The Area Transportation Authority’s planned construction of a transit center in Bradford hit a temporary snag on Tuesday, but the project will move forward.
During the Tuesday night Bradford City Council meeting, four motions on the agenda concerning the demolition of three properties and erection of new construction, to the west of 21 East Corydon Street, were read but not seconded and no vote was taken. The reading of the motions tables them for 21 days, according to City Administrator Chris Lucco. If no vote is taken within the 21 days from their reading, the motions will automatically pass.
The action taken by City Council does not end or hinder the project’s progression, it simply allows council more time to review the motions before any action is taken, if necessary. According to Lucco, “Council got the hard approval and plan submission of about 450 pages of materials this past Friday… they simply wanted a chance to review all the information before giving it the green light.”
At a meeting of Bradford’s Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) earlier this month, on Jan. 16, HARB approved the certificates for appropriateness for demolition of properties at 20 and 22 Congress Street, as well as 11 East Corydon Street. The board also approved the new construction, directly to the west of East Corydon Street, of a new ATA building with the notation that fencing must be a decorative type of aluminum to be approved later by HARB. Now that ATA has garnished the approval from HARB, the motions move forward to await a vote from City Council.
“City Council wanted more time to review what was passed by HARB recently before signing off on the plans,” explained Bradford Mayor Tom Riel. “A primary concern was the height of the proposed fencing and placement of one gate. An eight-foot fence would be too tall to even pass zoning. The proposed fencing is the same style as other areas installed during the Main Street project, just a bit too tall.”
In addition, “There was also some concern among council members about the fencing and gate in the Congress Street exit area that might be too obtrusive in what is to be a very open area,” Riel continued. “We would like to see less fencing there and for the gate to be installed quite a bit farther back from the street and sidewalk. Dressing up the gate and fence corner areas with some brick pillars was also mentioned as being more pleasing.”
Council now has 21 days from the Tuesday meeting to review the documentation submitted for the certificates of appropriateness from ATA and decide whether or not they will hold a special meeting to vote down the motions, or amend them.
“We do not expect any major concerns to arise during the council’s review process, they just felt a bit rushed with little time to review the extensive materials. The council will call a special meeting if they choose not to approve any of the motions,” said Lucco.
According to ATA’s Chief Operating Officer Dessa Chittester, the demolition process of the properties (if the certificates of appropriateness are approved) will begin within the next two months.
“Considering how many years that this project has been in the works, these issues are just a few minute details to be ironed out in the very near future,” Riel stated.
