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| Our mission is to be the catalyst that ignites Connecticut's Main Streets as the cornerstone of thriving communities. |
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Time to Turn up the Heat on Sustainability
July was the hottest month in CT history. It's time to get serious about our sustainability - for all our sakes. At CMSC, sustainability is one of the six core components we find are critical to a downtown's vibrancy. You'll find it woven throughout the education and technical assistance we offer, as we espouse walkability; compact, dense and multi-use development centered around transit; creating energy-efficient buildings, and more. If you support sustainability, then you'll naturally support CMSC and our downtowns. Please consider donating today to support our work.
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CMSC Welcomes New Member Berlin
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CMSC is pleased to welcome the Town of Berlin to its member network. CMSC has been working with the town on a consultancy focused on the town center (Kensington Village) area, identifying placemaking and branding opportunities near Berlin's new train station. Berlin joins over 80 other communities in the CMSC network, all of whom are working on cultivating economically and socially vibrant downtowns and Main Streets.
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CMSC Bids Farewell to Board Members
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The end of June brought the close of CMSC's fiscal year, and with it a changing of the guard for CMSC's Board, as new board members were elected and others stepped off due to the end of their term or to pursue other endeavors.
CMSC would like to acknowledge and thank the following outgoing Board members for their time on the CMSC Board of Directors. Together, they brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise, helping guide our organization through a time of change. We hope you'll join us in wishing them all the best!
Ted DeSantos
- Ted was one of our most active members, having served on the CMSC Board since 2011 in many capacities. In his time on the Board he served as Chair of the Board, Fund Development Chair, and on the 2017 executive transition committee. He's also served as a panelist/speaker at several of our educational events. A Senior Vice President at Fuss & O'Neill, Ted has always been a champion of CT Main Street Center and local Main Streets throughout Connecticut.
Kim Healey
- Kim has been an advocate of CMSC for many years, having served on the board since 2010. As the long-standing chair of the Governance Committee, each year she helped bring forward a slate of candidates that helped progress CMSC forward. As the Executive Director of the NewAlliance Foundation, she was a strong champion of our work in the New Haven area and was a long-term supporter of CMSC's educational programs.
Dave Sousa
- Dave was one of CMSC's longest-serving members having joined the Board in 2009. He also served as the Vice Chair for many years. A Senior Planner & Landscape Architect at CDM Smith, Dave is a disciple of Sustainable Transportation, Smart Growth and Walkable Urbanism, and has focused his career on creating more livable, sustainable, functional and attractive communities, a passion he brought to CMSC's work. Dave provided CMSC with invaluable expertise and generous assistance over the years, including serving on the Resource Team for Westville Village, creating the Walkability Audit for our Come Home to Downtown program, and providing the inspiration (and the copy) for our Components of a Vibrant Main Street graphic.
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ya Beckles Swanson - Aya was elected to the Board in June 2018. Previously with the Community Investment Corporation, she was hired by Essex Savings Bank as their Vice President & CRA Officer just after her appointment to the CMSC Board. During her tenure, Aya was an enthusiastic supporter of CMSC, and we look forward to working with her again in the near future when her plate isn't so full!
Keep an eye out for our next edition of Downtown Update when we introduce our newest Board members!
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▪ Save the Date for CMSC's fall summit on retail! - Building on the tremendous success of our spring adaptive reuse summit, CMSC will be holding another statewide symposium this fall. Retail in the Age of Disruption: What communities can do to activate first-floor commercial space in light of online competition will be offered in two locations: at The Lyceum in Hartford on October 2nd and at The Ferguson Library in Stamford on October 3rd. Watch your email for more information and to register for what is sure to be another popular event!
▪ Canton receives SGA award for their form-based codes - The Form-Based Codes Institute at Smart Growth America recently honored three communities that passed exemplary codes to guide growth and development. The Buffalo Green Code of Buffalo, NY and the Lafayette Downtown Code of Lafayette, LA won the 11th annual Richard H. Driehaus Form-Based Code Award, while the Canton Village Districts Code earned an honorable mention. The three communities were honored for using the form-based codes to create special places where people live, work, play, and visit. Canton was also recognized in June with a 2019 Award of Excellence from CMSC for their form-based codes.
▪ CEDAS launches Best Practices program - CEDAS (the Connecticut Economic Development Association) has partnered with CERC, the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA) and UCONN Extension on a new program called "Best Practices in Land Use and Economic Development," along with sponsors Eversource, UI, CNG, SCG, Pullman & Comley, and STV/DPM. The new accreditation is a strategy for sharing information on planning policies and aims to serve as a catalyst for economic development in Connecticut. Learn more
▪ More Mad Men Modern: Norwalk Preservation Trust 2019 Tour Takes a Second Look at Norwalk's Mid-Century Modern Architecture - Norwalk goes modern again! The Norwalk Preservation Trust's most recent tour was such a success that NPT found even more Modern homes to tour. This year's event takes place September 22nd and will visit these additional significant modern buildings and look more closely at the architecture that launched a new aesthetic. Space is limited so tickets must be purchased in advance by visiting the Norwalk Preservation Trust website www.norwalkpreservation.org or calling 203-852-9788 for more information.
▪ Northeast Multimodal and Transit Summit - With global climate catastrophe knocking at the door, our region (and world) is faced with the greatest challenge in generations. How do we quickly and equitably shift to a transportation system, economy, and development model that is sustainable, survivable, and smart? Help answer this pressing question while learning from other experts at the second annual Northeast Multimodal and Transit summit, hosted by the Transport Hartford Academy at Yale University on November 25th. The deadline to apply to present, moderate, or participate on a panel is August 22nd. Learn more & register
▪ Artists to Beautify Downtown New London - New London Main Street was recently acknowledged for their downtown beautification efforts by the New London Day. The article noted how the downtown management organization was building off of their successful Light Up New London! campaign (for which they received a 2018 Award of Excellence from CMSC), which sought to make the downtown more inviting at night by installing LED lighting in vacant State Street storefronts. New London Main Street is now working with professional, amateur and student artists on a campaign called Our New London, set to launch next month, that will spruce up storefronts with colorful displays. The project is funded by the CT Office of the Arts and the Community Foundation of Eastern CT. Read the full article
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Spotlight on
UIL Holdings Corporation
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Al Carbone, Mgr. Govt & Community Relations, welcomes guests to UIL's Celebrating Economic Development presentation & panel discussion during the recent Travelers Championship. |
CMSC is thrilled to announce UIL Holdings Corporation's continued support of CMSC, providing us with $20,000 for our educational and technical assistance efforts in their territory.
Like CMSC, UIL Holdings Corporation values community, economic development and sustainability, and for over 10 years they've been our Growth Sponsor, supporting CMSC's work as the state's leading downtown resource.
Please join us in thanking them for their continued commitment as together we work to inspire great downtowns, Main Street by Main Street!
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