Manchester Citizens Group Has 'Issues' With Downtown Improvements Plan

MANCHESTER, CT — A citizens group has been formed to highlight several "issues" some residents have with the Downtown Manchester Improvements Project. A meeting of "Save Downtown Manchester" is already scheduled for later this month.

According to municipal officials, the Downtown Manchester Improvements Project "seeks to transform the Main Street corridor between Center Street and Hartford Road into an accessible, vibrant and equitable complete street through a comprehensive design that includes traffic and pedestrian/bicycle safety improvements, additional public gathering spaces, and enhanced streetscape complemented with strategic private development."

See details of the project here.

Not so fast, a group of citizens is saying. The residents have formed a group called Save Downtown Manchester as a result of a the proposed plan. It even has a Facebook page.

The group has slated a gathering for 7 p.m. on Jan. 30, at which it will be hosting a power point video geared toward downtown business owners, the Army & Navy Club and to the public.

The group has already presented its "issues" to the Manchester Road Race Committee.

The issues, according to the group, include:

• A street is narrowed to two lanes
• Traffic problems
• Road race and car show complications
• Converting angled parking along "key blocks" to parallel
• "Significant" reduction in parking along "key blocks
• Proposed commercial development of the Forest Street, lot which "will affect Army & Navy Club and could end its existence due to lack of parking"