news news • FALL 2019 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT, SANDY GOLDSTEIN • NUMBER 59 STAMFORD DOWNTOWN So Long but not Goodbye Aſter 26 rewarding, productive and wonderful years as President of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District (DSSD), I plan to begin a retirement transition on January 1, 2020. More about the specifics of that transition later in this letter! But first where is the Downtown today? Stamford Downtown has undergone extraordinary changes over the course of the last two decades, in no small degree due to the work of the DSSD. Streets that were desolate and empty are packed with people enjoying Downtown offerings. Where there were only 2 cinema screens, there are now more than a dozen, including the extraordinary Avon eatre (272 Bedford Street), which brings independent film and programs to the Downtown. Restaurants dot the landscape with outdoor patios welcoming thousands of diners. DSSD Ambassadors and sanitation crews make the streets clean and safe. Our landscaping program brings thousands of spectacularly colorful plants, hanging baskets and planters to our Downtown year-round. 300,000+ dramatic LED lights brighten the winter skies and beckon shoppers and visitors. e Palace eatre (61 Atlantic Street) is hopping with year-round performances, bringing thousands of theater patrons and diners to the city. e Downtown Grand List has recorded a growth of 547% since 1995. e District’s boundary has almost doubled in size. Our lobbying efforts contributed to the following significant economic development milestones: continuing the designation of the Downtown as the center of destination retail, major office, entertainment and hotel development; locating large format retail such as Target (21 Broad Street) and Burlington (74 Broad Street) as well as live theatre and cinemas only in the Downtown; parking regulation changes for Downtown housing development which resulted in an apartment development boom; redesigning Spring Street to make it a two-way road, hence invigorating Bedford Street; engaging professional firms to provide accurate demographic profiles to facilitate private development strategies; working with appropriate city and state committees to make dorms at UConn Stamford a reality; and, active engagement with the committees that caused the renovation and revitalization of Mill River Park and Veterans Park. Our extraordinary signature events beckon hundreds of thousands of patrons to the Downtown: Alive@Five, the outdoor summer sculpture exhibit, Wednesday Night Live, A Grand Summer Night, the Latham Park summer programs, Arts & Craſts on Bedford, Bark in the Park, Brews on Bedford, Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacular and Heights & Lights. ese programs create a robust Downtown economy. As President of the DSSD, I have had the privilege of working with and meeting some of the most talented, brightest and dedicated people imaginable. e members of my Board of Commissioners have inspired and guided me. My incredible, bright, dedicated and creative staff has made this Downtown the envy of the region. My service on numerous Boards and Commissions has brought me into contact with so many involved and committed individuals. I salute and have learned from them all. Now, to get back to my first paragraph – I will officially retire as President at the end of the year. I will then be a consultant-advisor to the DSSD for the Year 2020. I am NOT leaving Stamford and I will be a regular at all my favorite Downtown restaurants, cinemas, theatres and shops. e vital Downtown created by so many wonderful people will remain very close to my heart. And, while I am giving up the title of President, there is one title I refuse to relinquish – that of the Queen of the Downtown. Sandy Goldstein, President
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• FALL 2019
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT, SANDY GOLDSTEIN
• NUMBER 59
STAMFORD DOWNTOWNSo Long but not Goodbye
After 26 rewarding, productive and wonderful years as President of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District (DSSD), I plan to begin a retirement transition on January 1, 2020. More about the specifics of that transition later in this letter! But first where is the Downtown today?
Stamford Downtown has undergone extraordinary changes over the course of the last two decades, in no small degree due to the work of the DSSD. Streets that were desolate and empty are packed with people enjoying Downtown offerings. Where there were only 2 cinema screens, there are now more than a dozen, including the extraordinary Avon Theatre (272 Bedford Street), which brings independent film and programs to the Downtown. Restaurants dot the landscape with outdoor patios welcoming thousands of diners. DSSD Ambassadors and sanitation crews make the streets clean and safe. Our landscaping program brings thousands of spectacularly colorful plants, hanging baskets and planters to our Downtown year-round. 300,000+ dramatic LED lights brighten the winter skies and beckon shoppers and visitors. The Palace Theatre (61 Atlantic Street) is hopping with year-round performances, bringing thousands of theater patrons and diners to the city.
The Downtown Grand List has recorded a growth of 547% since 1995. The District’s boundary has almost doubled in size. Our lobbying efforts contributed to the following significant economic development milestones: continuing the designation of the Downtown as the center of destination retail, major office, entertainment and hotel development; locating large format retail such as Target (21 Broad Street) and Burlington (74 Broad Street) as well
as live theatre and cinemas only in the Downtown; parking regulation changes for Downtown housing development which resulted in an apartment development boom; redesigning Spring Street to make it a two-way road, hence invigorating Bedford Street; engaging professional firms to provide accurate demographic profiles to facilitate private development strategies; working with appropriate city and state committees to make dorms at UConn Stamford a reality; and, active engagement with the committees that caused the renovation and revitalization of Mill River Park and Veterans Park.
Our extraordinary signature events beckon hundreds of thousands of patrons to the Downtown: Alive@Five, the outdoor summer sculpture exhibit, Wednesday Night Live, A Grand Summer Night, the Latham Park summer programs, Arts & Crafts on Bedford, Bark in the Park, Brews on Bedford, Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacular and Heights & Lights. These programs create a robust Downtown economy.
As President of the DSSD, I have had the privilege of working with and meeting some of the most talented, brightest and dedicated people imaginable. The members of my Board of Commissioners have inspired and guided me. My incredible, bright, dedicated and creative staff has made this Downtown the envy of the region. My service on numerous Boards and Commissions has brought me into contact with so many involved and committed individuals. I salute and have learned from them all.
Now, to get back to my first paragraph – I will officially retire as President at the end of the year. I will then be a consultant-advisor to the DSSD for the Year 2020. I am NOT leaving Stamford and I will be a regular at all my favorite Downtown restaurants, cinemas, theatres and shops. The vital Downtown created by so many wonderful people will remain very close to my heart. And, while I am giving up the title of President, there is one title I refuse to relinquish – that of the Queen of the Downtown.
Sandy Goldstein, President
CHAIRMAN: Greg Caggainello, Sr. Vice PresidentReckson, a Division of SL Green
VICE CHAIRMAN: Marjan Murray, Executive Vice PresidentPeople’s United Bank
SECRETARY: George Boyce, AgentState Farm Insurance Co.
TREASURER: Dan Stolzenbach, General ManagerStamford Town Center
Bruce Berg, Executive Vice PresidentCappelli Group
Carl Bildner, PresidentBildner Capital Corp.
Ralph Blessing, Land Use Bureau ChiefCity of Stamford
John Cannavino, Chairman, Litigation GroupCummings & Lockwood
Heather Cavanagh, President & CEOStamford Chamber of Commerce
For the past two years, Veterans Park on Atlantic Street has been undergoing a major renovation and is now ready for its unveiling! On Monday, November 11, 2019, the Stamford Veterans Park Partnership, Inc. and the City of Stamford invite you to celebrate the soft opening of the beautiful, revitalized Park. The rededication ribbon-cutting will follow the Stamford Veterans Day Parade and will begin with the 11th Hour Ceremony, beginning of course, at 11 a.m. All are welcome and encouraged to arrive by 10:45 a.m. Please RSVP to Stamford Veterans Park Partnership’s Executive Director Colleen Harkey at [email protected].
The Stamford Veterans Park Partnership will also be hosting a fundraiser to benefit Veterans Park on November 7, 2019 at the historic First County Bank Building (160 Atlantic Street). Attendees will be given a “sneak peek” of the Park and Christopher Meek of SoldierStrong will be honored with Brigadier General Thomas R. Bouchard as the keynote speaker. If interested, please email Colleen Harkey at [email protected].
Stamford Downtown has partnered with Future 5 and the City of Stamford to create a pollinator garden within Heritage Park, immediately behind Old Town Hall (175 Atlantic Street). The garden will help combat the sharp reduction of the state and region’s bee population as well as other pollinating species such as butterflies and hummingbirds. This bee reduction has also resulted in a loss of colorful, flowering plants native to Stamford.
Work on the garden began on August 6th, when members of the city’s Parks and Recreation staff prepped the garden under the supervision of Joanne Parsons, Stamford Downtown’s Streetscape
Coordinator. Parsons then guided Future 5 students with the installation of pollinating plants. Future 5 will adopt the garden for care and maintenance. All of the native pollinator plants were provided by Planters Choice Nursery located in Newtown, Connecticut.
This garden will be the first of many pollinator pathway gardens planned in the City of Stamford and is part of the larger Pollinator Pathway project which is the vision of stakeholders from over thirty municipalities – located throughout western Connecticut and Westchester County.
Freedom from Fear at Veterans Park
DSSD and Future 5 at Pollinator Garden
Row House, an indoor rowing studio that provides a highly effective workout centered around the camaraderie and drive fostered by the sport of rowing will be opening this fall. Located beneath Target at 5 Broad Street, Row House is under the umbrella of Exponential Fitness, a curator of some of the best brands in the boutique fitness industry, including Pure Barre and Club Pilates. Cody Dolly, owner of Row House Stamford, a tri-athlete and a Stamford resident, knew that Stamford would be a perfect fit for the concept. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned athlete, Row House has something for everyone. With six different class types, focusing on work on and off the rower, each
workout produces maximum results by engaging over 85% of your body’s muscles (legs, core, arms, back) delivering the perfect balance of aerobic endurance and muscular strength, all in one 45-minute workout. For more information, visit therowhouse.com.
Lunchtime? Okay, but you may have to wait in line to get into Stamford Downtown’s trendiest new restaurant called Mecha Noodle Bar (151 Bedford Street). “Mecha” means “Mom & Pop” in Vietnamese, and it is serving some of Asia’s most comforting dishes. A nice complement to Stamford Downtown’s already robust food offerings! This is Mecha’s 4th restaurant in the chain, joining New Haven, Fairfield and Norwalk.
In September 2018, the State of Connecticut completed the impressive feat of replacing the railroad bridge that spans Atlantic Street through the use of Accelerated Building Construction (ABC). As a result of ABC, the Atlantic Street project – which typically requires 5 years for completion using traditional construction methods – only required 8 months. In addition to the replacement of the railroad
bridge, the project resulted in the lowering of Atlantic Street to allow commercial trucks to pass between Downtown and the South End, the construction of a new railroad line dedicated for service along the New Canaan Branch and improved pedestrian connections under the railroad bridge. Learn more about the project at atlanticstreetbridge.com.
Openings in the Downtown
Atlantic Street Underpass Project
As the Summer turns to Fall, Stamford Downtown has begun preparations for its Winter Holiday Program. Stamford Downtown will again engage the Christmas Lighting Company to produce the program. The scope of the program will include lighting:
• 80 street trees along Bedford and Atlantic Streets,
• 28 trees lining Summer Street,
• 12 street trees within Latham Park,
• A large holiday tree in Latham Park with 10,000 lights,
• The large Columbus Park oak with more than 63,000 lights,
• The large tree in front of The Ferguson Library with 12,000 lights,
• 6 deciduous trees within Kiwanis Park and the walls lining the park with cascading light rods.
In total, Stamford Downtown will brighten Downtown with 300,000 LED lights of various colors that will be installed prior to the Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacular in late November.
Winter Holiday Lights
Row House
Mecha Noodle Bar
Columbus Park Oak Tree
NEWSLETTER
STAMFORD DOWNTOWN EVENTS FALL 2019
STAMFORDDOWNTOWN
Please visit stamford-downtown.com for more information on events
Giant Balloon Inflation Partypresented by Point72 Saturday, November 233:00-6:00 p.m.Summer & Hoyt StreetsJoin us for this backstage look at the parade and watch the giant helium balloons come to life!
Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacularpresented by Stamford Advocate/Hearst Media Sunday, November 2412 noon step-offSummer to Broad to Atlantic StreetsOne of the largest helium balloon parades in the country, it features everyone’s favorite giant balloon characters, award winning marching bands and fabulous floats. Fun for the whole family!
Heights & LightsRappelling Santa and Holiday Tree Lightingpresented by Reckson Associates, A Division of SL Green Sunday, December 85:00 p.m.Landmark Square and Latham ParkWatch and cheer for Santa Claus as he makes his daredevil descent from the top of one of Stamford’s tallest buildings, Landmark Square. Then follow Santa up Bedford Street to Latham Park for an evening of holiday music and fun and join in the countdown of the annual lighting of Stamford’s Holiday Tree.
