There’s a new map and signs are on the way

By Bridgette L. Rallo

After nearly two months of studying the problem, Norfolk town officials have issued a new color-coded parking map that they hope will ease parking congestion in Norfolk Village Center. The town has also ordered additional “No Parking” and “Limited Parking” signs, to mark those areas that will be off-limits or time restricted. The map, designed by Economic Development Commission (EDC) member Pete Anderson, delineates all of the available parking spaces in the village, as well as ‘No Parking’ and ‘Limited’ spaces. It is available at Town Hall for public viewing, and can also be seen on the town Web site. Norfolk’s traffic and parking dilemmas began after the opening of the popular Infinity Music Hall last October. The subsequent May opening of Infinity Bistro, which seats 150 patrons, has only intensified the problem. After receiving numerous complaints from residents and small business owners on Station Place, First Selectman Sue Dyer and members of both the Planning and Zoning Commission and the EDC held a series of meetings, to decide on the best way to balance the interests of the small business community, town residents and Dan Hincks, owner of Infinity Hall. “Parking here is what it is,” says Dyer, noting that the layout of Station Place makes it difficult to alter existing parking regulations. And, although any changes to parking along Route 44 are the purview of the State of Connecticut, Dyer says that she has made the state aware of the situation. “What we did take into account is the safety of cars exiting onto Route 44, from both Station Place and Shepard Road.” Most of the added parking restrictions will apply to Shepard Road, which has seen a marked increase in out-of-town vehicles, mostly parked in the vicinity of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department and the building housing Norfolk’s Emergency Medical Services. Officials are concerned that these areas in particular are kept clear.