New Haven Independent

In general, the new study eliminates the expansive paved asphalt road that starts at Main Street and sweeps around Town Hall. It also seeks to fix traffic and parking obstacles and the recurring drainage problems on the lawn. Click here to read a short history of the Green and the plan’s objectives.

Branford residents will have a chance to add their input to the latest version of the plan at a public forum March 24 at 7 p.m. at the Canoe Brook Senior Center.

First Selectman Anthony “Unk”DaRos said in a prepared statement that improving the Green is vitally important. “We need to work out a coordinated design so that we can preserve and protect the attractive features of the Green, undo some of the damage that’s been caused by haphazard changes over the years and address critical traffic hazards and parking issues.”

Town Planner Shirley Rasmussen said “we want to hear what people think” In an interview, she explained that the forum is one step in an ongoing process that will take several years to complete.

Rasmussen said the Green is a complex area, since it is bounded not only by Town Hall but by churches and businesses. “It will take time to work on all the issues. It’s a balancing act with the various uses of the Green.”

The current study is an outgrowth of the 2007 Yale Urban Design Workshop Study, and the 2008 Main Street Gateway Study. It also addresses the last phase of the 1983 Town Center Revitalization Plan, now 26 years in the making.

Rasmussen said the next major step would be design engineering, which has been requested in the town’s 2010-2011 budget. Among the suggestions in the study is a traffic “round-about” at the western end of the Green.

David Sousa, of Clough Harbour and Associates, a nationally known firm, drafted a concept plan for the Green. He will present his findings at the forum. There will also be an opportunity for residents to ask questions and make comments.

The project is also under the purview of the Town Center Revitalization Review Board, which is chaired by Otty Norwood. He said that the 1983 plan brought acclaim to Branford as an example of how a well-designed revitalization project can contribute to the community.

“However, we still have long-unresolved problems in the Center relating specifically to the Green, a focal point for the community, Town Hall and church activities,” he said in a prepared statement. “Residents are well-aware of these problems: church and visitor parking, pedestrian safety, access by fire equipment and inadequate drainage, which has inhibited activities and events. … The Town Green Study is a critical step in again confronting these issues.”

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