Norwalk for Business

Congratulations to Jacob's Pickles of South Norwalk, a Southern-influenced restaurant at the SoNo Collection for coming in at No. 1 within the top 25 places to eat in Connecticut according to a new list published by Yelp! Jacob's Pickles opened its South Norwalk location restaurant in November 2023. If you haven't tried it yet, you should! #JacobsPickles #NorwalkforBusiness #CityofNorwalk #SouthNorwalk #Number1onYelpinCT

In partnership with the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency and the Greater Norwalk Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the City is hosting its eighth workshop within our 2024 Nonprofit Capacity Building Workshop Series! It will be Tuesday, November 19! More details below. WORKSHOP TOPIC: Strategizing and executing effectively Tuesday, November 19, 2024 | 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM This free workshop will be offered in person at the Norwalk Business Development Center at 3 Belden Avenue, Norwalk, CT and online. All participants will be sent a virtual meeting link before the workshop. In this workshop, you will learn: • Strategy development toward achieving long-term goals and objectives. • Skills to navigate your goals seamlessly, enabling you to enjoy the process of strategizing and executing effectively. • Mastering flexibility, deciding when to alter strategy and how to navigate uncertainties. To register, please visit https://lnkd.in/eVfSP2WJ #NonProfitCapacityBuildingWorkshop10 #CityOfNorwalk #MondayNovember19 #NorwalkforBusiness

Today, the City of Norwalk celebrated the opening of Kicksmith Studio with a ribbon-cutting ceremony! Kicksmith Studio is located at the Watypointe at 515 West Avenue in Space B. The Studio offers classes for sneaker art designing where creative individuals can transform their sneakers into a work of art! Kicksmith Studio offers private events, kids' parties and in-person classes. To learn more about what Kicksmith Studio has to offer, please visit https://lnkd.in/eQPReGQG #NorwalkForBusiness #KickSmithStudio #CityOfNorwalk #VisitNorwalk

Norwalk is proud to be named on WalletHub's newly released list of the "Best Small Cities in America", among 20 cities in Connecticut! Mayor Harry Rilling is continuing to enhance the quality of life for all Norwalk residents, while working to make it the greenest City in CT. The City of Norwalk has been recognized by CT Insider, Fortune Magazine and Livability.com as a top city in which to live. In fact, Fortune Magazine rated Norwalk as the best place for families to live within Connecticut and 29th in the entire nation! I ❤️Norwalk! You can learn more by visiting https://lnkd.in/gnM24Ctf #CityofNorwalk #ILoveNorwalk

On Wednesday, the Department of Economic and Community Development's (DECD) Connecticut Office of the Arts announced that it designated the City of Norwalk as an Arts and Cultural District! Mayor Harry Rilling was joined by Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Senator Bob Duff, State Rep Lucy Reis Dathan, Elizabeth Shapiro, CT DECD Director of Arts, Preservation & Museum, Josh Goldstein, Common Council Member, Brian Kaspr, Chair of the Norwalk Arts and Cultural Commission, Erika Wesley, Executive Director, Fairfield County Cultural Alliance, local artists and community members to celebrate this unique distinction. Earlier this year, the DECD approved Norwalk's application to create a Cultural District after recognizing the City's deep commitment to promoting the arts and celebrating the community's diverse cultural heritage. Norwalk's designation as a Cultural District highlights the City's commitment to fostering creativity, community engagement, and economic growth. The Cultural District, centered around Norwalk's vibrant neighborhoods such as Wall Street and South Norwalk, showcases a blend of public art installations, galleries, theaters, and performance spaces. The area has become a focal point for local artists, entrepreneurs, and cultural organizations. In addition to its artistic assets, the Cultural District is designed to connect the broader community through collaborative events and programs, such as public murals and festivals. On Wednesday, Mayor Rilling also unveiled the new West Avenue Mural and thanked the Norwalk Arts and Cultural Commission for their partnership in this effort. The mural is titled "Welcome to Norwalk". It stretches an impressive 1,050 feet by 20 feet. It is strategically located, welcoming residents and visitors coming on and off the major highway (I-95) entrance with ramps leading directly into Norwalk's two downtown areas. The mural reflects the community's input, as residents participated in an online survey over the summer that included questions regarding people's choice of color options, animal and fish visuals, and words that would be displayed on the mural. The mural is anchored by a striking image of a humpback whale. The whale, along with other marine animals like harbor seals, jellyfish, and oysters, stretches across the wall, interspersed with native birds like cardinals and red-winged blackbirds and local wildlife such as the New England cottontail. The mural was completed by world-renowned artists Sonny Behan and Ernesto Maranje, who were joined by five local artist assistants to complete the installation within a month. Mayor Rilling also thanked Scott Herling, Vice President of Paint Operations, Ring's End, for donating all the paint for this project and for his active role in the community. Sabrina Godeski, AICP Anthony M. Anthony You can learn more about these efforts by visiting https://lnkd.in/eXYdbYhQ

Yesterday, the City of Norwalk celebrated the groundbreaking of Wall Street, a major step in the City's $27 Million infrastructure investment in revitalizing this area. Mayor Harry Rilling’s Administration has made the revitalization of Wall Street a top priority after decades of inaction and stalling on what was once a vibrant urban downtown area before the 1955 Flood. Thanks to incredible funding from our partners at the local, state and federal levels, and the City’s Transportation, Mobility and Parking Department’s efforts to put the project’s wheels in motion, Phase 1 of the project is underway! Phase 1 of the project includes the construction of sidewalks, streetscape, bike lanes and roadway improvements along Wall Street/East Wall Street from Main Street to Brook Street. This phase aims to transform a block of the corridor by right-sizing travel lanes and increasing the width of the sidewalks to increase walkability and connectivity for all modes of transportation. The transformation will enhance esthetics and livability in the area through improved pedestrian level lighting, decorative banding, street trees and landscaping upgrades. It will also enhance residents' quality of life by improving pavement markings, implementing ADA-compliant sidewalks, curb ramps and crossings and installing curb extensions, a raised crosswalk and a flashing beacon. Furthermore, this project phase will include the corridor's first gateway arch over the roadway. The City plans to gather the community's feedback on the design options for the arch through an online survey in the near future. The City is committed to modernizing the streets and sidewalks, making the Wall Street corridor the vibrant location it once was while continuing to work closely with residents and the Wall Street Neighborhood Association to incorporate the community's ideas. This project would not be possible without Congressman Representative Jim Himes' hard work in delivering a $5.5 Million Federal Community Project Funding Grant toward this project, Senator Bob Duff, Senate Majority Leader's hard work in advocating for this project to receive $3.5 million in State Appropriation funding, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation's efforts, led by Commissioner Eucalito, to deliver a $9.4 million State Grant from the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) for multiple phases of the project. Finally, a big shout out to the Department of Transportation, Mobility and Parking, specifically, TMP Director, Jim Travers and Assistant Director, Garrett Bolella, P.E., PTOE, RSP1 for overseeing this project. We can’t wait to share more updates as they come and continue to get the community’s feedback on new design and projects. #WallStreetGroundBreaking #CityofNorwalk #RevitalizingWallStreet https://lnkd.in/em9Jp8AR

Today, Mayor Rilling, First Lady Lucia Rilling, Common Council Member Greg Burnett and members of the community participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Elm Street Diner to celebrate their new Norwalk location! The original Elm Street Diner is located at 463 Elm St., in Stamford and their second one is located in the Waypointe. Come enjoy numerous delicious and popular breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert dishes. To view the Elm Street Diner menu, please visit https://lnkd.in/eTnMFZ9b #NorwalkforBusiness #CityofNorwalk #VisitNorwalk @ElmStreetDiner

"The Wall Street Place project has been a long time coming. It took patience, perseverance and a strong partnership between public and private partners to create what will soon be brand-new, state-of-the-art, mixed-income housing in downtown Wall Street that will help transform the area. I want to thank John McClutchy, Todd McClutchy and JHM Group for being the right developer to get this project done. I also want to thank Governor Lamont, Senator Duff and CT Department of Housing Commissioner, Seila Mosquera-Bruno for investing state funds into increasing access to housing in Norwalk and across the state. There is a clear shortage of access to housing in our nation, state and here in Norwalk and we are all committed to increasing housing stability because not only do people need housing to live and thrive, but employers need workers who can live in the area they work. We also envision the Wall Street area being the vibrant downtown area it once was, and Wall Street Place is one piece of the puzzle to revitalize this neighborhood. We will have more exciting updates about various improvements in the area in the coming weeks as we continue our work to help enhance livability, grow our local economy, sustain our small business community, and make a lasting impact on the future of Wall Street." - Mayor Harry Rilling Learn more by visiting https://bit.ly/3UggB4y. @cityofnorwalk @norwalk_ct #NrwalkforBusiness #Nirwalk #NorwalkCT #WallStreetPlace

The SoNo Collection turns five: How Norwalk's mall changed Connecticut's retail industry. The SoNo Collection has shown its ability to keep growing during tough times. Read more at https://bit.ly/3Y99Q5P. @shopthesonocollection @cityofnorwalk @norwalk_ct #NorwalkForBusiness #TheSoNoCollection #Norwalk #NorwalkCT

Yesterday, Manresa Island Corp., a newly established nonprofit dedicated to transforming Norwalk's Manresa Island into a new public destination, announced its vision to turn the over 125-acre former industrial power plant site into a thriving publicly accessible park, unlocking 1.75 miles of its waterfront access for the first time in nearly 75 years. Anchored by a reimagined decommissioned coal-fired and oil-powered facility, the park will become a new public amenity in Norwalk with a stellar network of spaces that supports passive and active programming for people of all ages and abilities, revitalized ecological habitat and educational opportunities centered around water. This effort was made possible thanks to a private philanthropic investment from Austin McChord, Norwalk native and Founder of Datto, Connecticut's first unicorn startup, and his wife Allison McChord, Manresa Island Corp. who will acquire the site from Argent Ventures this fall. Manresa Island Park is projected to open in 2030 through phased development. This one-of-a-kind park will serve as a hub for learning, exploration and community engagement — offering year-round experiential programming including water activities, education, children's play areas and a university research component. By repurposing the existing power plant infrastructure, Manresa Island Corp.’s readapted 250,000 square foot vision for the space will offer an indoor experience like no other recreational hub. Spanning the size of about 117 football fields, the new publicly accessible park will have a network of outdoor areas to engage with the water and local habitat like never before. Manresa Island Corporation, in partnership with lead designer SCAPE, will host community meetings in early 2025. To learn more about the Manresa Island Corp. please visit their website at https://lnkd.in/eay672wz #CityofNorwalk #ManresaIslandPark #PublicPark #ThankyouAustinandAllison #ILoveNorwalk