15 Minutes of Fame

Talking to the local paper makes me feel like I'm in high school and I just won a Cross Country race.

Check out some of your hometown heroes in motion.

EOS... Anyone Been?

Anyone try EOS, the new Greek restaurant that opened on Summer St next to Dragonfly yet? It's definitely open. My buddy ate there but went as generic as possible and ordered a burger. Thanks man, couldn't be any less help to the cause.

Pack it up, Pack It In, Let Me Begin...

USAToday ran an article today on the changing face of suburban development.

In Maricopa and elsewhere, a movement is underway to transform suburbs from bedroom communities that sprang up during an era of cheap gasoline to lively, more cosmopolitan places that mix houses with jobs, shops, restaurants, colleges and entertainment.

Suburbs on the far edge of metro areas are turning aside strip malls and creating new downtowns and neighborhoods that favor pedestrians.

Stamford is moving in this direction. Even neighborhoods outside of downtown are restructuring under this philosophy. The East Side is building towards creating a transit oriented community along East Main (and crossing their fingers for a train station to come in). Harbor Point in the South End is considered a national model for sustainable, community development. Glenbrook & Springdale are rezoning to encourage development of village centers. Light Rail is being studied to link different centers.

The article did not mention any of the backlash communities typically experience in this process. Stamford certainly has a vocal group armed with pharses like “Mini-Manhattan” or “Postage Stamp Sized Lot” or any reference to Trump. I’m curious if this group is outweighed by a less conspicuous majority open to a 21 century philosophy of urban/ suburban planning.

Traffic

I’m kind of sick about hearing how downtown development in Stamford is going to turn the city into gridlock hell. I think the people who are making this prediction can’t see the other side because they have always lived in a car dependant environment. They can’t fathom anyone not getting into a car for every little need because that’s the way their environment is structured now.

I went home for my dad’s birthday this past weekend and noticed that my mom jumped in her car 4-5 times throughout the day to run various errands. They don’t live in Stamford, but are in suburban Fairfield County town that is similar to the CTW’s surrounding burbs. I on the other hand living in downtown Stamford can go the whole day without jumping in my car for anything if I am so inclined. I can train to work, eat at restaurants, met friends at bars, and shop at retails options from Target & the Mall on down to the bodega that sells porn & produce next to each other (I’m not endorsing buying either).

I’m under no delusion that everyone who is moving into a downtown building will abandon their cars and thrive in some carless, pedestrian utopia. These people will however be more inclined and able to walk around their neighborhood for everyday needs. Offerings in the area will also increase since downtown services & amenities and downtown housing have a symbiotic relationship. The more people who live in higher density options downtown, the more restaurants, shopping, parks, and public transportation options will be in demand and sprout up.

Even if people in the new buildings downtown are 50% car dependant day to day, that’s far less than 100% car dependant single family, suburban neighborhoods who are clogging the streets. I don’t hear anyone calling to raze Stamford’s suburbs. Understand that both parts of town will operate differently and there is room for both.

Stamford Summer Bar Tour - [10] Twenty

Stamford’s diner with parts resembling a bar turned bar with parts resembling a diner seems to be carving out somewhat of a successful niche for itself as one of downtown’s few spots to start a dance dance revolution. (Even if the dance floor usually seems regulated to a few awkwardly placed middle aged couples more than the sexy young rave the décor seems more intent on sparking) A prime location on the corner of the long established Columbus Park bar scene can’t hurt success either.

Our friend Joey K has a great post up on his blog about the secret history of Twenty that sheds some light the lingering identity crisis the establishment still exudes. During the day especially the place all but rolls back into being a diner and scattered crowd I’ve seen through the windows doesn’t seem clued in that they are supposed to be in trendy club. One can only be so trendy though when hungry for a turkey club at noon on Sunday.

My bar tour stop at Twenty was after Alive @ Five. This was one of the early summer, peaceful Alive @ Five’s mind you, before a pleased Christopher Columbus statue stood silent sentry of the wave of untold violence and destruction that ran rivers of blood through the streets.

As I lamented in a previous post it’s hard these days to get more than a couple friends to hang at the same time. (Some smart ass commenter noted that our Hispanic neighbors can buck that trend since they don’t have Wii or Porn addictions. To that I say I don’t have a Wii.) This tour stop I managed to assemble a disparate horde of relatives, co-workers, business colleges, neighbors, and friends dating back from elementary up through high school. Large incongruent groups out together can make for a good time. The whole time though I did have some sort of faint, recessive crave for buttermilk pancakes and eggs over easy brought out by the lingering ghosts of Park Place Diner.

And yes, if I was more clever I’d save Twenty for the twentieth stop.

Alive @ Five -Ten

Things apparently got a little nasty at the Eve 6 edition of Alive @ Five last week and now police will kick the crowds out of Columbus Park at music's end. Restaurants will have to break down their additional outdoor seating also. The Alive @ Five after hours scene on the street is always a mix of shady characters and the underage searching for a curbside Heineken floater.

BlogStamford and it's loyal posters were all over this eventuality after the Blues Traveller kick off this year. Crowds have swelled as of late and the tight crowd brings an air of tension to the hot summer nights. If you have ever been to the Brickhouse you know there are more than enough assholes in town to eventually have some issues.

So what does this mean for Alive @ Five going forward? This year? Not much. The wheels are in motion and it will play itself out for better or worse over the remaining weeks. Stamford will not be denied its Boys II Men. Next year could be another story.

Some have floated the idea of moving the event. Mill River Park would be ideal, but the great lawn is still years away from being in any kind of shape to handle. The DOWNTOWN Special Service District will have little interest in putting on a show outside of the downtown and I don't think the city has the will to take it over themselves without the support of the DSSD.

I've also heard people say it should move towards lesser known acts (someone just made Eve 6's day!) Yeah that's the answer, just book crappier bands so less people will want to come. The so called troublemakers are most likely there for the "event" aspect and not the music anyways. The guy in the jean jacket who drove from PA to see Blues Traveller isn't there to throw 'bows, he's there to rock. Leave him out of it.

My humble suggestion is to make the event bigger. Close off the area starting at Atlantic on either side of the Old Town Hall. Incorporate more retailer promotion booths and food tents along the entire length of the closed roads. This should encourage people to walk the length of the space and thin the crowd some. Drunks also get the chance to soak up the booze. There are no fast food options at the event. Occasionally there is a booth selling pizzas, otherwise the only option is to sit down at a restaurant. Never underestimate the Gyro's ability to soothe some loudmouth ass.

Think people won't want to leave the stage are? Only half the people there have any interest in the music at all from my estimation. Out of the half that does, maybe 10% is interested in hearing anything other than the band's one radio hit. Last year during Sister Hazel the crowd was very subdued. Then "their song" kicked on. People started jumping out of windows and popping out of manhole covers to rush the stage. After Verse Verse Chorus Verse Chorus of that people were shoving keys in their ears rather than hear the next song. Increase the surface area, give the crowd some reasons to walk around and spread out and the cops can move around and spot trouble.

I think people also need to understand the event will never be 100% perfect. Throw a bunch of people together and a certain % are bound to be jerks. The same rule holds true in Stop & Shop. I could be wrong, but some of the claims also seem to be blown out of proportion. More than a couple black kids together does not constitute a gang. A fight is not a riot. Not every event has to be friendly to your kids and pets.

Cracking Open The Mall

Mr Stamford's recent compilation of Stamford's unused plots put me back in the city planning mindset. While the undeveloped plots are a detriment to the downtown, at least they are blank slates that the city can look to shape to the most beneficial use as various proposals are put forth. The worst problems are those we are already stuck with that don't compliment the kind of livable, walkable modern downtown the CTW has been trying to create. As Mr Stamford points out, among the worst offenders is the Mall. Just the fact that the Mall is called "Stamford Town Center" illustrates it's existence as some outdated concept of what a downtown should be. The mall literally and figuratively replaced Stamford's Main St.

In the past five years, even the mall itself recognizes it is ill suited for a downtown and has made some corrective measures.

One of the three retail anchors, JCPenny was ripped down and replaced with a street plaza filled with restaurants and the state's largest Barnes & Noble going from this:


To this:


Prior to that even, the complex replaced the sunken ice rink and restaurant with street grade retail and a new entrance. It hasn't caught on as well as the revamped south facing as half of it is still sitting empty. Still a more street friendly improvement on a heavily walked corner is the right direction and the economy should catch up to the spot eventually.

Everyone involved has been quick to pat themselves on the back for the new southern "pedestrian friendly entrance" plaza. While in theory that may be the case, in reality the surrounding city isn't currently oriented to pedestrians at all on this facing of the complex. Its surrounded by office tower behemoths and the hole. I've seen people trickle in on foot, but it seems like more a fancy place to drive in. I'm not saying it was a mistake, its a first step in making Tresser something other than a mini-highway. Maybe if the hole turned into something it would be a nice compliant. The real opportunities to open the mall to the street lie to the North with Macy's and the West with Saks Five Ave. Both spots stand as walls at each of the city's existing major pedestrian cores, Macy's to Beford, Sac's to Columbus Park.

While on a national level Macy's has had some problems, I don't know if that has trickled down to this local outpost so a rip down doesn't seem likely. At the very least an aesthetic change should be pursued like replacement of the walls with windows and creation of a new, inviting entrance. The city has approached them with this in the past but it hasn't seemed to help. At the very least the store should consider it's outward appearance as better branding than the concrete shoebox it is now.

The real opportunity though is the Saks that sits atop an under utilized Veteran's Park. The adjacent ramp to the garage eliminates the need to consider auto access so this whole corner offers the opportunity to rework into a pedestrian plaza that bleeds into the park. The park becomes more than a glorified bus stop, the mall gets to replicate the success it has seen around the corner, the surrounding retail around the mall gets a bump from the influx of people, and the city gets another shot at Main St.

See You Monday

No matter where you live, summer weekends leave you with the urge to "get out of town". Try not to burn the place down while I'm gone. I've left some frozen meals in the fridge, but you can also always just order a pizza too. You know you can always call in case of an emergency and Aunty StamfordTalk is just right around the corner. No parties!!! I've told Olde Time Stamford guy from Topix we're gone and he'll be watching.

Stopped the Presses

I noticed “environmental clean-up” has begun at the former Stamford Advocate building at the corner of Washington & Tresser. That’s usually the precursor to teardown/ redevelopment. The site was recently purchased by a Norwalk developer after the paper relocated. Any rumors on what the plans are?

Harbor Pt. Site Live

The countless banners and billboards around town are no longer directing you to some lame shell as the Harbor Point website has officially gone live. I'm not sure how much new info is available on the site, but at least it is all available in one place now. I have yet to digest it all so check it out for yourself.

I've noticed work has already started in the south end on sidewalks, sewers and the river walk. The first phases look to be on track for their estimated 2009 completion.

UPDATED:

The Gateway project adjacent to the train station seems to have changed some. What was once two buildings (and still is as listed on the main Antares site) is now just one slightly different looking building on the Harbor Point website.

Old:


New:


Check out the view from the west in the new renderings. Can't the above ground garage be avoided, especially since it will line the proposed greenway? I wonder if the parking could be taken below grade or if the river would cause issue with that.

Station Beatle in Stamford

The Wall Street Journal has an article about cartoonist & Stamford native Mort Walker and his quest to find a permanent home for his cartoon art museum. In addition to being the creator of 9 comic strips, Beetle Bailey being his most famous, Walker has amassed a 200,000 plus collection of comic art. The collection has suffered a few missteps in establishing a home thus far in Greenwich and Florida. Ohio State recently agreed to house the collection that as of late has been sitting in a storage facility back in Stamford.

I’m something of a cartoonist myself. I’ve had a life long love of comics and published my own strip in college. I wish the museum could find a permanent display in Mort’s hometown. If Springfield can get the basketball hall of fame, the City That Works could certainly take aim this prize.



Stamford could stand to benefit from an attraction like this and I'm sure Mr. Walker wouldn't mind it so close to home. Any wealthy fianciers want to step up? Can we secure some pork spending?

Stamford Summer Bar Tour - [9] G/r/a/n/d.

Last Thursday a group of coworkers and I were taken out by some reps to Duo. Our guests were rather enamored with the whole Alive @ Five scene, but by the time we got out there was only the remaining shreds of teenage shrapnel that fill the void after all the young professionals abandon the streets for the surrounding bars at music's end. We eventually made our way to G/r/a/n/d on Bank St. What is with the s/l/a/s/h/e/s by the way? I'll make one allowance for them, but from her on out in this post I can't be bothered.

Grand is Stamford's swanky downtown lounge. It often features DJs or at the very least is playing some clubby music. There really isn't much room to bust a move though. I for one love the fact Stamford has no "clubs". If you already have a girlfriend there is especially no need to endure this courting ritual. I'm more of a head bob at a rock show guy. I'd totally be down for living in the Footloose town pre-Kevin Bacon. Whenever my girlfriend wants to dance I can safely say, "Oh, there's no dancing in Stamford, how do you feel about darts?"

This night expense account plastic scored us a bucket full of bottles and table service from our very own shot swilling waitress. While she was friendly and eager to push some new neon nectar every 15 minutes my favorite waitress interaction came a few years ago when I first started working in Stamford. I was living up another corporate sponsored excursion at Grand when a noticed a familiar looking Cappricio waitress standing all by herself looking quiet sullen. The Cappricio scene seems to usually resolve into Grand at some point in the night but this scout had perhaps arrived too early. Mistaking her cool indifference to folly of existence as loneliness, I decided to break the ice.


"Hi, you're a waitress at Capriccio right?" Without so much as averting her gaze from straight ahead she said in a thick, interchangable Eastern European accent, "Yes, I served you a pizza".

At that point she turned her neck and faced complete opposite direction. That pretty much sums up the attitude I've taken away from everyone I'm every interacted with at Grand. They would rather face no one in the opposite direction than say anything more than a sentence to me.

In honor of that waitress, here's a song by Atmosphere that I imagine summed up her job at the time.

Here Comes Ivar the Engine Driver To Make You Feel Much Better

This is the proposed Light Rail route for Stamford. Click the pic to expand. The yellow line is phase 1, the dashed line is a potential expansion route. From what I understand its a one track line. I wonder what that means for wait times. If I'm at the transportation center and want to go south to Harbor Point, but the train is headed North, do I have to wait for it to go all the way to Bull Head's before it kicks in reverse to pick me up and go south? I think think it is worth studying, but I'm curious what the wait times are.

All Politics Are Local

The Advocate today has an editorial complaining the public is too often keep in the dark by local government.

It's pretty common for citizens to complain that their government operates behind the scenes, that they don't find out about decisions that affect their lives until it's too late to do anything about them, or that when they are given the chance to speak up, it merely provides the appearance of open, responsive government, not the real thing.

The whole thing reads like an indictment of themselves to be honest. Who is better positioned to keep people aware of local happenings than the local paper.

It's also one more chance to trot out the cherry tree controversy. You know how I first learned about the Mill River restoration project and the removal of the trees? I read it in their paper two years ago. So much for a secret plan.

Dark BlogStamford

I went to Duo last night for dinner and found myself enjoying the drinks, the apps, the entire experience up until they forgot to bring my main course. I calmly accepted the apology. Mistakes happen, that's why pencils have erasers. I'll pick off everyones plates while i wait. Something stirred though deep in my subconscious...

"I'M BLOGSTAMFORD!!! I'll ruin you Duo with a scathing review viewed by 156 unique impressions a day! Bring forth a great bounty of sushi to appease me!"

What's that saying? Power corrupts but absolute power doesn't?

Stamford Summer Bar Tour [8] Monster B's

If you live in Glenbrook, Monster B's in undoubtedly your favorite bar. Usually though the bar you can walk to ends up being your favorite bar. Is Monster B's worth going to though if you can't walk there? Defiantly worth a trip. Large outdoor deck. Live music. A beer selection deep enough to kill you even if you worked yourself halfway through... or at the very least in some regrettable hook up. (Beware lads, the crowd has it's share of cougars and I've seen them make a kill) The whole package is a big upgrade from when it was called Big B's under different management.

The most defining characteristic of Monster B's has to be their all black short bus that carts people to and from downtown. It also once delivered one of the funnier conversations ever overheard in Stamford. The bus, prowling the streets downtown, was using a bullhorn to entice patrons aboard.

Monster Bus: "Come to Monster B's"
Guy on Street: "Where's Monster B's?"
Monster Bus: "Glenbrook"
Guy on Street: "Fuck you"

One this particular night, I journeyed to Monster B's to meet the Happy Hour Club. (Don't check their schedule or you'll realize how far behind I am writing these up). If you're young and looking to meet people from the area who you aren't already dating or working with this is your best chance. The corny slogan name tags give you an instant in to talk to anybody in the place, although I've noticed a few guys working that gimmick so hard that many of the ladies are starting to get hip to it.

Monster B's ... The Monster Made Me Do It! Or my new suggested slogan, Don't let the creepy naked child mascot give you the wrong idea!

“Do You Have To Use So Many Cuss Words Dude?”

Just a reminder, tonight is The Big Lebowski at Cult Film Night at the Avon Theatre. Better dig that purple one-piece out of the closet, I saw on a flyer that there’s a discount for coming in costume. I’m going to try and make it if I can get out of dinner early enough. A rep is taking us to Duo. Afterwards it will be a tough call between the movie and using someone else’s dime to check off GRAND on the summer bar tour.

NIMBY

Some local flavor from our neighbor to the West reached the New York Times today. A bunch of teenagers built a wiffle ball field in an overgrown Greenwich lot.

After three weeks of clearing brush and poison ivy, scrounging up plywood and green paint, digging holes and pouring concrete, Vincent, Justin and about a dozen friends did manage to build it — a tree-shaded Wiffle ball version of Fenway Park complete with a 12-foot-tall green monster in center field, American flag by the left-field foul pole and colorful signs for Taco Bell Frutista Freezes.

Fenway? Rip that shit down! Seriously though, good for them. A bunch of kids took some initiative and did something other than beat up hookers in Liberty City. This is Greenwich though and some neighbors are battling to see it dismantled. It’s going to flood their neighborhood, plastic bat wielding hooligans are smashing their way into garages, and a broken bottle was discovered! Here’s a little taste of the opposition. I almost can’t believe this woman is real and not a villain out of some Chris Columbus 80’s teen movie.

Pate said her issue is not so much with the teens but with the potential for flooding of the town lot, which has an exposed storm drain maintained by the town. In March 2007, Pate said the drain clogged, flooding her finished basement and leaving so much mold that she decided to tear down her house and build a new one on the property.

Light Rail Rolls Forward

The Board of Reps approved funds to commission a Light Rail study for Stamford. The idea floated thus far would be a single line connecting the South End, Downtown, and Bull's Head with future room for expansion. The study will take 6-8 months to complete.

If Stamford is going to continue along with the kind of rapid growth/ development it's been experiencing so far we need to continue to take seriously alternative modes of transport that take some burden off car travel on the streets. Light rail could be a nice compliment to the ferry service to NYC proposed for the South End.

"Leave Us Alone Carl Monday!"

I need a good lazy post this morning. Below are some before and after ground floor layouts from the upcoming Ferguson Library renovations.

Current:


Renovated:


Now for the funny, Investigative reporter Carl Monday takes on people with molester mustaches entering the library. It gets good at 1:40. Only a tool this big could make you feel bad for a guy who is exposing himself in public.

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.

Stamford Summer Bar Tour [7] - F.O.E. Club

Hey kids, you wanted obscure, you got it. Enter Stop #7 - The Fraternal Order of the Eagles Club.

Where?! You know this building whether you are aware of it or not. It's the Frat House looking structure next to the Holiday Inn across from Veterans Park. You almost expect Blutto to be pissing in the lawn as you ask him "Excuse me sir, is this the Delta House?" The neon signs give it the appearance of a bar, but the lack of discernible signage from the road is confusing. You've undoubtedly had the same conversation I have had countless times with friends, "What is that place? We should go one day."

On the walk back from the fireworks our group spotted the place and my friend made the call to finally go. Standing out front I had some second thoughts, maybe this isn't a mission our woman need to be part of. Crossing the street was like crossing the Rubicon as we were spotted from two guys on the porch and beckoned to come in. No turning back.

The sentries who called out to us had disappeared down some side hatch by the time we reached the porch. Don't slasher flicks start this way? I started thinking which of the four was the character type to offed first. I kept coming back to me.

We walked into what looked like any other friendly dive and were immediately welcomed over to the bar. Bare in mind we still didn't know what this place was as we were showing our licenses and signing a ledger. Entering my name to a leather tome though seemed like a good time to inquire further. We were told this was a private club, an aerie in the Fraternal Order of the Eagles. They're like the Elks, but can fly or something. I started to wonder if I just signed my soul over to the eagle god.

According to their site, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, an international non-profit organization, unites fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills, and by promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope. They helped create Mother's Day and Social Security and can claim 7 presidents as members. It's also a place where you can still smoke and place dice on bar away from your wives.

We tried to shoot some pool, but the guys who called us in suddenly appeared and pulled rank on the table. We spent the rest of the time outside with the beverages on the porch steps. I wish I could tell you we closed the place and learned all the secrets of the Eagle but the ladies eventually met their max levels of creeped out by a guy staring at us the whole time from his car parked at the curb.

Walkable Streets - now spell checked!

Mark Abraham, coordinator of the New Haven Safe Streets coalition, has a great editorial on HartfordBusiness.com. The piece covers the largely unaddressed traffic related dangers in the state and how pedestrian friendly communities offer a number of social and economic benefits.

This is not just a safety issue. Studies have shown that walkable streets are critical to: 1) Encouraging residents to walk or bicycle more frequently, increasing worker productivity and helping to support neighborhood-based retail; 2) Attracting new businesses and employees; 3) Slightly reducing traffic speeds, which supports retail districts and; 4) Improving overall public health, the environment, and the sense of ownership people feel towards their neighborhoods and public spaces — even the number of friends they report having.

It seems a good number of people in Stamford mistake development as a loss of community in town. Mixed use, high density development can go a long way toward rebuilding communities where decades of suburban sprawl and shopping malls decimated downtowns and reduced your walking in the community to a trek across a paved lot that a shitty parking spot delivered. This type of thinking doesn't need to only relate to downtown. The East Side is experiencing increased mixed use growth, and recently Springdale & Glenbrook moved toward rezoning that would encourage pedestrian redevelopment of their village centers. This type of development, combined with traffic calming measures leads to more vibrant, community oriented neighborhoods. Stamford could benefit from a safe streets coalition to make sure the traffic calming plan is actually put into effect.