The vision of this project is to examine as a whole East Hartford’s Burnside and Church Street Village Area, highlighting the area’s strengths, weaknesses, challenges and opportunities. The main focus of the BAR Grant is to address potentially contaminated structures and develop a comprehensive plan for the Burnside and Church Street Mills Area. The consultant for the BAR Grant will be required to integrate assessment activities into the overall plan. The plan development process will need to involve public outreach and engagement aimed at reaching the areas residents and stakeholders to understand their goals for the areas redevelopment and objectives of any public space redesigns. It is anticipated that the Town will establish a Steering Committee to assist in the development of the plan which will be comprised of community leaders, residents and town staff. The BAR Plan will address public space and pedestrian improvements and other changes that can be made to both revitalize the neighborhood and encourage economic integration. This study aims to address pedestrian and bicyclist accessibility, assess economic conditions, and develop marketing or other economic development strategies to foster future development and investment in the area. The study will also include the development and evaluation of multiple alternatives aimed at addressing existing and likely future issues in the area, and reach consensus on the selection of a preferred set of recommendations.
