Presentation of Preferred Alternative

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South Norwalk Rail Station Inter-modal Facility
Study
South Norwalk Rail Station Inter-modal Facility
Study
Presentation of Preferred Alternative
Recommendations March 19, 2009
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Agenda

• Project Advisory Committee
• Public Outreach Program
• Environmental Process
• Transit Oriented Design
• Presentation of Recommended Design
• Next Steps
• Estimated Cost
• Questions and Answers

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Project Advisory Committee

• Andrew Glickson, Commissioner of the Norwalk
  Transit District
• Louis Schulman, Administrator of the Norwalk
  Transit District
• Timothy Sheehan, Norwalk Redevelopment Agency
• Michael Green, City of Norwalk Planning Zoning
  Department
• Hal Alvord, City of Norwalk Department of Public
  Works
• Curtis O. Law, Norwalk Housing Authority
• Tadd Diesel, Mayors Office
• Floyd Lapp, South West Regional Planning Agency
• Michael Sanders, Connecticut Department of
  Transportation
• Lou Guarnieri, Property Owner
• James White, Norwalk Zoning Commission
• Poko Partners
• John Hiscock, South Norwalk Electric Water (2nd
  Taxing District)
• Keith R. Brown, Property Owner
• Michael Coffey
• Thomas Hamilton, City of Norwalk Finance
  Department
• Reverend Gilbert DeSousa, St. Josephs Rectory

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Public Outreach Program

• June 4 NEON
• June 5 Meet the Commuter Day -Train Station
• June 10 SoNo Alliance - Police Station
  Community Room
• June 23 Coalition of Norwalk Neighborhood
  Assoc. - Norwalk City Hall
• July 22 Norwalk City Hall
• Sept. 18 Neighborhood Roundtable Discussion
  Norwalk Police Station
• Oct 29- Norwalk City Hall

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Public Outreach Program

• Highlights of Public Comments Received
• Pedestrian Friendly - Improve Sidewalks Bike
  Paths
• Restroom Access
• Improve Safety Lighting
• Increase Parking Short Long Term
• Improve Way Finding Signage
• Add Green Space Make more inviting to community
• Provide amenities Retail, Meeting Space
• Increase Shuttle Services to Merritt 7

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Public Outreach Program

• Public Outreach Documents/Information
• Project Web Site- www.sonorailstudy.org
• Public Comment Forum
• Documents Available for Review Comment
• Commuter Questionnaire
• News Letter (English Spanish)

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Environmental Process

• PURPOSE
• To inform the decision-making process about
  options for enhancing the South Norwalk Train
  Station
• To examine natural and social/cultural resources
  and potential impacts to them
• To determine the level of formal environmental
  documentation needed in the next phase

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Resources Evaluated
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Conclusions

• No Adverse Effect Resources that would not be
  impacted
• Energy - Floodplain and Coastal
  Areas - Business Displacements
• Utilities - Wetlands
  - Zoning
• Farmlands - Water Resources
  - Consistency with local plans
• Public parks - Wild and Scenic Rivers
  - Public safety
• Historic places - Special species
  - Air quality
• Beneficial Effects
• Overall transportation system benefits
• Economic benefits
• Impacts warranting more in-depth study
• Community impacts - Archaeology
• Traffic impacts - Hazardous materials
• Noise impacts - Aesthetics
• Environmental justice issues

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Transit Oriented DevelopmentTOD Development Goals

• TOD as a Catalyst to Washington Street. Mixed-Use
  Development---increase support for Retail and
  Residential
• TOD as a Catalyst to Attract Private Funding
  Opportunities
• TOD as a Catalyst to Increase Transit Ridership
• TOD as a Catalyst to the Reuse of Adjacent
  Industrial and Commercial Properties
• TOD as catalyst to increase residents, increase
  24 hours activities, reduce car usage
• TOD at NO COST to the City

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Real Estate Initial Overview

• Findings in the Demographics
• New Developments in northern section of SONO
  (Spinnaker)added approximately 250 new units to
  the market or 500 people around the Maritime
  Aquarium
• New residents are looking for atmosphere and
  urban appeal
• Primarily empty nesters of all ages
• Higher income market is drying up at current
  timetrend is to out-of college/new to housing
  market groupyoung 20s, easy access to place of
  work, Stamford, Local and NYC, urban hip,
  pioneering

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Real Estate Initial Overview

• Findings Market Trends for Development around
  SONO
• Market is drying up for luxury end at the
  MOMENT-2008
• Empty nesters still the target but younger
• Units are trending towards rental, smaller, less
  amenities
• SONO appeal young, hip, night life, and the only
  place for urban housing for young cost conscious
  empty nesters in Southern Fairfield County and
  commutable to Stamford and NYC. Westport,
  Darien, Weston, New Canaan, etc. priced out of
  market
• New product rents for 2.15 to 2.4/s.f./month
  and targeting upper end market for Norwalk. No
  product below 2/sf/month outside of S.
  Norwalkpricing advantage in underdeveloped SONO
  area

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• RECOMMENDED DESIGN

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Recommended Design

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Recommended Design

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Next Steps

• RECOMMENDATION
• Initiate Next Phase
• Advance the Preferred Alternative Design (C
  Option 4 to 30 Design
• Complete the NEPA CEPA Review Process and
  Submission of the EA/EIE to Federal State
  Agencies for Approval
• Perform Traffic Study
• Perform Geotechnical Study
• Perform Infrastructure Upgrades
• Perform Parking Analysis
• Redevelopment / Planning Zoning Review
• Continue coordination with the Norwalk
  Redevelopment Agency and City Planning Zoning
  Agency to Promote Transit Oriented Development in
  SoNo

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Estimated Cost

• Intermodal Transportation Facility
• Labor Materials
• Level 1Tunnel Level 12,125,951
• Level 2Kiss-n-Ride 4,311,702
• Subtotal 16,437,653
• General Conditions(10) 1,643,765
• Overhead Profit (10) 1,808,142
• Contingency (20) 3,977,912
• Total 23,867,472
• Railroad Force Account 1,000,000
• Taxi Dispatch Stand 50,000
• Photovoltaic Canopies 2,350,000
• Total 27,267,472
• Below Grade Parking Structure
• 2-Story below grade structure. Provides 300
  transit supported parking spaces.
• Total Labor Materials 20,321,046
• General Conditions(10) 2,032,105
• Subtotal 22,353,151

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