By Avice Meehan

Is Norfolk a “bend in the road in [Route] 44 where people go 40, 50, 60 miles per hour?” Or is it more like a college campus with nodes of activity clustered near the historic Village Green and former train station? Does Norfolk even have something that might be described as a “downtown” or is the community “using what we have to create a downtown?” Does it even need one?

Such were the lively and divergent opinions expressed at an introductory workshop held at the Norfolk Hub on a warm July evening. It was convened under the rubric of something called PROMISE: Partnership to Revitalize Our Main Streets with Integrated Solutions and Efforts, itself a collaboration between the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NWCOG) and an organization that provides technical assistance to communities across the state called the Connecticut Main Street Center. Yes, that is a mouthful.

Many of the 15 or so participants were unsure of what to expect. They included First Selectman Henry Tirrell, a smattering of business owners, established community leaders, members of the Economic Develop-ment Commission (EDC) and several curious members of the public. Absent were some of the bigger players around Norfolk: representatives of the Hub; the owners of two key commercial properties, Infinity Hall and the Royal Arcanum; members of the Norfolk Community Association and the Planning & Zoning Commission; and volunteers with the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department or Lions Club Volunteer Ambulance.

Nonetheless, the “Main Streeters” forged ahead, seeking to spark curiosity and conversation about what it might mean for Norfolk to think about its commercial center in a more intentional way. Ani Chaghatzbanian, programs manager for the Main Street Center, and her colleague Christine Schilke moved between sticky notes, small-group discussions, a full PowerPoint presentation and a glossy video depicting a Michigan suburb during the two-hour session (which did include refreshments). “Do you really need a downtown?” asked Peter Crippen at one point. The question might have been rhetorical since Crippen and his wife, Marinell, operate a café at 10 Station Place, a stone’s throw from the Berkshire Store, U.S. Post Office, National Iron Bank and Mountain Spirits. For his part, the Berkshire Store’s Ryan Craig raised the question of what it would mean for a business to thrive in Norfolk versus merely survive.

It’s not as though these questions have not been asked before. As Norfolk residents worked together to develop a new Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) during 2018 and 2019, some of the same thorny issues arose. Progress has been made—the welcome signs entering and leaving Norfolk, the addition of benches at Robertson Plaza and increased use of the space itself—but retail and office space remains in short supply and the intended uses of some commercial buildings remain a mystery.

“We do need to do the work, and we need to do the work with a really thoughtful plan for who is in the room,” said Cheryl Heller, chair of the EDC. Heller attended the July session and is also looking to start a conversation with P&Z about the POCD itself. She expressed appreciation for the session but questioned the value of working with “outsiders” who didn’t have the community’s trust.

Turns out, that’s part of the process. Tirrell met on July 24 with Chaghatzbanian, Schilke and two members of the NWCOG staff: Rista Malanca, the director of community and economic development and Grace Rennison, the regional planner, housing and downtown specialist. Over the next three or so months, Malanca and Rennison will connect with workshop participants and other business and community leaders. The goal, said Tirrell, is to lay the groundwork for a productive follow-up workshop in November. At that point, Norfolk residents can decide to move forward—or not. In the meantime, take a look at Norfolk’s POCD. It makes for an interesting read and offers provocative suggestions for tying disparate parts of Norfolk together.

“The town plan is our roadmap for how we want [Norfolk] to move forward,” said Libby Borden, co-chair of the City Meadow Committee and a veteran of many planning efforts. Who knows? With new players on the Norfolk scene, interesting options for managing traffic and an injection of outside expertise, it might provide a useful framework for thinking about this gem deep in the Greenwoods.