By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
The city will hold the second in a series of public workshops focusing on the future of Allingtown.
The workshop is set for 6 p.m. today in the Notre Dame High School auditorium, 1 Notre Dame Way, but the potential for icy conditions could push the workshop to Feb. 13.
The workshop is sponsored by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Allingtown Steering Committee, an ad hoc committee formed by the commission to help develop a plan for the Allingtown neighborhood to achieve the goals of the city’s Plan of Conservation and Development.
The workshop will build on input received from 60 participants at the first workshop in April 2019.
Tonight, barring a postponement of the workshop due to inclement weather, the city will present a number of recommendations being considered for the Allingtown plan in response to the input at last year’s workshop. Anyone can participate in the workshop, whether they took part in the first one or not.
P&Z Chairwoman Kathleen Hendricks said the commission hopes to attract a wide range of participants for the workshop, including neighborhood residents, area businesses, University of New Haven students, community leaders, church groups and representatives of school organizations.
The commission also hopes that Allingtown’s young people will attend to provide fresh ideas for the plan, Hendricks said.
According to Assistant City Planner David W. Killeen, the workshop will include a presentation highlighting items of the POCD vision as well as general areas the committee plans to address, such as making Allingtown more pedestrian- and bike-friendly; promoting the redevelopment of underutilized and vacant commercial properties; improving community facilities, parks and open space; enhancing connections between UNH and the neighborhood; and improving housing and property maintenance.
The workshop will include opportunities for participants to collaborate in small group sessions and respond to initial recommendations being considered for the Allingtown plan. The information gathered will help the committee finalize the recommendations for inclusion in a draft plan before it is presented to the commission for its consideration, said Killeen, adding that a formal public hearing is expected later this year.
The concept for the Allingtown plan was first envisioned in the POCD, which was adopted by the commission in June 2017.
See the POCD at http://cityofwesthaven.com/DocumentCenter/View/827/Plan-of-Conservation-and-Development-Final-PDF.
For more information, call the Department of Planning and Development at (203) 937-3580.