Public Policy
Connecticut Main Street Center Public Policy Update - February 2007
Connecticut Main Street Center, with the support of its member communities, has initiated a public policy and advocacy program with the goals of enhancing our state's ability to make healthy and informed decisions and policies in land use and transportation, and demonstrating how vibrant downtowns are vital to the state's economic health. CMSC and its members also encourage and support the development of resources and tools that will aid Connecticut communities in their efforts to revitalize their historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.
CMSC Endorses HOMEConnecticut & Face of Connecticut
Connecticut Main Street Center has announced its endorsement of the
Connecticut Housing Program for Economic Growth proposed by HOMEConnecticut
and the 2007 Legislative Proposals of The Face of Connecticut Campaign.
This endorsement supports CMSC's guiding principle of aligning the
Connecticut Main Street network in support of other like-minded organizations'
public policy initiatives when they directly support downtown revitalization.
The Face of Connecticut Campaign
This campaign has been developed and supported by a coalition of
advocacy groups from the conservation, preservation, environmental,
farmland, and open space communities.
The Face of Connecticut Campaign is organized into four legislative areas for action that, implemented together, will protect our heritage, revitalize our cities and village centers, and build economically strong communities, all the while protecting our natural resources. These four legislative action areas are:
- Planning for Responsible Growth
- Conservation - Investing in Working Farms, Clean Water and Recreation
- Restoration and Preservation - Investing in Cities and Village Centers
- Stewardship - Protecting our Investments
Proposals directly related to the principles of Main Street include:
- Pre-development grants for technical support, feasibility studies, site assembly, architectural fees and remediation of commercial historic buildings in downtowns and the restoration of urban greens and parks ($14 million annually).
- Grants to help communities identify and evaluate historic resources and register properties on the State or National Register of Historic Places ($1 million annually).
HOMEConnecticut
HOMEConnecticut, an initiative created by Partnership for Strong
Communities, has proposed A Housing Program for Economic Growth. This
program is aligned with the goals of Governor Rell's Executive Order
No. 15, which created the Office of Responsible Growth within the
Office of Policy and Management. One of the critical responsibilities
of the Office of Responsible Growth is "Expanding housing opportunities
to meet the needs of all Connecticut residents and support an expanding
workforce with housing that provides ready access to passenger rail
and bus service."
The Connecticut Housing Program for Economic Growth is designed to accomplish 5 goals:
- Assist municipalities that encourage housing development by providing them with incentive and bonus payments, and by reimbursing them for any net increases in ongoing education costs resulting from new housing
- Provide technical assistance to municipalities, regional planners and developers that they need to produce housing
- Offer subsidies to developers, where needed, to enhance affordability
- Award infrastructure aid to municipalities to enhance locations where housing is created
- Reduce administrative and regulatory barriers to the creation of housing
All of the above proposals can be directly applied to existing mixed-use downtown redevelopment opportunities.
Connecticut Main Street Center, a statewide nonprofit corporation, is dedicated to economic and community development within the context of historic preservation. CMSC is committed to bringing Connecticut's commercial districts back to life socially and economically by providing education and training, resources and technical assistance, and advocacy.
We welcome your involvement in our network of downtown advocates!