New Haven Independent

Posted by: dylan | March 24, 2008 12:02 PM

So these adjustments are being made so that city business can be more easily accomplished and accessed (plowing streets and getting people conveniently into 200 Orange Street)? Why not treat private business the same way and stripe for on street parking in front of the Federal building too? As all the area merchants will tell you, accessible parking (or the perception of it) is one of their potential customers' biggest deterrents. Lots and garages devastate urban fabric, but maximizing on street parking is one of the very best things for retail.

So why not? The answer is probably the fear of a possible car bomb in front of the Federal building. This might be a reasonable concern, but I would be interested in hearing about the ballistics differences between a blast from the parking space and one from a car illegally parked at the bumped out curb. My guess is that its not very significant.

Not to downplay threats of terrorism, but it is not as though New Haven can be easily viewed as a xenophobic saber-rattler. This is the city issuing identification cards to its residents, regardless of legal status, and just steps from the Federal building, a Syrian gentleman named Omar runs a successful Mediterranean restaurant.

Finally, shouldn't we be making our government buildings behave more openly and publicly and less like menacing fortresses? The two options send vastly different messages to citizens as well as those who potentially dislike us. Just look at the old county courthouse at Elm and Church as opposed to the FBI building on Orange Street.

Posted by: MisterJones | March 24, 2008 12:56 PM

Great news--it's about time! But I must say that the article is not up to NHI's usually high standards. The photos are awful and while yes they do show the planters they give no sense of scale in relation to the building and street. A longer shot from across the street showing the planters in contest would be better. A link to the new plans would have been really helpful too. A minor complaint, to be sure, but alas we have come to expect better.

Posted by: MisterJones | March 24, 2008 1:05 PM

Fair points Dylan, that's the problem with the photos is you can't tell what they are doing. As I remember, the planters are in a little parking jog--the sidewalk was cut right up to the buidling columns supporting the overhang--so cars could park during the pre 9/11 good old days. The planters took up preciuos parking, I guess to protect the columns from truck bombs. So it sounds like they will get the same effect by pushing the curb back out to the street line, but gain some space by cutting into the sidewalk back up by the Hall of Records, where people already double park.

Posted by: charlie | March 24, 2008 3:35 PM

The real question is, and should be: why did City Hall allow these funerary urns to blight our city in in the first place?

Posted by: cedarhillresident | March 24, 2008 4:52 PM

Sorry but what are they doing with the planters??? Can they donate them to the park we would love to have them along Rice field!! Anyone know?? Who can I call?

Posted by: Ben | March 24, 2008 6:51 PM

Cedar Hill,
The Upper State Street Association has requested them for State Street. I agree that they are ugly in their current location but think they would like nice along State Street. Especially if they are maintained with plantings.
Nothing has been guaranteed to us, but I provided a rough potential layout for them on our site: http://www.upperstatestreet.org
They are the green trees for lack of a better icon.
:-)

Posted by: jt | March 24, 2008 7:29 PM

cedarhillresident - call Dick Miller in Engineering - he is in charge of the project.

Posted by: anon | March 25, 2008 1:52 AM

More parking spaces = more traffic = lower IQs

http://downtownnewhaven.blogspot.com/2008/03/harvard-school-of-public-health-high.html

Posted by: cedarhillresident | March 25, 2008 8:54 AM

Ben Well I would love to see the Upper Upper state street area have them. We Maintian all our planters in Cedar Hill with the change of seasons. So they would not be neglected on our side
But again thanx Ben for the heads up that Upper State street has asked for them as well

Posted by: Bruce | March 25, 2008 9:48 AM

As I recall, the planters appeared about a day or two after Charlie Pillsbury abandoned his car on the street with a war protest sign. I think it was the morning the Iraq war started. I always assumed that someone got nervous and realized that this building could be vulnerable to attacks by less peaceful peace demonstrators.