Manchester's Board of Directors could decide whether to act on a long-dormant petition aimed at preserving Main Street's current four travel lanes, angled parking and at least 110 public parking spaces, following a court ruling that found the measure legally sound. The board could decide whether to act on the certified petition and proposed ordinance.
The petition traces back to a group of residents calling themselves Save Downtown Manchester, who petitioned the town to adopt an ordinance countering plans for a Main Street streetscape overhaul and conflicting with separate plans to redevelop the former 942 Main St. property next to the Forest Street parking lot, according to ctinsider.com. Manchester officials certified the petition in May 2024 after the group gathered the required signatures. Under the Manchester Town Charter, the Board of Directors had 45 days to act once the petition was certified, and the town clerk's office was to schedule a special election if the board rejected or failed to act on it.
The board ultimately chose not to act, based on legal guidance that the ordinance had issues that could not be remedied without changing its effect, a decision made around June 2024. The town attorney's office was tasked with reviewing the proposed ordinance and making necessary legal edits without altering its meaning, but no special election followed. Residents behind the petition filed a lawsuit challenging the town's handling of the matter in February 2025.
Judge Sides With Petitioners, But Won't Force a Vote
That lawsuit produced a ruling in September 2026. The Superior Court for the Hartford judicial district, through Judge Victoria Woodin Chavey, declared the proposed ordinance lawful on Sept. 11, 2026, while declining to compel the Board of Directors to submit it to a special election, as reported by ctinsider.com. The judge found that three legal defects previously identified by the town attorney did not make the ordinance illegal.
The ordinance at the center of the fight would require Main Street to retain four travel lanes and its current angled-parking configuration between Center and East Center streets and Hartford Road and Charter Oak Street. It would also require the town to maintain at least 110 public parking spaces in the lot at 1050 Main St., located at the corner of Forest Street.
A Streetscape Plan Pulling in the Opposite Direction
The petition stands in direct opposition to Manchester's own streetscape ambitions. In February 2025, the Board of Directors voted 6-3 to approve a resolution advancing Main Street streetscape changes, the same report notes, including roundabouts at the Center Street and Hartford Road intersections paired with a lane-reduction road diet between them. Other listed project features include dedicated cycling space, pedestrian-safety improvements, updated traffic signals, sidewalks and lighting.
Accounts of the plan's scale diverge. One ctinsider.com report describes the overhaul as reducing the number of travel lanes from four to two, while NBC Connecticut describes a different piece of the plan as cutting Main Street from four lanes to three. NBC Connecticut also reports that the broader project includes a separated bike lane primarily along the west side of Main Street, alongside the roundabout at Hartford Road.
Funding and Timeline Still in Flux
Connecticut has already committed money to the effort: the station reports that the project received $800,000 through the state's Community Connectivity Grant program. Town Manager Steve Stephanou told NBC Connecticut the project has been submitted to the state for additional grant funding, with design work planned for the following year and construction targeted for 2028 if that funding comes through.
The petition's core demand — four lanes, angled parking and at least 110 spaces at the Forest Street lot — was explicitly framed in prior coverage as a direct counter to the town's streetscape vision. With the court ruling now in hand but no special election ordered, the board could decide whether to act on the petition.
