We interrupt what is usually a list of our daily specials to write something that really concerns us. We are working diligently to open our diner, Pearl Street Diner, in the old Doughboy's location a couple of doors down from the deli. We've got a long term lease, and are getting things in order to get a neighborhood diner open sometime in the next few months. However, it really concerns us that this spot is identified as a possible location of a "transit center." Don't you think that before putting a spot on a list - a list that is part of a public hearing Wednesday evening - that the potential location would be contacted and give tentative approval of being on the list?
Today, one day before this hearing, someone named "Jeff" came into the deli and asked for the owner. I (Pam) talked with him. He said he was interested in buying out our lease for the diner. It took some convincing for him to say what he was interested in putting there. He said "bus station." I told him "Not gonna happen."
I knew the location was on the list and fully intended on going to the public hearing. I informed my landlord several weeks ago they were on the list. The landlord told them they were not interested. The location should have been taken off the list.
I don't know if "Jeff" is officially affiliated with this project, but it seems very coincidental that someone comes in to ask me the day before a hearing to buy out my lease for a bus station. Get this Jeff (and CCTA) we are not interested.
Being on a list of potential locations and soliciting public input on these locations implies (at least to me, maybe to you) that all of these locations are willing to be a bus station, er "transit center." Having our spot on the list is implying that we are in fact considering this and that we are not serious about opening the Pearl Street Diner. To hell with the time, effort and money we have already expended to this project. Let's put a bus station there. Whoever put us on this list is impeding our ability to open a local business employing local people. Stop it now. We are not interested.
Are you on the list too? You might want to look at the list and see if you are (Rite Aid, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, DET, Department of Corrections, the entire corner of Pearl and Winooski Ave, and 16 more).
The public hearing is at City Hall at 6 pm Wednesday Sept 14th. A link to public hearing notice is at http://www.cctaride.org/pdf/Documents/publicnotice_dtc.pdf and a link to the list of potential sites is at http://www.cctaride.org/pdf/Downtown%20Transit%20Center/Potential_Site_Alternatives.pdf
Other information can be found at CCTA's website at http://www.cctaride.org/dtc/index.html
UPDATE: I have identified Jeff as being Jeff Nick, of JL Davis Reality http://www.jldavisrealty.com/broker.php?source=3
3 comments:
This is so disturbing that this is the way CCTA is handling the DTC. I'm a little stunned. Any updates from the public hearing tonight?
They said that Jeff did not represent them. Though he's not officially on the committee, he is the chairperson of the Church Street Marketplace Commission. He also owns the Border's building. Read what you want into that. Jeff was not at the meeting. I asked why businesses and properties on the list were not contacted, and they said it was early in the project, implying no need to contact us. I told them this kind of communication error was tainting their project from the start and will make everyone distrustful of their motives. There were lots of things said by the public which didn't make it into the Free Press article. None of the stuff I actually said made it to the article, but something I didn't say did make it in. At least they spelled my name right.
That's pretty disingenuous considering their own advisory committee notes from the first meeting (June 7) state that they "learned in the last iteration not to wait to contact property owners," that it was not premature to start doing so, and that two members would coordinate to start the meetings. So which is it?
http://www.cctaride.org/pdf/Downtown%20Transit%20Center/AdvisoryCommitteeMeeting1notes.pdf
(Page 5)
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