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Land Deal OK’d For Colony Hardware

by Melissa Bailey | May 20, 2008 7:19 am

(8) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Fair Haven

riverstreet.png(Updated Wed.) A promised extension of Blatchley Avenue to the water met its official death, as aldermen opted instead to encourage job growth and commercial development along the River Street corridor.

Aldermen have unanimously approved the city’s lease of a parcel of River Street to make way for expansion of the Colony Hardware Supply Co., which aims to create 100 new jobs by moving to the redevelopment area. Click here, here and here for previous stories about the project.

Under the agreement approved at Monday’s Board of Aldermen meeting, 100 River St. will be leased for 98 years to The Sophie Group, the development arm of Colony Hardware Supply Co., for $580,000.

East Rock Alderman Roland Lemar, who had voted to approve the plan through his position on the City Plan Commission, said he “regretfully” supported the plans. The plan is “a marked change” from the original municipal development plan (pictured above), which called for an extension of Blatchley Avenue right to the waterfront. The tree-lined road would have provided a grand vista from Grand Avenue along Blatchley to the water.

Early imaginations also depicted a boardwalk and pedestrian promenade along the river.

“We will no longer have that pedestrian promenade,” Lemar informed his colleagues. He still had misgivings over the loss of the Blatchley Avenue extension as well as the parking and setback plans. “It’s not a great urban design, but the overall positive aspects of this” — namely, job growth and retaining a business that would encourage further development on River Street — “far outweigh that consideration.”

Helen Rosenberg, who staffs the City Plan Commission, later emphasized that a landscaped pedestrian walkway would still connect Criscuolo and Front Street Parks. There was never going to be a “promenade,” she said. The only thing eliminated from the plans was the Blatchley Avenue extension, which would have provided a tree-lined roadway out to the water ending in a pier.

Lemar contended the waterfront walkway has been scaled down from its original concept.

Rosenberg said plans for the walkway are due to to be reviewed by city staff next week, and are pending site plan review. The current plans would include a 50-foot, landscaped walkway-slash-park passable by bikes and feet. Access will still be available through Criscuolo Park, James, Lloyd and Poplar Streets. She said construction should start on that waterfront park next year.

Fair Haven Alderwoman Migdalia Castro praised the company and the move, which she said she hopes would create jobs for Fair Haveners.

Dollar Deal Sought

Castro fought a plan, however, concerning the sale of a different parcel of land in her ward, 45 Shelter St. The lot is a sliver lot — considered too small to build on. It measures a slim 16.5 by 80 feet.

Milagros Velez asked to buy it for a driveway and off-street parking. The city offered to sell it to her for $1,878. That’s $1.50 per square foot, the price according to city guidelines that aldermen updated two years ago.

Castro argued the city should sell the lot for a dollar, because the cost of remediation outweighs the proposed sale price.

“A mini-Shartenberg,” said Alderwoman Dolores Colon before the meeting, referring to that notorious “dollar deal“ approved for the downtown project.

“No, this is different,” replied Hill Alderman Jorge Perez. He agreed the cost of remediation should be accounted for.

Perez seconded Castro’s move when she made a motion on the aldermanic floor to sell the lot for a dollar.

Hill Alderwoman Andrea Jackson-Brooks stood up to oppose Castro’s amendment.

“I too have constituents that I would love to sell a piece of property to for a dollar,” Jackson-Brooks said, but the board agreed to guidelines to govern land deals. Guidelines passed in June 2006 dictate different prices for adjacent land owners and other purchasers of city sliver lots. Guidelines should be adhered to in an egalitarian fashion, she argued.

Castro’s amendment failed by a 17 to 8 vote. The parcel was sold for the city’s original asking price, $1,878.

Meanwhile, a bigger land sale was approved without discussion: The city sold 116 Munson St. to the SPDC [Science Park Development Corp] 110 Munson LLC for a short-term parking lot later to be incorporated in future plans for Science Park.

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Comments

posted by: Economic Undevelopment on May 20, 2008  9:11am

This is a let down.
River Street could have been the harbor in Baltimore. 
Why did the city even bother to spend our time and money to develop a plan they were willing to wipe off the map at the first sign of the all mighty dollar.
This is short term thinking for a piece of land that will be viewed for the rest of eternity as a truck lot on the water to the millions of people passing through New Haven over the Q.
I guess every administration has to have their Rte. 34 connector.

posted by: Esbe on May 20, 2008  9:21am

Isn’t there some way for a waterside pedestrian path to make its way through the site, even if Blatchley itself isn’t extended?  I understand the preference for taxes and jobs and this point, but sometimes a little compromise can do a lot of good.  In the long run, outdoor recreation and amenities attract better paying jobs.

posted by: cedarhillresident on May 20, 2008  9:56am

Esbe
We were just saying the same thing. That area really needs that! It can make a major difference on the future of that area. Not only do they attract better paying jobs but healthy foot traffic is always a good thing for any area!

posted by: We will have a pedestrian pathway on site on May 20, 2008  10:30am

Yes, even with the loss of the extended Blathcley Avenue and pedestrian only portions of that street w/promenade, there will still be a waterfront walkway that connects the entire area. it will be a nice feature, but I agree with Lemar that the original plan for the area would have been much better.  Hopefully Lemar and the rest of the City Plan Commission can take a few more shots at improving it when it goes back to them for the site plan review.

posted by: Esbe on May 20, 2008  10:45am

“We will ... ” —thanks for the reassurance.  I do hope that the city pays attention to the details of the plan.

posted by: anon on May 20, 2008  11:10am

The city and its residents should be advocating much more strongly at the state level for pedestrian-friendly development.  It is a matter of money, yes, but that is only because 36% of state DOT funding is used to build new highways (even though our bridges are crumbling), whereas less than 1% goes towards bike or pedestrian projects.  If the neighborhoods organized and lobbied with the city for better access to the waterfront, and for state development subsidies that favored small-scale urban infill over the paving of rural farmland for McMansions (it is currently the other way around), this kind of project would be less likely.

posted by: Charlie on May 20, 2008  11:15am

I surely hope the 99 year lease prohibits The Sophie Group from doing any other type of development not directly part of Colony Hardware?  Tell me someone thought about this!

posted by: walkin-talkin-fishin robot on May 21, 2008  9:33pm

Anon, the state approved the City’s plan when it included a waterfront pedestrian promenade.  Did they approve the change before the aldermanic vote—- or will this be another lawsuit for Corp Counsel to lose?

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