Council Narrowly Approves $2.9M Road Diet Vote, Sets April 28 Special Town Meeting
Regular Meeting
Summarized by: claude-sonnet-4-6 | Date: 2026-04-06
- Council voted 5-4 to appropriate $2,910,000 for Broad Street Traffic Calming and Pedestrian Safety Project, fully funded by state and federal grants with no local tax dollars
- Special Town Meeting set for April 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM at Windsor High School for residents to vote on the project appropriation
- Opponents cited a prior referendum defeat (42-58%), emergency vehicle access concerns, and objections to the special town meeting format over a referendum
- Supporters noted the current proposal differs from the prior referendum in scope and is fully grant-funded
- Council unanimously approved $35,000 from Capital Projects Fund for Train Station HVAC design services
- Fair Housing Resolution and Policy Statement approved unanimously
- Public comment on road diet was extensive, running approximately 2-1 in favor of the project among speakers
In a contentious 5-4 vote, the Town Council advanced a $2.91 million Broad Street traffic calming project to a Special Town Meeting on April 28th. The project would be entirely funded through a Connecticut Urban Act Grant and a federal DOT Infrastructure Program Grant. Opponents argued the project disrespects a prior referendum result and raised concerns about the accessibility and format of the special town meeting vote. Supporters countered that the current proposal is substantially different from the prior referendum and that unresolved pedestrian safety concerns justify another public vote. Separately, the council unanimously approved $35,000 to design a replacement HVAC system for the historic 1870 Train Station.