The State Of Stamford Is Strong, But There's More Work To Do: Simmons

STAMFORD, CT — In conjunction with the Stamford Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Caroline Simmons last week delivered her annual "state of the city" address at The Village in Harbor Point.

Simmons noted that while the state of Stamford is strong and getting stronger each day, there's more work to do.

"Until every person has the ability to afford this community, find job opportunities, access high quality schools and parks, and pursue their dreams in our city, we will keep working," Simmons said in her 25-minute speech. "We will keep rolling up our sleeves to deliver results for the people of Stamford, and make our city a beacon of hope for other cities to emulate. While we already are a model city in so many ways, let's continue to strive for greatness and maximize our full potential."

Simmons called Stamford the "unequivocal economic engine of the state," seeing as its the second largest, and fastest-growing city in Connecticut.

She highlighted a bustling downtown scene, educational opportunities at a variety of schools, public safety and fiscal responsibility as reasons why Stamford is in a "strong economic position."

Simmons spoke about current and future initiatives that she hopes will further Stamford's standing in Connecticut and the country.

Infrastructure

Road paving has become a top priority for Simmons, who noted the city has a goal of doubling its paved roads to over 200 and making sure every school has an accessible sidewalk by the year 2025.

Part of her infrastructure plan is increasing pedestrian and roadway safety.

"The number of pedestrian fatalities we had last year was heartbreaking and unacceptable. As mayor, I'm going to use every tool in my toolbox to address this issue," she said. LAst year, Simmons signed a Vision Zero Executive Order, making Stamford the first city in th state to declare a goal of reducing pdestrian fatalities to zero by 2032.

Another pillar of her infrastructure plan is embarking on a $1.5 billion long-term school facilities plan to fix aging school buildings and bring them into the 21st century.

Making improvements to parks will also be a priority. Simmons noted several improvements made to various parks over the past year-and-a-half, but more work is planned.

To that end, the city has created an online survey to get fedback for a parks strategic plan.

Sustainability

During Simmons' time in office, in partnership with her newly-formed climate council, the city conducted it first greenhouse gas inventory and issued Stamford's first RFP to solarize munipal buildings. Simmons mentioned securing federal funding for new LED streetlights and the installation of 20 bioswales to help mitigate flooding.

Made In Stamford

Stamford will soon launch a "made in Stamford" initiative "to celebrate the many wonderful, local products that are made in our city, from homegoods companies like Henkel and Caro Home, to coffee and beer businesses like Rise, Turning Point and Half Full brewery," Simmons said.

Permitting Process

For years, Simmons explained, the city's permitting process has delayed jobs and investment in Stamford, which in turn has added risk, uncertainty and cost to business deals.

"I recognize how frustrating this has been for businesses and residents, and I'm committed to improving it," Simmons said.

As a result, in the coming weeks, Stamford will be piloting a walk-in permitting center at the government center. Every other Wednesday, city staff will be available to answer constituent questions regarding residential and commercial projects, Simmons said.

"We know this process can be burdensome, but we want to make it easier and more customer friendly. We still have significant work to do as many of you know in streamlining our permitting process, but this is a first step," Simmons said.

Housing

Simmons celebrated Stamford's addition of 142 affordable housing units in the past year, and said there are currently 447 units "in the pipeline," including 39 new units on the West Side which were recently announced.

"We can't grow our economy if our workforce can't afford to live here. That's why I'm committed to expanding the stock of affordable housing in our city," Simmons said, mentioning that in this year's capital budget, $1.29 million is dedicated to supporting 166 future affordable housing units on the East Side.

"In the coming weeks, I'll be signing an executive order with a goal of getting to 1000 new affordable units by 2025," Simmons added. "Everyone deserves quality, safe and affordable housing. With rising homelessness, this is perhaps one of the most moral and social issues of our time."

Additionally, Simmons also said she's committed to upgrading the city's existing housing stock and increasing pathways to homeownership.

You can watch Simmons' full state of the city speech here.