thomas macmillan photo
Consultant Simone, far right, with neighbor Ann Boyd and city officials Jackie James and Steve Fontana on Congress Avenue this week.
After touring four of New Haven’s neighborhood commercial districts this week, two out-of-town experts unveiled their main suggestion Friday afternoon: Form a task force.
The consultants, John Simone and Kent Burnes, came to New Haven this week at the invitation of Mayor Toni Harp. They are putting together a plan to help Harp deliver on one of her main campaign promises, to boost neighborhood commercial corridors. The quasi-public Economic Development Corporation (EDC) put up $10,000 to pay them for their time and work.
Friday afternoon the consultants gave a progress report to about 40 people gathered at the Hall of Records at 200 Orange St. They plan to submit a formal written report within 30 days.
Their main suggestion, they said, is that a number of city departments as well as the EDC form a task force to come up with a plan to make improvements in all the four districts they visited: Congress Avenue, Dixwell Avenue, Grand Avenue, and Whalley Avenue. They suggested that the task force identify a “Main Street coordinator” to oversee implementation of that plan.
Burnes said the consultants picked up on common needs in all four districts, including crime prevention, a unified vision, a more engaged community, addressing blight, youth engagement, and beautification.
“I didn’t do a retail leaking study,” Burnes said. Then he went on to assert: “But you’re leaking hundreds of millions of [retail] dollars. I saw what people are wearing, and they didn’t buy it in the neighborhood. And it’s not from Wal-Mart.”
The consultants also offered some observations unique to districts. Such as:
• Dixwell has a “rich, proud history” but no plan to boost business now.
• Congress Avenue doesn’t have a future a retail district drawing from beyond the neighborhood but does have opportunities to draw in daytime hospital and medical school workers with new housing and stores. (Click here for a story about how the consultants missed seeing some of the district’s commercial and civic strengths during their visit.)
• Grand Avenue needs better branding, beautification, and a building up of what its special service district has started.
• Whalley has 30,000 cars pass along it every day. “Wow,” Burnes said. But, he added, the avenue suffers from a poor “visual quality” and “pedestrian-friendly environment.” “It’s because of those 30,000 cars,” suggested activist Cordalie Benoit. To which Burnes responded: “They can work together.”
Overall, Burnes said, “We’ve been on the ground for 96 hours. This is a beginning.”
Elizabeth Hayes, who owns Rite-Way Cleaners on Dixwell Avenue and hopes to open a tailoring school, pressed Steve Fontana, the city’s deputy economic development chief, on next steps.
“What is your plan to carry out the plan, to set it in motion?” she asked him at Friday’s meeting.
“This is a process. This is a start. This is the commitment of the mayor. I think we have to all hold each other accountable,” he responded.
To which Hayes responded: “When you have something as comprehensive as this, it gets put on the shelf when the lure wears off. Let’s get an interim coordinator like Fontana to get it going.”
Mayor Toni Harp said she might want to use the study to help the city qualify for state “Main Street” grant dollars often steered to smaller communities. Whether or not that happens, she said Friday, she believes New Haven already has resources, like a commercial facade program, to boost neighborhood districts. This week’s process and upcoming study, she said, can help the city focus those resources and address the rebirth of neighborhood commercial districts as a whole.
Previous stories in this series:
• Dixwell Fact-Finders Urged To Include Youth In The Picture
• They Sort Of Saw Congress Ave.‘s Potential
• On Grand, Fixers Find Litter
• Neighborhood Fact-Finding Mission Begins