The associate director of an organization that breathes life into struggling downtown districts told business owners that Ansonia is a workable area with the raw elements needed for a resurgence.
“This is a complete downtown in many, many ways. It has unique spaces that can attract a new generation of downtown residents,” said Kimberly Parsons Whitaker, of the Hartford-based Connecticut Main Street Center.
Parsons Whitaker made her comments at Lanza’s restaurant on East Main Street Tuesday morning, at an event focusing on Ansonia business. The event was sponsored by the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Downtown Ansonia’s strong points include the West Main Street railroad, which connects the Waterbury line with the New York line intersecting at Bridgeport, and the Naugatuck River, where a greenway is being developed to bring passive recreation like bicycling and walking to a park-like setting along the river, connecting with Derby.
There is ample parking to get a downtown resurgence going, but she said it needs to be cleaned up and lighted, with signs so people know where it is. Also, she said there need to be signs leading to the downtown area to alert passing drivers where they are.
“And as soon as you can, get out of your car and park and walk around,” she said. Attractive storefronts would lure people to slow down. “Slow down, look at a store,” she said.
Getting more people to live downtown will be a key, she said.
“You can’t have successful business downtown if people also aren’t living there. Retail follows people, so when you have people living downtown, you have more successful retailers.”
There are some terrific old buildings in the downtown area that provide opportunities for redevelopment, like residences on upper floors with retail and restaurants on the ground levels.
There are also empty lots that could make obvious places for farmer’s markets, which have the ability to draw people to the downtown area.
“Make it physically inviting and customer friendly,” she said. “Brand, market and celebrate downtown.”
Her ideas will be used as a starting point for discussions in the business community on how to manifest these concepts.
In the meantime, people should realize that things are already happening in downtown Ansonia, said Bill Purcell, president of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.
For example, there is a 100 percent occupancy rate at the former Rifkin travel agency building on Main Street, and a 75 percent occupancy rate at 158 Main St. a former medical building down the block, Purcell said he heard from Tonino Mavuli, the property owner (note — the Valley Independent Sentinel has been leasing an office in Mavuli’s building since June).
The buildings used to be mostly empty.
“We’re excited about the growth we’ve seen,” said Mavuli, who spoke on the panel.
Rob Scinto, son of Robert D. Scinto, one of the Valley’s major developers with office parks in Shelton, said they’ve started work on their Fountain Lake development project in Ansonia and have spent more than $200,000 so far.
“So far everything is good, we’re working at it,” Scinto said.
Ansonia also recently became the home of the second Lower Naugatuck Valley Boys and Girls Club building in the Valley.
Mike Healy, well-known for his Healy Ford dealership downtown, reminded the crowd of 60 business people that people from outside Ansonia think a lot of the city, particularly its core of working class families.
“It all comes down to the heart and soul of the community welcomes you at the door and people really like us. You live here all the time and don’t know what you have,” Healy said.
One of the biggest shopping centers downtown is the Big Y plaza, built earlier this decade. Don Ellis, the property manager there, said the city is fortunate to have an adminstration that is easy to do business with.
There is no resistance to development or reputation for resistance, he said.
“Everyone has always been positive of us over here,” Ellis said.
The city is expected to apply for grants in coming months to help its downtown resurgence efforts.
