Inside historic Union Station.
Thomas Breen photos
Mayor Elicker and state transit chief Giulietti sign “letter of intent.”
Union Station will begin its second century with a bus hub in the works, new stores replacing planned new parking spaces, and the city in control of operations for 55 years.
State and local leaders — whose governments had been fighting over control and design of the station for decades — announced a proposed agreement to that effect Thursday afternoon at an event marking the historic train station’s 100th anniversary.
With red, white and blue bunting hanging from the second-floor balconies, and as dozens of local transit workers, commuters, and state and local officials looked on, Mayor Justin Elicker and state Department of Transportation Director Joseph Giulietti signed a formal “letter of intent” that committed the partners to pursuing a new path for the state-owned, city-operated station.
“This is a new day,” Elicker said after reading newspaper clips from the past 20 years that documented state and city fighting over which entity should control the station, and over whether or not the state should build a new “behemoth” parking garage atop a surface lot to the north.
Mayor Justin Elicker: “A new day.”
“After months of work in a time of unprecedented struggle, guided by the needs of the community with an eye towards the future, I’m proud to say that New Haven and the State of Connecticut have reached a deal. Today we are celebrating not just the last 100 years, but the next 100 years of the new Union Station partnership.”
The letter of intent signed by the two officials Thursday recognizes a “new era” for the management of the state-owned rail station in New Haven. It acknowledges that “vibrant and well managed transportation hubs are a catalyst for Transit Oriented Development and encourage greater utilization of our state’s public transportation systems.”
The letter commits the city and the state to working together to “collectively invest up to $65 million in new capital improvements to the Station and surrounding transportation center facilities.”
And it points to a new potential partnership agreement, which the city and state now officially agree to and which now advances to the Board of Alders for review and a final sign off.
The terms of the new agreement mark a dramatic reversal from the intentions of the previous gubernatorial administration, which for years pushed to build a new $60 million, seven-level, 1,015-space parking garage atop the surface lot adjacent to the station’s current garage. Local public transportation advocates, planners, and environmentalists pushed hard against the state for years to drop the parking garage plan.
The terms of the new agreement envision a much smaller, 600-space garage with a street-facing “liner building” that masks the garage and includes commercial and retail businesses. It also envisions a new bus hub to be built on the southern side of the station for both city buses and ride share services like Uber and Lyft.
Gov. Ned Lamont.
“This is good,” Lamont said. “We made a deal. It puts this station on a path, a direction. We know where we’re going.”
Echoing statements he made during his campaign for governor, Lamont said “the future of the state runs through New Haven” and “this is the hub of our state. This the hub of our region.”
Outside the station on Union Avenue.
Some of the terms of the new proposed agreement, which can be read in full here, include:
• Establishing a new lease and funding agreement between the state DOT and the city to last 35 years with two 10-year extension options. That will allow the city, through its parking authority, to lease, operate and staff Union Station, as it does today. The new agreement would replace the existing state-city lease, which expires in 2022.
• Establishing an Executive Oversight Panel consisting of the DOT commission and the mayor, which would be responsible for strategic planning, annual budget direction, and “major issue resolution.”
• Establishing a Union Station Operations Committee, consisting of two representatives from the state DOT and two from the city, which shall replace develop performance measures and have oversight authority over Union Station operations.
• Pursuing the construction of a shared 600-space parking garage that will accommodate construction of a mixed-use “Intermodal Center” consisting of commercial and retail space.
• Revamping the basement, first and second floor of the station to allow for new retail options, restaurants, and improved access to upper levels.
• Having the state and city work together to reconnect and rebuild Columbus Avenue from Church Street South to Union Avenue, thereby reducing traffic on Union Avenue immediately outside of the station.
Commissioner Giulietti at the presser.
“Think in terms of Grand Central,” Giulietti said about what this new agreement hopes to achieve for New Haven’s historic transit hub. “A partnership between the state, the city, the rail system and businesses. That’s exactly what we’re looking to have happen here.”
DOT Deputy Commission and New Haven resident Garrett Eucalitto said that the new agreement calls for three “calls” for potential funding: private investment, federal loans, and state bonds.
“It’s fair to say that the state and the city have never worked better together,” Giulietti said.
U.S. Rep. DeLauro with a new plaque commemorating Union Station’s history.
Much of the rest of the 40-minute press conference was dedicated to celebrating the history of the 100-year station, which was designed by architect Cass Gilbert and first opened its doors to the public on April 5, 1920. Click here to read more about the station’s history and architecture.
Giulietti, who grew up in City Point, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who grew up in Wooster Square, shared their own personal stories of traveling through Union Station to get to school and to work over the past half-century.
Giulietti recalled how all of the rail workers used to live in the Hill because, in the time before widespread telephone service, crew callers traveled from the station by bike to let workers know they had to get to the station. He also recalled plays opening at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, then opening later on Broadway in New Haven, and so-called “show trains” carrying theater-goers from the Elm City to New York City to see the play on the Great White Way.
“This is a national hub for people” traveling by train, Giulietti said. DeLauro said the building and the public transportation its allows for represent the direct, positive impact that government action can have on working people’s lives.
Watch the full press conference below.