Middletown committee pivots to parking-first Plan C after construction costs spike

MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown Economic Development Committee on Feb. 10 recommended focusing its downtown riverfront redevelopment on a parking-first approach, citing sharply higher construction costs that have doubled earlier per-space estimates.

Chair Ginny Laffredo said the committee's short-term priority should be to ensure adequate public parking downtown. "So the focal point, moving forward, is Plan C," Laffredo said, asking members if they agreed; the members present voiced agreement.

The shift follows an update from Rick Smith, the city's general counsel, who said more detailed estimates have pushed the expected cost for parking construction well above earlier figures. "The revised estimate . . . is between $119 and $130,000 per space," Smith said, attributing the increase to site complexity, rising material costs, tariffs and labor.

Under the city's earlier plan the public phase had an estimated cost of about $26.44 million; local funding cited in the presentation included $23.44 million from the city, a $6.66 million DOT earmark from a 21st-century infrastructure bond and a $3 million developer contribution. City staff and Smith said the project was originally conceived as a two-phase effort: a public phase to build the plaza and parking, followed by private development on top of the public piece.

Because the higher cost estimates widen the funding gap, staff outlined three alternatives: Plan A (the fully realized mixed-use vision with plaza), Plan B (a scaled-back mixed-use version), and Plan C (a parking-first option that prioritizes public parking capacity and delays or reduces private redevelopment). Smith said the city plans to refine cost estimates for all three options and pursue state funding sources, including the Community Investment Fund (CIF) and the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority (CMDA), when those programs accept applications.

"We have not applied to the state yet," Smith told the committee; he added that a prior CIF application had been a planning grant and the construction grant round was not yet open. The committee heard that timing for CMDA assistance remains uncertain.

Committee members and staff also discussed several technical and schedule constraints. The city recently acquired the ATD parcel that is central to the project, and Smith said the acquisition included an approximately 18-month leaseback so the operator could continue business; the lease was reported to end on June 13, after which demolition and remediation work could begin. Staff emphasized that the project will require coordination with the state DOT and federal railroad regulators because the proposed pedestrian bridge must meet railroad clearance and elevation requirements.

At the meeting, members argued that the city has a civic responsibility to provide downtown parking and that delaying action risks further cost escalation. Laffredo asked staff to pursue design work and geotechnical studies for a parking garage footprint so the city can move drawings and financing forward if Plan C remains the preferred path.

The committee did not take a formal binding vote to adopt Plan C; members recorded consensus and directed staff to refine options and return with costed designs and potential funding strategies. The meeting ended after staff reports and procedural business.

What happens next: staff will direct the city architect to produce concept footprints for a garage, refine geotechnical and cost estimates for Plan C and prepare state funding applications when the CIF and CMDA rounds open. The committee also instructed staff to continue coordination with the mayor's office and relevant state agencies.

(Reporting in this article is based solely on the Feb. 10 Middletown Economic Development Committee meeting transcript and statements made there.)