Hartford Business Journal

12 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | August 1, 2022 Complete Streets Here's how streetscapes, bike lanes and sidewalks can spur major economic development By Robert Storace rstorace@hartfordbusiness.com C omplete streets is a concept that economic development experts have talked about for decades, and it's an approach to planning, designing and operating neighborhoods — particularly downtowns — that enables safer access for people, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and public transit users. Increasingly, Connecticut cities and towns are embracing the concept to make their communities more attractive for residents, businesses and even visitors to live, work and play. It's also seen as an economic development tool, making downtowns and other areas safer and more aesthetically pleasing in order to lure businesses and developers. And large sums are being invested to kick-start complete streets projects. The city of New Britain, for example, is nearing completion of a $45 million investment that has repaved and extended sidewalks, and added bike lanes and racks, safer street crossings and new landscaping along streetways. That work may not be flashy or grab headlines, but New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart said businesses and investors have shown more interest in the Hardware City because of those infrastructure investments and other efforts. It's helped entice developers like Avner Krohn, who has built, or is building, hundreds of market-rate apartments in the city, she said. "When you create these spaces and make them more friendly and walkable, you will see an economic development impact," Stewart said. Other municipalities including Hartford and West Hartford are also making sizable investments in complete streets projects. Transit-oriented development Mary Donegan, a professor in urban and community studies at the University of Connecticut, said the complete streets concept has been around for awhile, but need and vision for it intensified in the 2000s. "Here in the United States, we began to focus more on streetscaping as part of the pushback of the urban renewal period; it really increased in the 2000s," said Donegan, who has been affiliated with UConn since 2017. "It pushes back on the idea that you need to have a car to get around. What were cities built for, cars or people? Once you switch the mindset that it is for people, you can then focus on helping people move and feel safe to enjoy communities New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart said businesses and investors have shown more interest in the Hardware City because of complete streets investments that have made the city more walkable and open to transit-oriented development along the CTfastrak busway. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER when streetscapes come in." Complete streets projects – depending on the scope – can be expensive and in some cases cost tens of millions of dollars. Funds, at least in Connecticut, are often available through state entities like the Department of Transportation and federal government, Donegan said. Communities that have walkable downtowns often spur interest from developers and investment. Donegan singled out New Britain as an example of how to get streetscape projects moving forward. Some of the city's complete streets plans are being done near CTfastrak bus stops, in turn making those areas more desirable for residents while also encouraging transit-oriented development. "New Britain has done such a great job, as they have had a complete streets plan for about a decade now," Donegan said. "They have a long-term vision and it's been easy for them to chase the money." Stewart, who is in her fifth, two- year term, said recent private development in the city is reaching $100 million, helped in part by streetscape improvements that make New Britain more appealing. One of the well-known complete streets projects in recent years was the build-out of the $7.4 million

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