A gas station was once located on the parking lot, and the property contains hazardous waste.
Workers rebuild sidewalks on Exchange Street as part of Chicopee Downtown improvements last year.
CHICOPEE — Confronted with a variety of complicated questions about a privately owned parking lot in downtown, the City Council has rejected a proposal to spend $10,000 to have the property appraised.
The property, owned by the Ferris family and located between Chapman, School and Center streets, has been identified as a key parcel of land in the redevelopment of the downtown area, especially because there are complaints about a lack of parking, Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said.
“What we would like to do is acquire it and get grants to clean it up,” he said.
The lot is currently blocked off. Bissonnette said he would like to eventually use it as a city parking lot.
But the transaction is not a simple matter of taking the land by eminent domain. A gas station was once located on the property; underground tanks have never been removed, and the site is identified as being contaminated with hazardous waste by the state Department of Environmental Protection, Bissonnette said.
“Historically parcel 78-32 included a gas station (1930s-1960s) with underground tanks ... The soil and groundwater at this location have been determined to be impacted by oil,” according to a written report from City Planner Catherine L. Brown.
The site has also been identified in several studies on downtown improvement as an ideal spot for a two-story parking structure that would be accessed on one level on Center Street and on the second level at Chapman or School Street, she said.
City Councilors first proposed to study the issue more in its finance subcommittee, but that was rejected 7-6. It then voted 13-0 against approving spending the $10,000 to assess the land.
Several councilors, who have real estate experience, said they believed more information about the contamination needs to be discovered before any assessment can be done.
“Let's find out what the problem is before we appraise it,” said Councilor John L. Vieau, who is a real estate appraiser.
Councilor Gerry Roy, who is a real estate broker, agreed more information is needed.
“Sometimes properties like this have less than zero value,” Roy said. “If I owned this property, I would want to give it to the city, and I think the city would be a sucker to take it.”
Other councilors cited the cost of demolishing the former Market Square Billiards building on Springfield Street. The original anticipated cost of $350,000 to raze the structurally compromised building and turn it into a parking lot nearly doubled after hidden asbestos and hazardous waste were discovered later.
“It doesn’t make much sense to me now,” Councilor Frederick T. Krampits said. “The mayor can always refile it after we get more information on the contamination.”