Garage
Norwalk Unveils Yankee Doodle Garage Color Survey
NORWALK – The Yankee Doodle Garage at 3 Burnell Blvd. is a cold and gray structure. But not for long.
The city unveiled an online poll where residents are asked to choose one of five choices for a new color scheme for the garage. Transportation, Mobility and Parking Manager Jim Travers said the survey has already received a lot of attention from residents, which city spokeswoman Michelle Woods Matthews said is the result of public interest in the redevelopment of the surrounding area.
Residents have until Sept. 21 to vote for their pick, but Travers said the response has already been heavy.
“Almost 48 hours after launching our social media survey, we have 524 responses,” Travers said.
The city has previously asked the public to share their thoughts on municipal designs. But people, said city spokeswoman Michelle Woods Matthews, are really interested in the garage because of its connection to the city’s redevelopment initiatives.
“While the city has generated public polls regarding their input into the designs, the tremendous feedback on the Yankee Doodle Garage design is encouraging and shows tremendous public interest in revitalizing the Wall Street Corridor,” said Woods Matthews.
Residents can choose from five color choices, including blue, multicolor, blue and white, purple, and light gray. A person can only choose one choice or if someone does not like the options presented, the person can enter their own choice for the color scheme.
In addition to the new colors, the garage also benefits from other improvements such as improved signage, landscaping, lighting and cutting of existing concrete ribs on the first floor, according to the survey.
The cosmetic upgrades and improvements are the result of prior community outreach. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.
The current renovation will be the garage’s second in recent years. The facility received new elevators and updated lights in 2017. But Travers said the current plan is to upgrade the entire structure.
“We only lit the back of the garage. And what we’ve really heard from the community is a desire for the whole building to be cohesive,” he said.
The city pitched design ideas to community members in early July at an in-person event at the garage. People were able to review the options and tour the different design options using a virtual reality headset. The cost of the renovations is expected to be around $1.2 million, Travers said in July. There is no cost difference between the designs, he said.
So far, he said, the vote has been split between a pair of favorites.
“With the first feedback we got, 48% of people liked blue, 48% of people liked rainbow,” he said. “We had one percent of people like purple, and we had another percent that said, ‘I wanted to see it more neutral. “”
