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My husband and I found some homes in Fairfield and we setup appointments to tour the homes next week. We mapped the properties and drove up this weekend to get a feel of the neighborhoods.
The homes we saw were in Tunxis Hill and Stratfield sections. One of the homes we liked was very close to I-95, just off of Black Rock Turnpike. How is that area? I'm a bit concerned about traffic. It was around 9:00AM in the morning and traffic was light, but I'm not sure what the norm is. We also saw a home on Melville Ave. just past the Brooklawn Country Club, it seemed quieter, but still wondering about the traffic on Melville Ave. and what that's like.
We also saw a few homes that we liked in Stratfield. How is that section? It appeared to be far from I-95 and the Metro North, but much quieter and more scenic. Is the new rail system coming by this area?
Lastly, we both commute to NYC. Will we have an issue finding parking at the station?
Thanks again for all the feedback you all have given us through this process.
One of the homes we liked was very close to I-95, just off of Black Rock Turnpike. How is that area? I'm a bit concerned about traffic. It was around 9:00AM in the morning and traffic was light, but I'm not sure what the norm is.
It's a good question to ask. The noise you perceive at a given distance from a highway will differ due to terrain, elevation, etc. I once looked at a house that was a long way from a rural interstate (you could barely see the cars) but for some reason the noise was uncomfortably loud. In other places I've been much closer to traffic and perceived it as less obtrusive.
One point that may not have occurred to you: the post-midnight traffic on I-95 can be very heavy, and is largely trucks. It makes sense that if you have to pilot a big truck down I-95 you would prefer to do it when the commuters are in bed.
So if you think it's a location where noise might be an issue, you might try to visit the site at different times of day - and night.
Melville is nice and traffic would not be as bad as I-95/Black Rock.
Stratfield is great. A beutiful family oriented area with alot of charm. The train station will not be built in that area although. Of the areas you mentioned the Black Rock I95 area would be you closest to the new train station but depending on where your house is it will generally be alot more "active". A nice area near there but tucked farther away from 95 would be the Holland Hill section.
My husband and I found some homes in Fairfield and we setup appointments to tour the homes next week. We mapped the properties and drove up this weekend to get a feel of the neighborhoods.
The homes we saw were in Tunxis Hill and Stratfield sections. One of the homes we liked was very close to I-95, just off of Black Rock Turnpike. How is that area? I'm a bit concerned about traffic. It was around 9:00AM in the morning and traffic was light, but I'm not sure what the norm is. We also saw a home on Melville Ave. just past the Brooklawn Country Club, it seemed quieter, but still wondering about the traffic on Melville Ave. and what that's like.
We also saw a few homes that we liked in Stratfield. How is that section? It appeared to be far from I-95 and the Metro North, but much quieter and more scenic. Is the new rail system coming by this area?
Lastly, we both commute to NYC. Will we have an issue finding parking at the station?
Thanks again for all the feedback you all have given us through this process.
Hi cyan29 - Tunxis Hill is up and coming. It is more modest in comparison to other parts of town but there have been a lot of knock-downs and remodels in the area so it is definitely on the up swing. Black Rock Turnpike is a major commuter road is always busy with traffic. If you go off of it though, the neighborhoods are nice and quiet. The further off of it the better. This is true of most major roads in town.
Most of Melville Avenue is a busy road with the high school on it and is used as a connection between the Stratfield area and the Tunxis Hill area. There will be a marked increase in traffic once school is back in session (I know I grew up there).
Stratfield is a beautiful area as well. A lot of nice older homes. It is a bit further from I-95 and the train station but it is not too bad of a trip. Construction is set to start soon on the new train station on the east side of town soon (off Black Rock Turnpike south of I-95, near BJ's), so in a couple of years, it will be very convenient to trains.
As for parking at the existing train station, it may be a problem. Contact the Fairfield Parking Authority for information on it. They should be able to help. Also you agent should be able to help you as well. Good luck, Jay
JayCT- Thanks for the tip with the Melville Ave. location. It didn't even occur to me about the pick up in traffic once school begins! In fact, I think one of the houses I saw is on the same or a block down from the school you are referring to. I recall us passing a school as soon as we pulled out of the house. I just wasn't sure what level the schools was. We don't have children yet, so we are a long way from being able to take advantage of the proximity to the high school. Therefore, that wouldn't be an ideal location for us.
cyan29 - There are two schools on Melville Avenue. Fairfield Warde High School and Stratfield School. Warde is an enormus sprawling orange building with a large parking lot, a wing of the school building and a tennis court facing Meville at the very top of the hill. The other school is Stratfield Elementary. It is an older red brick colonial revival three story 1920's school building that is at the northern bottom of the hill (Melville goes up and down a couple of times) across from the Dogwood Green condominiums.
I should also add that there is a dead-end section of Melville located north of Fairfield Woods Road (beyond the traffic signal) that would have little traffic on it. I did notice in the Connecticut Post yesterday that there is a house for sale on that section of the street. I believe it is a charming stone front cape. Looked very nice. If this is the home you looked at, it would be very good. Melville dead-ends here at the back of Owen Fish Park which is a nice small park with ballfields, tennis courts, playground, pond and an old VFW Hall that was once a one-room school house for the area. If you have any other questions on particular streets or neighborhoods, let me know. Jay
JayCT- I looked up the schools and mapped the location and it's two blocks away from Stratfield Elementary. The house I looked at is at the corner of Melville Ave. and Linley Dr. The next cross street up is Montauk st. and the school is a few homes down on Melville Ave. How is traffic in that location?
The traffic on Melville will be busy, even when school is not in session. Melville connects the Stratfield area which is pretty densely populated with the shopping areas on lower Tunxis Hill (Stop & Shop Supermarket and Kohl's Department Store). If you were out there, you should have seen some traffic, even on Sunday. It will be worse during the week and when school is in session.
I should tell you that it will not be the type of traffic where cars are stopped. It is more a car (or group of cars) passing every few seconds. For someone from a city it will not be a problem. For someone from a suburb or the country, it will be. I am not sure if this is a problem with you or not.
I grew up on Knapps Highway which is very close to this (the high school is at the corner of Melville and Knapps) and traffic was pretty busy then and still is. I had a dog hit by a car once there so I personally would not live on a street as busy as these. JMHO Jay
Gotcha. It would most likely be too much for me as I live in a suburb in the city now and I can hear a pin drop outside day and night, so I would avoid that road.
cryan29 - If traffic will bother you, I would stay off Meville Avenue or any main through street. Linley Drive is a very very nice street and there is a house for sale on it. It would be nice but I am not sure if it is in your price range.
You also mentioned a house off Black Rock Turnpike but did not say what street. If the house is not on Black Rock Turnpike, it should be fine. The closer you get to I-95 the noiser it can be, but in general because Tunxis hill is a hill sort of overlooking the valley the I-95 runs through, you may hear some traffic no matter where you live. Jay
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