The Waterbury Green Master Plan

1. The Waterbury Green Master Plan
Preserving the Past to Invent the Future
Project Team
Kathleen McNamara – Grants Administrator / Waterbury CT
Phillips Barlow – Landscape Architect / TO Design
Elena Pascarella – Landscape Architect / Landscape Elements
David Sousa – LA-Planner / CDM/Smith

8. Waterbury Green Master Plan
Civil Engineering +
Landscape Architecture
Sophisticated
Site Design

9. Waterbury Green Master Plan
Civil Engineering +
Landscape Architecture
Sophisticated
Site Design

11. Waterbury Green Master Plan
THE PRESENT - PRECEDENTS IN PUBLIC SPACE DESIGN
• New Haven Green
Civil Engineering +
Landscape Architecture
Sophisticated
Site Design

12. Waterbury Green Master Plan
THE PRESENT - PRECEDENTS IN PUBLIC SPACE DESIGN
• Post Office Square, Boston
Civil Engineering +
Landscape Architecture
Sophisticated
Site Design

13. Waterbury Green Master Plan
THE PRESENT - PRECEDENTS IN PUBLIC SPACE DESIGN
• Bryant Park, NYC
Civil Engineering +
Landscape Architecture
Sophisticated
Site Design

14. Waterbury Green Master Plan
THE PRESENT - PRECEDENTS IN PUBLIC SPACE DESIGN
• Center City Park
Civil Engineering +
Landscape Architecture
Sophisticated
Site Design

15. Waterbury Green Master Plan
THE PRESENT - PRECEDENTS IN PUBLIC SPACE DESIGN
• McLevy Plaza
Civil Engineering +
Landscape Architecture
Sophisticated
Site Design

16. Waterbury Green Master Plan - Existing Conditions
Civil Engineering +
Landscape Architecture
Sophisticated
Site Design

17. Waterbury Green Master Plan - Existing Conditions
Civil Engineering +
Landscape Architecture
Sophisticated
Site Design

25. Key Principles of ‘Complete Streets’
Safe Street
Crossings
Design for
Everyone
Complete Streets &
Sustainable
Transportation for
Waterbury
Create Many
Linkages
Multi-Use
Streets w/
Bike Lanes
Road
Diet/Narrow
Lanes
Slow Traffic
Vibrant
Sidewalks
Integrated
Transit

26. Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA (photo by D. Sousa)
Keene, NH (photo by D. Sousa)
Crosswalks should be
illuminated with well-placed,
numerous pedestrian-level
street lights.
ISSUE:
Pedestrians are exposed to heavy urban traffic at intersections where drivers
are often distracted by other stimuli and where multiple travel and turning lanes
increase the time pedestrians are exposed in the street.
BENEFITS of TOOL:
 Wider, better-designed and more articulated crosswalks greatly improve
pedestrian safety.
 Extend crosswalks through medians to provide a pedestrian safety zone.
 Raised crosswalks, speed tables or raised intersections enhance crosswalk
visibility and slow vehicle speeds.
 Pedestrian count down signals at crosswalks improve pedestrian awareness
of safe crossing times.
Downtown Keene, NH (photo by D. Sousa)
Enhanced Crosswalks

27. Downtown New Canaan, CT (photo by D. Sousa)
York Square, New Haven, CT (photo by D. Sousa)
ISSUE:
Keene, NH
(photo by D. Sousa)
Many city block lengths are long resulting
in long distances between crosswalks at
intersections; this often leads to
jaywalking.
BENEFITS of TOOL:
 Mid-block locations that are signalized
and protected with medians and curb
extensions improve pedestrian safety and
result in lower travel speeds.
 Raised mid-block crosswalks enhance
crosswalk visibility and slow vehicle travel
speeds.
Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA (photo by D. Sousa)
Mid-Block Crosswalks

28. Photo by Dan Burden, Walkable Communities, Inc.
Main Street on the Green, Branford, CT (photo by D. Sousa)
ISSUE:
Urban streets should be designed for slower travel speeds to provide a
more peaceful setting for homes, schools, businesses and shoppers
and to improve safety, especially pedestrian and bicycle safety.
BENEFITS of TOOL:
 Streets with fewer vehicle lanes and narrower travel lanes (10’ to 11’
vs. 12’ to 15’) and narrower or no shoulders result in slower travel
speeds.
 An urban street can carry more vehicle traffic at 30 mph than it can
at 50 mph because capacity is controlled at signalized intersections.
 Higher design speeds lead to lower street capacity because higher
speed signals require more red clearance time.
Narrow Traffic Lanes

29. Downtown Lee, MA
(photo by D. Sousa)
West Hartford Town Center (photo by D. Sousa)
Main Street – Branford, CT (photo by D. Sousa)
Bulb-outs can be enlarged to
provide amenities such as bicycle
parking, bus shelters, benches &
even sidewalk cafes.
ISSUE:
Pedestrian crossing distances are wide on many city streets and the
visibility of pedestrians is occluded by parked vehicles.
Robson Street, Vancouver, BC (photo by D. Sousa)
Curb Extensions
(Bulb-Outs)
BENEFITS of TOOL:
Bulb-outs extend the curb-line into the traveled way to reduce the
width of the street and reduce crosswalk distances.
Pedestrians in Bulb-outs are more visible to motorists, especially rightturning vehicles.

30. Bike Box (location unknown)
“Cycle Tracks” are a new form of bicycle
lane, separate from the street, that are 25%
safer than on-street bicycle lanes.
A “Bike Box” is a new strategy to improve
the visibility and safety of bicyclists at
intersections. It clearly defines the bicycle
and vehicle zones and gives cyclists a head
start across the intersection.
Cycle Track – Vassar St., Cambridge, MA (photo by D. Sousa)
ISSUE:
Bicycle travel is one of the most convenient, lowcost, and efficient forms of travel yet most people
do not feel safe riding bikes on city streets.
Flatiron District, New York City
(photo by D. Sousa)
BENEFITS of TOOL:
Bicycle lanes indicate an exclusive space for
bicycle travel on a street, making shared use of
the street much safer for cyclists.
 Bike lanes create consistent & safer
separation between bicyclists and passing
motorists.
Cycling is the most energy efficient and nonpolluting forms of transportation.
Cities that accommodate cyclists attract new
residents and commerce.
Cycle Exchange, London, England
(photo by D. Sousa)
Bicycle
Lanes

31. Downtown Albany, NY (photo by D. Sousa)
York Square, New Haven
(photo by D. Sousa
Vancouver, British Columbia (photo by D. Sousa)
ISSUE:
Vancouver, British Columbia (photo by D. Sousa)
Bus transit is a very practical, efficient and low-cost form of public transit
but is not used by large segments of the population.
BENEFITS of TOOL:
 New bus shelters will improve comfort and convenience of bus transit
and help to increase bus ridership.
Transit Enhancements

32. Downtown Ridgewood, NJ (photo by D. Sousa)
Downtown Hanover, NH
(photo by D. Sousa)
Main Street, Branford, CT
(photo by D. Sousa)
ISSUE:
Parking is important to improving access to shops, restaurants and
businesses and needs to be convenient to attract retail patrons.
BENEFITS of TOOL:
 Supports the local commercial economy.
 Provides buffer between pedestrians and moving traffic.
 Slows traffic, making pedestrian crossings safer.
 Facilitates safe and convenient curb-side drop-off of passengers.
 Increases pedestrian activity on the street.
 Provides cue to motorists that they are entering a low speed area.
Charles Street, Boston, MA (photo by D. Sousa)
On-Street Parking

33. Skaneateles, NY (photo by D. Sousa)
Photo by Dan Burden, Walkable Inc
Howard Avenue, New Haven, CT (photo by D. Sousa)
ISSUE:
Prior to the dominance of motor vehicles, city streets were lined
with majestic trees; this feature is important to urban livability.
BENEFITS of TOOL:
 Vertical elements and overhead canopy of leaves enclose the
street and cause drivers to reflexively slow down.
 Street trees, ornamental street lights, and bollards, visually
reinforce that the street is a pedestrian-dominated, slow traffic
zone.
 Street trees help to cool the urban environment and improve air
and water quality.
Street Trees and Streetscaping

34. Photo by Dan Burden, Walkable Communities, Inc
Photo by Dan Burden, Walkable Communities, Inc
ISSUE:
Urban streets often have multiple lanes creating wide
swaths of pavement.
BENEFITS of TOOL:
 Tree-line medians visually narrow the travel lanes
and promote slower vehicle speeds.
 Landscaping provides a visual amenity
 Medians can have crosswalk passages that provide
refuge areas for pedestrians.
Midblock median island- Richard Drdul
Landscaped Medians

35. Reduced radius corner, location unknown
Downtown Keene, NH (photo by D. Sousa)
ISSUE:
The geometry of intersections is often designed
for the needs of vehicles rather than pedestrians.
BENEFITS of TOOL:
Reduced curb radii require vehicles, especially
trucks, to make turns at slower, safer speeds.
Tighter curb radii lessen the crossing distances
for pedestrians in crosswalks.
Branford Center - Main Street at Chestnut (photo by D. Sousa)
Curb Radius Reduction

36. Photo by Dan Burden, Walkable Communities, Inc
Photo by Dan Burden, Walkable Communities, Inc
ISSUE:
Urban streets often have multiple lanes creating wide
swaths of pavement.
BENEFITS of TOOL:
 Tree-line medians visually narrow the travel lanes
and promote slower vehicle speeds.
 Landscaping provides a visual amenity
 Medians can have crosswalk passages that provide
refuge areas for pedestrians.
Midblock median island- Richard Drdul
Landscaped Medians

37. Channelized island, location unknown
ISSUE:
Many intersections on arterial streets present crossing
challenges to pedestrians due to right-turn movements and
wide crossing distances.
BENEFITS of TOOL:
 Right turn slip lanes limit vehicle turning speeds and
improves the visibility of pedestrians.
 Slip lanes should include pedestrian refuge islands.
Channelizing bike lane, location unknown
Channelizing Island

38. Existing Conditions
• Waterbury Green and Exchange Place serve as pulse
points – “pulse” points allow for transfer between
buses
• 30 and 60 minute service
• 2 minute transfers between services
• North-south buses connect with east-west routes
(more than 21% transfers) at the Green
• 35% of the bus runs have less than 2 minutes to
transfer

39. Existing Bus Routes

40. Transfer Times
~5
mi
nu
tes
2 minute walking
radius

41. West Main Street Location
• Transfer time increases to 5 minutes
• A 5 minute transfer time would:
– make passengers miss connections and wait longer for
connecting service
– require holding buses for passengers transferring service
– affect reliability of service
– see a reduction in service (16% reduction for 30 min. service)
• To maintain a 2 minute transfer time, north-south
services (Routes 13, 15, 16, 35, 36) have to be re-routed.
• This adds travel times and reduces service on those
routes

42. West Main Street Location
• Moving pulse point to W. Main Street and keeping same
level of service i.e. 2 minute transfer time between
services would require “more buses” and significant
changes in bus routing.
• Why not “more buses”:
– Increases capital and operating costs
– Would result in an increase in passenger fares (approximately
21% of operational costs)
– Changes in service would require federal and state
involvement and “strong” support

43.
Connecticut’s Town Greens
• Waterbury Green is one of 170 in the state, priceless public landscapes that belong to
everyone.
• Concept of shared open space brought to America by English settlers
• Instantly recognizable icons
• Living artifacts and one of the few physical connections to our Puritan heritage.
• Today a much needed green space in cities and towns
“Without the green Connecticut would be a much different place”
- Helen Higgins Executive Director, CT Trust for Historic Preservation

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Clark Tavern Nearby
Ensign Stanley House Nearby – Provided protection to colonists from Indians in 1700
Clark Tavern occupied by Revolutionary War soldiers.
Muddy open space at the intersection of two roads.
Swamp – not suitable for home or pasture
The Declaration of Independence was read to troops on July 9, 1776
1700 – 1800

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Leveled and Fenced in 1825
Boulders hauled off during “Carting-Bee” on July 4, 1825
Corduroy Road replaced by gravel road in 1828
Meeting House moved off the Green in 1835
Planted with grass and trees c. 1840
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1800 – 1850

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1850s – First Planned Paths
1873 – Paths Paved
1873 – Saint John’s Church
1893 – Financial Collapse, Demonstrations on Green
1850 – 1900

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End of War celebrations
Demonstrations during the Depression
1945 Proposal to pave the Green
c. 1906 Streets paved
1912 City Hall Burned
1894 Library moved
1902 Fire
Dutch Elm Disease
1936 Public Notice Pillar
1946 Bus Stop
1913/14 24 Elms Replaced
Elton Hotel 1904
YMCA 1924
Masonic Temple (Mattatuck Museum) 1912
1900 – 1950

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1960s Visited by all 3 Kennedy brothers
Vietnam War Protests
c. 1980 Bituminous paths replace with concrete
1980 Flagpole Refurbished
1984 New electrical works for the clock
1950 – 2012

49. 1851

50. 1865

51. 1850-1890

52. 1890

53. 1906

55. Olmsted Brothers plan - 1906

58. 1900

59. 1907

61. 1922

62. 1954

63. 1961
1961

64. 1983

68. A

71. Now it’s your turn!
– How did we do?
– Please rotate to each of the four tables.
Table Topics Include:
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Circulation
Historic Elements
Uses
Planting and amenities
Leave comments

73. Master Plan

74. Amphitheatre

75. East Plaza

76. Pavement Mosaic

77. Cooley’s Clock

78. Leavenworth Street Promenade

79. Leavenworth Street Promenade

80. Park Building

81. Transit Zone & Canopy

82. New Haven Green

83. Memorial Plaza

84. North Promenade

85. Potential Complete Streets Improvements