A new performance venue planned for Winooski could accommodate up to 1,500 people and would also have restaurants, shops and offices in a four- or five-story building called the Strand. It’s been proposed for 66 Main Street in the heart of downtown.
The name is a nod to the former Strand Theater, which burned down at the site in the mid-1950s. The proposed development by Burlington-based Redstone would make over a key block on the northwest corner of West Allen and Main, now the site of a pocket park and shuttered drive-through bank.
The hall could host conventions, performances and community events, said Bill Niquette, senior associate at Redstone. It’s not envisioned as a commercial movie theater. The bank will be demolished.
The goal is for the Winooski development to extend the downtown-style street life on the lower block of Main around Sneakers Bistro, the Mule Bar and other businesses to what is now a “dead block,” Niquette said. The building would have three or four entrances, with the event hall at the northern end of the block. It would also have a roof deck facing west.
“The idea is to really bring the excitement of the downtown up that block,” Niquette said.
He grew up in Winooski and remembers his grandmother and other old-timers talking about the Strand.
Two- and three-story wood frame buildings that housed a barbershop, a diner and a shoe store used to be on the block. Some burned down and some were demolished in the early 1970s under urban renewal plans.
The Winooski Development Review Board approved the project Thursday. The city council must also OK the proposal, because it involves easements on city property to expand the sidewalks on West Allen and narrow the street, as well as a portion of Main Street.
The city also must OK the project’s complicated parking agreement, under which Redstone must find around 100 day-use spots off-site and be allowed to use the city parking garage for at least 68 spots in the evening. There would be no parking on the site.
Redstone is negotiating with the Veterans of Foreign Wars post on Main Street for parking. Niquette is also talking to other neighbors about parking, he said.
He hopes to bring the project to the city council within the next month and, if it’s approved, would start construction in the fall. The company purchased the property from KeyBank earlier this year. The pocket park, which hosts the city’s annual jack-o-lantern display, was owned by the bank and was part of the purchase, according to Niquette.
He oversaw the early phase of the city’s downtown makeover as executive director of the Winooski Community Development Corporation from 1999 to 2005.
He declined to name any of the potential tenants, but said some are restaurants and businesses that are already in Winooski and want to grow.
And while parking is a challenge for the site, Niquette said he thinks he can find a solution. He has plenty of experience. “For better or worse almost all of my life as an urban developer is consumed solving parking problems,” Niquette said. “It’s not the sexy part of what I do.”
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Traffic coming together from Main Street and West Allen Street into the rotary at the same exact point is one of the more scrweed-up problem areas that create the massive twice-a-day traffic jam in Winooski and make the rotary such a nightmare. Since this proposed building sits exactly at that point, what is the plan to address this?
Most assuredly, there is no plan to address the traffic mess. What these planners (not only in Winooski) continuously fail to realize is that the majority of vehicular traffic passing through the (city, town, village, etc.) centers has ZERO intention of stopping and making use of the services that are offered in such centers. As Leonard Bast notes, above, the Winooski roundabout is a failure at moving traffic in an effective and efficient manner. There are several reasons for this, but the 300-word limitation prevents enumerating them. The ultimate solution will be a return to the four-way intersection at Allen and Main Streets. The wasted space occupied by the roundabout can most certainly be used for far better purposes than it is now.
Is this a joke? Finding parking in downtown Burlington before a Flynn show is bad enough, and there are way more parking options than in Winooski. I don’t even want to imagine the traffic of 1,500 people trying to get to a show at the same time, much less find a parking spot. There is no way the traffic circle could handle the extra capacity that an event space like this would bring, and that needs to be addressed before any construction on this project begins.
What is it about Winooski and its development? It seems like every little space around that area is cause for high rises, businesses, MORE restaurants and more congestion. And I echo the concern of parking and the rotary, which are total nightmares. Winooski can’t even handle the parking of the existing businesses and housing in that clustered area as it is. Not to mention, Winooski is right in the flight path of the F-16’s and the huge F-35’s are coming, with all that noise, increased low flying maneuvers and potential crashes. Big plans for a very small area. Does the community really want this? Or will this be another scenario where the residents of a town voice their concerns, are not considered, and it is done anyways?
Bravo!!!! Wouold be a beautiful addition to Winooski- and a well needed enue- and alternate to the Flynn- where many companies could use the space…concerts, conventions, tour plays. Love to be involved!
Downtown Winooski should have a performance space just like this . Great ! Now deal with parking/traffic issues before a single shovel of dirt is turned . Otherwise it will be a bad situation made worse . If this means building expensive underground parking , so be it .
Performances a la a Higher Ground? Liquor license? Has anyone in Winooski city government talked with South Burlington government rep or S.B. Police Dept. rep to discuss recurrent issues/activities outside in vicinity of Higher Ground? Please Winooski City Council, do your “due diligence.” We need you to be devil’s advocates to what I expect is a well rehearsed developer’s presentation. Think!
Hooray!! What an exciting and wonderful addition to our city. I’m confident they can figure out parking together. Plus, one of the aims of smart urban development is to reduce the need for single occupancy vehicles. What a perfect spot to walk/bike to! Thank you Winooski and Redstone
Great! Another Redstone atrocity in the works. Please show up at the city council meeting to voice your concerns about parking and traffic.
I live a block from the proposed venue. You can park in my driveway for $20.
According to Higher Ground’s calendar, it doesn’t have any events scheduled for the next two months that start any earlier than 7:30p. So while Winooski’s daytime parking and traffic situation can be atrocious, that shouldn’t have any bearing on what would presumably be a night-time and weekend venue.
Wonderful news!!!!
On one level I love this idea, but on another I think about parking and traffic, especially with the hotel being built diagonally across the circle. I just can’t see how all this traffic with be accommodated unless we knock down the City Hall/Police station and turn it into a parking garage. Perhaps we should move the police and city hall near the library where the opiate issues are exploding.
I love the idea of a new performance Venue. I highly question who will be muscled into “sharing” their parking or whether that will be nearly enough. What if the VFW has a wedding the same night they have a show? Then what? Parking should be addressed FIRST before this is approved. I already avoid downtown Winooski if I don’t have to be there. It’s hard to get through.
Underground parking or use ymca for parking
This is a great addition to Winooski. Parking obviously needs to be addressed before the plan can be approved. Are more parking garages in store for downtown Winooski? Let’s hope for more sustainable green infrastructure and build these developments the SMART way!
I see Winooski becoming a great downtown destination, especially with the riverfront and great new development. We just need to plan smart and correct the transportation issue. Vermonters are afraid of anything more complex than a stop sign, so planners need to introduce user-friendly transportation options for the rural dwellers who visit the city.
Perhaps it’s time for a light rail system to combat traffic?
Downtown Church Street –> Winooski via Colchester Ave?
Then expand a rail system going up and down Pine Street & North Ave with smart Transit-Oriented Development
The Burlington metro area has an opportunity to create a transit-sustainable city before traffic becomes a major issue. Educate the “urbanites” about the benefits of public transit and reach out the the student population and surrounding schools!