Potential Replacement for Station Garage Steps Forward
I wrote a few weeks ago about the Connecticut DOT’s plan to bid the Stamford Train Station garage out for development as a mixed use project. Admittedly, the plan seems somewhat crazy on the surface, especially if the city is trying to encourage mass transit. The plan though is forward thinking in that Stamford’s downtown and South End will most certainly continue to densify in the near future. In 10 years there may be as many commuters living in a 10-15 walk of the station as there are driving to it today. A plan that weaved the station into a broader urban fabric while also remaining convenient to park and ride commuters is hard to argue.
I suggested the Gateway and Metro Green developments were best situated to make the plan work should they throw their hat in the ring. While each has its own challenges, both locations could offer replacement parking next to the station. While today The Advocate mentioned Metro Green was weighing whether to submit a proposal, Gateway appears to be definitely moving forward with a plan according to this letter to the Board of Reps.
According to the letter, the former factory site would include “open space for the Mill River Park system, an office building, a residential building and convenience retail for commuters” in addition to a new garage with direct access to the train platform replacing the 800 spot garage adjacent to the station. No mention of if they also has plans to take on development of the station garage plot.
The potential for direct platform access from the replacement garage gives them a leg up. Finding a way to connect the location to the mutli-million dollar Urban Transitway investment would most likely need to be addressed. All other proposals are due next month. Should be interesting.
2 comments :
I get what they're trying to do, but I'm not totally sold, for a few reasons.
1: Who wants to live right on top of a train station? It's loud, it's crowded with people and cars, and it's not exactly scenic - to the north you have the station and the rest of downtown, and to the south you can see the Sound waaay beyond the rundown South End.
2: The neighborhood south of the tracks is a long way from being desirable. Unless the developer and their initial tenants/buyers are real pioneers, it'll be a tough sell.
3: Its main selling point would be that it's right next to the train station, however, that also means it's kind of a hike from downtown, which is the heart of the action here in the C-T-Dub. If only the train station were right near downtown!
It doesn't have to be housing, it could be any number of uses.
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