Gentile, Murphy tour Brownfield sites in downtown Derby

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, third from left, and state Rep. Linda M. Gentile, to his right, listen to constituents during a tour in downtown Derby./ Contributed photo

DERBY - State Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D-Derby, Ansonia, and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy Friday toured Brownfield sites being considered for redevelopment in downtown Derby.

The Brownfield site is located at the south side of Main Street at the confluence of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers. 
The site was a major industrial area with companies like Housatonic Lumber and Jacob’s Scrap Metal.

“This site is surrounded by Derby’s Greenway Trail, one of the state’s most used multi-purpose trails, and has the potential to grow Derby in the right direction,” Gentile said.

Last year, Gentile was able to secure $200,000 for the assessment of 19 acres on Main Street related to the city’s downtown redevelopment plans as well as a $5 million commitment toward infrastructure to the site for a Main Street grid.
“With the assistance of these funds, we will be able to transform the south side of Main Street into a productive site that grow jobs, improve the economy, and expand the downtown area,” Gentile said. 
“A further commitment of federal funds to leverage state funds and private investment would put us one step closer to our goal of a transit oriented plan.”


This is a press release from Gentile's office.

Gentile hails expected $5M in state bonding for Derby redevelopment

HARTFORD - State Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D-Ansonia/Derby, today announced Derby is set to receive $5 million in funding to be used towards the city’s downtown redevelopment.

State Rep. Linda M. Gentile

The State Bond Commission is expected to approve this funding during a meeting May 12   at 10:30 a.m. in Room 1E of the Legislative Office Building.

The City of Derby recently submitted its request for this grant-in-aid to DECD, with Gentile’s assistance.

The funding this grant provides will be used to assist with utility infrastructure, road and sidewalk construction, and streetscaping associated with downtown redevelopment. 

“This $5M grant will be an enormous help to the City of Derby for its downtown redevelopment,” Gentile said. “It will breathe life into the vision that was created through an open process that incorporated public ideas into a comprehensive, yet realistic plan to transform Derby's downtown into a vibrant hub of economic activity.

"It will help with the utility infrastructure, road and sidewalk construction and streetscaping associated with the project. I am grateful for Governor Malloy's support, and for the help and assistance of DECD and OPM.”

“This is a monumental day for the citizens of Derby,” Mayor Anita Dugatto said. 

“This funding award will allow us to take the next critical step in restoring our city center to economic prosperity. We eagerly look forward to the day when our downtown streets are once again bustling with activity.  

"I want to especially thank OPM, State Rep. Linda Gentile, and DECD Deputy Commissioner Tim Sullivan for seeing the value in investing in our great little city. And to all the developers who have been waiting in the wings, Derby is moving forward!”

This is a press release from Gentile's office.

2nd Downtown Now! workshop slated Wednesday in Derby

DERBY - The City of Derby is inviting residents to the second public workshop of Downtown Now! Derby’s Blueprint for Progress. 
The workshop, Community Choices, will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at The Ballroom, 33 Elizabeth St.


The Community Choices Workshop follows the successful Community Voices Workshop held Sept. 22. 

More than 100 residents, business owners, and other stakeholders attended the September event to voice their opinions about downtown Derby as it exists now and how they would like to see it in the future.

“Community Choices is a critical meeting,” said Mayor Anita Dugatto. “It’s where we begin the process of reconciling the ideas we collected at the Community Voices Workshop with the realities of the redevelopment site.”

The redevelopment site encompasses nearly 14 acres of publically and privately held land on the south side of Main Street in downtown Derby.
The community’s ideas will be measured against land use, economic, and infrastructure conditions with the help of the consulting firm DPZ Partners and its project team.

DPZ Partners was selected to lead Downtown Now! through a Request for Proposal process. The project is fully funded by a grant from Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development.
“The activities that will be conducted at the Community Choices Workshop will enable us to to create an implementable development plan that is in sync with the vision of Derby’s residents,” Dugatto said.
The workshop will consist of several segments. 

It will start with a summary of the ideas collected at the Community Voices Workshop. 
At the September workshop, participants mapped places downtown they liked and disliked; then they brainstormed on different development opportunities that could improve downtown and ultimately the entire city.

3 presentations
The Community Choices Workshop will then continue with three presentations by the DPZ team: 
1.) challenges posed by the redevelopment site; 
2.) demographic and economic forces at play; and 
3.) infrastructure conditions.

“One of the most important tasks we have is to help Derby residents refine their vision so that it is implementable,” said Marina Khoury, DPZ’s team leader. “To do this, we will ask participants to address any discrepancies between their vision and the realities. From there, we will have them establish preferences and set priorities.”

Each of the presentations will be followed by a question and answer session that will use electronic keypads to record responses. The electronic keypads provide instant feedback - the results of each question will be projected on to a screen within seconds.
“By the end of the evening, we will have a good idea of where we are going from here. That will set the stage for the next step of the process: design,” Khoury said.

Following the Community Choices Workshop, public engagement for Downtown Now! will continue with the Derby Charrette. The charrette is an intensive design activity involving all members of the DPZ team. 
As planners design and develop alternatives, the public will have several opportunities, through drop-in sessions and formal presentations, to weigh-in and help shape the redevelopment plan.

The City of of Derby has appointed a citizen Advisory Committee to guide the development of the plan. Advisory Committee members include: Shane Mangado, Jack Walsh, Christian Meagher, Jim Gildea, Christina DiMartino, Natasha Kelly, Virginia Russo, Willetta Capelle, Beth Colette, and Sarah Widomski.
With offices in Miami and Washington, D.C., DPZ Partners is one of the country’s preeminent urban design and planning firms, having designed over 400 new and existing communities in the U.S. and abroad.
For Downtown Now! DPZ Partners has joined forces with CDM Smith who will provide infrastructure and environmental engineering support; The Williams Group who will conduct market analysis to determine what the market can support, develop, and finance; Urban 3 who will analyze the tax revenue implication of proposed alternatives; Gianni Longo and Associates who will lead public engagement; New Haven-based Robert Orr Associates who will focus on the unique character of Derby’s urbanism and architecture; and Good Earth Advisors (GEA), also based in Connecticut, who will assist with community outreach and act as a local liaison. 


This is a press release from Mayor Dugatto's office.

Newsletter features Downtown Now workshop in Derby, McDonald's rebuild, more

Dear readers,

We just finished putting together the latest Valley Voice newsletter, and you can check it out by clicking here: http://media.wix.com/ugd/329bf6_67d515900db24212836367f98f911a3a.pdf 


Thanks for reading!

~ Patti and Ralph

Newsletter features Downtown Now workshop in Derby, McDonald's rebuild, more

Dear readers,

We just finished putting together the latest Valley Voice newsletter, and you can check it out by clicking here: http://media.wix.com/ugd/329bf6_67d515900db24212836367f98f911a3a.pdf 


Thanks for reading!

~ Patti and Ralph

Community offers ideas for future of downtown Derby

Kayleigh Apicerno, standing at right, facilitates a group Thursday night at a Community Voices workshop in Derby. The well-attended session was held to get ideas from members of the community for the future of the downtown district.

Ansonia to host forum on Village District zoning

Ansonia to host forum on redevelopment study