Commission reviews Tarafill neighborhood priorities; river access and safety top citizen list

Planning staff presented a preliminary summary of citizen input from a Tarafill implementation workshop and described next steps to convert the input into a formal implementation schedule for the POCD. Participants at the public workshop were given 10 stars each to place on proposed action items; staff said no item received more than 27 stars and listed the top priorities citizens identified.

Staff reported the highest-ranked item (27 stars) was improving public access to the Farmington River. Other high-priority items included establishing a regular maintenance schedule for public-realm amenities and streetside areas (21 stars), improving intersection and crosswalk safety (24 stars), and implementing traffic-calming measures in the village (21 stars). Staff also said attendees prioritized measures to support local businesses and connections to the broader Simsbury business community.

Medium-priority recommendations (10-20 stars) included creating unique community gateway features and signage, conducting a traffic study to evaluate volumes and circulation, and identifying partners to develop an outdoor recreation economy tied to the river and trail network. Lower-priority items cited by staff included streetscape improvements, wayfinding and branding for the village, and developing village-district zoning regulations.

Staff said the summary would be refined into a high/medium/low implementation document, returned to the commission for acceptance, and likely transmitted to the Board of Selectmen as part of the neighborhood plan implementation work.