The consulting firm working on the $256,000 grant-funded study of Branchville has released a  report on its findings from the three-day charrette held in September that shows concerns such as a lack of sewers that must be overcome before commercial development can progress.

The report includes results of the extensive online survey of Ridgefield residents about their opinions of the commercial strip of Route 7, and highlights residents’ desire to see a quaint, walkable district of restaurants and bars with small-scale apartment development.

The report was sent out via email as a PDF file to hundreds of people in Ridgefield, including town officials.

“This document reflects what we have heard from the community,” said Francisco Gomes, project manager for Fitzgerald & Halliday Inc., based in Hartford.

He said about 100 people attended the three-day series of workshops held in September at the Ridgefield Public Library.

“This will act as a guiding document through the duration of the planning process,” Gomes said.

The consultant has a significant amount of work to do over the next year to develop these concepts, Gomes said.  He said the firm will provide a preliminary draft of of a Transit Oriented Development plan next fall, and make it available for review and comment.

The firm was hired under a grant managed by the Western Connecticut Council of Governments, a regional planning agency that represents Ridgefield.

“We’re trying to do a study that helps Branchville find its future destiny,” said John Chew, manager of the project for the council of governments, in June.

The consultant will study zoning in Branchville, real estate availability for development, existing businesses, architecture styles, infrastructure, including bridges, and other details.

Sewers are not the only problem the Branchville development must overcome. There is also the flood plain and floodway to consider. Branchville is located along the Norwalk River, and the flood plain extends into several of the properties on both sides of the river. No development is permitted within the floodway, which is the channel of the river where flows are very swift during flood conditions, Betty Brosius, the town planner, said in September.

Residential uses need to be elevated above the flood plain, where flooding spreads out from the floodway.

“Business and retail uses may be permitted in the flood plain if certain flood-proofing measures are taken during construction, which might then allow residential uses on the second floor,” Brosius said.

Traffic circulation and access to the railroad station are yet other issues. The Connecticut Department of Transportation would like to close the northern entrance to the railroad station because there is no room for the crossing arms that block the tracks to vehicles when trains are passing through, Brosius said. The lower entrance and bridge over Portland Avenue would therefore need to be rebuilt and realigned on Route 7 in order to provide safe access to the east side of the tracks.

Brosius said the report from the Branchville consultants will recommend zoning regulation changes to accommodate development, including housing. There is no guarantee the Planning and Zoning Commission will agree with it. The Planning and Zoning Commission would then consider adopting those regulation changes.

All the zoning changes and regulation changes would require public hearings, so there would be time for opposition as well as support from the public.

The post Consultant summarizes Branchville progress appeared first on The Ridgefield Press.