CCAPA Awards 2019

2019 recipients

• Global Cities Norwich
• The City of Bridgeport- Plan Bridgeport
• BOROUGH 492 (Hamden Business Incubator)
• Town of Canton- Plan of Conservation and Development Implementation
• Bruce Hoben Distinguished Service Award- Alan Weiner
• Special Chapter Award- Mike Piscitelli

Global Cities Norwich

CCAPA recognized Global Cities Norwich for its focus on creative community-based economic development.

Global City Norwich is a unique, multi-year project, funded by the Chelsea Groton Foundation, Inc., focused on enlivening downtown Norwich.  The initiative focuses on three approaches:

• Engaging the unique, diverse population of Norwich by creating year-round foot traffic in downtown by hosting family friendly cultural festivals; 
• Cultivating entrepreneurs within the community and removing barriers into the business community through education, incubation and mentorship; 
• Facilitating the occupancy of empty retail spaces in downtown by educating property owners to better understand the financial benefit, and assisting them with readying the physical spaces for tenants.

Since its beginning in 2018, Global City Norwich has attracted more than 20,000 attendees to 13 cultural festivals, including Haitian, Polish, Peruvian, and the Ellis Walter Ruley Festival (local art and history); has provided small business training to almost 150 local aspiring entrepreneurs, and provided assistance to local property owners to fill more than 20,000 sf of first floor retail with new businesses.

Plan Bridgeport

CCAPA recognized the City of Bridgeport's planning department for its ambitious, effective and inclusive comprehensive plan and planning process: Plan Bridgeport.

With Plan Bridgeport, Bridgeport's planning department realized that the same old planning methods weren’t going to help move Bridgeport forward. The team picked a motto – “Plan Bold, Plan Smart, Plan Bridgeport”– and carried those ideals through their outreach process and plan creation to our ongoing implementation. Plan Bridgeport is not just a document, it is a turning point in Bridgeport's approach to solving complex problems through collaboration and transparent effort. 

Throughout the planning process, Bridgeport intentionally reached out to community members who have often been left out of decision-making. The team resolved to listen closely for the new voices that would make Plan Bridgeport genuinely reflective of the ambitions, preferences, and concerns of our citizens. Plan concepts are put into the context of real concerns for safety, well-being and equity so the community can see how they relate to their lives. 

The Plan is short and straightforward, encouraging interaction and use. A digital version, PlanBridgeport.com, further simplifies and enhances the experience of using the plan. Users sort through the many strategies to find what interests them and to see action steps to which the City is committed. Progress bars on the website indicate how far along implementation is.  Each of the nearly five hundred (500) objectives and strategies is being translated into measurable actions upon which responsible City departments will soon be reporting in their monthly updates for the Mayor. 

BOROUGH 496

CCAPA recognized BOROUGH 496 for its positive neighborhood impacts and support of small business development.

With BOROUGH496, the Hamden Economic Development Corporation restored a 42,000 sf historic structure and transformed it into a small business incubator that is focused on innovation and inclusivity in three main focus areas: sustainability, workforce development and micro-enterprise entrepreneurship. The facility provides options for memberships as part of the co-working space as well as office space and classrooms ranging from 650 to 4,200 sq. ft. 

In the heart of a neighborhood transformed over the last 20 years, BOROUGH496 plays an important role as a model of community reinvestment. The core mission of BOROUGH496 must therefore include a commitment to not only physical sustainability but also to sustainable and inclusive business practices that can only be achieved by working with community based organizations and people that have not historically had the opportunity for or access to the resources that are more traditionally offered. Located in the heart of Hamden’s Opportunity Zone, there are opportunities for investors to be a part of this emerging local ecosystem.

Town of Canton- Plan of Conservation and Development Implementation

CCAPA recognized Canton for its sustained commitment to implementing the recommendations of its 2014 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD).

Canton's 2014 adoption of a Plan of Conservation and Development was just a first step towards achieving the Plan's goals. A Plan Implementation Committee has since met monthly to monitor and advance implementation. Of the Plan's 49 priority implementation tasks, four have been fully completed and another 36 have demonstrated progress. In the most recent election, both candidates for first selectman promoted their awareness of the town's POCD and personal support for a continued focus on implementation. The success Canton has had in implementing the POCD is a direct result of the Town's early focus on writing a plan that has broad support and clear implementation pathways.