City leaders highlighted growth, infrastructure and community identity during the Ridgefield State of the City on Tuesday, March 17, with Mayor Matt Cole opening the evening by acknowledging the holiday timing.
“Thank you for joining us anyway and not being out doing St. Patty's Day things, but I will share, just shamelessly, that if you happen to find a pot of gold tonight, we are gonna be kicking off a capital campaign for a recreation center,” he said.
This year’s State of the City took a different format, with council members presenting live on stage rather than through a pre-recorded video at Ridgefield High School. The animated character Carty the Crane, featured prominently in last year’s presentation, did not appear.
Councilors Meghan Hamilton and Clyde Burkle focused on community engagement, parks and recreation, highlighting a series of outreach efforts including council chats and neighborhood events.
The city’s first Youth Commission, formed in 2024, is already tackling the issue of e-bike safety while giving students a voice in local government, Hamilton highlighted.
“The youth commission has been such a touching addition…” Hamilton said. “For the council, I think I can speak for all of us and say it's been so incredibly impressive and so incredibly impactful to watch these students really dive in and their confidence and their intentionality and what they're doing.”
Councilors also highlighted the upcoming opening of Storybook Hollow Park in north Ridgefield and the continued development of Boyse Park. Plans for a future recreation and community center also drew attention as a central investment in Ridgefield’s growth, with construction expected to begin in 2026.
The Ridgefield Waterfront, a project in partnership with the city and the Port of Ridgefield, will revitalize the area’s commercial viability, enhance canoe and boat infrastructure, and establish a new waterfront park. That project’s first phase is anticipated to begin in 2027, according to Port officials.
Councilors Rian Davis and Lee Wells shifted the focus to transportation and water infrastructure, outlining recent and upcoming projects to support the city’s rapid growth.
“So building a system that connects the people of Ridgefield to the people they wanna visit, the places they need to go, and to access the services they need is of the utmost importance for us,” Davis said.
Recent improvements include the widening of Pioneer Street, while future plans include a new 11th Street overpass, expanded road networks and a south connection to Interstate-5. Officials also highlighted more than $10 million in outside funding secured for the Royle Road corridor project.
On water, councilors emphasized both conservation and expansion efforts, noting a significant reduction of 20 million gallons in summer water use, as well as new infrastructure projects. The Eastside Elevated Water Reservoir east of I-5 will hold about 2.5 million gallons of water, with an estimated project completion date of winter 2028. The Kennedy Well project, currently being drilled, will produce 800,000 gallons of water an hour.
Councilors Judy Chipman and Katie Favela addressed growth management and public safety, emphasizing the city’s efforts to balance development with the preservation of Ridgefield’s character and green spaces.
“While we're required to accommodate growth, we're focusing it where the services can support it and preserving the integrity of our existing neighborhoods,” Chipman said.
The city continues to require developers to dedicate land for parks and open space, a policy leaders say helps maintain livability as Ridgefield expands.
Councilors highlighted investments in public safety, including a new public safety sales tax approved last year, additional police officers and expanded technology such as body cameras and digital evidence systems. Favella also pointed to partnerships with local fire and emergency services as key to maintaining response times and community safety.
Mayor Cole closed the event by introducing the city’s new RISE (Revitalize, Invest, Sustain and Enhance) initiative, aimed at revitalizing downtown Ridgefield while preserving its identity.
“Ridgefield is growing, it's investing in itself and already shaping the next chapter of who we are,” he said.
Cole described RISE as a long-term effort to improve infrastructure, accessibility and economic vitality in the downtown core while maintaining its small-town feel.
“A city is not like a building, which you build once and once it's constructed, you just simply maintain it. It's more like a living, breathing thing. It grows, it adapts, and it changes as the people who live there change every generation,” he said.
Cole emphasized that the future of downtown will depend not just on infrastructure but on community involvement and a shared sense of belonging. He pointed to the building at 104 N Main Ave, where the more than century-old Ridgefield Hardware Store once stood before closing in September. Since then, new businesses, including Ridgefield Floral and Gifts, Toys on Main, the Spudder Store and the long-awaited Ridgefield Art Gallery, have moved in, transforming the space into what Cole described as a renewed hub of creativity and community in downtown Ridgefield.
“The anchor of one generation has become the canvas for the next,” Cole said. “For RISE to succeed, it won't be because we write it in a plan from City Hall; it will succeed because this community decides that the heart of Ridgefield is worth investing in. That has always been the secret behind great downtowns.”
The State of the City address also included the annual Ridgefield Make a Difference Awards. Readers can learn more on Page B7.
