron of retail, etc.) with the study area for five years or more.

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As part of the polling exercise, attendees were asked to share positive words they associate with each study area.

Attendees were also asked what topic/issue most deserves study in this planning process. Top responses include traffic, development, affordability, desirability, cost, and tax base.

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After the thirty-minute slide presentation, which included the above mobile phone polling, attendees formed small groups and completed two worksheets intended to prompt conversation around priority goals, opportunities, and strengths, as well as priority concerns and challenges related to both study areas. The most mentioned topics that were captured from the group worksheets are listed below.

KEY TOPICS:

o Interest in new development, including mixed-use o Placemaking, amenities, and recreational opportunities o Pedestrian connectivity between neighborhoods and key destinations o Senior housing opportunities – options and affordability o Traffic and parking-related concerns

Detailed feedback for each topic is provided below (each sub-bullet point indicates feedback from one group or worksheet):

• Interest in new development, including mixed-use o Center Station parking lot redevelopment; Encourage more mixed-use, commercial, residential; How to

“update” from single small buildings/former houses to design that is more akin to Fairfield center o Mixed-use development with some affordable components and public amenities; Status of developer at

Fairfield Metro and reason for no action vs. what Trademark is doing? Will Exide owner move forward like Fairfield Metro? What would stop vertical redevelopment at Fairfield Center train station?

o Allow accessory apartments for singles; urbanize along train lines; smaller units – ranch houses; consider rezoning where appropriate – use DPD zones for more flexibility

o Fairfield Metro: the purpose? This should assure flexibility so that it maintains relevance over time o Fairfield Metro; Mini “Grand Central” o Mixture of commercial/retail with residential; Can this mix be accomplished given the location of wetlands

behind “Ash Creek BLVD” o Smaller, medium-sized shops, doctor offices in Fairfield Metro area. o New development – increase heights; Creating a higher tax base for these properties and encouraging

development of entire block; Consider overlay zoning to allow for mixed use (off Sanford St.); Commerce Dr. Fairfield Metro – raiser height development limits

o Are Mohican Valley Concrete and other legacy land-use sites still best use?; Grasmere residential site could connect better than Mohican Valley Concrete.

o What development is proper for Fairfield Metro vacant space? (Don’t say affordable housing) o How to continue recent success? (i.e. Fairfield Ave. East) o Is there an education venue for Fairfield Metro area? o How can theater be revived? o Fairfield Metro – what is the reason to be there apart from taking the train? o With more housing availability, would a linear park benefit all age groups? o What is our long-term vision for a tax base outside of personal and residential property taxes? o How do we maximize the commercial income with limited commercial acreage? o Residential areas aren’t affordable in vicinity of downtown? o How do we make sure whoever develops doesn’t take away from character the buildings add to the

community?

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• Placemaking, amenities, and recreational opportunities o Make Fairfield Metro area more attractive o Alternative spaces for Fairfield Metro would be great – art spaces, work spaces, shop spaces – also to

promote handicap accessibility for the whole area o Strength of downtown – quaint, downtown feel with entertainment options and ability to walk; Include and

consider all users – transit, property use, amenities, shared space; include universities in this process o Façade Grant program; weed cleanup; interesting commercial space to appeal to newcomers; use Plaza

Vista California as one example o Pocket parks throughout town - especially as we develop; keep tree-lined streets- both in residential and

commercial areas – to keep the “Fairfield feel”; encourage and create space for underserved communities; Ice Rink @ Exide periphery or Fairfield Metro; Community Theater Development

o Green space added to residential or commercial sites; attract people with a park or recreational area near Fairfield Metro

o Conservation area (park, garden) – possibly on route from Home Depot to Train Station o New construction should complement surrounding area and be “likeable.” Avoid Stamford-type mistakes –

they built huge buildings that never were filled o Bathrooms and coffee shop near train; improve appearance of train tracks; King’s Hwy – sidewalks, lighting,

appearance of storefronts o Safety around Fairfield Metro – there is no reason to go there; Cleanliness – trash and overgrowth, poor

lighting and poor landscaping; Quality of life – area near Fairfield Metro lacks quality of life amenities o Would street landscaping improve Fairfield Metro? Would breaking up large parking lots be more

aesthetically pleasant? o Recreational areas – Push planned pedestrian bridge to encourage Ash Creek residential use o Link downtown to Fairfield Metro for biking, running, walking, and exercise opportunities; Linear park along

Ash Creek with bike path leading to other areas – walking, sitting, play area along Ash Creek o When bikes are stolen and homelessness and panhandling is common, how do you change safety profile? o Entertainment; Hockey rinks o Bathrooms in Fairfield Metro

• Pedestrian connectivity between neighborhoods and key destinations o Allow a deck over downtown station parking – with a park and amenities – gardens; Residential areas must

be “knit together” to downtown; Better connections to Whole Foods (walking) from Fairfield Metro o Complete Streets opportunities and considerations; Fairfield Metro – better connection to Black Rock!

Walking Bridge and intra-town transit; Can you incorporate all users – walk, bike, busses – a complete streets approach? Can you incorporate more pedestrian access ways? Multiple ways in and out without cars? Can you expand the Post Rd. pedestrian areas to promote even more access and options?

o Homes not keeping up town-installed sidewalks; Bridges to link neighborhoods o Black Rock Turnpike Bridge has serious site restrictions; Can anything be done to elevate this blind spot (re:

Black Rock Turnpike Bridge)? o Downtown residential walkability o How do you insure public transportation access in and out? o King’s Highway – sidewalks…; walking bridge o Pedestrian access and safety around Fairfield Metro – no easy way to walk to station o Better walking access and elevator to Downtown Train Station from bridge; o Bike and Ped access (N 95 to S 95); How to safely cross 95 to walk that 15-20 minute distance?; Push

planned pedestrian bridge to encourage Ash Creek residential use. Pedestrian Bridge; Footbridge over downtown – train station entrance

• Senior housing opportunities – options & affordability o Target the nation’s fastest growing demographic group – seniors! o Build a “center of excellence” in senior living! o Affordable housing opportunity – for both young people and seniors

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o Encourage retirees to stay in Fairfield and attract other retirees with both affordable and attainable housing; FFLD – attractive to retirees; are there considerations being given to housing for 55+ (people who want to stay, but downsize and live maintenance free)?

o Micro housing: appealing to millennials and senior citizens o Allow multi-small houses for seniors in Greenfield Hill o Senior housing – various types of housing & opportunities; Repurpose building across from Staples for senior

affordable housing

• Traffic and parking-related concerns o 5pm eastbound traffic & traffic nightmares

Crossing Mill Plain @ Post Rd. Sanford St., Reef and Post Rd. Center parking lot redevelopment

o Traffic signal needed at Reef Rd. o Balancing traffic and density to promote positive circulation – including Fairfield Metro and connection to

Black Rock o Encourage use of mass transit; biking, and walking; discourage driving o Congestion- how to allow flow of traffic along King’s Highway? o Traffic and parking, especially downtown Fairfield o Traffic flow o What is being done to address the increased traffic, which will result from all the new residents?; Congestion

in downtown Fairfield o Traffic congestion all the time – really bad in the morning going south and evening going north and after

school; How to improve traffic flow? Through town? Morning and evening? Old Post. Rd., Post Rd., 95? o Traffic around town is a huge concern; Downtown has a sense of place, except for the Post Rd. traffic; Poor

air quality from traffic

Additional Feedback:

• Miscellaneous comments & concerns o Uniform town direction and strategic direction and coordinate all efforts; Town governance structure to

facilitate better decisions and coordinated execution o Demographic forecast needed o Consideration will need to be given to increased population in our schools, especially nearer to downtown;

add to tax base with little burden to town resources; attract millennials and young families o Taxes – increase tax base; Character – keep existing character on new developments; Careful consideration

of development’s impact/strain on town services, education/school system, infrastructure, etc. (how to pay for these greater needs)

o Rooster River environmental concerns o Fairfield Metro – Old Handy Hazman site and property next to mall are two areas of concern o Infrastructure issues – train times are too long. Trains are too far apart and not convenient o H & H toxic site and Fairfield Ave. East are two areas of concern

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Additional photos from workshop:

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Photos of boards from mapping exercise:

Fairfield Downtown Station Area:

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Fairfield Metro Station Area:

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