State’s Western CEDS Initiative

Has Diverse Support

In 2010, Newtown Economic and Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker and Danbury Director of Economic Development Wayne Shepperd recognized the need to enhance economic development initiatives throughout the ten municipalities of western Connecticut consisting of the City of Danbury and the nine towns comprising the Housatonic Valley.

Group membership grew quickly to include Liz Adams, Northeast Utilities; Steven Bull, Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce and Workforce Board; Jane Didona, Didona Associated Landscape Architects; Nicholas Gazetos, Savings Bank of Danbury; Harold Kurfehs, Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate and Brookfield Economic Development Commission.

Other participants include Maura Ruby, Danbury Fair Mall – The Macerich Company; Jeff Ryer, Ryer Associates Commercial Real Estate; Lisa Scails, Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance; Roy Steiner, Berkshire Corporate Park; William Shannon, Bethel Local 107 Labor Union; Sally Herlihy, Western Connecticut Health Network; Michael Boyle, Bethel Economic Outreach Commission and Base Technologies; and Gerald Casiello, Redding Zoning Commission and SCORE advisor

David Hannon, Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials is another participant, along with Allen Morton, Western Connecticut State University Ancell School Of Business; Wayne Sheppard, Danbury Mayor’s Office and Workforce Board; Patricia Smithwick, Bethel Economic Outreach Commission and Workforce Board; Elizabeth Stocker, Newtown Economic and Community Development Office; and Joy Strand, Ridgefield Economic Development Commission.

At its heart, a CEDS is a Regional Growth Plan outlining a region’s strengths and weaknesses, with a roadmap for regional growth exploiting the strengths while addressing the weaknesses. There are a number of critical reasons for developing such a strategy:

*Required in order to qualify for state and federal infrastructure grants in local communities

*Demonstrates to private investors that the communities involved have given careful consideration to the region’s place in the state, national, and global economy

*Provides regional cohesion on development strategies that frequently impact multiple communities and their business sectors

The expected benefits to the region/community include:

*Access to state and federal infrastructure grants such as highway, sewer and water, lighting, cleanup of brownfield properties, and other community redevelopment needs

*Allows communities to identify and focus on inherent strengths and develop solutions for addressing and overcoming weaknesses

*Improved quality of life for residents, including local employers and their employees

The expected benefits to business/industry include:

*Regional infrastructure grants impacting industry and its transportation needs

*Enhanced community infrastructure supporting local business

*Direct economic development funding to expanding local businesses

*Higher quality of life in individual communities

*Improvements to local labor pools and worker education opportunities