As Manchester plans streetscape project, critics raise concerns

The town of Manchester is planning a major makeover on Main Street. Over the last decade, the area has gone through a revitalization, and the town wants to take it to the next level.

“Building on that momentum is the idea of the streetscape that will make downtown more vibrant and more walkable,” Town Manager Steve Stephanou said.

Manchester wants to modernize its Main Street, a place that has dozens of small businesses and restaurants. Many of those are still recovering from the pandemic and have trepidation.

Brandon Farr owns “Retro Junk.” He said he has mixed feelings on the project. While he supports the concept of an upgrade, he has questions.

Farr wants to know, “What is the town going to do for us when we will most likely lose revenue during the year-long construction process?”

Farr said he’s mainly concerned with how parking will be altered. The town said when the project is finished, there will be as many, if not more spaces than now, and vows to mitigate issues during the project.

“Any construction that is done, we’re going to make sure that we’re doing a lot of proactive engagement to limit the disruption,” Stephanou said.

Bob Sulick owns Mulberry Pizza. He’s optimistic and looks at the concept from a big picture perspective.

“I think in the end, it’s going to be a big increase in our business because of all the other improvements that are going along with it,” Sulick said.

The group Save Downtown Manchester (SDM) is questioning the project and has organized a public meeting for 7 p.m. Tuesday. Among the discussion topics is the town’s most celebrated event.

“The road race is a traditional event here,” SDM organizer Tommy Tomko said. “People do not want to damage it.”

Manchester Road Race President Tris Carta tells NBC Connecticut that they’ve been in constant contact with the town, and they are working collaboratively.

He remains open-minded as they work through the projects details. The town said it will work to ensure the event's integrity.

“We’ve made it clear that this project is not going to impact the continuation of the road race, which is personally my favorite event of the year,” Stephanou said.

The modernization plan calls for upgrading traffic signals, adding roundabouts, a bicycle lane and additional public gathering spaces. Stephanou said the project’s primary goal is safety.

“We’ve had a lot of crashes and actually had some fatalities,” he said.

Safety, however, is also one of the concerns being raised by those questioning the plan. Mark Connors is an avid bicyclist and worries about the placement of the planned bicycle lane.

“You’re mixed in with cars, trucks, pedestrians, people on motorcycles,” Connors said.

Manchester’s Army Navy Club also has apprehension. The social club that has been in Manchester since 1919 is worried that construction would limit member access.

“If we were to lose the free use of that parking lot, we would eventually close,” said Peter Miller, who is among the club’s Board of Governors.

The project is estimated to cost between $10 and $15 million. It would be partially funded by a $7.5 million Community Investment Fund grant. If approved, construction would begin in 2025.

“It’s just a concept,” Stephanou said. “It hasn’t been finalized and we look forward to hearing from the community to make sure it’s a plan that as many people can be on board with as possible.”

While Tuesday’s meeting is not town-sponsored, Manchester officials said they will be engaging with the public in the coming months.