Jonathan Hopkins

The tree plantings along the median of the Norton Street Parkway are inappropriate. The branches and leaves grow low to the ground, which causes visibility issues for drivers, particularly at the intersection of Moreland Road where there are no stops signs for vehicles traveling on Norton. The existing plantings require periodic trimming to increase visibility.

Unlike the plantings on the median, the planter strips on the sidewalks on Norton and many of the streets in Beaver Hills, including Ellsworth Avenue and Colony Road, are planted with oak trees. Removing the existing plantings on the Norton Street Parkway and replacing them with oak trees may 1) help improve sight-lines and visibility for drivers along the roadway, 2) provide shade for pedestrians and houses, 3) improve the spatial, aesthetic, and experiential quality of the street, 4) decrease stormwater runoff by increasing infiltration, 5) reduce long term maintenance costs such as the regular trimming required by the existing plantings, and 6) raise the value of residential properties along the street.

Is this a job best carried out by the Friends of Beaver Ponds Park, the Urban Resources Initiative, concerned neighbors and residents of the street, the City's Parks Department, Traffic and Engineering Departments?

Replacement granite curb for the stormwater drain on the west side of Norton Parkway just south of the Moreland Road intersection (right in front of 426 Norton Parkway) does not meet the existing granite curbs leaving a gap on either side of the new curb where dirt and debris can get into the drainage system. The curb was also replaced across the street and asphalt was used to fill in the gaps.

Poor street lighting along Trumbull Street between Orange and State Streets makes potholes difficult to see and avoid for cyclists and motorists, and makes the block feel unsafe for pedestrians. Several other areas of the city have received LED street lighting, which vastly improves visibility for all street users. The same lighting approach may be appropriate along this stretch of street as well.

There is poor pedestrian lighting along Trumbull Street sidewalk behind/next to 7 Trumbull Street, particularly between the highway entrance ramp and the small parking lot. Improved lighting on the private property owned by Trumbull Associates and Trumbull Suites LLC at the intersection of Trumbull and State Streets would improve visibility and a sense of safety to pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.

33 Fountain St and 882 Whalley Avenue , the two properties along Central Avenue in Westville behind Dunkin Donuts, which used to be the site of Delaney's Restaurant, could easily accommodate two mixed-use buildings for commercial/restaurant and residential uses. To keep construction costs low while maximizing rentable floor space, simple 3-story single-stair wood frame buildings could be constructed with a total of 4,000 sf of commercial space and as many as 18 one-bedroom apartments.

Noise, light, and air pollution has been an issue for residential and commercial properties abutting Interstate 91 since its construction in the 1960s. High physical barriers were recently added to the portion of I-91 that passes Wooster Square and Farnam Courts, but no barrier exist along the rear yards of State Street and Jocelyn Square properties.
This issue was recently exacerbated for properties along the Exit 4 ramp when dense vegetation and mature trees in the rear lot of 67 Beech Street were removed in the Fall of 2016 for the planned construction of a surface parking lot. Will the owner of 67 Beech Street (soon to be demolished) be required to replant a natural barrier or build a physical barrier to block noise, dust, and lighting from the highway?
If not, will the State build a sound barrier like what Wooster Square has?
For more information on Wooster Square's sound barrier (built in 2013) see here:
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/state_comes_through_on_sound_barrier/
For more information on the demolition of 67 Beech Street and replacement of dense tree growth with a surface parking lot, see here:
http://www.ct.gov/sprb/lib/sprb/meeting_minutes/minutes_06_16_16.pdf

The plaza in front of Marjolaine's Pastry Shop might be a great place for a Bike Share Station. No on-street parking would need to be removed, the location is central, along a major commercial thoroughfare, and near a Zipcar station.

The three building lots at the corner of Whalley Avenue and Winthrop Avenue have sat vacant for nearly two decades since the two multi-family houses at 420 and 422 Winthrop Avenue and a multi-tenant commercial storefront building at 352 Whalley Avenue were demolished. Are there any plans for these parcels? Has the City, the Whalley Avenue Special Services District, or the WEB Management Team recently approached the property owner about developing the site or talked with potential developers?
These parcels seem like the perfect site for a 3-to-6 story mixed-use commercial and residential building on Whalley and perhaps some new houses or a smaller mixed-use building along Winthrop as well.
An opportunity may exist to create an alley way connecting Winthrop to Norton through the rear lots along Whalley Avenue. This could be a place for parking and deliveries.

An April 2010 fire destroyed 511-517 Dixwell Avenue, a 7,600 sf building located at the corner of Dixwell and Division Street in the Newhallville neighborhood that contained space for small businesses in addition to 7 rental apartments. The building lot, right in the heart of the neighborhood, has sat undeveloped for over 6 years now. Are there any plans to rebuild on the site? The lot is small and located in a Medium Density Residential Zoning District (RM-2), which makes it difficult to rebuild the same density and mix of uses on the site while also providing parking. Furthermore, building code requirements, construction costs, and land values can make the development of new non-subsidized affordable housing units difficult. However, an affordable mixed-use building typology was recently developed to meet modern building code requirements while minimizing construction costs and maximizing rent-able floor area. The building lot at 511-517 Dixwell Avenue might be the perfect candidate for this kind of new construction if zoning variances are granted. (See comments for additional images.)

Along the entire 1.25 mile length of Goffe Street from Broadway Downtown to Osborn in Beaver Hills, only a dozen frequently used on-street parking spaces would need to removed in order to accommodate dedicate bike lanes along both sides of the street. The parking loss, however, would come to an area that has seen a large increase in off-street surface parking lots in recent years. Goffe Street, one of the oldest routes in New Haven dating back to the aboriginal habitation of the area, connects Downtown to Westville through the Dixwell and Beaver Hills neighborhoods. Dedicated bike lanes could help calm traffic, connect neighborhoods and schools, improve safety for all road users, encourage more active recreation in the area, and be included with targeted public and private investments in surrounding streetscapes - all with little to no impact on automotive facilities.

With enough interest, this issue could be further studied by the City and potentially come to fruition as funding becomes available from State, Federal, and local sources.

For more information on how dedicated bike lanes along Goffe Street might look, see here: https://newhavenurbanism.org/new-haven-planning/multimodal-transportation-planning/goffe-street/

Public works department left a wooden barricade in the tree planting strip at the corner of Norton Parkway and Moreland Road several weeks ago after replacing the drain cover.

At 48-feet wide, Sherman Avenue from Legion Avenue to Bassett Street is wide enough to accommodate a two-way protected cycle track on the west side of the street with minimal impact on travel or on-street parking lanes. While dedicated bike lanes exist along portions of the street, protected cycle tracks are safer and more accessible to a broader audience, including vulnerable and inexperienced riders of all ages. Should funding become available, Sherman Avenue would be an ideal candidate for multi-modal transportation infrastructure investment like a two-way protected cycle track through eight neighborhoods from the Upper Hill to Highwood in Hamden.

For more information on how this transportation facility might work along the corridor, see below.
On-line article: http://newhavenurbanism.org/new-haven-planning/multimodal-transportation-planning/sherman-avenue/
Complete Streets Request Form: https://newhavenurbanism.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/sherman-avenue_cycle-track2.pdf

The Boulevard is a major north-south thoroughfare within the city from I-95 to Whalley Avenue and beyond, but it is dangerous for all road users, including motorists, but especially cyclists and pedestrians due to high travel speeds and traffic volume. There is, however, ample room within the 48+ foot right-of-way to incorporate a two-way protected cycle track along the entire length of the Boulevard without significantly diminishing the car carrying capacity of the roadway. Doing so would calm traffic, vastly improve safety for all road users, and encourage alternative transportation options to driving for many commuters.

Should funding become available for this type of infrastructure, the Boulevard would be a worthwhile candidate since it traverses four city neighborhoods, several schools, and is a major roadway in need of traffic calming.

For more information on how a cycle track might work along the Boulevard, see below:
Complete Streets Request Form: https://newhavenurbanism.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/the-boulevard_cycle-track.pdf
Online article: http://newhavenurbanism.org/new-haven-urbanism/multimodal-transportation-planning/the-boulevard/

Has the design for the South Orange Street crossing been finalized yet? Is there an opportunity to coordinate the redevelopment of Church Street South Housing with the Coliseum Site and Orange Street crossing over Route 34 to better connect with the train station?
In the early part of the 20th Century, South Orange Street was created as the formal approach to the railroad station from Downtown. However, with the construction of the Oak Street Connector and the Robert T. Wolfe tower, South Orange Street has become a service road disconnected from both Downtown and the train station.
If both the Church Street South Housing and Coliseum Site redevelopment projects move forward, is there an opportunity to reroute South Orange Street?

The privately owned Church Street South Housing complex across from Union Station has been allowed to decay for nearly 50 years. As a result, current tenants are living in unsafe apartments, crime is rampant, and a vast area near Downtown is underused. It's long overdue that the housing project is revitalized into a mixed-income, mixed-use community that is safe, attractive, and productive for all.

For information on how that all might be achieved, please see here:
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/churchstsouth3rdway/