DANBURY – Developers, business owners and residents briefed the lead consultant on proposed downtown zoning updates on the need to fix the city’s infrastructure before embarking on a downtown makeover at a Town Hall meeting earlier this week.

As Francisco Gomes, senior project manager at FHI Studios, presented the Department of Planning and Zoning’s proposed new zoning for downtown Danbury on Monday, Nov. 4, many in the packed Council Chambers took the opportunity to remember of the obstacles to development. There. They brought up issues like parking, flooding and the sewage system.

“I find parking in downtown Danbury deplorable,” said one resident. “For example, at the library there was only parking for staff, not for patrons. It wasn’t until the nearby bank went out of business and the city purchased it that the library had parking. People just want to run and run from the library. Now, you have to go to a parking lot blocks away. What is this?”

Gomes responded that he understands the importance of having enough parking downtown and that with the proposed zoning changes there would be less parking, but added that any developer who builds there would have a plan that includes their own of parking.

“We know that downtown parking is a real concern,” he said. “We don’t expect a developer to come in and build without parking. We know there is market demand for parking and we have the ability to lease space, lease space to tenants to provide parking.”

Another audience member brought up the issue of downtown flooding and how it wreaks havoc on nearby businesses and homes.

“What’s up with all the areas on Main Street that are flooded all the time?” asked another resident who has lived in Danbury for more than 40 years. “How can you think of going to Project B when Project A is problematic. People are flooded. There is something in the plans for that. That will affect everything you plan.”

Waleed Albakry, the city’s new planning director, had an answer on the flooding issue.

“Talk about flooding. Why do you think it happened?” said Albakry. “Because no investment was made. Because there is no development. If there is to be any development, there has to be a change in infrastructure that will help you and others.”

As for the sewage plant issue, the problem appears to be that the pipes are not large enough to carry sewage from the city and other nearby municipalities, according to Albakry. “Our city is working on this – the sewer and flood pipe system – where you have limited capacity with the sewer system,” he said.

A team of officials from the Department of Planning and Zoning, Mayor Roberto Alves’ office, the City Council, agencies and other commissions spent the past year working with Hartford-based FHI Studios on the proposed downtown zoning changes. In total, there are 11 recommended zoning changes. These include:

• Renaming the Downtown zoning district
• Geographical extension of the district
• Increase in permitted building height
• Minor changes to permitted uses
• Affordable Housing Incentive/Building Height Bonus
• Restrictions on use on the first floor with a street view on the main street
• Reducing parking requirements
• Access management and consolidated parcel regulations
• Site Design Requirements
• Building design guide
• Sustainable design requirements and incentives

Downtown survey

A big part of the proposed rezoning process was a survey of 625 residents by FHI Studios over several months, Gomes said. He had questions asking them about their vision for downtown.

Nearly 60 percent of those polled thought Danbury should be open to significant growth and change, while about 20 percent thought the city should be able to grow and change, but only gradually.

On a five-star scale, those who took the survey gave the city just two stars compared to other comparable centers in the state.

In terms of the type of commercial development they want for downtown, the top three responses were arts and entertainment, food service and retail. In terms of housing, they favored apartments and large buildings with townhouses and mixed-use development.

“The origins of the project stem primarily from the downtown Danbury transit plan that was completed in 2019,” Gomes said. “That was followed by Danbury’s comprehensive plan, which was a project my team worked on and completed in early 2023.

“Both plans identified downtown Danbury as a high priority for improvements and a high priority for investment and redevelopment of the city because that’s where the infrastructure is to support development.”

He added that the project area extends beyond the existing central business district mainly because it has a very limited footprint and includes historic structures that cannot be changed.

“We really need to expand into the high-density areas around the central business district to create some opportunities,” he said.

The next steps for the zoning change process are review of the changes by the Zoning Commission, finalizing the changes for adoption, which is expected in the next month. Then a public hearing will be scheduled in the winter of 2025, Gomes said.