WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Hartford will use two grants it was awarded this fall to study infrastructure needs, especially parking, associated with a proposed downtown White River Junction redevelopment project.
The town is working with property owner David Briggs and developer Adam Grounds to support the ongoing Hotel Coolidge redevelopment project as part of a public-private partnership.
Hartford will use a $35,000 Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst Grant awarded to the Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission, for a feasibility study looking into infrastructure improvements, including a public plaza, parking, and geothermal energy options in downtown White River Junction, according to a Wednesday news release.
That grant and a $30,000 Vermont Municipal Planning grant awarded this fall will go toward the study.
“These grants allow us to tackle the practical challenges of success, like parking and mobility, so we can welcome more neighbors and support more local businesses,” Grounds said Wednesday.
Parking has long been a hot topic in downtown White River Junction, where there are currently about 400 spaces. Development is expected to worsen existing parking challenges.
Having to circle the village to find parking on a Friday night is “frustrating but it’s also a testament to the Village’s vitality,” Grounds said. He hopes that the grants will allow Hartford and Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission to solve the “mobility puzzle” in town both by looking at parking options and how to increase other forms of transit.
Briggs and Grounds presented plans in July to redevelop the Hotel Coolidge in downtown White River Junction into 95 apartments, a public plaza and about 14,000 square feet of commercial space.
To make the project work, Briggs and Grounds proposed that they enter a “public-private partnership” with Hartford, a newly-designed program that may require a $21 million commitment from Hartford to contribute to parking and site preparation costs.
So far, Hartford has not committed to supporting the project. In July, the Selectboard agreed to move forward with the earliest phase of the partnership without committing any funding. But board members said they would like to see more clear plans for parking to accommodate the project and support downtown White River Junction.
In his initial July presentation, Grounds presented multiple parking options, including building parking below the hotel for about $13 million or constructing a parking garage on an existing downtown parking lot for about $4.5 million. He maintained that the amount of available parking will determine the final size of the development.
The Hartford Selectboard agreed to write a letter of support for the grant application in a split late-September decision with the understanding that the scope would focus on “reducing car dependency” and looking at how to increase other modes of transportation first, and increasing parking second.
The group disagreed on whether to direct the planning department to focus the grant application on other forms of transportation first and parking second, with some members arguing that it might encumber town staff or put the grant funding in jeopardy.
The group unanimously directed Town Manager John Haverstock to submit an application for the Vermont Municipal Planning Grant at the same meeting.
The Northern Borders Regional Commission Grant will help Hartford to qualify for future grants from the organization.
The grants will “answer key feasibility questions,” for the project, including what parking options are possible and serve as matching funds for each other, Grounds wrote in a September presentation. The study will also hopefully clear up what parking options consultants recommend, the parking costs and total costs to the town.