The information contained herein is based on a thorough preliminary study of available material relevant to the development of the Meriden City Center, and on dialogues with various individuals, groups and organizations that have a stake in the future development of the City Center. These include representatives from the following:

	The Mayor’s Office			The Greater Meriden Chamber of Commerce
	Meriden City Council			Downtown Arts Committee
	Meriden City Planner’s Office			Meriden Council of Neighborhoods
	MERG			Meriden Public Library
	MEDCO			Augusta Curtis Cultural Center
	Flood Control Implementation Agency			Meriden Housing Authority
	Information Technology Zone (ITZ) Committee			Chamberlain Highway/Kensington Avenue Corridors

The recommendations and findings made in this report are based on this preliminary investigation. All technical items discussed in this report will require further investigation and analysis in order to proceed beyond the preliminary stages of this redevelopment plan, but the technical information gathered provides a strong base upon which to begin that process.

Prior to the commencement of this study, the Overall Project Area was defined by MERG as an area that encompassed the majority of Meriden’s neighborhoods that had potential to affect the vitality of the City Center. The limits of this area included the Kensington Avenue Corridor and the Westfield Shoppingtown to the north, the Chamberlain Highway Corridor to the West, the Cook Avenue Corridor and the Former VMMC and Factory H areas to the South, and Broad Street to the east. This Overall Project Area encompasses over 1,500 acres.

The first step of the study was to understand the assets and limitations, as well as the character of each neighborhood in the Overall Project Area. With this understanding, the next step was to identify, in blocks of manageable size, the areas with the most potential to make a positive contribution to a revitalization effort of the size and scope of the Meriden City Center Initiative. In this manner, the Overall Project Area was reduced to a group of individual Study Areas, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, each with a direct impact on the City Center.

The City Center is situated around the intersections of East Main Street, West Main Street, Pratt Street, Colony Street, South Colony Street, State Street, Hanover Street and the rail line. Like spokes on a wheel, these streets and the rail line converge into a central hub that is the heart of, and forms the framework for, the center of Meriden.

The Overall Study Area encompasses approximately 325 acres, and is divided into seven individual Study Areas. It should be noted that the limits of the Study Areas were created and are presented primarily for study and discussion purposes. They do not represent any established borders or physical limits, existing or proposed.

The seven Study Areas are:

Area 1 (The Hub/Mills Environs) - This area is comprised of 67 properties covering a total area of approximately 59 acres. The area is approximately bounded by: State Street to the west, Center and Pratt Streets to the east, East Main Street to the south and I-691 to the north. The area is currently developed into a mix of retail (the Hub, banks, etc.), office, residential (Mills Memorial Apartments and Parkside Apartments), Saint Laurent’s Church and single and multi-family housing.

Area 2 (Downtown) - This area is comprised of 83 properties covering a total area of approximately 26 acres. The area is approximately bounded by: Cook Avenue to the west, State Street to the east, Hanover Street to the south and Church Street to the north. The area is currently developed with office, retail, institutions (YMCA, Court House, Police Station), and residential apartments.

Area 3 (Colony Street Corridor) - This area is comprised of 98 properties covering a total area of approximately 48 acres. The area is approximately bounded by: Lincoln Street to the west, State Street to the east, West Main Street to the south and I-691 to the north. The area is currently developed into a mix of office, storefront retail, institutions (USPS, WFC, Boy’s Club, etc.), manufacturing, and residential (apartments and single and multi-family housing).

Area 4 (Government Center) - This area is comprised of 154 properties covering a total area of approximately 60 acres. The area is approximately bounded by: Pratt Street to the west, Center Street to the east, Charles Street to the south and the intersection of Pratt Street and Center Street to the north. The area is currently developed with a mix of retail, institutions (City Hall, Board of Education, Curtis Cultural Center, Library, Meriden Armory, proposed Post Office), offices, and single and multi-family housing.

Area 5 (Cook Avenue Corridor) - This area is comprised of 114 properties covering a total area of approximately 73 acres. The area is approximately bounded by: Cook Avenue and Hanover Street to the west (includes the former Veterans Memorial Medical Center), South Colony Street to the east, Cooper Street to the south and Hanover Street to the north. The area is currently developed with a mix of primarily vacant office space (former VMMC and Medical Office Building), retail, senior apartments (Harbor Towers), and single and multi-family housing.

Area 6 (Commercial Business Link) - This area is approximately bounded by: Sodom Brook to the west, Colony Street to the east, Columbia Street to the south and I-691 to the north. The area is currently developed with the ramps for I-691 and the Columbus Park Fields and single and multi-family housing.

Area 7 (Gateways to Downtown) - These areas encompass approximately 31 acres and 1 acre, respectively, and include the Lewis Avenue/West Main Gateway and East Main/Broad Street Gateway.

The identification of the Study Areas provided a basis from which development of the Master Plan could begin. The Study Areas also provide a logical way in which to present the completed Master Plan in this document. Accordingly, in this report the Master Plan is presented in detailed areas that relate back to the original Study Areas.

An essential element of preparing the Master Plan was the identification of the challenges that needed to be met. The goal of the planning process was to address all of those challenges in a comprehensive way, mindful of the need to integrate and balance the competing considerations. 

The proposed Master Plan reflects a balancing of these considerations to develop a proposal which incorporates all the essential elements of a Master Plan – new construction, changes in use for existing buildings, street realignments, flood control and much more.

The material on this page is reproduced from "Meriden City Center Initiative - A Comprehensive Plan for Revitalization" prepared by BL Companies, released 07/24/2002. All rights reserved.