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By Josh LaBella

Voice Reporter

It has been six years since the West Haven train station was completed. The city has taken steps to push for development in the surrounding area but the man who led the charge to build it says they could be doing more.

Mike Mercuriano, who started the petition for the train station to be built in West Haven two decades ago, said he wanted the train station because of how useful it would be for the city. He said around the train station are abandoned or semi-abandoned buildings with over one million square feet of potential.

“(Those) will give you high tech manufacturing, warehousing,” said Mercuriano, “just about anything.”

Mercuriano said there needs to be an effort to get the owners of the buildings to sell. He said the city needs to push for development of the buildings.

“The city should have this up on the charts for development,” said Mercuriano, “all around the train station, on a daily basis. This should be a main priority.”

Fred A. Messore, the West Haven commissioner of planning and development, said the city is trying to get developers to the area, and that his main task now is to push for the implementation of the Transient Oriented Development plan.

The plan aims to utilize the space around the train station for mixed use development.

“Now the market and the opportunity are there for that,” said Messore. “I think the Stiles School, and that readapted use, will maybe initiate the whole TOD area.”

The Edgar C. Stiles School is a property owned by the city upon which it received bids for development in January. Messore said that is just one of the ways the city is looking to push for development in the area.

David Killeen, the assistant city planner, said most municipalities that have done well with transit-oriented development have utilized mix-use zoning. He said many allow for apartments on the upper floors of buildings, while having commercial space on the bottom floors. He referenced the Atwood project in Allingtown as an example.

“What they are trying to do is create a village, basically,” said Killeen, “where you have people who have the convenience of living near a train station where they can commute to work, or having their employment near a train station so that they can get there.”

Killeen said part of the rezoning was changing regulations to allow higher density residential living than almost anywhere else in the city. He said the city permits almost 40 units per acre in the TOD.

According to Messore, there seems to be a growing market confidence in the city. He said there was a 57 percent increase in revenue from building permits from the last fiscal year to this one.

Messore said he hopes development of the Stiles School will be the catalyst for further development in the area around the train station.

Jonathan Wharton, a political science professor at Southern Connecticut State University, said he gave a talk on Transient Oriented Development at the University of New Haven two years ago. He said Connecticut is a little bit behind on the concept.

The professor said one issue that could crop up for the West Haven TOD is the “not in my backyard” mantra people can have when it comes to mixed-use development in the area.

“Most people in a town like West Haven prefer singular-use zoning,” said Wharton. “Even in my discussion [at UNH] there was this outcry of concern over [high-density housing.]”

There are many benefits of initiating and carrying through a TOD plan, Wharton said. He pointed out it provides an additional tax base for the city, more commercial space, and, critically, younger people wanting to live in the city.

“That’s really what it’s about,” said Wharton. “Not everybody wants to buy a house or can afford to buy a house in their 20’s and 30’s. So the thought is, ‘Why not have this open to apartments, and have more people who are younger live in West Haven.’ Because that’s a big concern in West Haven, it’s graying.”

Both Messore and Killeen said one of the goals of the TOD was to get younger people to move into the city.

Wharton said he thinks the plan could be transformative in an area which has been so underutilized for so long.

“It is absolutely stunning that it’s remained an eyesore for so long,” said Wharton. “And I think each administration is trying to find pathways of tackling this but it’s a very, difficult topic.”

By Josh LaBella

Voice Reporter

Last week Mayor Rossi’s $163.3 million budget for FY19-20 brought out many comments during the required public hearing conducted by the City Council, and most of them centered around cuts in the city’s library system.

Many citizens voiced their concern and frustration over cuts to the library, and made sure they were heard. Employees of the library, meanwhile, say this is part of a continued pattern of cuts to their department.

Rossi said her budget looked to build on the success the city has achieved over the past 16 months. She referenced the $3.1 million operating surplus in 2018 and said officials project another surplus in 2019.

“It has not been an easy road but together we have changed the direction of our city,” said Rossi.

In Rossi’s readings of the highlights of the budget she said it did not raise taxes for the city or the City of West Haven Allingtown Fire Department. She called the budget “conservative” and said there were other efficiencies that her administration was looking at creating next year. One specific area is switching the municipal health care plan.

“I have eliminated all open positions in the budget, except for public safety positions in the police and fire departments to provide additional savings,” said Rossi. “The elimination of open positions has been and continues to be an action consistent throughout the budget during my term.”

The mayor also took time to address concerns about cuts to the library, saying she had been hearing a lot about it.

“This was brought about during the budget process,” said Rossi. “It was a request from City Council members as we we’re negotiating both the budget and the five-year plan.”

Rossi said she believes in the library and has spoken to the city grant writer to see if they can find any sort of assistance for its operating budget.

During the time for public comment, a significant amount of the people who spoke came to speak in regards to their support for the library and desire to see it funded. Colleen Bailey, director of the library, said they cannot continue to absorb the cuts that they have seen for the past five years.

“When looking at the proposed budget from last year alone we have been cut by $100,000,” said Bailey. “When taking into account higher costs, this costs equates to even higher numbers. We changed our health insurance three years ago to absorb cuts, some staff positions have not been replaced and hours are at the very minimum.”

Bailey went on to speak about the importance of libraries in communities and the roles they serve.

Ben Martin, a city resident, said it was his first time going to any sort of public meeting and he did so to voice his “full-throated support” for the library.

“I know that we have a budgetary crisis,” said Martin. “I voted for Mayor Rossi because I believed that she would be able to pull us through [it]. I’m proud to see that there’s movement there.”

Martin said he did not want that movement to come at the expense of the library. He said it is a small amount of money to invest in the future.

City officials hailed a settlement in the last remaining property stalling the construction of an upscale mall that will, it is hoped, boost the city’s lagging economy. The Haven, a $200 million, 261,182-square-foot luxury outlet center, was announced in 2014.

The last remaining eminent domain action pending in the Connecticut State Superior Court concerning the Haven waterfront development project has been withdrawn by the City of West Haven, Mayor Nancy Rossi announced today. The withdrawal occurred after the developer, The Haven Group, LLC, negotiated a settlement with the land owner.

Eminent domain actions require applicants to deposit sufficient funds with the court to pay for any land taking. In this case, the developer had deposited $862,500 with the court, which has now been released.

“This settlement and withdrawal are important steps towards Connecticut State Department of Transportation (DOT) approval of the transportation plan for the Haven,” said Rossi.

Once the Haven Group receives DOT approval of its transportation plan, funds from the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development become available and physical work at the site can begin.

The news comes at a time when speculations regarding the upscale mall were rife through social media. In February, the developer had sent letters to area businesses, those businesses reported. The letter indicated that demolition of the four-block area was imminent and may begin as early as March 1. However, work never began fueling social media outbreaks.

The problem was further exacerbated in March when two fires occurred within two blocks of each other, one on Richards Place and the other at the former headquarters of Bilco Door on Water Street. Neither fire was considered arson, but accident caused by homeless people or squatters looking to keep warm. The fires have alarmed both the developer and city officials, prompting security personnel to be stationed at the location.

The West Haven City Council had been considering closure of Water Street, the future site of the Haven. At the request of the State Representative Borer for the 115th District which includes the site, the road will remain open for the time being.

The DOT approval is the next pivotal step in the beginning of demolition and construction. A traffic plan sufficient enough to handle, both incoming and outgoing travelers must be approved by the agency. Since the 2014 announcement, the DOT closed the former Exit 44 cloverleaf that exited onto Kimberly Avenue in New Haven, and have restructured the traffic pattern to the Ella Grasso Boulevard, and into West Haven via City Point.

The Kimberly Avenue Bridge, constructed in 1969, and only anticipated to last about 20 years, is the only ingress and egress from New Haven and Elm Street. Reconstruction of that bridge has been contemplated for years.

The Haven is the latest and most significant project announced for the Water Street area. Since it was first announced as the “Water Street Project” in 1997, the plan has gone through several iterations and names, including West River Crossing. All plans stalled, however, with nothing happening until the Haven Group, LLC announced its plans under former Mayor Edward M. O’Brien.

By Josh LaBella

Voice Reporter

The recurring dispute over vacation buy-backs was on the front burner this week, with both the mayor and corporation counsel weighing in defending the practice. Meanwhile, at least one member of the City Council thinks the practice illegal.

Mayor Rossi and Corporation Counsel Lee Tiernan each released a statement this week regarding vacation buybacks. And, in their opinion, the issue is a closed case (See page 6). Some, especially 8th District Councilwoman Tracey Morrissey, fervently disagree.

For several years, some members of the City Council, spearheaded by Morrissey, have pushed for Mayor Rossi and former Mayor Ed O’Brien, to pay back the $3,346.70 and $4,685.38 they received, respectively. Both mayors got clearance from Human Resources and Corporation Counsel before doing so.

In a release to the Voice, Mayor Rossi said the debate is politically motivated and that when she took the buybacks she went through all the proper channels to approve it.

“Prior to requesting a vacation buyback, I consulted the commissioner of human resources and the city’s Corporation Counsel and was assured that the practice pertained to the mayor’s position,” said Rossi. “The vacation buyback was not only legal, but had been a common practice with the prior mayor as well.”

Rossi also went on to say that she rarely uses the city car, does not take city health insurance or have a city credit card, and works well over the 35 hours she is mandated to. She said when it came to vacation buybacks she went as far as to get a legal opinion from corporation council.

In his legal opinion, which he wrote to the mayor and City Council Chairman Ron Quagliani, Tiernan wrote he thought the issue was resolved but would make one last attempt to clarify. He referenced a city council resolution defining employee benefits for non-union employees.

“Although the resolution clearly provides for a “vacation” benefit for appointed officials, it is silent concerning vacation pay regarding elected officials,” said Tiernan. “Notwithstanding, it would appear that the Council wanted appointed officials to receive vacation pay benefits pursuant to the 1103 union contract, but not elected officials.”

Tiernan said because the resolution was silent on elected official it was not illegal for the mayor to take the buyback. Now that they have voiced their disapproval for the practice, Tiernan has said he notified Rossi that she cannot receive the vacation benefit as of Dec. 11, 2018.

Tiernan added that it may have been illegal to not pay them the benefits and that attempting to get the money back could prove risky.

“To those who seek to legally recover ‘vacation pay’ from the previous mayor and the current mayor, be advised that any legal recovery would require paying for city lawyers, lawyers for the respective mayors (again pursuant to state law) and indeed the city has no guarantee of success. I would further point out that the failure to pay an employee an “accrued benefit” can lead to double and triple damages,” said Tiernan.

Tracey Morrissey, on the other hand, does not think the issue is close to resolved. She said she wants to see both O’Brien and Rossi pay back the money and that they should not have to go to court for it.

Morrissey cited examples from when Rossi was on the City Council and led the charge for Mayor John Picard to pay back educational reimbursement money he had used to take classes while in office.

“She knows the resolution better than anyone,” said Morrissey. “If it was right, why didn’t John Picard do it? Why didn’t Ed O’Brien do it [until the end of his term]?”

She also said that because Tiernan was appointed by Rossi, his legal opinion might not be trustworthy. She also disagreed with Rossi’s notion that the issue is politically motivated.

“It’s not politically motivated because I’ve been doing this since 2016 when Ed was in office,” said Morrissey. “I’m the one that changed the resolution. I’m the one that’s been fighting it.”

Morrissey said both mayors receive a salary which gives them unlimited vacation and sick time. She also said they are not required to punch in a clock.

“They get paid no matter what,” said Morrissey, “and to turn around and buy additional vacation time is mind boggling.”