NORWALK — The city plans to dedicate more than $6 million of its American Rescue Plan Act funds to green infrastructure and sustainability in the coming years.
In a presentation provided to the Common Council’s Economic and Community Development Committee, head of economic and community development Jess Vonashek outlined the four different city sectors that will receive green infrastructure through ARPA: Business support, walkability/connectivity, environmental/green space/livability and housing.
Of the more than $39 million the city will receive in ARPA funds, about $6.7 million, or about 17 %, will go toward Norwalk’s economic development, Vonashek said.
“We looked through multiple different studies and plans and identified over 150 projects through those plans,” Vonashek said. “Using different funding sources, we will be able to advance over 90% of those efforts. We’re in a great place to be able to move forward a number of economic and community development efforts. We’re trying to focus on building healthy neighborhoods.”
Of the $6.7 million appropriated for community development, $3.4 million will go toward business support, $1.9 million for walkability/connectivity, $995,000 for environmental/green space and $120,000 for housing, Vonashek said.
In December, the council designated about $2 million in ARPA funds to supporting local nonprofits and another several thousand to start a small business loan program.
For walkability and connectivity, the appropriated $1.9 million will be split among four projects.
The second and third phases of the Wall Street design will account for $250,000 of the designated ARPA funds, Vonashek said. About $1 million will go toward funding sidewalks and bike lane construction across the city.
The Complete Street plan, designed to increase accessibility and ease of use for all road users, including pedestrians, drivers and bicyclists, will receive $250,000, Vonashek said.
Additionally, the ARPA money will fund the hiring of a three-year transportation, mobility and parking project manager, who will help design and orchestrate such projects funded through ARPA.
“ARPA allows us to bring on a project manager for three years from now, to 2025, to be able to support all of this work,” Vonashek said.
An additional $3.9 million is already going toward walkability in the city due to other ongoing projects. For environmental and green space projects, the $995,000 from ARPA will be split among five projects.
The tree management plan, which will catalog and work to increase the city’s tree canopy, and the tree planting program will receive $150,000 and $500,000, respectively, Vonashek said.
The development of a climate action plan will receive $150,000, and $70,000 will go toward an economic impact analysis of the Maritime Aquarium. A harbor use plan will also receive $125,000.
“We’re talking about transient moorings and talking a lot about different ways to use the harbor, but this would actually allow us to identify recommendation and funding streams to move that forward, so we would work with the Harbor Commission to do that,” Vonashek said.
Lastly, the $120,000 dedicated to housing will fund an affordable housing plan, Vonashek said. A request for proposals for a company to conduct an affordable housing plan is being drafted an will be ready some time in February.
“Although housing looks a little light in this particular list, it is getting a lot of attention through the other funding streams,” Vonashek said.
abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
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