After giving the initial overview of CREC’s proposal for a West End site, and taking the photo tour of the lots in question, we’re ready to articulate the positions of both the supporters and opponents of the project. Amy has attended numerous meetings as a member of the WECA sub-committee that has been reviewing CREC’s proposals. Today we’ll cover the arguments supporters have made during the process. Tomorrow we’ll focus on the arguments of the opponents. Our goal is to get everything on the table so that we can hopefully have a knowledgeable crowd at CREC’s presentation to the West End Civic Association (WECA) General Meeting on Tuesday, 3/13/2012. Keep in mind that CREC may make changes to their proposal, so these are the arguments as of a 2/21/2012 sub-committee meeting.
Supporters of the proposal have advanced a number of arguments in favor of the project:
1. The West End needs more elementary school seats.
There is only one elementary school in the neighborhood, the Noah Webster Microsociety Magnet School, and it does not have enough seats for all the West End children. CREC is willing to give the entire West End, rather than just students within the traditional 0.5 mile radius, preferred status in allocating seats in the proposed Museum Academy school. The additional seats will become even more important once Noah Webster also expands preferred status to the entire West End and more neighborhood children are competing for the same number of seats in that program.
2. CREC has a strong reputation in Greater Hartford and will be a good neighbor.
CREC has built many schools in the region in recent years and their work has been well received within the various communities. They have also been responsive to the concerns of the West End, both after meeting with the neighborhood following a 2009 proposal, and in revising the current proposal. CREC has offered to allow West End residents to use their new buildings and facilities when they are not needed for Museum Academy school activities.
3. CREC is committed to preserving the historically significant buildings on the site.
CREC has consulted with the Hartford Preservation Alliance and has retained a local architecture firm well versed in historic preservation (Smith Edwards Architects) to design their site. The buildings have considerable deferred maintenance, and need attention. CREC has the resources to preserve, and creatively reuse, the historic elements that remain after more than 50 years of educational use.
4. A stronger educational environment will improve home values.
Home prices are influenced by the local school systems. Towns with stronger school systems have higher property values than towns with weaker school systems. A buyer’s purchase calculus can even be applied to individual neighborhoods. Adding a second high-performing school will encourage more buyers to consider the West End, which will increase demand – and buyers are the ones that determine home values.
5. The proposed use for the site is low density and low intensity.
Of all the potential uses for the Hartford College for Women site that we can imagine, the proposal currently on the table seems like one of the most attractive. Schools are only in use 10 months per year, and 5 days per week. Much of the student population arrives by bus, and a traffic study found that the proposal would have a negligible impact on traffic. CREC’s plan will utilize the site more effectively, but without overwhelming that portion of the neighborhood.
6. Schools are an important part of the fabric of a neighborhood.
Schools are a primary method that social connections are formed. Building a community around a school within the neighborhood will connect West End residents. This effect is already on display within the revitalized Noah Webster community, and will be able to include more residents once there are enough seats in the local schools for everyone who wants to utilize them.
Supporting CREC in their effort to build the Museum Academy Magnet School in the West End is good for the educational environment of the neighborhood and good for the historic buildings on the site. CREC will be a valued partner in the community that will make the West End an even more desirable place to live.
Tomorrow we cover the primary arguments against the CREC proposal.