By Tom Condon

www.ctmirror.org

Dixwell Avenue in Hamden is an inelegant and jumbled commercial strip, a paean to post-World War II planning, a hurried venue for cars where pedestrians or bike riders venture at considerable risk. For example, at the 1950s-era Hamden Plaza, diners leaving Panera Bread on one side of the mall often find the parking lot so vast and uninviting that they get in their cars to pilgrimage to Ashley’s Ice Cream on the other side.

Hamden Plaza on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Tom Condon/Ctmirror.org

But over time Dixwell and Hamden’s other two major commercial thoroughfares, State Street and Whitney Avenue, may take on a friendlier look and scale; indeed Whitney already is.

Hamden has joined a quiet revolution going on across the country in an area not usually associated with revolutionary fervor: zoning. Instead of focusing on what a building is used for, as traditional zoning does, the new approach, called “form-based zoning,” concentrates on what a building looks like — its form — and how it relates to the street and the neighborhood.

Advocates say the focus on the physical form of buildings encourages diverse, attractive and walkable streets, protects the character of neighborhoods and encourages development by making it more predictable and less administratively cumbersome.

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Riverside Barber Shop, 231 Post Road West, above Greg & Tony salon, has opened under new ownership. Continuing a tradition, owner Tammy Stefanidis of Westport said the shop will soon celebrate the 90th anniversary since founded on Riverside Avenue in 1927 by John Santella, followed by his son Lou Santella and then owned by Pat Vigilio since November 1999 when he relocated the business to its current location. (See WestportNow Aug 29, 2009, Feb. 22, 2010 and March 27, 2010) Vigilio recently retired and relocated to Florida, according to Stefanidis. She said she worked for Vigilio for seven years until 2006 and then spent the past 10 years as a homemaker raising her family. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Sola Salons will open this month on the ground floor level at 495 Post Road East, adjacent to the Steinway store, according to co-owners and Westport residents Rich and Holly Bobrow (above). Rich Bobrow said the 6,000 square feet facility has 26 “studios,” each available for “experienced hair stylists and other beauty professionals to open their own business in a turnkey, fully equipped setup.”  He added, “Sola empowers its stylists to develop their businesses and realize their dreams.” The Westport site, the fifth in Connecticut, is one of 250 location throughout the country. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Michaels, an arts and crafts retail chain, will open soon at 1850 Post Road East, in the Westport Plaza Shopping Center anchored by HomeGoods. The 19,300-square feet space was last occupied by Walgreens which closed in May 2015 (see WestportNow April 24, 2015). Other Michaels stores in Connecticut are in Wilton, Stamford, Milford, Brookfield, Waterbury, Meriden, New Britain, Berlin and Avon. Based in Irving, Texas, Michaels was founded in 1973 and has 1,262 stores in 49 states. It is the largest arts and crafts specialty retailer in North America.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

By James Lomuscio

Saying that traffic, safety and environmental impact should not be sacrificed for affordable housing, a number of residents at tonight’s Westport Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) meeting spoke against a developer’s plan.

Kermit Hua, a traffic engineering consultant working for the affordable housing developer, addresses tonight’s P&Z meeting. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

It calls for a six-story, 48-unit multi-family housing project with 15 affordable units at the busy intersection of Wilton Road and Kings Highway North.

Fairfield attorney John Fallon, representing the developer of the project, Garden Homes Management, put forth the application for the development at 122 Wilton Road.

He said the project would meet the requirements of the controversial 8-30g affordable housing statute, under which the application was being made. The statute allows developers to override local zoning laws if the town does not have 10 percent of its housing stock classified as affordable, which Westport does not.