WESTFIELD – The Legislative & Ordinance Committee voted last night to give the full City Council a positive recommendation to approve two orders of taking of real estate tonight to construct an access ramp from the Columbia Greenway bike path to Coleman Avenue.
City Engineer Mark Cressotti said that the City Council had voted last year to take the former rail spur that once served the Strathmore Paper Company. Commercial Distributing Company was the last business using the rail spur when the city acquired the property in 1997.
The acquisition of the spur would have linked the rail trail with Broad Street near the Boys & Girls Club, Amelia Park and the Children’s Museum complex next to the South Middle School.
Cressotti said that following the council’s action to initiate purchase of the rail spur from the current owner, Sullivan Transportation, Commercial Distributing approached city officials, seeking to buy a section of the spur to have access to a commercial building on the north side of the former rail spur to expand its business. Commercial Distributing‘s present facility is located along the south side of the spur.
“Mayor Knapik is sensitive to commercial development,” Cressotti said, “So now the city is looking to take a much smaller section of the former rail spur, looking to provide access to Coleman Avenue.”
Cressotti said that Sullivan Transportation is interested in divesting of the spur property and that after the city takes the section of the spur to construct a ramp on the west side of the Columbia Greenway, will negotiate a transaction with Commercial Distributing for the remainder of the spur property.
Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy, in whose ward much of the Columbia Greenway is located, said the west spur will greatly reduce traffic on the spur from the rail trail to East Silver Street.
“This is part of the answer the Gold Street neighbors are looking for, a west side spur,” Figy said. “The Gold Street residents are very happy with this acquisition and it clears the way for some commercial development.”
The spur will also discourage people seeking the rail trail from parking on Gold Street.
“It keeps people, mostly out-of-towners, from parking in that neighborhood,” Figy said. “This access will get a ton of use.”
The amended land acquisition was before the City Council for a vote when the East Silver and Gold Street residents spoke in opposition to the east rail trail access during public participation last month. The Council voted to table the west spur vote until members could get additional information.
The City Council, on a positive recommendation from the Finance Committee, voted at its last meeting to approve the $19,600 to purchase the two parcels of land to building the access to Coleman Avenue and Bliss Street at its last meeting.
The vote tonight to initiate the land takings will allow construction of the ramp during the present rail trail construction phase.
