CT Insider: Then and Now – A Look at Fairfield's Rapid Growth
The CT Insider published an extensive article regarding the substantial growth in Fairfield CT over the past thirty years. Following is an excerpt, written by Josh Labella.
FAIRFIELD — The town has exploded in population and development in recent decades.
From new arenas at Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University to apartment complexes in the downtown area, development has become a constant in Fairfield, which has grown by 50,000 people in the last 100 years, according to census data.
First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said her hometown is filled with memories, but has changed dramatically. "I think for the good," she said. "I don't like all the changes. But I do like that, even though Fairfield has grown in population, it has stayed one of the most economically diverse Fairfield County towns."
Fairfield Metro
Kupchick said the area around the Fairfield Metro Station has probably changed more than any other part of town. Mark Barnhart, Fairfield's Office of Community and Economic Development director, said the area used to be the industrial heartland of Fairfield, noting it had businesses such as Bullard's foundry, which employed 10,000 people at its height. Over time, he said, that heavy industry left for other locations, and commercial businesses and apartments replaced it.
"Handy and Harman became the Whole Food anchor retail plaza," he said. "Rolock became Stone Ridge condominiums. The foundry became the Metro train station. BJ's Wholesale Club was part of the same operation. Event where Trademark (Fairfield apartments) was, that was a beer distributor and a gym before it became a mixed-use development."
Barnhart said much of the growth around that area has to do with the construction of the Fairfield Metro Station in 2011. He said the area has changed a lot and continues to evolve over time. "Nothing ever truly stays the same," he said. "Things are constantly changing. It just takes a while. That's probably good. It gives people time to adjust." Barnhart said another big part of that area will be the Accurate development on Ash Creek Boulevard, which broke ground last year. It aims to build 357 apartments, a 118-room hotel, 70,000 square feet of office space and 40,000 square feet of retail space.
Kupchick said the area will change more now that the project is underway after 20 years of stalls and halts. She also said the addition of the train station spurred growth in the area. "Before, it was an industrial part of town and it wasn't where any residential housing was," she said. "Residential housing was more on those side streets like New England Avenue and Vermont Avenue."
Downtown Fairfield
While downtown's footprint has not changed much in the past 30 years, it has become more of a cultural hotspot, Barnhart said. Between the emergence of the Fairfield Theater Company and the reopening of the Sacred Heart University's Community Theatre, there are a lot more entertainment options available, he said. "There was a community theater, but it had been closed for the better part of a decade," he said.
Fairfield has become more of a dining location as well, Barnhart said, noting much of that is focused on the downtown. He credits that largely to the town's choices, but also things that happened organically over time. "One of the things the town did... was liberalize some of its zoning regulations to allow for outdoor dining," he said. "They eliminated a limitation on restaurants providing bar service. They couldn't be within 1,500 feet of each other. The town also relaxed some of the parking standards. All three of those things offered a better climate for restaurants to operate."
Kupchick said downtown looks much the same and is still a vibrant area, though the stores have changed. She noted the Fairfield Store, which was a local gem, is not there anymore. "It was always sort of 'The Downtown' but it has become much more culturally vibrant," she said. "I think the turning point there was when we voted to lease the former Parks and Rec location to the Fairfield Community Theater for a dollar a year. That was an off-beat idea and people were skeptical of leasing a town building to an unknown entity."
As a result of that, Kupchick said, the area became a scene for art and music. When she was a kid, she said, everyone went to Westport or Norwalk to go hang out or get something to eat. "Fairfield's downtown was kind of sleepy," she said. "There really wasn't any hip places. There wasn't a whole lot of restaurants. It has changed dramatically."
Fairfield University
Barnhart said having the two universities in town sets the municipality apart by providing young talent for local businesses. He said each have made major investments in recent decades. Jennifer Anderson, Fairfield University's vice president of marketing and communications, said the university has risen to new heights over the last 30 years. She said the total annual economic impact of the university now stands at more than $1 billion.
"Over 20,000 alums live in the state, over 10,000 in Fairfield County and over 3,000 in the town of Fairfield— contributing significant talent across the region," she said. Anderson said the student population is growing as well, with a record number of applications coming in. She said early action applications increased more than 21 percent this admission cycle, with just over 46 percent being offered admission.
Anderson said Fairfield University renovated existing facilities and built new ones due to the growth. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, she said, the university renovated numerous facilities on campus, including the Bannow Science Center, the DiMenna-Nyselius Library, the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, the Recreation Complex, apartment complexes, the Alumni House and the Barone Campus Center.
"Later, they added the Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. Center, Early Learning Center, phase one of the campus landscaping plan, and the Fairfield Jesuit Community Center," she said. "On a smaller scale, spaces for academic centers were renovated and science labs were improved, and several core student life offices were relocated to central locations." Anderson noted the university recently completed and opened the Leo D. Mahoney Arena, which was built on the site of Alumni Hall. She said the $51 million project is an 85,000-square foot, 3,500-seat multi-use space at the heart of campus.
Anderson said the university also opened Barnyard Manor in fall 2019, a complex of modern townhouses that has 18 units and 128 bedrooms. The prior year, the Charles F. Dolan School of Business opened a new, 85,000-square-foot academic facility. The year before that the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies opened a 70,000-square-foot facility. Other projects completed in recent years, Anderson said, include Langguth Hall and the Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Recreation Complex and the Kelley Welcome Center. She noted that construction on a new sophomore dorm, Regis Hall West, is currently underway.
Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart has seen dramatic changes in the last 30 years, Barnhart said, with a lot of money being invested in improving facilities while enrollment increases. "Sacred Heart doubled its footprint with the acquisition of the GE headquarter," he said. "They were bursting at the seams. They had really nowhere else to go. That made a lot of sense for their future."
Sacred Heart University said in a statement there has been tremendous growth in its 60 years. The university said its first class had 167 commuter students, but now Sacred Heart is now the second-largest Catholic university in New England, with more than 10,000 full and part-time undergraduate and graduate students.
"It has grown to include eight colleges and schools and it continues to expand its program offerings," the statement said. Sacred Heart said it's also grown the size and depth of its campus, adding more than 300 acres with purchases around the area over the last decade or so. Those purchases include the Jewish Senior Services land adjacent to the university and the General Electric headquarters, which has allowed the school to build the residential Pioneer Village and the Martire Family Arena.
"New buildings on the original land include the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, the Linda McMahon Student Commons and the Valentine Health & Recreation Center," it said. "We have more than 2.5 million square feet of building space as well as a satellite campus in Stamford where our physician assistant program is located, and an international campus in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland."
The university noted it reopened and is running what is now known as the Sacred Heart University Community Theatre in the center of downtown Fairfield, and manages the Sacred Heart University Discovery Science Center & Planetarium, formerly the Discovery Museum & Planetarium.
Contact:
Mark Barnhart
Director, Office of Community & Economic Development
mbarnhart@fairfieldct.org
The Office of Community & Economic Development works to support the local business community and to encourage economic development in Fairfield. Let us know how we can help your business prosper and grow in Fairfield.