Norwalk Bike/Walk Commission delays Complete Streets Presentation

NORWALK, Conn. — The Norwalk Bike/Walk Commission postponed a scheduled presentation on the city’s Complete Streets Design Guide after a key staff member said he was unprepared to discuss recent changes.

The delay frustrated commissioners, who said the missed presentation could limit their ability to review the draft and gather public feedback before the comment period closes. The guide will shape how Norwalk designs roads, sidewalks, and bike infrastructure.

During the meeting, Greg Pacelli, a transportation planner for Norwalk, said he “wasn’t really prepared to speak specifically” about the plan or recent changes to it.

“I didn’t realize that was the item that was on [the agenda],” Pacelli said.

Pacelli said he would follow up with the commission at a later date and directed members to the most recently revised draft of the Complete Streets Design Guide, which he said was posted on the city’s website last week.

According to the city’s website, the guide “will guide the design, construction, and implementation of the Complete Streets ordinance.”

“The design guide will include recommended lane widths, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, stormwater management techniques, and other strategies for different types of roads,” the website states.

Questions and pushback from the commission

Christina Randall, a member of the Bike/Walk Commission, asked Pacelli how involved he was in the updates.

Pacelli said, “There were a lot of rounds of comments back and forth … not only within TMP, but also with the Department of Public Works.”

He also recalled “many, many back-and-forths between the consultant revising the document.”

Pacelli said he was not prepared to “speak on specifics of what was updated because there were so many of us working on different pieces of it.”

He offered to present at the next meeting.

Randall responded that “by the time the next meeting rolls around, the opportunity for public comment will basically be over.”

Emily Burnaman, chair of the Bike/Walk Commission, asked Pacelli for “a little direction on what’s changed.”

“The biggest change is at the end [in] Section 6, which is the construction standards details,” Pacelli said.

“I know we also changed the sight line triangles coming out of streets … because we have a lot of relation to zoning issues where fences or obstructions are in the way for sight lines,” he added.

Pacelli said residents can review the document and submit comments online, by email, or in writing to the city clerk’s office.

“The Complete Streets design is never a set-in-stone document; it’s always a living, breathing document that is going to be updated when new guidance comes out,” Pacelli said.

Randall said she felt the need to “speak up for the little guy” and again questioned why Pacelli was unprepared despite the presentation being listed on the agenda.

She also asked whether there was anything the commission should be aware of in the document.

Pacelli said he would be willing to hold a special meeting to review the changes.

Commission members unanimously agreed to schedule a special meeting, which Burnaman tentatively set for Tuesday, April 21, at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

Post-meeting comments from TMP

Garrett Bolella, assistant director for the Transportation, Mobility and Parking Department, said the latest draft of the guide was updated to “clean up some of the language, provide clarification … and refine some of the tables.”

Bolella said the department has “been working very closely with the Department of Public Works” on the guide.

“We included several construction details they have been working really hard on over the past several months to update from previous standards,” he said.

Although the document remains a draft, Bolella said: “We anticipate finalizing the guide later this summer.”

“The purpose of this guide was to bring everything under one roof into one document,” he said.

“We’re still in the process, as it’s a really robust document, of making sure there are no inconsistencies across departments or city records,” Bolella added.

He said the city plans to include a table summarizing changes so readers can “quickly see what’s changed and go to the relevant page.”

Bolella described the current version as “an interim clean-up before the final guide is issued.”

Concerns from commission member

In an email after the meeting, Randall said, “My concern — and I believe the commission shares this — is our role as a liaison between the city and the average Norwalk resident on local issues related to biking and walking.”

“A new draft of the Complete Streets Design Guide … falls squarely within that scope,” she added.

“At a high level, we want to understand: what changed, was previous community input considered, and how does the engineering jargon translate to the everyday experience of cyclists and pedestrians,” Randall wrote.

She said the commission is “eager” to review the changes and communicate them to the public.