15 replies to this topic

[Lowerdeck]

About a month and a half ago, a five floor apartment complex on Crosby Street in downtown Danbury opened - Brookview Commons.  It houses WestConn students, an alternative to campus dorm housing.  While the city is not happy about having more college students downtown, the truth is... it's doing quite well for some downtown businesses.

The last time I was down in Danbury, the area around Ives Street was packed.  Mostly college students as well.  It's greatly helping out the economy of the city.  As much as the city government and the News-Times loves to rip WestConn every chance it gets, the truth is... developments like Brookview are helping the city.  As WestConn expands, it brings in more students from beyond the greater Danbury area and expands Danbury's profile throughout the region.

I just wish they hadn't put green paneling on the side of the building.  The brick looked really nice and fitting with much of downtown.  I also wish I had pictures, maybe next trip down there.  But, it's definitely helping that area just west of Wooster Square.

[fivedayrental]

Lowerdeck, on Oct 6 2007, 01:47 PM, said:

About a month and a half ago, a five floor apartment complex on Crosby Street in downtown Danbury opened - Brookview Commons.  It houses WestConn students, an alternative to campus dorm housing.  While the city is not happy about having more college students downtown, the truth is... it's doing quite well for some downtown businesses.

The last time I was down in Danbury, the area around Ives Street was packed.  Mostly college students as well.  It's greatly helping out the economy of the city.  As much as the city government and the News-Times loves to rip WestConn every chance it gets, the truth is... developments like Brookview are helping the city.  As WestConn expands, it brings in more students from beyond the greater Danbury area and expands Danbury's profile throughout the region.

I just wish they hadn't put green paneling on the side of the building.  The brick looked really nice and fitting with much of downtown.  I also wish I had pictures, maybe next trip down there.  But, it's definitely helping that area just west of Wooster Square.

The westconn dorms does look pretty ok there, other than the green paneling. I have heard from my source that the 500 unit condo proposal on the former amphelonal site has been approved. Now if they could only redevelop the 1960s strip mall pretty much at the corner of White Street and Main Street into something that resembles what it surrounds..

[Lowerdeck]

fivedayrental, on Oct 7 2007, 05:25 PM, said:

The westconn dorms does look pretty ok there, other than the green paneling. I have heard from my source that the 500 unit condo proposal on the former amphelonal site has been approved. Now if they could only redevelop the 1960s strip mall pretty much at the corner of White Street and Main Street into something that resembles what it surrounds..

I'm not even really against a strip mall sitting on that position.  Unless they could do major development on that site.  That White Street plaza really just needs a facade to match the neighborhood.  Right now it and the hardware/paint store in that block between White, Crosby, the Still River, and Maple looks really out of place.  Considering all the brick buildings to the west in downtown and to the east with the courthouse, the Mexican restaurant, and the Midtown campus.  Even the older Omaha Beef plant fits into the area better.

[fivedayrental]

Lowerdeck, on Oct 7 2007, 08:13 PM, said:

I'm not even really against a strip mall sitting on that position.  Unless they could do major development on that site.  That White Street plaza really just needs a facade to match the neighborhood.  Right now it and the hardware/paint store in that block between White, Crosby, the Still River, and Maple looks really out of place.  Considering all the brick buildings to the west in downtown and to the east with the courthouse, the Mexican restaurant, and the Midtown campus.  Even the older Omaha Beef plant fits into the area better.

I do have a problem with the strip mall there. Almost 3/4 of an acre on the 2 acre site (per town records, including the nice building at the other end of the parcel with frontage on Main Street) is being used for parking, which is not the lands best use in a prime location. My ideal plan would be to tear down the strip mall and build  a 2 5 story building with the 1st floor being shops and 4 floors of owner occupied condos, all with parking underneath the building.

You are right about having the hardware store being made brick to blend in.

[Lowerdeck]

I meant the Sherwin Williams (and the Napa Auto Parts) on the White St. split towards Brookview Commons and Crosby St., in back of the White St. plaza.  Those don't match the neighborhood either.  If those places are gonna be kept, they should be more fitting to the brick of the rest of the City Center and the area it's in.    I do agree though, I'd rather see something else on the site instead like a 5-6 floor condo building with stores on the bottom floor.

[fivedayrental]

Lowerdeck, on Oct 7 2007, 11:33 PM, said:

I meant the Sherwin Williams (and the Napa Auto Parts) on the White St. split towards Brookview Commons and Crosby St., in back of the White St. plaza.  Those don't match the neighborhood either.  If those places are gonna be kept, they should be more fitting to the brick of the rest of the City Center and the area it's in.    I do agree though, I'd rather see something else on the site instead like a 5-6 floor condo building with stores on the bottom floor.

I know exactly where that building is. I usually don't see it when I go in to town since I enter downtown from Main Street to White Street and on my way back, I just cut through ives street or patrioit road (where the ice rink is).

[Lowerdeck]

fivedayrental, on Oct 8 2007, 09:38 AM, said:

I know exactly where that building is. I usually don't see it when I go in to town since I enter downtown from Main Street to White Street and on my way back, I just cut through ives street or patrioit road (where the ice rink is).

Ah.

Maple, Balmforth, and Patriot was supposed to be part of a Danbury to Bethel expressway.  It was supposed to be Exit 6 on I-84, then go highway through the east side of downtown and end outside downtown Bethel.  It, like many highway projects, got cancelled in the late 50s and the 60s.

The Patriot Garage and the Danbury Ice Arena are some improvements to the area along that strip.  But much of the rest looks like it's neglected... especially on the southbound Maple Ave stretch of what was built.  Would really help the city if that got developed and dressed up.  Maple Ave. is not a pretty area, while for some strange reason the northbound Balmforth is a lot better.

Then again, I'm pretty sure those of us who know Danbury agree with that last paragraph.

Edited by Lowerdeck, 08 October 2007 - 09:22 AM.

[fivedayrental]

Lowerdeck, on Oct 8 2007, 11:19 AM, said:

Ah.

Maple, Balmforth, and Patriot was supposed to be part of a Danbury to Bethel expressway.  It was supposed to be Exit 6 on I-84, then go highway through the east side of downtown and end outside downtown Bethel.  It, like many highway projects, got cancelled in the late 50s and the 60s.

The Patriot Garage and the Danbury Ice Arena are some improvements to the area along that strip.  But much of the rest looks like it's neglected... especially on the southbound Maple Ave stretch of what was built.  Would really help the city if that got developed and dressed up.  Maple Ave. is not a pretty area, while for some strange reason the northbound Balmforth is a lot better.

Then again, I'm pretty sure those of us who know Danbury agree with that last paragraph.

I know about the propsoed expressway.  It appears, through a quick search on the tax assesors website, that most of the property on Maple Ave is multifamily housing owned by absentee owners.


I have an oppurtunity to meet with Mayor Boughton next week. Does anyone have any questions for him?

[Lowerdeck]

Got any plans for Maple, especially the western side of the street?

Or what he wants to do to bring more development downtown.

[fivedayrental]

Lowerdeck, on Oct 18 2007, 09:28 PM, said:

Got any plans for Maple, especially the western side of the street?

Or what he wants to do to bring more development downtown.

I hope not any more condos. I got a letter on in the mail from the democratic candiate, which I am friends with her sons, saying the current has approved over 3000 condos since his election in Nov 2001. The candiate is pushing smart growth, real upgrades to transportation and preservation of open space. Over the last 5 years the site where I used to play paintball has been replaced with 150 upscale rental condos, 100 upscale townhomes and 90 homes built by Toll Brothers..

[Lowerdeck]

fivedayrental, on Oct 19 2007, 08:51 PM, said:

I hope not any more condos. I got a letter on in the mail from the democratic candiate, which I am friends with her sons, saying the current has approved over 3000 condos since his election in Nov 2001. The candiate is pushing smart growth, real upgrades to transportation and preservation of open space. Over the last 5 years the site where I used to play paintball has been replaced with 150 upscale rental condos, 100 upscale townhomes and 90 homes built by Toll Brothers..

Seems like there has been a lot of housing development heading towards New Fairfield and in Mill Plain in the recent years.  The new condo complex on Route 37 looks out of place for the area, would have rather seen that closer to downtown than in the 'rural' woodsier part of the city.

[fivedayrental]

Lowerdeck, on Oct 20 2007, 01:14 AM, said:

Seems like there has been a lot of housing development heading towards New Fairfield and in Mill Plain in the recent years.  The new condo complex on Route 37 looks out of place for the area, would have rather seen that closer to downtown than in the 'rural' woodsier part of the city.

The new condos, Stetson Place, does look out of placeand has become a symbol for overdevolpment in Danbury in additon to the new diner closer to downtown Danbury on Rt37 with not enough parking spots. An aquittance of mine owns the 19 acre property across the street from Stetson Place and is trying to approved a cluster devolpment on the land.  Another condo devolpment is the works up on Rt37 on the left hand side of the street just past the Covered Bridge townhouse community. Google 'Cotswald Danbury CT'

To me, most of the new housing has been in the Shelter Rock and South Street area, but there has been just a ton of growth everywhere other than downtown.  The area just from Shelter Rock elementary  to Plumtrees road had 5 townhome communty's built since 2000 totaling about 400 units. There is no large parcels to build downtown other than the Amphenol Site and the shopping center which we have previously discussed and maybe tearing down the building where the newstimes is since it sits on 3.3 acres, other than tearing down buildings.

[Lowerdeck]

What about that lot next to the News-Times building, behind the Concordia and the Subway?  That needs to go.

[fivedayrental]

Lowerdeck, on Oct 22 2007, 05:39 PM, said:

What about that lot next to the News-Times building, behind the Concordia and the Subway?  That needs to go.

I think the lot you are taking about is a part of the newstimes property.  Their property goes all the back to the edge of the new off campus dorm apartments. According to the tax assessors, the newstimes 3.3 acres. Of that 3.3 acre, about 57,000 are for the building (incluidng upstairs) and are using a little more than 2 acres for parking (90000 square feet) which is way too large for a surface lot to be downtown.

I went through the tax assesors site and found more buildings to tear down. They include the gas station near the new police department and the ugly building next door totals about 2.5 acres and  the 1960s bank across from the newstimes,the new autozone nextdoor and the bank on the other side of the autozone would total 2.5 acres for something nice to come in.

[Lowerdeck]

Danbury for a city of its size has a bit ridiculous downtown area.  Aside from that small stretch of Main Street and along Ives, it's just weird.  Condos and housing developments area.  Small stand alone stores everywhere.  Misplaced shopping plazas.  That building with Cousin Larry's at the Main/Elm corner of Kennedy Park... why?

At least with this project going up by the Pulse Point and Brookview already up, downtown might change for better.

The Citgo station on Main by Franklin and Garamella didn't look out of place when the old Hip Hop Connection and the barbershop was across the street and the railroad tracks.  With the lot cleared from the police station, the whole intersection is gonna be out of place.

[fivedayrental]

Lowerdeck, on Oct 23 2007, 12:44 AM, said:

Danbury for a city of its size has a bit ridiculous downtown area.  Aside from that small stretch of Main Street and along Ives, it's just weird.  Condos and housing developments area.  Small stand alone stores everywhere.  Misplaced shopping plazas.  That building with Cousin Larry's at the Main/Elm corner of Kennedy Park... why?

At least with this project going up by the Pulse Point and Brookview already up, downtown might change for better.

The Citgo station on Main by Franklin and Garamella didn't look out of place when the old Hip Hop Connection and the barbershop was across the street and the railroad tracks.  With the lot cleared from the police station, the whole intersection is gonna be out of place.

I know that downtown is huge, but very hodgepodge outside of the small stretch. Yesterday's meeting with the mayor was more of the lines of 'selling Danbury' while being very politically correct (not talking about overdevolpment,etc).  They are going to be redoing Kennedy Park, doing major landscaping on Plumtrees road by the old dump, and hope to preserve 1200 more acres of open space by 2012.