Year
2022-2024

Client
Niantic Main Street Organization

This new plan for Main Street district of Niantic builds on the successful 1997 plan prepared by the Yale Urban Design Workshop, which had a strong impact on redevelopment of the area over 25 years. Niantic, the historic mixed-use center of the Town of East Lyme, is a seaside village overlooking Long Island Sound. With a population of roughly 3,000 (and many more in summer months), Niantic is the size of a small to medium-sized neighborhood, but its relationship to the Sound and the region supports a mix of civic, commercial, and recreational uses that serves a much larger region. A walkable district with a vibrant, funky street life, parts of the district were eroded by auto-oriented redevelopment in the post-war era.

The Niantic Main Street Plan was the result of a year-long process of engagement with local stakeholders, government officials, and urban analysis and design. Driven by community input, the resulting plan focused on better connecting Main Street to its three waterfronts: Long Island Sound, the Niantic River, and Dodge Pond. A range of strategies, which included consolidation of parking into a shared garage, a new community anchor in the center of Main Street, streetscape improvements, and anchor interventions at each waterfront will reinforce the maritime identity of the village, providing new opportunities for businesses, residents, and visitors.