| BACKGROUND: The Hillside Neighborhood is a vibrant mixed-se
community that extends from the North side of the Green in Downtown Waterbury, North up
the hill to Woodlawn Terrace and Northward along Pine Street. It contains some of
the finest residential architecture in the City and the neighborhood is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places. Within the neighborhood are single and
multifamily residences, offices (many in converted former Victorian homes), clubs,
churches, a mosque and a number of social service agencies such as Salvation Army, the Red
Cross, The Waterbury Day Nursery and the Connecticut Junior Republic.
The neighborhood is racially mixed and has
people from all income levels. Residents of the neighborhoods are very active in the
neighborhood association. Investment in restoration and improvement in the
neighborhood has been very strong in recent years.
The Hillside Historic District Neighborhood
Association vigorously opposes the proposed move of the Waterbury Campus of the University
of Connecticut from its present location at the center of our neighborhood for the
following reasons:
- Waste of taxpayer money -
the present campus can accommodate more than 800 students (more that twice its current
enrollment). The campus has just been entirely renovated at a cost of several
million dollars. The replacement cost would exceed $20 Million. There is
absolutely no need to replace it.
- Plans to move the campus disregard
the Hillside Revitalization Zone Strategic Plan.
As authorized by State Law, the Hillside Historic District Neighborhood Association spent
many hundreds of hours creating a plan for our area, which is meant to be a guide for
development. It clearly identifies the campus as vital to us and invites development
of Prospect Street between Hillside and the Green for expansion of the campus or for other
college or graduate level use.
- The plan to move the campus does not
respect the Neighborhood's repeated long battles to keep the branch, without which the
University of Connecticut wouldn't even still be in Waterbury. For decades,
time after time, the University of Connecticut at Storrs tried to close the Waterbury
branch. he neighborhood had to fight time after time to keep the branch here.
- The campus anchors the Hillside
Neighborhood. The campus, with the comings and goings of its faculty and
students and with its on-site security, is a vital centerpiece and anchor for our
neighborhood as well as adjoining neighborhoods. Without the campus, the
districts North of the Green would be at great risk.
- The present campus presents an ideal
setting. It is a beautiful green open-air campus on over ten acres, set to
among towering shade trees with fabulous long views down the Naugatuck Valley. Students
love it.
- The campus is already downtown.
It it three blocks from the center of the Green to the University campus in the
Hillside Historic District. A portion of that same three blocks includes the
northern part of the Central Business District.
- Parking is ample and convenient.
There are more than 165 on campus parking spaces as well as more than 500 on street
parking spaces.
The Hillside Historic District Neighborhood
Association strongly advocates the following endeavors for the improvement of the Hillside
Avenue campus:
- Expansion of Waterbury UConn to a
real four year degree granting institution in order to provide opportunity for
Waterbury residents who can not otherwise afford it. Many UConn Waterbury
students live and eat at home and hold jobs in the community that allow them to attend
here. They simply cannot afford to go elsewhere.
- Marketing of the Waterbury Campus.
Over the past decades there has been virtually nothing spent in marketing the
campus - there has been no advertising budget and there have been no recruiting personnel.
We advocate a full time recruiting officer with substantial marketing budget.
The Hillside Historic District Neighborhood
Association also strongly supports the development of the Central Business District.
Hillside proposes:
- Graduate Schools for Business and Nursing,
long desired and needed in the community.
Additional information located at www.Hillside.Waterbury.com/News.htm
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