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CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN
Context
The Conceptual Master Plan for the Downtown Area, evolved from a series of public workshops whereby attendees shared their ideas on patterns and types of development within the downtown area. TPA Design Group attended these meetings in an effort to translate these ideas into a physical plan. This Plan not only reflects the ideas of the public, but also addresses the planning issues necessary to guide DECD, the Developer, and other consultants toward technical review and implementation.
This Plan has universal application to Torrington since the Developer can focus on certain targeted development sites, while the City or other partners can focus on complementary improvements, such as park connections, merchant assistance programs and the other recommendations of the Initiative. Furthermore, the City may be interested in attracting new developers to those areas not addressed by the currently designated Developer.
As implementation ensues, the Plan can be modified to bring in new areas of focus and to reflect progress to date. In fact, the City could use a revised version of the Conceptual Master Plan to segue into broader planning discussions as it continues on in its mission of restoring vitality to the downtown.
As with any plan, boundaries are utilized to delineate a primary area of study or concerns. But unlike a municipal boundary, a planning boundary shall remain sufficiently flexible to allow changes. Just as new areas can be added and completed projects re-categorized, the boundary can be adjusted to reflect the next steps in implementation.
During the course of the public meetings, attendees came to understand the reference to “downtown” to the extent that the boundary depicted in the Master Plan incorporates not just the heart of downtown Torrington (a few blocks east and west of the Main Street corridor) but a critical mass of business, civic and institutional uses coupled with larger scale parcels either abandoned, blighted or underutilized. With this, downtown Torrington is in an envious position from point to point, irrespective of origin or destination a person can walk anywhere within 10 minutes. This “ped-shed” (a colloquial term based on a concept similar to watersheds except rather than water draining from high to low points we have people walking) physically supports the intention of creating a pedestrian-friendly environment with
linkages to a diversity of land uses as well as to natural assets, namely the River and parks. A “walkable” downtown having sufficient socioeconomic critical mass could also be an ideal candidate for transit-oriented development.
Recommended Land Uses
The categories and discussion below correspond to the seven (7) major land use recommendations represented in the Conceptual Master Plan for the Downtown Area.
CENTRAL CORE: This area is the business, cultural and civic heart of downtown. It includes City Hall, the Vogel-Wetmore School, a considerable number of retailers and offices as well as the Warner Theatre and the Nutmeg Ballet. This core area also contains historic buildings and buildings of local significance. The primary consideration in this area is placing preservation as a priority, recognizing that a suitable evaluation of physical and economic feasibility must precede any decision affecting development. Given the mass and configuration of the existing buildings, however, the overriding objective is to enhance the physical appearance of the core, create pedestrian pathways throughout and focus programmatic efforts on assisting the existing businesses as opposed to redevelopment.
COMMUNITY/INSTITUTIONAL: This particular area has been distinguished from the Central Core because it is situated south of the Naugatuck River and between two significant open space/park areas, and contains the Library. The use of the remaining area should be reserved for some type of civic-related function or in support of library functions.
RETAIL/COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT: West of Torrington's Central Core between Church Street to the north and the River to the south, there exists an assemblage of properties fronting Water Street. This area currently lacks a consistent complement of land uses. If redeveloped, existing businesses could be relocated to suitable locations, thus creating a significant land resource to boost downtown's economic base. Redevelopment is expected to proceed in a fashion similar to the Multi-Use areas, with design standards in place to ensure that new construction complements the existing fabric of Downtown.
MULTI-USE DEVELOPMENT: There are two major concentrations of property slated for redevelopment, which should incorporate a mix of land uses. One area is to the east between Franklin Street and East Main and the other occupies three quadrants of the Water Street/Church Street intersection. The mix of uses would be more specifically determined by market demand but in all cases, the intention should be to respect existing neighborhood context, incorporate design guidelines that serve to minimize visual impacts, and incorporate sensitive site planning principles. This may include retaining key buildings (after demonstration of physical and financial feasibility), visual buffers of new buildings and parking, landscaped interior parking, full cut-off lighting, safe pedestrian pathways within parking areas, and
linkages to surrounding parks or the River. The primary intention in these areas is to create a mix of compatible uses that not only support each other, but also achieve the overall vision of downtown as an attractive and walkable setting. The land use mix appropriate for these areas may include housing, commercial and retail, as well as integrate civic or institutional uses such as a courthouse or museum.
REVITALIZATION SITES: There are two existing retail plazas within the Plan area. They occupy large key locations and will affect, and are effected by, any new redevelopment and revitalization activities recommended. As project are planned and developed in the adjacent areas, the reconfiguration, aesthetic improvement and modernization of these sites are anticipated in order to meet the changing markets and to capitalize on the new opportunities and synergy in the Downtown.
ANCILLARY DEVELOPMENT SITES: The three areas in this category of land use are recognized in the Plan because acreage, proximity to other uses or existing conditions may render them suitable for redevelopment or revitalization to complement adjacent development efforts. In this manner, these expansion areas may provide necessary land mass and/or second-tier development sites. An appropriate role for the City to initially play in addressing revitalizing or redeveloping any of these properties would be to perform a Highest & Best Use Analysis, the results of which would help to guide future land uses, identify suitable developers, and evaluate consistency with the City's physical and economic policies.
OPEN SPACE/PARKS: These greenspaces, which include the Old Center Cemetery, are designated in the Plan to place emphasis on their relationship to the existing downtown and to future development patterns. Pedestrian connections throughout the Plan area will assist in presenting these greenspaces as community and tourism assets.
Other Recommendations
In addition to designating general land uses, the Conceptual Master Plan also identifies four other areas of improvement. These are not tied to any specific parcel but rather reflect an overall public purpose. These include:
PARKING: There currently exists a parking shortage or in some instances a misallocation (ample spaces but not within a suitable walking distance to the destination). With redevelopment, the City's zoning regulations will require a certain number new spaces consistent with the proposed uses. It is recommended that parking be provided in an organized and thoughtful way to meet the projected demand as well as current needs. The Plan identifies general areas where this can be accomplished. The Multi-Use and Retail/Commercial areas will require surface and or/structured parking. Regardless of configuration, parking should be arranged to fit within the existing context of downtown. The concept of shared parking to be developed in the area behind buildings facing Main Street between City Hall and
East Main Street would benefit the Warner Theatre and Nutmeg Ballet, as well as the surrounding businesses. Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the handling of storm water shall be employed. There is also an opportunity to create satellite surface parking behind businesses on the south side of Water Street along the River. Decorative lighting and ample landscaping would transition into a public access corridor running along the River and connecting to other areas.
STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS: Within the public right-of-way (typically the area extending from the back of the curb to the front of buildings), various improvements can be made that will enhance and unify the appearance of downtown. These improvements may include plantings, decorative lighting, benches, colored or textured pavements, and directional signage. If designed properly, these aesthetic treatments will also bring functional improvement. First and foremost, when lighting and trees are placed appropriately within the right-of-way, a smaller more human scale is established which provides a greater sense of connection between people, buildings, and their surroundings. Within the street, a narrower view shed can often supplement efforts to “calm” traffic. Studies indicate that a
narrower field of vision tends to slow traffic down. The streetscape improvements proposed for Torrington should also connect physically and visually with significant destinations, noted gateways, greenways, parks, and businesses. It should be noted that although improvements such as these do not alone spur economic development, coupled with an effective retention and attraction program, they provide physical confirmation that attention and funds are being directed toward the downtown. The Gateways noted on the Conceptual Plan present additional opportunity. Aside from beautification, these nodes will greet visitors and residents alike and may include directional signage to points of interest or interpretative signage highlighting cultural, historic, or natural resources.
TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS: The improvement of the five-legged intersection at Main and Water Streets could have as significant benefit to downtown as revitalization. Although there have been a number of alternatives discussed, a broader evaluation into potential street closings, circulation and lane changes, and access management is needed. Because of the existing problems with this intersection, any large-scale plans for development within the Plan area will need to a traffic study with proposed improvements. Depending on the scale of development, an approval from the State Traffic Commission may be required. Such an approval may involve conditions that stipulate the improvement of the road and signal network supporting the proposed development. Depending on the location of the development, these
required improvements might or may not involve the Main/ Water Streets intersection. The solution to this intersection should incorporate pedestrian-friendly, human-scale elements and should not be solely dedicated to vehicular movement.
In fact, the confluence of all these roads constitutes quite a large area that could be transformed into the visual epicenter of downtown, irrespective of its traffic function. This goal would be accomplished through the efforts of an interdisciplinary team of professionals, not exclusively traffic engineers.
RIVERWALK/GREENWAY: Public access to the River at specific spots, and a walkway along one or both of its sides will help to tie many of Downtown Torrington's assets together. Economic, historic, civic and institutional assets could be physically tied to the River through a system of interconnections between sidewalks and other linear corridors and a trail system. Ultimately, this trail could extend in both directions to meet with other greenway initiatives. Historically, water played a significant role in the economy and the Naugatuck River's proximity to the downtown and future development sites would add an additional dimension to revitalization efforts.
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