Multi-Modal Transit Center
and Confluence Park
Multimodal Center Application -- Miscellaneous
| Carr Lot Project subsection links Background~Main Page | Plans & Public Involvement | DRAFT Vision Project Costs & Resources | Multimodal Center Application | Next Steps | Slideshow |
| Multimodal Center Application links Purpose | Usage | Parking | Location Amenities | Operations-Costs | Miscellaneous |
The information on this page is excerpted from the Capital City Welcome and Multimodal Center application submitted to the Vermont Agency of Transportation, March 1, 2002.
Ownership of the facility.
The City of Montpelier will own, manage, and maintain the facility.
Other potential users of the facility, e.g. Amtrak, Vermont Transit, parking authorities, human service agencies, retail or other tenants, etc.
Vermont Transit, Wheels, State of Vermont Information Center Division, a food service, car rental, and bicycle rental.
The other users (from the potential list) who have actually committed to using the facility, and what form the commitment takes.
The State of Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services, Vermont Transit, and Wheels have submitted letters of intent (attached).
Consistency with the state's downtown investment policies and other applicable targeted-investment policies.
The Carr Lot Multimodal Center would be located within the core of Montpelier’s Designated Downtown, which achieved official designation in August, 1999 (link to location map). In its application for designation, the City noted its expectation of investing in the creation of a transit center "… which would accommodate Wheels bus service (intra-city), Vermont Transit bus service (inter-city), facilities for bicycle and pedestrian travelers, commuters, as well as the growing number of tour buses has long been contemplated and is an integral part of the Capital District Master Plan."
In 1996, the General Assembly enacted Title 29 VSA Chapter 8 Capitol Area Study Commission and created the City-State Commission to develop a land use and development master plan to encompass the Capitol Complex and downtown area of the city called the Capitol Area District. The boundaries of the district include the Capitol Complex, Court Street, parts of Elm and Langdon Streets, the west side of Main Street, and Memorial Drive (see attached map). This City-State Capital District Master Plan, as discussed elsewhere in this document, was developed and adopted jointly in 2000 by City and State officials with the shared objective to guide future City and State decision-making in formulating and adopting capital construction plans and projects, spaces needs of state agencies, municipal land use plans and zoning bylaws, and appropriation of public funds. In addition to meeting the space requirements for State offices, investigating a district energy system, and recommendations for the involvement of private development and the City of Montpelier in the implementation of these objectives, developing a riverfront park and greenway along the Winooski River and a multimodal transit center on Taylor Street are significant elements of this plan.
The City of Montpelier Master Plan, an official municipal document adopted September 12, 2000, which incorporates provisions of the Capital District Master Plan, also notes the following:
- "Vermont Transit (Greyhound Lines) provides inter-city bus service from its temporary station on Taylor Street. The basic corridor service operates four round trips per day to Burlington and White River Junction, with seasonal adjustments. Located in a trailer on leased land, its current facilities are inadequate and provide few passenger amenities. Vermont Transit officials have proposed moving its station to Berlin, but Montpelier citizens urged them to continue to provide service from downtown Montpelier while efforts continue to develop a multi-modal transit station in which they would be an important component."
Community support for the proposed facility, including evidence of such support and evidence of a broad based effort to solicit input from a wide cross-section of community interests.
The documents referenced above, and their statements regarding the creation of a transit center are, in themselves, evidence of broad community support, as those documents were base upon extensive public participation and close scrutiny prior to be being officially adopted or accepted.
A number of citizen committees, formed with the support of the City Council in the past five years, have identified the need to address parking, transportation services, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and other transportation services in the downtown as a critically high priority. Some of these groups actively participated in the process described above. Others took shape more recently and are focused on implementation.
The Montpelier Downtown Community Association (MDCA) has played a very active role in addressing downtown Montpelier's parking and transportation system needs and involving the community in that process. They were instrumental in the City’s achievement of Downtown Designation.
The Montpelier Conservation Commission (MCC) specifically identified the Carr lot as an important and unique location to establish an urban riverfront confluence park. An ad hoc Montpelier Riverfront Committee formed in July, 2000, with the City Council's blessing, to investigate the possibility of the City purchasing the Carr lot as an important measure toward implementing the Capital District Master Plan. With $15,000 in City funds authorized by the City Council, the Riverfront Committee conducted a hazardous waste site assessment and continues to research funding sources. In addition, on September 25, 2001, the Montpelier Riverfront Committee sponsored a broad-based, well-attended design charrette to involve citizens in identifying possible uses for this critical parcel. Over 100 citizens participated in this all-day event. With the help of professional designers broken into four groups, conceptual plans were produced that envisioned a public park, bike path, and transit center, as well as significant redevelopment of the site with a new road and bridge across the North Branch. All of the ideas and plans generated from that event were compiled in a report entitled "Where the Downtown Meets our Rivers: Designing Public Space for Montpelier -- Results of a Public Design Session for the 'Carr Lot.'" A report was recently produced that summarized the input and designs generated from that event.
For More Information
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City of Montpelier 39 Main Street, City Hall Montpelier, VT 05062-2950 Beverlee Hill, Assistant City Manager (802) 223-9512 bhill@montpelier-vt.org |
City of Montpelier Planning and Community Development Department 39 Main Street, City Hall Montpelier, VT 05062-2950 (802) 223-9506 planning@montpelier-vt.org |
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Carr Lot Advisory Committeee 39 Main Street, City Hall Montpelier, VT 05062-2950 Jon Anderson, Chair janderson@vtlaw1.com |
Conservation Commission
39 Main Street, City Hall Montpelier, VT 05062-2950 Paul Markowitz, Chair (802) 229-6307 aviva@sover.net |
Page updated June 2003
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