The nearly decade-long
struggle to replace the crumbling Stamford railroad station parking garage has
taken another bizarre turn: the CDOT now
wants to spend $1.5 million and take six months to repair the garage before
they tear it down.
How did we get into this
mess? Let’s examine the time-line:
 |
| Garage construction - 1983 |
MAY
1983: Construction
begins on the Stamford Transportation Center, featuring a new train station and
parking garage. But construction is halted when cracks
are found in beams. Repairs are made and work continues.
AUGUST
2006: Crumbing
concrete, exposed and rusting rebar convince engineers the garage is near the
end of its life. CDOT decides it will be cheaper to demolish
the old 727-space parking garage than to repair it… $35 million.
AUGUST
2008: A hoped-for
public-private partnership (PPP) to replace the old garage in its current
location and add private office space falls through.
JULY
2012: The CDOT tries a
PPP again, issuing an
RFP (Request for Proposals) for replacement
parking within a quarter mile
of the station. Developers are promised
confidentiality. There are no public
hearings on any concepts, leaving
commuters in the dust. After protests, Governor Malloy appoints a panel to
oversee the CDOT process of selecting a developer. The group meets secretly, never seeking
public input nor ever issuing a report on its work.
JULY
1, 2013: Developer
John McClutchy and family donate
$30,000 to the CT State Central Democratic Committee. By February 2015, the McClutchy’s have
donated $165,000 to that federal account, bypassing state laws prohibiting
contractor contributions to candidates.
 |
| John McClutchy |
JULY
11 2013: The
CDOT announces
its choice of developers for the Stamford Garage, JHM Group of Companies
(headed by John McClutchy), which proposes a 600,000 sq ft office / hotel
complex on the site of the old garage while parking is moved a quarter mile
away. Negotiations on a final deal get
underway.
NOVEMBER
2014: Having
been completely bypassed in the state’s decision making process about the
garage project, the City of Stamford Zoning Board passes a new zoning ordinance
giving it final
approval over any projects near the train station.
MARCH
2015: In
response, the Governor introduces HB-6851, a bill to give the state control
of all development within a half mile of any transit station. The bill would create a quasi-governmental CT
Transit Corridor Development Authority, all of its members appointed
by the Governor, with the power
of eminent domain. The bill is eventually
killed.
APRIL
2015: Large
chunks of concrete fall from the ceiling of the Stamford Garage prompting CDOT
to close the facility for safety inspection, displacing 700+ daily parkers.
 |
| Spawling concrete, rusted rebar |
JULY
2015: The
second anniversary of CDOT’s selection of JHM as developer of the garage
passes, but there is still
no signed contract. The old garage
remains closed into a third month with no word on repairs.
OCTOBER
2015: CDOT announces
it will spend
$1.5 million and six months to repair part of the old garage, eventually re-opening
270 of its 727 spaces.
Those facts speak for
themselves. My only opinion: if CDOT can so mismanage a small project like
this, what’s going to happen when Governor Malloy gives them $100
billion to spend on his 30-year transportation plan?
3 comments:
The Stamford RR Garage Saga is completely on Stamford Mayor, Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy's watch (and those that voted for Malloy to serve as Mayor and Governor.) That includes the $165,000 contributed to the State Democratic Central Committee.
Yesterday, upon return with luggage from overseas, I found all entrances to the normal west end elevators blocked with plastic fences, and the only way to my car, a few yards away at the west end of the garage fourth floor, was to go to the farthest east end, take that elevator and walk back west up the ramps... ridiculous, and with minimal information, no way to treat paying monthly parkers...but we are now used to it... by the way, you cant do it now because of the fences, but if you went to the fourth floor crossing spot from the new garage to the old one, as you turn left onto the old fourth level, heading towards the bridge to the concourse, and you look down at your feet, there is a small 1 1/2" hole through which you can see the floor below.. what is amazing is the extraordinary thin-ness of the concrete on which you are standing! not very encouraging given the wear and tear so visible around you...
this is a horrible example of municipal incompetence and low grade construction threatening citizen welfare... and who is held responsible?
The McClutchy (sp) donations to the Democratic party are really quite stunning - pay to play. Unbelievable. There are a lot of constitutional issues with the State's grab to control all development within a quarter mile of the station. That is legally absurd. This goes to show the mendacity of our elected officials.
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