NEWBURYPORT — The city is poised to receive a $500,000 boost from the federal government in its quest to build a downtown parking garage, Congressman John Tierney announced yesterday.
The U.S. House of Representatives included the money in funding for the city's intermodal parking facility in the fiscal year 2011 Department of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
The House passed the bill Thursday night, and it now will go before the Senate. If passed, the city can then access the funds.
Mayor Donna Holaday, who met with the congressman and pushed for the parking garage funding during a visit to Washington, D.C., earlier this year, said yesterday she was pleased with the news.
"I'm very, very pleased that we do have this money." Holaday said.
The $500,000 will most likely be used for design costs or as matching funds if needed, the mayor added.
Holaday said she has met with Tony Green of New England Development, owned by billionaire developer Stephen Karp, and Ann Lagasse of the local subsidiary Newburyport Development to discuss the project.
The meeting was "positive," Holaday said. Few details of Karp's plans for the waterfront have been revealed, though Lagasse has confirmed interest in building a hotel in the area.
In May, the City Council voted 7-3 to designate Titcomb Street as the site for a future parking facility in the city.
Owned and operated by the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority, the intermodal parking facility would also offer terminals for MVRTA buses and spaces for vehicles. Preliminary designs show a multistory garage with several hundred parking spaces.
The mayor said city officials will continue to sit down and have discussions with the MVRTA and New England Development.
"We are beginning conversations on how to move forward," Holaday said.
In a statement, Tierney called the parking garage "critical" to the city's future.
"The proposed Newburyport parking facility is a critical aspect of the city's waterfront development plans and is expected to increase transportation options for local residents," he said. "I am pleased that this bill included $500,000 for this important project, and I will continue working with Mayor Holaday, who has shown terrific leadership, and other state and local officials to advance it. In the meantime, it is imperative for the Senate to act quickly on this legislation so that the funds can be provided to Newburyport."
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