New Haven Independent

Posted by: Taxed To Death | July 30, 2007 3:50 PM

Call Becker and Kelly Murphy -- what's a few more million in subsidies?

Posted by: charlie | July 30, 2007 4:53 PM

Looks like all of those NIMBYS who protested the Star Supply Deal with ChristieWareck, because it had a couple of extra parking spaces or was five inches too tall, got what they deserved! No developer wants to come into a neighborhood where people are opposed to any kind of new development. Have fun with the rats for the next 40 years, folks!

Posted by: Esbe | July 30, 2007 5:07 PM

I am with Alder Lemar; if he can block zoning approval, that's great. This is a terrible use for the city. Generating a little rent from that store would help the current owners hold onto the site in its present horrible condition -- I hope it can be stopped.

Posted by: JPE | July 30, 2007 8:35 PM

charlie your the man!
now where are all the people who bash B&B saying the city should have gone with Christie Wareck. Hey maybe we can get rubber match to move down to the Shatenburgh site wouldent that be a great use.
Keep bitching people this is what you get.

Posted by: Da Hill | July 31, 2007 10:46 AM

Guess how many jobs are created with hotel liquidators????

approximately 4-6 FTE's....

Thats right, [the owner] uses kids from a local outreach program to work for free. Slave Labor? Anyway, this is an example of whats out there in the way of development opportunities for the City. Becker and Becker is going to be a huge waste of money and time, and when the time comes to hold people responsible, the mayor will be gone and kelly will be fooling some other municipality or development group.

Posted by: Roland Lemar | July 31, 2007 12:15 PM

Charlie-

While I occasionally disagree with you, I typically find your posts honest and thought provoking, but you keep getting the Christie Wareck redevelopment plan for Star Supply all wrong. They had a great plan that I and many others in the neighborhood completely supported and testified on behalf of at the BZA. In fact, NOOONE testified in opposition to their plans. The developers then procedded to receive EXACTLY what they asked for from the BZA. It was only later that the developers realized that they didn't want to be limited to their original submittted plans and wanted more relief. But they never returned to the BZA to get that relief- in fact, the development team fell apart before their option on the site even expired (and during the reveiw process for Shartenberg.) It's too bad, I thought they had absolutely nailed the mix of housing/retail needed for the site and the redevelopment would have been exceptional for the City. Were there people who weren't happy with the plans? Yes. Were there people who thought it was too dense and didn't have enough parking? Yes. Did they complain and hope for some consideration during the development? Of course. But when it was time to stand up for this development, the neighbors were there in overwhelming support.

Posted by: Roland Lemar | July 31, 2007 12:28 PM

And regarding Universal Hotel Liquidators moving into the site, the primary concern that neighbors have is that Star Supply remains committed to aggressively marketing this site to developers and does not just lease out small portions of the building in order to cover their carrying costs for the property while allowing it to fall into further disrepair.

I think as part of a large-scale redevelopment of the property, UHL might have a place on the site and at the very least we should help them find another location in New Haven to operate. My concern is that by allowing them to cover a portion of their costs with this lease, or any others like it, Star Supply won't have the same incentive to unload this property to a motivated buyer.

If UHL only seeks to be on the site for a short period of time while they secure an alternate space, I think that they will likely offer a reasonable proposal. After that, I look forward to helping them find a long-term space to operate in and paving the way for the redevelopment of the Star Supply site.

Posted by: robn | July 31, 2007 1:09 PM

Star Supply didn't falter becuase of over stringent city demands...it faltered because the development partnership dissolved.

To those mean spirited writers who hae little grip on what actually happened down on Mechanic Street..there is nothing wrong with citizens demanding control over their local environment, nor is there anything wrong with citizens expecting that developers follow the rules or compensate the city for forgiveness from the rules.

Posted by: Common Sense | July 31, 2007 3:37 PM

Turn back the hands (fifty years ago) of time and picture the thriving MB Company on that site that overlooks Blake Field. The concrete sections on the front of the building have designs of airplane parts. I believe that the MB stood for Mettler Bros. Many people worked in that building including a night shift. They even sponsored a fast pitch softball called the MB Bombers that would play in the industrial league at Blake Field. The Mechanic Street side, where I delivered newspapers to just about every home in my youth, housed the American Tube Bending Company. It was another business that employed many city people. Next to the ATC was the Connecticut Wheel & Rim Company. Mechanic Street back then was the old 14th Ward and its Alderman was Bart Guida who went on to be the Mayor of New Haven. Bart always represented the people of the ward with honor and distinction. He was one of the people responsible for the erection of the lighting at the main softball diamond at Blake Field. In those days the neighborhood was referred to as "Goatville". The people of the area are fortunate today to have East Rock Alderman Roland Lemar representing them on the issue of the now vacant structures. There is no need to rush into a venture that would compromise the needs of the community and add to the blight. The residence of that area deserve better.

Posted by: Taxed To Death | July 31, 2007 3:48 PM

Let's turn it into a plastic recycling center. That'd bring jobs, reduce our carbon footprint, probably get some DECD funds, city taxpayer funds, add a few HANAH houses in there, create some tax credits..it'd be a gold mine.

We can park a windmill right on top of the building and its generating power could be spread to the neighborhood...I can hear the sweet sounds of whoop whoop whoop of the blades turning even now...and see their strobe light effects dancing off the neighborhood residences, even as the rats scurry to a new neighborhood - maybe Westville.

Posted by: charlie | July 31, 2007 4:06 PM

Say what you will about the details, but the reality is that some people in the neighborhood, in not realizing that the deal was the best thing that ever could have happened to them, decided to put forth significant obstacles to a deal. Instead of complaining, they should have been lobbying their Aldermen to give out some city tax breaks for the project in order to make sure it actually happened. Endless complaints about your parking spaces on Mechanic Street did not help our City.

Honestly, it probably doesn't make a difference at this point because the City has once again raised building permit fees to over $25 per unit of construction. The actual cost of permitting is about 1/10th that, but the Aldermen see it fit to raise the fees in order to use them as a "cash cow" for the city. The result? Private developers like ChristieWareck and others are no longer going to be interested in building here. And Yale is going to increasingly build new facilities in the suburbs (as in its 160-acre property in West Haven, but also other places) in order to avoid the massive fees. If you compare other cities, they all have permit fees that are a tiny fraction of what we charge here. The only hope is for the City to waive permit fees for every project, through the EDA office. But even if they do that, developers are still going to look up the fees here and decide to move on to another city.

A lot of developers have come through New Haven lately, had great ideas that could revolutionize the City, then looked into the press reports and decided to move on to another city. What did they see? News reports about people like the folks who were protesting the Star Supply Deal. News reports about the massive construction permitting fees here.

What the Aldermen don't realize is how expensive it is to build here, compared to almost any place else in the entire world. Rat-infested lots like Star Supply is what you are going to be left with.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 31, 2007 4:45 PM

robn
I agree... the community has to have some input in anything that is going to effect there area. I am sad to see that they are putting Hotel Liquidators in there. But there is always the possablity that were they are moving from will be turned into some great to..now that they have moved out.

And I thought that the Star linnen project was proof and a great example of how communities and developers can work together.

Posted by: Your Tax Dollars at Work | August 1, 2007 5:41 PM

Good grief Charlie! Hotel Liquidators is a temporary tenant occupying the property to give the owners some income (to pay their taxes & expenses) until the site can be sold!