Groton — City resident Bryon Niemann remembers going to Thames Street regularly as a child to buy comic books and candies.

The shops on the street catered to the neighborhood during a time when most households only had one car, if that, he said.

But like in most places in the country, many of those businesses gave way to big-box stores and malls, which then gave way to the internet, he said. Now, Thames Street has massive traffic but hardly anyone stops, and if they do, they find it hard to find a parking spot, he said.

Niemann, who has lived near Thames Street on and off for 60 years and has seen the street in its many forms, was among about a dozen city residents who gathered outside during a workshop the city held Thursday evening at Thames View Park to share their perspectives on Thames Street and ideas for the corridor's future.

Economic development specialist Cierra Patrick and City Planner Leslie Creane listened to residents and led them through exercises during the workshop focused on placemaking and streetscape designs.

Residents and city officials discussed ideas, including potential ways to alleviate parking shortages, such as shared agreements with private parking lots, finding ways to more creatively use the side streets during the off-hours without creating overflow and encouraging people to leave their cars at home or park at a spot and then walk five minutes to their destination.

City resident Annette Lapkowski is looking for more flexible parking options. She mentioned that the public parking lot on Latham and Thames Streets does not allow overnight parking, but it would be nice if friends would be able to park there until 11 p.m. or overnight when they visit the area.

The city is in the midst of several projects, including coastal resiliency planning, a parking management study with the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, and the development of a vision for Thames Street. The city also is launching a rewrite of its zoning regulations.

Creane said the overarching goal of the initiatives is to make the city a better place for everyone. She said potential solutions could be anything from larger projects to smaller ones, like improving facades with a can of paint.

City Mayor Keith Hedrick updated residents about upcoming grants for an eight-slip boat dock with a handicapped-accessible boat launch at Thames View Park and a study of how to make the lower part of the park handicapped-accessible.

He mentioned that some restaurateurs have been looking at the vacant brick building, adjacent to the park, that in the past has served as a restaurant, police station and utilities office. If the city could get a restaurant to open there and another to open on the northern end of Thames Street, with the existing Paul's Pasta in the middle, that would help spur the revitalization of Thames Street, he said.

Tom Althuis said Thames Street is probably the most historic street in southeastern Connecticut, if not Connecticut, with nearby Fort Griswold and historical homes. He noticed on Interstate 95 there are no markers that direct people to Fort Griswold and historic Groton Bank, while there are markers to direct people to historical sites in New London. 

"Whatever we do, we ought to keep the history in mind and keep the theme historic," he said.

Patrick agreed that it's important to figure out the best way to blend the city's history with its future.

Althuis also pointed out that the street has unique businesses, such as Paul's Pasta and Ken's Tackle Shop, but needs a cluster of businesses.

He also said it would be nice to put American flags on both sides of the street down to Electric Boat. He said that would be in line with the history of the area, as well as the patriotic aspects of building submarines. He further suggested adding rooftop plantings on the Pollution Abatement Facility on Thames Street to make it seem more like a park.

The city is holding a series of workshops on sites in the community, said Patrick, who came up with the idea. Upcoming workshops will be on Bridge Street in August, on parks and open space in September and on the Five Corners neighborhood in October.

k.drelich@theday.com