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I grew up in a suburb near Danbury. My family also lived in Ridgefield before that. I attended WCSU. I'm pretty embedded in that area, and once in a while I'll explore the region that I left a little over 3 years ago.
Unfortunately, what I've seen in Downtown Danbury the past few years is not encouraging.
Everywhere else in CT, downtowns seem to be thriving.
In Westport, where I just concluded a 5 year stint of work - it's absolutely booming. When I first started working there, it was already doing fairly well - but there were A LOT of empty storefronts and few restaurants. As of now, new restaurants are opening every month, retail is booming, and there are very few empty storefronts. The west side of the river by National Hall is still problematic, but it's getting better and I think Bartaco will be a good anchor property. The new parking garage will help tremendously there, and it's good to see a town being proactive in addressing a languishing area.
West Hartford is another prime example. Blue Back was built before the downturn, so maybe timing was on their side. But if you go there now, it's flourishing all over the Center. This is despite having a mall within a couple miles driving distance!
Fairfield too. Absolutely booming in the center. I remember Plenty of vacancies 4-5 years ago, and can think of nearly a dozen new businesses to come in since then.
Now, you could argue that all those towns are far more affluent than Danbury. And you're right. But then I look to Milford, where I live. Similarly middle class as Danbury. Also has a large mall in town and significant strip-mall-type commercial. But, now, downtown Milford has ZERO empty storefronts (pending Eli's completing Daniel Street). When I moved there, there were a good 4-5 empty storefronts - including the blighted Harrison's building that is now a GORGEOUS Colony Grill location. At least half a dozen new businesses have come in just in the past 6 months.
Even downtown Bethel is doing decently right now.
And if you remove the affluence factor, look at New Haven. New places are opening up every day downtown and empty storefronts are becoming more and more rare. It's taking full advantage of Yale AND the affluence in the suburbs surrounding it. Danbury has plenty of money nearby.
Part of this is the economy getting better, but part of it is changing behavior in shopping/dining in suburbs - especially among generation X and millenials. They want that walkable town center, especially for nightlife. I'm a millennial, and it also bugged the hell out of me that Danbury didn't have a decent downtown. Big part of why I moved.
But visiting Downtown Danbury recently, it was utterly depressing. Empty storefronts everywhere. Ugly storefronts occupied by third-tier retailers. It's dead there. Meeker's Hardware is gone. There was a decent bar and a decent Italian restaurant I used to go to, and both are gone and empty. Same with a few other bars we used to go to. All gone.
What the heck is going on there? My circle of friends have always said that downtown has so much potential with WCSU nearby. What does it take to improve it? If not a retail presence, it could be something special for nightlife. It's hard to compete with the mall, but why wouldn't a couple cool coffee shops (even a Starbucks), art galleries, indie mom & pop type shops, restaurants, etc. do well? You know, the same things every good college town has. It would even have the effect of making WCSU more appealing!
Mill Plain Road has become the new nightlife destination for Danbury, but it's not great. It requires getting in a car drunk, you can't bar hop by foot, there's no character to the area.
My thought is the wrong businesses keep opening up there. No one has vision. No local chains that have a marketable product (think of your Frank Pepe/Prime 16/Plan B/Colony Pizza/Max Restaurants type places) are willing to gamble on it. The crappy storefronts and riff raff scare away the students and suburbanites.
From a culture standpoint, I know that there's a challenge with attracting the surrounding area. Where I grew up, there was a fear of cities, people isolated themselves and weren't really into dining/nightlife/culture, and overall just had a thinly veiled fear of places that weren't lilly white and preppy. It's unfortunate, but true. Does downtown have to be homogenous to succeed? I hope not. That's not really the point. I think it just needs the right businesses. Start with the students, and then the suburbanites start to flow in. Someone needs to start the ball rolling, or an investor needs to take the first gamble. If I was in that business, I would consider creating an intelligently designed, trendy/upscale nightlife area for Westconn students. And more apartments for students. That's just my opinion. Maybe it's hopeless.
TLR but I can sense a lot of thought and energy went into the post. It's going to be tough to revive downtown Danbury when the mall has become such a strong destination for shopping and dining. It is arguably the best in the state and has also transitioned to a more upscale vibe. I also think that many surrounding towns already have great downtowns that are supported by the community and even adjacent towns. I'm not sure Western CT can sustain another postcard town with Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield, Bethel and Newtown in such close proximity. We really are spoiled here in CT, but it's probably wishful thinking to believe that every city or town can be a New Canaan, West Hartford or parts of New Haven.
I think you may have some colored lenses in terms of your recollection of Westport, Fairfield and others. Vacancies were higher at the peak of the recession, but those towns have been thriving and on top of their game for decades now. They just appeared a bit fatigued during the deepest economic downtown since the Great Depression. I actually feel Westport is losing its identity with so many franchise retailers in town, albeit high end.
Also, what is wrong with having to drive? We still live in a car centric state. Based on some of your earlier comments, and some mosaic theory, I don't believe you live within walking distance of Milford's downtown. You, like most other patrons, drive to and from dining out and responsible drinking. Buy a Tesla if you want to reduce your carbon footprint.
I'm just going to throw in my Railroad view on this... The Fact that the Danbury Branch has been neglected for this long hurts Danbury , it also hurts the various towns along the line Bethel is doing fine however they have bigger plans and cannot do them without an upgrade. Its the same with Wilton , Redding (Georgetown) , North Danbury and Mill Plain , all have developments and Urban Renewal plans tied to Railway Projects but since those projects are moving so slow the developers have decided to shelve them for now. Before you Railway Upgrades and expansions won't impact Danbury all that much cutting the commute time down to 40mins from 60-80mins is a huge deal and would cause an explosion of growth in Downtown Danbury and Danbury in general. It was also attract Hipsters , Artists and Gen Y/millennials which are starting to get pushed out of the FFC and New Haven. Danbury can be a low cost safe haven for FFC / NY Commuters with rents averaging 900 and 1200$ vs 1400 to 2000$ in the FFC and NY...
Gen X is nearing Retirement within the next 10 to 15 years but I don't think this generation would like to move into or set up shop in Danbury or any City in general as they've been taught to fear and stay away from Cities by their parents and most of that fear still holds strong today. I would just focus on the renewing the smaller Coastal towns and old Industrial towns that have fallen to the wayside , those towns will become popular with Gen Y and Gen X alike.
Aside from the Danbury Branch , restoring / upgrading the Beacon/Maybrook line would link Danbury to Bridgeport , New Haven , Poughkeepsie and White Plains within 60mins... Which could be the spark that brings in Gen X if you do manage to attract them , it will also attract more of Gen Y which commutes heavily to White Plains and NY and not everyone can afford the expensive costs of the FFC/NY. With a growing population in Downtown Danbury between Gen Y and some of Gen X you will see new nicer businesses and restaurants opening up... It would look similar to Downtown Milford , Fairfield or Darien. I would encourage Mixed Use development in Downtown Danbury and near the current and proposed stations that would add a New Haven or Stamford like Atmosphere to Danbury while preserving the Downtown core and reducing dead zones. Downtown Danbury has done a few things right with its Pedestrian safety features at intersections and narrowed streets , now it has to apply that to the rest of the city. A Progressive Multi-Modal Transportation plan needs to be drawn up for the rest of the city and that includes narrowing unnecessary wide streets which encourage dangerous speeding , narrowed Intersections which improve pedestrian safety , Bike lanes and Bike parking in the Downtown area , Improved Bus stops and longer crosswalk signals across busy Streets...
So upgrading the Railroad and expanding the lines to other parts of the region along with upgrading the streets and safety will pave the way for Danbury's future. Once the lines are in place , and how fast this region turns things around I would give it 5 years , 10 years to fully build out. It has alot of potential like Providence , Hartford or Springfield but it badly needs a major city wide and regional infrastructure upgrade. Its being left behind due to the fact that its so far out of the Metro and a pain to reach the Main Job cores. Its a fringe city , unlike a few other Fringe cities like New Haven or Portland it relies on the far away metro for its economy and that doesn't work unless you have a fast way of reaching that Job core like New Brunswick or Morristown are within 45min express train ride from 4 large job hubs...
Also, what is wrong with having to drive? We still live in a car centric state. Based on some of your earlier comments, and some mosaic theory, I don't believe you live within walking distance of Milford's downtown. You, like most other patrons, drive to and from dining out and responsible drinking. Buy a Tesla if you want to reduce your carbon footprint.
Nothing wrong with driving. I'm 2 miles from downtown, so I drive. I've walked/biked a few times though in nicer weather. At the end of my small street, it's 100% sidewalks to downtown.
I didn't say driving was bad, it's more of a shift in behavior to have walkable outdoor areas where people can drive, park once, and enjoy a nice setting. Or access via train.
Also - I don't see Danbury becoming postcard-perfect, but I could see it taking on some college-town qualities. Do I think it'll happen in the next 5-10 years? Probably not, sadly.
So upgrading the Railroad and expanding the lines to other parts of the region along with upgrading the streets and safety will pave the way for Danbury's future. Once the lines are in place , and how fast this region turns things around I would give it 5 years , 10 years to fully build out. It has alot of potential like Providence , Hartford or Springfield but it badly needs a major city wide and regional infrastructure upgrade. Its being left behind due to the fact that its so far out of the Metro and a pain to reach the Main Job cores. Its a fringe city , unlike a few other Fringe cities like New Haven or Portland it relies on the far away metro for its economy and that doesn't work unless you have a fast way of reaching that Job core like New Brunswick or Morristown are within 45min express train ride from 4 large job hubs...
A better train line would help, but would be tough. Ridership is extremely low on that line compared to the New Haven line, so it's hard to convince anyone to spend budget on it.
Having lived there for so long, I can tell you very much that people live in their cars. It's very much a culture where you go to the strip mall or the Danbury Fair Mall and do your shopping, go to your chain restaurants, etc. It's like that in a lot of places in America, I just feel like given Danbury's growth and WCSU's presence, that a walkable downtown could/should gain traction.
No one thinks to use that station. I used it once in high school to go to NYC when I didn't know any better. 2+ hours and a transfer in SoNo later, and I realized why everyone went to Brewster. A speedy express to Stamford/NYC would definitely change the area walkable to the train station, but I have doubts that'll happen in the foreseeable future.
A better train line would help, but would be tough. Ridership is extremely low on that line compared to the New Haven line, so it's hard to convince anyone to spend budget on it.
Having lived there for so long, I can tell you very much that people live in their cars. It's very much a culture where you go to the strip mall or the Danbury Fair Mall and do your shopping, go to your chain restaurants, etc. It's like that in a lot of places in America, I just feel like given Danbury's growth and WCSU's presence, that a walkable downtown could/should gain traction.
No one thinks to use that station. I used it once in high school to go to NYC when I didn't know any better. 2+ hours and a transfer in SoNo later, and I realized why everyone went to Brewster. A speedy express to Stamford/NYC would definitely change the area walkable to the train station, but I have doubts that'll happen in the foreseeable future.
Its 5,300 people , its called an Investment. Reducing the travel time to NYC to 70mins and 45mins for Stamford will attract alot of ridership , projections will the all the developments factored in are as high as 25,000 daily riders with the Full build and expansion to New Milford. If CT can waste money on a busway and numerous other smaller pork projects it can invest in the neglected Branch system. All 3 Branches need 1.5 Billion in total in upgrades including the busy New Canaan Branch which has the same amount of Ridership as the Danbury Branch. Without these upgrades more service can't be added and redevelopments along the line won't happen. The reason why only 5,000 use both branches and not more is due to the lousy service if you improve service then more people will use the lines. NJT and the LIRR both upgraded all there smaller lines and have seen huge ridership spikes , same the MBTA , SEPTA and METRA... People aren't going to use a service when its horrible...seeing how their are huge redevelopments tied to all the lines hopefully Hartford finally wakes up from its short term thinking dream and start thinking long term... There are about 6,000 who drive over to the Harlem line , restoring service along the Beacon/Maybrook line would get a decent amount of Ridership and would add a one seat ride to White Plains , New Haven , Bridgeport and Poughkeepsie...it would also connect 12 colleges and Universities and at least 60,000 students....
At the end of the day it does't really matter how much people love their cars , if you give them a reliable form of Transportation they will switch for long distance commuting and trips... For Food shopping and short trips around town people will still drive , but hopefully with pedestrian upgrades and other walkable improvements even that will change.... Its happening as we speak in the City of Portland,Maine , a shift from car based lifestyled to a walk/transit based lifestyle. It takes time , but with investment in city and regional transit and other alt modes of Transportation its possible to switch opinions and get ridership up. WCSU's is disconnected from Danbury itself , linking it up with Downtown Danbury and other nearby towns would spark a renewal...and give students a place to go to on weekends on their days off.
As for the Shopping Malls and Chain Restaurants , the Malls all over the country are in decline and the Internet and the Rise of Main Street shopping are the cause of that along with the Market being oversaturated.... Towns in the FFC took advantage of that and fixed up their downtowns and rode of the Main Street renewal Wave. Danbury and other similar towns can do the same , its not as hard as it sounds.
The mall definitely has an effect, but West Hartford has a great mall too, and its center is thriving. Also the Federal Road area has a ton of shopping, Stews's etc. which has an effect. Although I don't think downtown Danbury is that bad, especially when compared to places like Ansonia or Derby. We take our kids every year to the Railway Museum to ride the pumpkin and Santa trains, and they love it. It's a great attraction. But my frame of reference is only in the past few years - I have nothing to compare it to from the past.
Improvements to the Danbury line would help, but it will cost millions if not billions to upgrade. There is no money for this, and even if here was, I'm not sure the return is worth the cost. Plus, the busway boondoggle has left a bad taste in the public's mouth for mass transit projects in general.
The mall definitely has an effect, but West Hartford has a great mall too, and its center is thriving. Also the Federal Road area has a ton of shopping, Stews's etc. which has an effect. Although I don't think downtown Danbury is that bad, especially when compared to places like Ansonia or Derby. We take our kids every year to the Railway Museum to ride the pumpkin and Santa trains, and they love it. It's a great attraction. But my frame of reference is only in the past few years - I have nothing to compare it to from the past.
Improvements to the Danbury line would help, but it will cost millions if not billions to upgrade. There is no money for this, and even if here was, I'm not sure the return is worth the cost. Plus, the busway boondoggle has left a bad taste in the public's mouth for mass transit projects in general.
1.2 Billion to overhaul and expand the Branches
-60 Miles of New Track
-New Signal System
-12 New Bridges
-1 Overhauled Tunnel
-18 Expanded Stations
-9 New Stations
-6 Passing sidings
-34 Upgraded Crossings
-2 New Yards
-15 Curve upgrades
-Re-Electrifying the Danbury Branch
-50 New EMU sets for the Danbury Branch
-15 New DMU sets for the Waterbury Branch
-4 Upgraded or New Substations
Thats pretty reasonable , and I don't expect it to rise... Without upgrades you will also see a growing strain on Route 7 and the Mainline stations. People are driving down by thousands to the Mainline stations and taking spots from those in the FFC , same is happening along the Harlem line. Theres only so many stations and Parking lots you can build , you have to upgrade the Branch system. We could also build massive expensive garages in each town that will fix the problem or build the Super 7 of course neither will happen due to NIMBY's and cost... Their are large redevelopments tied to all the Branches , at least 9 billion worth. Thats worth the upgrades to the Branch network along with relieving Mainline parking issues....if other states have upgraded their systems with low ridership and had positives results why wouldn't CT be any different? Look at the New Haven Line , it was always that well used but they invested in it and people have warmed to it...now the Branches get their turn.
1.2 Billion to overhaul and expand the Branches
-60 Miles of New Track
-New Signal System
-12 New Bridges
-1 Overhauled Tunnel
-18 Expanded Stations
-9 New Stations
-6 Passing sidings
-34 Upgraded Crossings
-2 New Yards
-15 Curve upgrades
-Re-Electrifying the Danbury Branch
-50 New EMU sets for the Danbury Branch
-15 New DMU sets for the Waterbury Branch
-4 Upgraded or New Substations
Thats pretty reasonable , and I don't expect it to rise... Without upgrades you will also see a growing strain on Route 7 and the Mainline stations. People are driving down by thousands to the Mainline stations and taking spots from those in the FFC , same is happening along the Harlem line. Theres only so many stations and Parking lots you can build , you have to upgrade the Branch system. We could also build massive expensive garages in each town that will fix the problem or build the Super 7 of course neither will happen due to NIMBY's and cost... Their are large redevelopments tied to all the Branches , at least 9 billion worth. Thats worth the upgrades to the Branch network along with relieving Mainline parking issues....if other states have upgraded their systems with low ridership and had positives results why wouldn't CT be any different? Look at the New Haven Line , it was always that well used but they invested in it and people have warmed to it...now the Branches get their turn.
I agree that it would great to upgrade the branch lines, but where would the money come from? Hartford is broke and Washington is well on its way. Even with all the upgrades, how much faster will the trip actually be? It's an hour from South Norwalk to GCT on average. Danbury to South Norwalk would have to be 30 min tops to make it attractive. It's currently 50 min plus. Shaving 5 or 10 mins off the trip won't do much to increase ridership.
The mall definitely has an effect, but West Hartford has a great mall too, and its center is thriving. Also the Federal Road area has a ton of shopping, Stews's etc. which has an effect. Although I don't think downtown Danbury is that bad, especially when compared to places like Ansonia or Derby. We take our kids every year to the Railway Museum to ride the pumpkin and Santa trains, and they love it. It's a great attraction. But my frame of reference is only in the past few years - I have nothing to compare it to from the past.
Improvements to the Danbury line would help, but it will cost millions if not billions to upgrade. There is no money for this, and even if here was, I'm not sure the return is worth the cost. Plus, the busway boondoggle has left a bad taste in the public's mouth for mass transit projects in general.
When did West Hartford get a mall? Actually, it looks like they've moved the address for Westfarms to West Hartford, but all local taxes go to Farmington. Interesting.
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R but I can sense a lot of thought and energy went into the post. It's going to be tough to revive downtown Danbury when the mall has become such a strong destination for shopping and dining. It is arguably the best in the state and has also transitioned to a more upscale vibe. I also think that many surrounding towns already have great downtowns that are supported by the community and even adjacent towns. I'm not sure Western CT can sustain another postcard town with Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield, Bethel and Newtown in such close proximity. We really are spoiled here in CT, but it's probably wishful thinking to believe that every city or town can be a New Canaan, West Hartford or parts of New Haven.
