Minutes after aldermen voted to rename a downtown thoroughfare for a late civil-rights hero, they had to decide whether to allow ads to fly on his new street.
The Board of Aldermen voted unanimously on Tuesday night to change the name of North Frontage Road to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
Aldermen were not as unified when it came time to vote on a proposal to allow advertising banners to be displayed along the newly named road. Following a vigorous debate, the proposal to hang ad banners from the Air Rights Garage was voted down.
The vote to rename a city street for the slain civil rights leader was the culmination of a months-long process. The idea was first proposed in May by West River Alderman Yusuf Shah (pictured), who put forward Whalley Avenue as the best candidate for re-naming. The targeted street was later changed to Dixwell and finally to Frontage Road.
“It is appropriate and inspiring to bring life to this major artery in the name of Dr. Martin Luther King,” said Fair Haven Alderwoman Erin Sturgis-Pascale, who had pushed for Frontage Road to be selected. Sturgis-Pascale said that she hopes that the new street serves to connect and redefine the area.
“My dream has come true,” said Shah. He thanked Newhallville Aldermen Katrina Jones and Charles Blango for their support on the matter and said that he hopes MLK Boulevard will become “a new mecca in the city of New Haven.”
Near the end of the meeting, another agenda item came up dealing with the newly-named boulevard. Sign Lite, Inc. a North Haven-based company, sought permission to mount five storefront banners on the north side of Air Rights Garage facing North Frontage Road. The signs would advertise Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and the other businesses located at 66 York St. in the underpass that connects North and South Frontage.
Speaking in favor of the motion, Sturgis-Pascale (pictured) said that the signs could have a traffic- calming effect and bring visual interest to one of the gateways to the city.
Beaver Hills Alderman Carl Goldfield saw it differently. “This is visual blight on the city,” he said. Subway and Dunkin Donut have more than enough advertising “to last us for eons,” he said.
Air Rights is “an ugly garage to begin with,” he added later.
Fair Haven Alderwoman Migdalia Castro, who abstained from the vote because she works at the garage, said that advertisements could be helpful for visitors from out of town who are looking for a place to eat.
“This is in my ward,” said Downtown Alderwoman Bitsie Clark. “I hate to see us making laws and rules that are unfriendly to business.” The restaurants that would be advertised are struggling small businesses, Clark said.
Yale Alderwoman Rachel Plattus disagreed with that assessment. Subway and Dunkin Donuts are “not small businesses,” she said. “These are huge corporations.”
In a roll-call vote of 12 to 10, the proposal to allow banners on the garage failed.