CMSC Says YES to Walkable Neighborhoods at UConn/DOT Livability Forum
CMSC's Communications Manager, Christine Schilke, was thrilled to represent YES - Young Energetic Solutions - during a forum on livability in Connecticut presented by the UConn School of Engineering and the CT Dept. of Transportation. Christine presented an overview of the economic factors impacting millennials including large amounts of student debt, Connecticut's high housing costs (for both homeownership and rental) and the cost of transit. She also offered insight into what this generation is seeking in their communities, including walkable neighborhoods (whether in an urban, suburban or rural setting), as well as smaller, denser and more affordable housing, and proximity to transit options and amenities.
The event featured guest speaker Andrew Cotugno, Portland, Oregon's Senior Policy Advisor to the Metro Council and Chief Operating Officer, who talked about his city's 30 year journey to becoming a national leader in transportation and
| Photo courtesy of Chris LaRosa, UConn School of Engineering |
livable communities. CT DOT Commissioner James Redeker spoke about the state's Let's Go CT! initiative - a 30-year transportation plan and its ambitious 5-year ramp up schedule, while Alyssa Norwood from the Legislative Commission on Aging provided a complementary view of Connecticut's aging population, noting that today's seniors are healthier and more active than their predecessors, desiring to also to live in walkable, vibrant areas; building communities responsive to their needs results in places that are great to to grow up as well as grow older.
This event was taped by CT-N and is available for viewing online.
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Save the Date for Fall Workshop on Tax Increment Financing
Save the Date for September 11th when we'll hold an in-depth workshop on Tax Increment Financing (TIF). As you know, CMSC and a coalition of downtown advocates successfully passed legislation this year broadening TIF to include the formation of TIF districts and vastly increasing the number and type of activities eligible for TIFs. The workshop will discuss the new legislation and applicable uses, how to create TIF districts and will feature speakers from Iowa and Maine who have successfully created and implemented hundreds of TIF districts.
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CMSC Participating in SNEAPA Conference
CMSC will be participating in two sessions during the Southern New England American Planning Association (SNEAPA) Planning Conference, taking place at the Convention Center in Hartford on September 24-25. The conference is an annual 2-day event hosted by the Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts chapters of APA that draws over 500 planners, landscape architects, architects, engineers, academics, students and others. Be sure to sure to mark your calendars to join us at this great event.
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Re-Mains of the Day
▪ Transportation Planner Position Open in Mansfield - The Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc. is looking to fill a Transportation Coordinator position. This position will perform professional-level work managing the Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center and a variety of transit programs. For more information and application instructions, click here.
▪ CMSC Welcomes New Members - CMSC is expanding its statewide reach with the addition of several new members. We look forward to working with the following towns as they reinvigorate their main streets and town centers: New Hartford, Haddam, Watertown, Farmington, Fairfield and Milford.
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President's Message - 20 Years of Main Street
| From our 2005 Awards Presentation - in 2015 we're still looking forward while celebrating the past. |
It's hard to believe CMSC turns 20 this year. (Our fiscal year began July 1.) Despite two decades going by, our genesis in a private company remains unique on a national scale. You may recall we got our start in 1995 when the Connecticut Light & Power Company (CL&P) - now Eversource Energy - recognized there was no comprehensive approach to revitalizing our historic commercial districts. Concerned with protecting their significant investment in infrastructure in the State's downtowns, they provided the funding and internal administrative resources to establish the Connecticut Main Street Program. In 1999, with the support of then-Lt. Governor M. Jodi Rell, the renamed Connecticut Main Street Center (CMSC) became a private nonprofit corporation. Fast forward a couple decades and you'll find we remain just as passionate and committed to our downtowns as ever. And while we're proud of our many achievements and the success of our members over those many years, we're even prouder to report that demand for our services continues to grow, with six new members joining our statewide network this month. Our reach is broadening daily as we expand our role as convener and champion of downtown friendly policies and programs. It's perhaps fitting then that as we celebrate our past, we take stock of our present and look to our future. Throughout the coming year, you can expect to see highlights of the last twenty years in our newsletters and on social media (#20YrsofCMSC) while simultaneously receiving updates as we engage in a strategic planning process to help guide our future direction. In the meantime, I want to thank all of you for supporting us in our work over the last twenty years. I look forward to continuing our vital collaborations as we create engaging, vibrant Main Streets all across Connecticut.
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July 2015
Vol. 15/Issue 7
Upcoming Events
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Waterbury Business Women's Summer Tea
July 22
More Info
CMSC Closed for Labor Day
September 7
TIF Workshop
September 11
Berlin
CMSC Networking Event
Fairfield
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