East Siiiiidddde
Stamford’s East Side is one of those areas where I suspect people living there might not even aware of that neighborhood distinction. (Out friend the “East Sider” being a notable exception!). The neighborhood is squeezed in between more recognized names like Glenbrook to the north, Downtown to the West, The Cove to the East, and Shippan to the South. The main drag is East Main St, a main thoroughfare from Darien to the center of Stamford lined with businesses that are 80% automobile-centric. Stamford's designated day laborer “no hassle zone” under the elevated highway that cuts a swath through the area has bleed into the surrounding neighborhood. All conditions that would not suggest to you “Greenwich Village style urban village”, however, that’s precisely the tack the neighborhood is on.
Several years ago Stamford commissioned a study that recommended recapturing the area as a pedestrian friendly urban village. Basically that means higher density residential, increased ground level retail, an emphasis on walking & mass transit vs. driving, and a heightened sense of place through aesthetic improvements. Since then the East Side Partnership, a group of local business and property owners formed to push for local enhancements and formation of a business improvement district. Their website outlines a vision to recreate East Main St as a village center and a distinct neighborhood in Stamford.
The area has a few things going for them towards this goal. Phase II of the Urban Transitway will eventually provide great connectivity to the Transportation Center & the South End Harbor Point development as well as alleviate some of the cut-thru traffic. A train station adjacent to the rail over pass has been rumored a possibility, although a recent New York Times article mentions this is by no means a given. Proximity to the downtown allows developers to sell the advantages of downtown while the rest of the neighborhood catches up.
After years of planning the East Side is taking their first major actual steps toward becoming an urban village as the Glenview House and East Side Commons reach completion. Both projects are transforming entire blocks and bringing hundreds of residential units (luxury + the pre-requisite below market rate units) and retail opportunities to land that once housed used car lots. A 24 hour Walgreens will sit under Glenview and a bank branch will take one of three retail spots under the Commons. Chain pharmacies and bank branches are usually signs of unchecked suburban sprawl in Fairfield County, however here both needs are under-served in the neighborhood and one would imagine both businesses would largely be frequented by members of the community reaching them on foot. No word yet on what will take the other open spaces under the Commons.
So what else is on tap for the East Side? The Partnership site lists two additional projects, 914 Main & the Crystal Lofts. I haven't heard anything about the Lofts recently, but I have read the owner of 914 Main has been moving forward with rezoning of the property.
James Grunberger, the East Side Partnership mastermind, was working on putting together the Crystal Loft project year or so ago. I'm not sure if this has since sputtered out. I think I remember reading the development was designed to be "affordable and targeted to the local workforce", although I can't find that sourcing now. That's definitely a major plus, however, I'm not sure I'm down with some of the other aspects. The architecture is kinda ugly, and out of place with the vibe Glenview and the Commons is setting up the street. It looks like it belongs in Miami, not New England. He also owns the Firestone in front if I’m not mistaken, why not take this building right to the street front? Also James, you are supposed to be the biggest proponent of creating an "urban village". How does this building relate to the street in anyway when it is sitting on top of a parking garage? 
914 Main is unique in that it would be the first recent major redevelopment in the East Side past the railway overpass. It would be sharing the strip with some shabby multifamily homes and a handful of “spas”. This project would no doubt spark additional development further east, but the building would certainly be a pioneer for at least a few years. 
It will be interesting to see the East Side continue down their path. Will the retail environment provide the types of businesses residents need to live day in and day out in an "urban village"? So far the East Side's neighbor, The Downtown has failed to attract key amenities like a supermarket in walking distance. Will that retail environment also strike a balance of fostering something unique to give the area an identity and attract outsiders to visit or will it be "chainsville"? Can housing support an economic mix? Will developers have the balls to tackle a project on the highway side of the road? If the answer is yes, the East Side could become a real model not only for other Stamford neighborhoods, but other cities as well.
10 comments :
Thanks for this post. Can I ask you where you excerpted the map at the top of the post from (it looks like it's part of a bigger map which shows (color-coded) the various recognized neighborhoods of Stamford). As a new Stamford transplant I've been looking for just that sort of thing to help me get my bearings and understand exactly what people are talking about when they refer to, say, Glenbrook, Springdale, Belltown, Bull's Head, etc...
Yahoo Maps will display the color coded neighborhoods at a cetain resolution.
Woo hoo! Props for the East Side. Thanks!
A few small quibbles -- most of us East Siders would consider much of Lafayette, Quintard, Crystal, and Culloden to be part of the East Side, as would be much of the Lawn Ave and Custer Street sections -- so essentially, a couple of blocks north of East Main Street (say, to Daskam Plac) would also constitute the East Side. (Talk to East Side/West Side neighborhood youth groups...ok, I won't say "gangs"...and they'll tell ya the East Side definitely includes these sections!)
Anyway, you've done a great job here. As someone who grew up on the East Side and recently moved back here after over a decade in another part of the country, I can say a lot of things are changing for the better, but not everything.
The East Side Partnership has failed to include residents sufficiently in its plans. It's a great vehicle for businesses and absentee landlords, but often does not reflect the concerns of residents because it really doesn't reach out to residents. I went to a meeting once where everyone just accepted, lock stock and barrel, the crazy claims that the new East Side condo developments would not impact traffic at all. (Developers claimed that residents would use public transport. Yeah right -- like someone buying a $700K 2 bedroom condo is gonna take the BUS?!?) Overall, though, those developments are appropriate and great.
The Crystal Lofts development is a monstrosity and totally inappropriate for its neighborhood. It will dwarf the single and multi-family homes on Crystal and Culloden, a well-kept, quiet street.
I'm still skeptical that the Urban Transitway will be good for the East Side.
All in all, though, it's a fantastic neighborhood with great potential. I appreciate the props!
What they are building there though at the corner of Glenbrook and East Main is a travesty!
You're probably right about the extra blocks East Sider. I was using Yahoo Maps breakdowns.
I'm curious why you are worried about the Transitway? Don't you think that it will help lighten some of the congestion through the East Side?
You live there so let's put it out to you? What does the neighborhood need?
That building on the corner of East Main & Glenbrook is Glenview House. I actually think it's a sharp looking building, especially compared to what was there at one time.
The Advocate mentions 914 Main today:
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9824705
You beat me to the East Side Partnership link. I found it today and was going to mail you.
Ah, JT, you asked what the neighborhood needs, so I'll share a few thoughts....
The parts of the East Side Master Plan that address the streetscape on the East Side are essential. We need walkable sidewalks, trees on a verge between the sidewalk and the street, and street-level businesses that address the needs of residents.
We need to reduce the number of curb cuts on the street so that the sidewalk remains walkable.
A special taxing district could really help us to invest in the visual architecture that would make the East Side a destination.
We need a neighborhood association that is led by residents and a partnership with the city whereby residents concerns about cleanliness, etc. are addressed quickly. (There are unfortunate areas where residents have gotten into the habit of dumping mattresses, etc. and they stay there for weeks despite calls to the city.)
We need more AFFORDABLE housing, not just luxury condos. We need the city to enforce housing codes so that 2-family homes don't become 4 and 5 family homes. We need to prohibit homeowners from paving over their front lawns to become parking lots. We need to prohibit business from making more curb cuts, which make sidewalks less walkable.
The Urban Transitway is going to create an enormous bottleneck right in the heart of the East Side, at the intersection of Myrtle and East Main. I don't see how planners can't see that taking a 6 lane road and ending it at a 2 lane road is going to cause huge problems. It just doesn't make any sense to me given the current traffic situation! Plus, a lot of people who normally would have taken 95 are now going to barrel down East Main and Myrtle Avenue, making our neighborhood even LESS pedestrian friendly.
A highway running through the middle of a neighborhood has never been known to enhance the neighborhood, in my experience!
Nice to see this resource out here...Are there any new residents to the Stamford area...specifically the Eastside Commons and/or the Glenview Homes? Anybody experiencing the Eastside Commons delays like I am =(
It's definately interesting *and historical times for us deciding to move.
Anybody out there?
There is currently a movement against the Eastside Partnership's waste of money and questionable projects. These guys want to tax owners up to 6 percent to waste not only there money but grant money on questionable if not short term beautification projects. Next time you go under the
railroad Bridge on East Main street see what 90,000 dollar paint job brings you. City representatives should be ashamed, The east side partnership wasted almost 9,000 dollars on plantings at the exit 9 south bound ramp another project that could have been done for several hundred dollars and some volunteers, there newest project that was just approved by the City's Park commission is the construction of a metal gate at Hunts Park also at exit 9 . Ive heard prices of 10,000 to 24,000 for this project which real should only cost 2 thousand dollars.The real disturbing thing about this project is I would bet not a single person who lives on Courtland avenue even knows this is going to happen. I only heard about it from a property owner who believes it has safety issues. The commision told the Eastside partnership the gate had to be welded shut.Do you real want these peole making the decisions on how to spend or take money from you and waste the money. When money is wasted like this we real must question whats going on.Another problem is it apears if you want to put up some statue or sign in a Stamford park and there is no opposition from board members it gets approved even though these people don't even live near the park. Appaently it's too late if you wake up and see a gate constructed across from you front door.It would seem some notifcation should be required before these projects move forward. Finally, Apparently these people who believe the transitway will help build a Greenwich Village on the Eastside really havent read any articals on the subject. This whole deal is to help eliminate problems on 95, let me repeat that. Help eliminate problems on I 95. Its now too late this Exit 9 Highway to the New Downtown of Stamford the South end. Business owners should be really happy with these develpments as most of us have already scene the decline of the Stamford downtown BID district results in vacant store fronts. What o you think will happen once this transitway is finished. PS that Crystal project is ugly who's design is that
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