tree canopies, and slower traffic now create a boulevard that encourages strolling, dining, and lingering. MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT AND PRIVATE INVESTMENT Private developers have responded quickly to the city’s signal. 219 Developments and Bauer Construction, represented in the discussion by Rob Ferrino, have played key roles in recent projects, including serving as contractors on the downtown bank redevelopment. Ferrino, who has spent more than three decades in community development That success has reshaped the downtown narrative. With people now living in the heart of the city, demand for restaurants, cafés, gathering spaces, and neighborhood services is rising organically. The city has reinforced this momentum through significant public investment. More than $10 million is currently being deployed to redesign Hammond Avenue, the city’s main downtown corridor. Once a four-lane thoroughfare dominated by fast-moving traffic, the street has been transformed through a “road diet” into a calmer, more pedestrian-friendly environment. Diagonal parking, widened sidewalks, 118 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 07, ISSUE 01
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