Melissa Bailey Photo
Melissa Bailey Photo
Drivers like Al Mele will be shuttling downtowners to this parking lot for at least two to three more years, as the city puts a hold on a major development at the former Coliseum site.
The parking lot at State and George Street sits on the grave of the New Haven’s Veteran Memorial Coliseum, a hulking arena that the city demolished over three years ago to make way for new development.
After a contract with a preferred developer expired, the city is sitting tight, keeping its options open, and waiting for the economy to recover, said city Economic Development Administrator Kelly Murphy in an interview this week.
Northland Investment Corporation was selected by the city in 2008 as the preferred developer for the 4.5‑acre site. It proposed to build a “Tenth Square” of offices, retail and homes, complementing downtown’s historic nine squares. The project would be built around a new home for the Long Wharf Theatre, which has long been waiting to relocate downtown.
However, in the face of financial struggles, Northland failed to get a project off the ground before its exclusive contract with the city expired in February. The city has not renewed the contract.
Murphy said the turn of events was a result of a global recession, not Northland’s fault.
For now, the plans are on hold as the city waits for the economy to improve, she said.
The city hasn’t ruled out working with Northland at that site, she said. “We’re keeping our options open. We might go back to them,” or not. The city may move down the list to other bidders who responded to a first request for proposals (RFQ), or it may reopen the RFQ process, she said.
“The ability to finance or do anything is limited” in the current economy, she explained. “We don’t want to do the wrong thing” — to under-build and under-develop the space, instead of holding out for a “real mixed-use” development.
Northland’s “Tenth Square” proposal
Northland, a privately held real estate investment firm with a $1.7 billion portfolio, is downtown Hartford’s largest landlord. Amid financial troubles, the company has fallen into foreclosure on two downtown Hartford properties, and just fell behind on loan payments on a third major property there, the Hartford Courant reported this week.
Northland spokeswoman Mary Brennan Coursey said her company isn’t giving up.
“Despite the current economic climate, our commitment to New Haven and to developing the Coliseum site has not wavered,” she said.
Next steps, whatever they may be, will take time, Murphy said. Even if the economy turns around next month, the city would have to negotiate a deal with a developer, then the project would take another 18 to 24 months to design, she calculated.
That means the site will remain as a 500-space surface parking lot for “at least two to three years,” according to Murphy.
Theater Stays Put
Ray Collum, Long Wharf Theatre’s managing director, called the delay “disappointing,” but said the theater will make do.
“We were all very much looking forward to [the move],” he said. “But the reality of the circumstances is that it’s just not possible at this time.”
Long Wharf Theatre was poised to launch a major fundraising drive when the recession slowed its plans. Collum, who joined the theater less than a year ago, said Long Wharf has put the fundraising on hold. The theater will stay at its current spot in Long Wharf’s meat-packing district, renovate that building, and wait for the opportunity to move downtown, he said.
Collum said the theater remains committed to moving to the downtown site, and has extended its memorandum of understanding with the city by two years.
“Not Enough Parking”
Downtown Alderwoman Bitsie Clark, who sat on a panel that selected Northland, saw a silver lining in the turn of events.
“First of all, it gives us a great bunch of parking for the train station,” she said, while the city waits for the state to build a new “transit-oriented” development and new parking garage at Union Station.
Second, “clearing the Coliseum brought some light into the Ninth Square,” she said.
While she applauded Northland’s Tenth Square proposal, she said the timing of when the economy soured turned out to the city’s favor.
“We weren’t half-way into it and had to stop it,” she noted, “which would be a very sad thing.”
She said economic downturns often force people to come up with new, creative solutions.
Meanwhile, she said, “we have a wonderful parking lot.”
Al Mele (pictured at the top of this story) agreed.
Mele, works for ProPark, which manages the parking lot. His job is to drive a bright green shuttle bus between the parking lot and Yale-New Haven Hospital. Hospital workers take the majority of parking spots. A total of 850 hospital workers have monthly parking passes there. They don’t all park there at the same time; they take shifts.
“There’s not enough parking, definitely,” said Mele, who lives in East Haven.
As he spoke, Mele was waiting to pick up more hospital workers for his next shuttle run. He said the lot is frequently used by people traveling to the train station. He knows, because they sometimes jump on his bus in the hopes that he’ll shuttle them a couple blocks away to Union Station.
“This is not going to the train station,” he tells them. Sometimes they get on the shuttle inadvertently, end up at the hospital, and miss their trains, he said. Other people bemoan the fact that the train station parking lot fills up quickly, and they have to walk down the street to get there.
The Coliseum lot is providing a vital service, Mele opined.
“Look at the Temple Street Garage!” he said, pointing through the drizzle. The garage appeared to be stacked full of cars, all the way to the top.
“They need parking,” said Mele.
“If I had the money, I would open a parking lot.”