To increase parking and connection to Station Place

Text By Tom Hodgkins
Photo Courtesy of Town Hall

In an ideal world, proposed plans actually come to fruition. On Sept. 14, 2019, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a new Plan of Conservation and Development for the Town of Norfolk. Among the goals of the plan were to increase “a sense of place” in town and “improve vehicular access and parking.” One specific recommendation in the POCD was to open up the view out the back of Town Hall and improve access between Town Hall and downtown in order to create a more obvious connection between the two. This would create an expanded village center and encourage visitors to  park outside of Station Place. 

According to First Selectman Matt Riiska, work on that project is commencing in the next few weeks. The initial phase, to be completed this fall, will be to cut down unwelcome undergrowth on the slope between Town Hall and John Curtiss Road. Invasive species, such as Norway maples, will be cleared completely. Desirable trees, such as large oaks and maples, will be limbed up in order to open the view. According to Riiska, a visual connection is critical to accessing the additional parking merchants and townspeople are demanding. “If people can’t see it, they won’t use it,” he says. 

Additionally, physical access between the two areas of town will be improved by the next phase of work: widening and improving the path that leads downtown from Town Hall. Riiska plans to create a hardscape path wide enough to allow machinery for snow removal and landscaping. In addition, more and better lighting will be installed. Right now, Riiska is in conversation with the Norfolk Library and downtown merchants about how to create a coherent, harmonious lighting plan. The goal is to craft a scheme that provides safety at night while integrating similar fixtures in order to visually connect the village spaces. 

Riiska admits it might appear this project was on hold for a bit, but he says conversations needed to take place between property owners and the town before anything could happen. Additionally, funds for this work needed to be found. The town’s Department of Public Works will be doing much of the job, now scheduled for relatively slack time in their schedule. In addition, Riiska is in conversation with the Norfolk Foundation about grants for lighting improvement. The August windstorm, which felled several trees in this area and required cleanup and repair on the existing path, also slowed progress. 

Riiska is enthusiastic about the changes this project will bring. Connecting Town Hall back into downtown will visually expand the town center and create a larger sense of the village. Parking will be more visible and easier to access. In addition, a sense of historical Norfolk may reappear. Over the years, Norfolk has been slowly losing its distant views as the forests have grown up and undergrowth has flourished in the village. “I have an old photo taken from Town Hall,” he says. “From the first selectman’s office, you could see Haystack and the tower. Today, that view is hidden. Perhaps we can regain some of that when we clear away the understory and reopen the village a bit.”