[TheJackal]

As a Republican, this is the sort of action I expect government to take. They never should have removed the tolls in the first place!

It would be pretty neat if they completed routes 2, 6, and 11 but I won't hold my breath.

[wtby4000]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

Newark,Delaware and one day all the way to DC. But that would take 8-12hrs...vs a 4hr Amtrak Journey. One day in the future it should only take 2hrs from Springfield to NYC..

One day in our lifetimes will we see an Amtrak-free train journey from Newburyport, Massachusetts to Fredericksburg, Virginia?

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by wtby4000

One day in our lifetimes will we see an Amtrak-free train journey from Newburyport, Massachusetts to Fredericksburg, Virginia?

MARC needs to extend itself to Newark,Delaware , Shore Line East and Rhode Island Rail need to extend and meet up. They want to extend Rhode Island Service to Westerly... But not sure about the SLE extension to Westerly... Amtrak does not like stopping in Mystic or Westerly...and Stonington and Groton would like Service.... Its probably 15 years away... At least CT is moving faster then most states...

[Mr_250]

Has anyone heard about this Bill being introduced? HB 6851 - Establish the Connecticut Transit Corridor Development Authority. (READ: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/TOB/h/pdf...851-R00-HB.pdf)

On the surface it sounds great. But, read further into it. Towns/Cities will forfeit some rights & LAND in this bill. Summaries it's a bill that allows 11 people to decide what and who owns the property around transit (bus and train) terminals. The towns that these transit systems are in have NO say what is built within 1/2 mile radius of these terminals. That is scary.

I look at towns like Newington who would suffer from this. Let the towns decide what belongs in THEIR towns. A committee, 1/2 appointed by the Gov, should not have say. I could see just miles of strip malls. lol

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Originally Posted by Mr_250

Has anyone heard about this Bill being introduced? HB 6851 - Establish the Connecticut Transit Corridor Development Authority. (READ: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/TOB/h/pdf...851-R00-HB.pdf)

On the surface it sounds great. But, read further into it. Towns/Cities will forfeit some rights & LAND in this bill. Summaries it's a bill that allows 11 people to decide what and who owns the property around transit (bus and train) terminals. The towns that these transit systems are in have NO say what is built within 1/2 mile radius of these terminals. That is scary.

I look at towns like Newington who would suffer from this. Let the towns decide what belongs in THEIR towns. A committee, 1/2 appointed by the Gov, should not have say. I could see just miles of strip malls. lol

This TOD bill is hipster utopia completely unhinged from reality. CT remains primarily a group of bedroom communities and we are admittedly auto dependent. We don't need to apologize for this dynamic that remains very family friendly. However the concept of building (or taking over) property in close proximity to our limited public transportation that serves primarily commuters has no place. It is simply not practical to give up cars or even travel primarily by bus or train in almost any city/town. I also believe strongly that despite benefits to living near transportation, the demand in this state is away from higher density. We are not NYC!!!! The substance of the bill also sounds eerily similar to a port authority or MTA--- independent state agencies/authorities with limited or no supervision is truly scary.This authority has no place in town politics/decisions.

[CT_Native]

Strip malls? I don't think that's the intention. But I agree; I think towns/residents have the right to appoint a commission to decide what is to be developed where, but under three circumstances:

1) Rezoning must be a collaboration of what the state wants, and what the town wants. That's not simply for the town to solely decide.

2) None of those NIMBY committees strung up by a few loud locals who are afraid of a little change.

3) Private development with tax incentives. And mixed-use development for that matter (which is solidified through zoning).

Anything outside the radius of the transit zone should be untouched. Wilton is one example of that.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

Originally Posted by CT_Native

Strip malls? I don't think that's the intention. But I agree; I think towns/residents have the right to appoint a commission to decide what is to be developed where, but under three circumstances:

1) Rezoning must be a collaboration of what the state wants, and what the town wants. That's not simply for the town to solely decide.

2) None of those NIMBY committees strung up by a few loud locals who are afraid of a little change.

3) Private development with tax incentives. And mixed-use development for that matter (which is solidified through zoning).

Anything outside the radius of the transit zone should be untouched. Wilton is one example of that.

Wilton is within scope---- the Danbury line runs through town with multiple stops.

I also (obviously) disagree that the State should be involved in the decision--- they have shown pathetic leadership and fiscal stewardship.

[Beeker2211]

Originally Posted by Wilton2ParkAve

This TOD bill is hipster utopia completely unhinged from reality. CT remains primarily a group of bedroom communities and we are admittedly auto dependent. We don't need to apologize for this dynamic that remains very family friendly. However the concept of building (or taking over) property in close proximity to our limited public transportation that serves primarily commuters has no place. It is simply not practical to give up cars or even travel primarily by bus or train in almost any city/town. I also believe strongly that despite benefits to living near transportation, the demand in this state is away from higher density. We are not NYC!!!! The substance of the bill also sounds eerily similar to a port authority or MTA--- independent state agencies/authorities with limited or no supervision is truly scary.This authority has no place in town politics/decisions.

When I was growing up Wilton was absolutely tiny. But that hasn't stopped towns like Wilton from the subdividing that has increased the town population and put pressure on the transit system. What you're saying is we aren't NYC. We aren't. But we are still the 3rd most dense state, with some of the highest levels of population density in the country with some 80% of the people in the state only live on 2% of the land. The state's history has always been on the urban side, just a fact.

It's not like even Wilton is a sleepy little hamlet anymore, way too many of the houses were built in the 90's and 00's. What's the matter with using underused land for high density, low area housing and retail? The issue is that towns feel like they have no skin in the game to help their neighbouring municipalities, but want all the benefits of being in a dynamic economic area.

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by Beeker2211

When I was growing up Wilton was absolutely tiny. But that hasn't stopped towns like Wilton from the subdividing that has increased the town population and put pressure on the transit system. What you're saying is we aren't NYC. We aren't. But we are still the 3rd most dense state, with some of the highest levels of population density in the country with some 80% of the people in the state only live on 2% of the land. The state's history has always been on the urban side, just a fact.

It's not like even Wilton is a sleepy little hamlet anymore, way too many of the houses were built in the 90's and 00's. What's the matter with using underused land for high density, low area housing and retail? The issue is that towns feel like they have no skin in the game to help their neighbouring municipalities, but want all the benefits of being in a dynamic economic area.

Wilton hasn't been a sleepy little hamlet since the 50's. The town's population skyrocketed in the 60's and 70's when the population essentially tripled. It has grown modestly since then. With two acre zoning over most of the town, and with the town snapping up large parcels of open space, there isn't much more growth to be had. And this is true of many of the surrounding towns. The idea that there has been a recent surge in population growth is not supported by the numbers.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Mr_250

Has anyone heard about this Bill being introduced? HB 6851 - Establish the Connecticut Transit Corridor Development Authority. (READ: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/TOB/h/pdf...851-R00-HB.pdf)

On the surface it sounds great. But, read further into it. Towns/Cities will forfeit some rights & LAND in this bill. Summaries it's a bill that allows 11 people to decide what and who owns the property around transit (bus and train) terminals. The towns that these transit systems are in have NO say what is built within 1/2 mile radius of these terminals. That is scary.

I look at towns like Newington who would suffer from this. Let the towns decide what belongs in THEIR towns. A committee, 1/2 appointed by the Gov, should not have say. I could see just miles of strip malls. lol

I had heard about this. It primarily relates to the Stamford Transit Center and the plan to build a massive Transit Oriented Development on the site of the parking garage there. As I understand it the plan is to construct a major building there and the developer does not particularly want to go through the local zoning process to get the building approved. With the state investing millions in new transit facilities like Fairfield Metro Center, West Haven station and the new stations on the New Haven- Hartford-Springfield rail corridor, the feeling is that there is great economic development potential which they need to push for the good of the state. Too many towns have the NIMBY attitude and want absolutely no changes made in their communities. Still I think that just allowing developers to build anything within a 1/2 mile radius of a station could have a devastating impact on a communities character. Can you imagine a 15 story building being built near a station in say Saugatuck, Darien or Fairfield Center? That would be obscene. Jay