Downtown will benefit from Avenue upgrades
For most residents of Greenwich, the Avenue represents a center of commerce, a dining and social hub and a touchstone of sorts that brings our community together. For us, it is the heart of our neighborhood. Any efforts that can connect making it safer for pedestrians and more aesthetically pleasant are welcomed by our community of residents.
The plan to streamline and redesign key intersections on the Avenue adheres closely to one of the main tenets of the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). One of the POCD’s many goals was to make downtown more walkable for pedestrians and easier to navigate for seniors and people with disabilities. At the intersection of the Avenue and West/East Elm, the first phase of safety enhancements has proven to be a success. In our building, our diverse group of residents includes young parents with small children, active elderly residents and people with disabilities. The elevated crosswalks are level with the street, and the shorter distances to cross and red brick pathways make crossing easier and safer for all.
Although aesthetics are perhaps not quite as important as pedestrian safety, the various plantings and park benches are pleasing to the eye and show that Greenwich takes pride in how it presents itself to residents and visitors alike. As time passes and the plantings mature, they will provide a respite of natural beauty for passersby and pedestrians out for a stroll.
We are all familiar with the age-old challenges of parking on the Avenue. In the current plan to redesign the Arch Street and Grigg Street intersections, between 10-12 new parking spaces will be added to this key area downtown. The Arch Street intersection in particular is difficult to navigate as a pedestrian. The crosswalks are not clearly identifiable, some require a longer traverse from corner to corner, and we think most people agree that the Arch Street intersection would benefit from an improved design. We believe that what the DPW has presented is a vast improvement on what currently exists.
Lastly, cost is always a concern in the municipal budget process, and this capital improvement is not immune to that scrutiny. That being said, both the Western Connecticut Council of Governments and the Connecticut Department of Transportation have placed such a high priority on the enhancements to the Avenue, that both entities have pledged grants that would fully reimburse the Town of Greenwich of all costs associated with these important public safety measures. As First Selectman Fred Camillo rightly stated in a recent op-ed, this represents a “winwin” for Greenwich residents.
As downtown residents, we are all so grateful to call Greenwich our home. We are particularly proud to represent District 1 and downtown Greenwich as it is our home neighborhood. We urge residents to support these important safety enhancements to our beloved Avenue and we thank First Selectman Camillo, Selectwomen Lauren Rabin and Janet Stone-McGuigan and the Department of Public Works for all of their hard work toward getting these projects done.