The Town of Bethel is announcing the start of BETHEL FORWARD, a plan to revitalize downtown Bethel. Focused initially on the redevelopment of a 133-acre predominantly industrial area surrounding the train station, BETHEL FORWARD will consider the entire of downtown and will analyze a whole range of issues concerning land use, the economy, transportation, and infrastructure.
The first step in developing the plan will consist of two public meetings to gather ideas from stakeholders and residents. “Understanding what’s in the mind of those who live and work in Bethel and gaining their support is of immense importance to the development of the plan and will make it easier to implement it when the time comes,” said Marina Khoury, leader of the DPZ Partners team selected for the project.
The two meetings are scheduled for Thursday, October 1st and Thursday, October 29th. Both meetings will be open to the public and will start at 6:30 PM. They will take place in the multi-purpose room at the Clifford J. Hurgin Municipal Center, 1 School Street, Bethel. The public is encouraged to attend both meetings.
The first meeting will focus on collecting ideas for the future of downtown and the area surrounding the rail station. Using maps, participants will identify what works, what does not, and what can be done to make downtown better. All ideas presented will be collected and organized into preliminary goals and principles to guide the plan.
The second meeting will review those goals and principles and expand the conversation to include presentations and discussion of current land use and economic conditions. “These meetings are a unique opportunity for residents to come together and weigh-in on creating a vision to revitalize and enhance Bethel’s downtown.” said Steven DeMoura, co-chair of the BETHEL FORWARD Committee. “All of us who deeply care about the future of downtown should be there to help shape a vision we can own and support, while still honoring what we love about our town.”
With offices in Miami and Washington, D.C., DPZ Partners is one of the country’s preeminent urban design and planning firms, having designed over 400 new and existing communities in the U.S. and internationally. For BETHEL FORWARD, DPZ Partners has joined forces with: New Haven-based Robert Orr Associates who will focus on the unique character of Bethel’s urbanism and architecture; Gianni Longo and Associates who will lead public engagement; the Community Land Use + Economics Group who will analyze the area’s economic conditions; CDM Smith who will provide infrastructure and environmental engineering support; and, finally Massengale & Co who will advise the team on street design issues.
The Town of Bethel has appointed a citizen committee to guide the development of the plan. Committee members include: Bonnie Brown - Co-Chair, Economic Development Commission; Steven DeMoura – Co-Chair, commercial property and business owner; BobbiJo Beers, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, Jill DeRosa, downtown resident; Sandi Forman, Planning & Zoning Commission; Sue Holbrook, resident; John Lennon, Planning & Zoning Commission; Kevin McClosky, downtown resident; Roy Steiner, commercial property and business owner; Ken Stevens, downtown resident, and Rob Wallace, business owner and downtown resident.