Danbury

Project Consultant: Fuss & O’Neill

Location:

Downtown Danbury serves nearly 80,000 City residents as well as the greater Danbury region. The subject neighborhood – located along Main Street and extending eastward to Town Hill Avenue – has endured decades of flooding caused by aged, undersized drainage systems directed to a watercourse called “East Ditch” that is constrained within a culvert. Flooding therefore has hydrologic and hydraulic contributions. Existing pipes and culverts cannot handle the volumes of water generated during severe storms over the small urban catchment, nor can they handle the hydraulic characteristics of the flows.

Flooding presents public safety challenges to residents of the City, leading to closures of Main Street in front of a community health center where patients have been previously trapped by flooding events. Flooding has also caused damage to properties situated along the East Ditch alignment. Downtown Danbury is also vulnerable to extreme heat. This is attributed primarily to the high social vulnerability within the community, combined with dense housing, impervious surfaces, disconnected green spaces for mitigating high heat impacts, and an absence of nearby formal cooling centers and/or shelters.

 

Situation: 

This project focuses on developing adaptation strategies and implementable project concepts which will help to mitigate the impacts of current and future climate induced flooding to key community assets; as well as, help mitigate the impacts of extreme heat for the community. Adaptation options and implementation planning that are identified and carried forward to conceptual design should incorporate the Resilient Connecticut PERSISTS criteria.pdf.

Critical roadways and egress routes to be considered as part of the Project:

  • Main Street from Liberty Street to South Street
  • Liberty Street from Main Street to Town Hill Avenue
  • Keeler Street, Center Street, State Street, and Park Place

    In addition to the roadways and egress routes above, the project will assess future conditions and adaptation alternatives to mitigate flood and heat risks for critical facilities along Main Street, existing affordable housing complexes such as Danbury Commons, and private properties and future development along and between Keeler Street, Center Street, State Street, and Park Place. Special consideration will be given to future climate driven impacts to the neighborhood, to assist the community and the City with developing a resilient long term vision for adapting land uses in this area.