Danbury disabilities commission presses for accessible design in downtown revitalization

The Danbury Commission for Persons with disAbilities urged city leaders to ensure accessibility is central to a planned downtown revitalization that will include sidewalk repairs, Chair John Gentile said at the commission’s Feb. 11 meeting.

Gentile referenced reporting in the Danbury News-Times that the city intends to restart work on a downtown revitalization project and said previous pre-COVID plans addressed the scope of sidewalk upgrades. “No matter what is done it must be accessible,” Gentile said, and he said he had asked Farley Santos to connect him with Planning and Zoning Director Waleed Albakry but had not yet received a reply. Gentile said he would follow up and attend a Government Entities Review Committee meeting that evening to press the point.

Why it matters: sidewalk and curb repairs in downtown Danbury affect people who use wheelchairs, mobility devices or accessible transportation. Commission members framed accessibility as a basic requirement for the project rather than an optional add-on, and they kept the item on the commission’s active agenda for follow-up with city staff.

Commissioners did not record a formal vote or adopt a binding recommendation at the meeting. Gentile identified the Planning and Zoning director as the staff contact he expected to reach and said the commission will continue to monitor the project and report back to the commission if staff respond.

The commission’s next regular meeting is set for April 8, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.; Gentile invited other commissioners and members of the public to attend the Government Entities Review Committee meeting where he planned to raise the accessibility question.