Transportation and 6 ROUTEI-84 Route 7 Land Use Study Danbury Transportation & Land Use Study New York State Route 7 Recommended Transportation Corridor Segments and Land Use Plan & Villages 302 Bethel 7 35 53 Redding 58 Norwalk River Ridgefield 107 102 Branchville Georgetown 57 33 Weston Legend Cannondale Rural/Preservation Suburban- Wilton Sub-urban Node 136 Urban Edge Wilton Center Town/ Village Center 0 1 2 3 Miles N 123 106 15 124 33 New 137 Westport Canaan 53 1 104 I-95 Norwalk Prepared for SWRPA and HVCEO HOUSATONIC VALLEY COUNCIL OF Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. E LECTED SWRPASouth Western Regional Planning Agency June 2011 O FFICIALS Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................... ES-1 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................. 1-1 1 - 1. Purpose ...................................................................................... 1-1 1 - 2. Public Involvement ...................................................................... 1-1 1 - 3. Route 7 - 2030 Vision .................................................................. 1-2 1 - 4. Route 7 Guiding Principles ..........................................................1-3 1 - 5. Study Area Overview/Regional Context .......................................1-4 1 - 6. Summary of Existing Conditions ...................................................1-6 Transportation System Gaps and Opportunities ............................1-6 Land-Use and Development Potential .......................................... 1-7 Market Demand ...........................................................................1-8 Chapter 2: Overview of Corridor Recommendations................................. 2-1 2 - 1. The Route 7 Corridor – Segment by Segment ............................... 2-7 2 - 2. Segment 1: “Norwalk Urban Edge” ............................................2-10 2 - 3. Segment 2: “Suburban Wilton” .................................................. 2-13 2 - 4. Segment 3: “Rural Wilton” .........................................................2-14 2 - 5. Segment 4: “Georgetown/Branchville Suburban Stretch” ...........2-16 2 - 6. Segment 5: “Rural Ridgefield” ....................................................2-19 2 - 7. Segment 6: “Suburban Ridgefield” ............................................2-20 2 - 8. Segment 7: “Danbury Highway Transition” ................................ 2-21 Chapter 3: Future Conditions .................................................................... 3-1 3 - 1. Future Land Use Conditions ......................................................... 3-1 Status Quo Land Use Scenario ..................................................... 3-2 Transect Form Land Use Scenario .................................................3-3 Methodology ...............................................................................3-4 3 - 2. Preferred Corridor Land Use Scenario ..........................................3-6 3 - 3. Targeted Development Nodes – Areas of Focus ........................... 3-7 “Ridgefield Gateway” (Routes 7 and 35 Intersection) Focus Area ...3-9 Branchville Focus Area .............................................................. 3-13 Wilton Train Station Focus Area ................................................. 3-21 i 3 - 4. Future Transportation System Conditions ...................................3-25 Future Growth in Travel Demand ..............................................3-25 2030 No-Build Traffic Conditions ...............................................3-26 Preferred Land Use Scenario Traffic Generation .........................3-30 Chapter 4: Land Use/Regulatory Recommendations .................................. 4-1 4 - 1. Modified Zoning .......................................................................... 4-1 4 - 2. Low Impact Development and Watershed Management Techniques .............................................................4-3 4 - 3. Design Guidelines .......................................................................4-4 4 - 4. Parking Strategies ......................................................................... 4-5 4 - 5. Utility Infrastructure ..................................................................... 4-6 4 - 6. Regional Partnerships .................................................................. 4-6 4 - 7. Development Incentives .............................................................. 4-7 4 - 8. Public-Private Partnerships ...........................................................4-8 4 - 9. Village Branding/Corridor Branding .............................................4-8 Cannondale Village ......................................................................4-9 4 - 10. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Recommendations ..........4-10 4 - 11. Economic Development/Marketing Recommendations .............4-10 Public-Private Partnerships ......................................................... 4-11 Branding & Promotion ............................................................... 4-11 Business Retention ..................................................................... 4-11 Chapter 5: Transportation System Recommendations................................ 5-1 5 - 1. Capacity Improvements ............................................................... 5-1 5 - 2. Safety Improvements .................................................................... 5-6 Kensett Ave & Wilton Common Shopping Center Driveway and the Mobil Gas Station Driveway (including the intersection with Grumman Hill Road)...................5-6 Wilton Hills Condos Driveway to and including the intersection with Rt. 33 ...........................................5-6 Pimpewaug Road to Catalpa Road, including the intersection with School Road ................................5-8 Route 35 to Laurel Lane ...............................................................5-8 ii 5 - 3. Transit Enhancement Recommendations ......................................5-8 Future Transit Gaps ......................................................................5-9 Transit Enhancement Recommendations ....................................5-10 5 - 4. Bicycle Improvements ............................................................... 5-17 Striped Shoulders .......................................................................5-19 Intersection Improvements for Bicyclists .....................................5-20 Marker Signage ..........................................................................5-20 Bicycle Warning Signage ........................................................... 5-21 Bicycle Racks ............................................................................. 5-21 Norwalk River Valley Trail ......................................................... 5-22 5 - 5. Pedestrian Improvements ........................................................... 5-23 Ridgefield Gateway ....................................................................5-23 Branchville Station and Village .................................................. 5-25 Cannondale Station ....................................................................5-25 Wilton Station ............................................................................ 5-25 Sidewalk Improvements between Norwalk and Grumman Hill Road ...................................................................5-26 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Improvements ................5-26 Chapter 6: Implementation Plan ............................................................... 6-1 6 - 1. The Initiatives .............................................................................. 6-3 Initiative 1: Ridgefield Gateway Neighborhood Enhancement Plan ....................................................................... 6-3 Initiative 2: Branchville Enhancement Plan ..................................6-4 Initiative 3: Wilton Train Station Enhancement Plan ....................6-6 Initiative 4: Route 7 Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Initiative ................................................................. 6-7 Initiative 5: Route 7 Regional Mobility and Safety Improvements Initiative...................................................... 6-7 Appendix A: Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Potential .....................A-1 Appendix B: Traffic Analysis .......................................................................B-1 Appendix C: Implementation Resources .....................................................C-1 Appendix D: Order-of-Magnitude Cost Estimates ....................................... D-1 iii Table of Figures Figure 1-1: Study Area ................................................................................. 1-5 Figure 2-1: Corridor Segments and Villages .................................................2-8 Figure 3-1: Preferred Land Use Scenario ......................................................3-7 Figure 3-2: Ridgefield Gateway Enhancement Plan ....................................3-11 Figure 3-3: Branchville Enhancement Plan Option 1 ..................................3-15 Figure 3-4: Branchville Enhancement Plan Option 2 ..................................3-19 Figure 3-5: Wilton Train Station Area Enhancement Plan ...........................3-23 Figure 3-6: Future Intersection Deficiencies ...............................................3-29 Figure 5-1: Roadway Capacity Improvement Recommendations ..................5-7 Figure 5-2: