Three days of focus groups and community interviews are planned in September to develop a concept for the redevelopment of Branchville, a commercial strip along Route 7 that has been called a second town center.
The charrette will be conducted Sept.. 16, 17 and 18 at the Ridgefield Public Library.
“Our charrette is a key part of the planning process,” said Francisco Gomes, project manager, from Fitzgerald & Halliday Inc., a Hartford-based planning consultant. He spoke Tuesday afternoon during the second meeting of the task force.
The company is working on a $356,000 grant-funded study to envision what Branchville can become.
The firm was hired under a grant managed by the Western Connecticut Council of Governments, a regional planning agency that represents Ridgefield.
The task force foresees a mix of uses for Branchville, including restaurants, retail, affordable housing and offices.
“We know property owners need certainty for the future of Route 7. They need to know that changes or improvements to the roadway will not adversely affect their property,” Gomes wrote in a report on the progress the task force is making.
The task force has identified that:
• The area needs to be more walkable. It needs more sidewalks, better lighting, and safer crossings.
• There are significant infrastructure needs such as maintenance to, or reconstruction of, multiple bridges.
• Traffic congestion needs to be managed.
• The zoning will need revision to allow for more increased density, with an overlay district as an option.
• New development should allow for flexibility in design and architectural styles.
• Planning for Branchville should extend to areas of influence nearby within Redding and Wilton.
The draft vision statement of the task force sums up the idea for Branchville.
“Branchville is a place where people live, work, dine, shop and commute. Future development will foster these opportunities,” the statement reads.
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