“It’s evident that the market in Downtown Danbury presents a prime opportunity for local investors to get in on the ground floor and build on the positive momentum here on Main Street” PJ Prunty, the new Executive Director of CityCenter Danbury, said.
Report by Paula Antolini
October 24, 2015 10:30PM EDT
CityCenter Danbury’s New Director Focuses on Business Development
The iconographic Main Street evokes days gone by and Sinclair Lewis, as well as Disney’s replication of a 19th century Missouri town’s main thoroughfare, where each day of the year visitors find gourmet ice cream cones, barbershop quartets, and “hometown” parades. But in fact, according to the National Main Street Center, there’s a revival of the need for Main Streets as more and more “urban enthusiasts” are reclaiming, preserving, and enlivening their often forgotten downtowns, creating places in which to work, live, learn, and play. The Center notes, “Cities and towns across the nation have come to see that a vibrant, sustainable community is only as healthy as its core.”
It continues on its web site, mainstreet.org, to say “Main Streets are the big stage. Our Main Streets tell us who we are and who we were, and how the past has shaped us. We do not go to bland suburbs or enclosed shopping malls to learn about our past, explore our culture, or discover our identity. Our Main Streets are the places of shared memory where the entire community still comes together.” PJ Prunty, new Executive Director of CityCenter Danbury, couldn’t agree more. Simply stroll with him down Danbury’s Main Street, where he spent much of his life growing up, and he’ll proudly show off what’s happening here and now.
“Downtown Danbury is beginning to see a direct economic impact as a result of the near 100 million dollars of investments ranging from the North end of Main Street to the South end. Local businesses are beginning to see the opportunities to either relocate their existing business, or invest in new startups on Main Street,” he says.
Though the expansion of Naugatuck Valley Community College and the soon-to-be-opened Kennedy Flats apartment complex receive all the headlines, PJ enthusiastically points out that:
♦ La Mitad del Mundo, a popular spot for lunch on West Street, has relocated to a larger space, at the highly visible corner of Main Street and Post Office Walk, to continue serving up its highly rated Ecuadorian fare;
♦ Brasilia’s Boutique, featuring high quality women’s clothing from the best of Brazilian labels, has moved from the Danbury Fair mall to Main Street and turned an empty storefront into a topnotch, elegant emporium; and
♦ Hat City Clothing, though not on Main Street, has begun a rebirth of Ives Street with its Danbury-inspired line of leisure wear.
Prunty continues, “It’s evident that the market in Downtown Danbury presents a prime opportunity for local investors to get in on the ground floor and build on the positive momentum here on Main Street. With up to 1,000 new residents in the near future with disposable income calling our Downtown home, and more sure to come, there is certainly no better time to invest in Downtown Danbury. I foresee a ‘positive domino effect’ throughout Downtown Danbury in the very near future. This will be seen after one success follows another, whether it be a new restaurant opening its doors, or a new mom-and-pop store relocating to downtown, or a significant investment in commercial property. The evidence of this already occurring is clearly visible. Let’s keep our foot on the accelerator.”
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CityCenter is only one of five Downtown Improvement Districts in Connecticut recognized by the Connecticut Main Street Center and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the weeks to come, Prunty plans to work closely with such resources to return Danbury to the bustling hometown he remembers from his youth. He truly believes in and acknowledges the CityCenter Danbury tag, There’ something happening Downtown.
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For information on CityCenter Danbury’s programs and services, call (203) 792 1711 or visit citycenterdanbury.com
Photos: La Mitad del Mundo
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As the key management for downtown, CityCenter Danbury is a non-profit that works to meet, sustain, and surpass the four principals of Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring under the National Main Street Program. CityCenter is a taxing district supported, through assessments, by CityCenter property owners within the district. In partnership with the City of Danbury, the Office of Economic Development, and the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut, CityCenter Danbury enhances Western Connecticut’s urban core with arts, culture, entertainment, and a vibrant City life. CityCenter Danbury’s offices are located at 268 Main Street, phone: (203) 792 1711 or visit www.citycenterdanbury.com
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