ANDERSON — Following years of discussion and after looking at several potential sites, the new City of Anderson Transit System bus terminal location has been finalized.
Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. announced Friday the city will construct the new bus terminal with adjacent retail or commercial space on the northeast corner of 13th and Jackson streets.
Broderick said the estimated cost of the project is $6 million, with the city seeking grant approval for $4 million in federal funds through the Madison County Council of Governments.
The city has set aside approximately $650,000 in matching funds from existing Community Development Block Grant funds.
Broderick said the city has applied for an additional $2 million grant, but that was for another terminal location.
He said if the grant application cannot be amended for the terminal location, the city can reapply for the grant.
As proposed, the city is working with potential developers of the vacant parking lot to the south of the bus terminal location and the former Dunkin Donuts property.
Broderick said construction work on the new terminal is expected to start in 2017 once the design has been finalized and the federal grant funds are made available to the city.
“We wanted a site for the bus terminal that would meet the needs for terminal purposes but we also wanted it as an anchor for future downtown development,” he said. “We want to enhance the downtown and bring some viability back to certain areas of the community.”
Broderick said two sites considered previously, the Anderson Township Trustee's office and a property west of McDonalds, would have been OK to develop as a terminal location but wouldn’t have done a lot for the downtown area.
“I wanted a more central location,” he said. “We knew Jackson Street from 14th to 8th Street a lot of money was invested in roadwork, but a lot of the area needs redeveloped.”
The city owns a portion of the property, to the south of the YMCA parking lot. Broderick said the building and two parking lots are owned by the same person.
“We haven’t talked to the owner because federal regulations don’t allow prior discussions to take place,” he said. “We can’t pay more than fair market value.”
Broderick said the city owns a portion of the vacant parking lot in the 1300 block of Jackson Street and his administration is encouraging the owners to look at development of the property along with the Dunkin Donuts property.
“This could all tie in together,” he said. “There is interest in the former Walgreen’s property for a potential grocery store and we’re supportive of those efforts.”
Sites that were under consideration included the Anderson Township Trustee property at 14th Street and Central Avenue, now not being considered by the Broderick administration.
The property west of the McDonald’s restaurant at 14th and Jackson streets was under consideration; property owned by the Anderson Public Library on the southwest corner of 13th Street and Central Avenue; and the former Dunkin Donuts location on Jackson Street.
Last year the city was on the verge of losing $3 million in federal funds for the project when a site could not be finalized.
Those funds were restored in the long-range plan of the Madison County Council of Governments.
Former Mayor Kevin Smith wanted to construct the bus terminal at the intersection of 14th Street and Central Avenue, but the city council wouldn’t allocate the funds.
Several council members in 2015 proposed the property west of the McDonald’s at 14th and Jackson streets as a site for the terminal.
Former Mayor J. Mark Lawler, in 2002, proposed a new bus terminal that would have included a taxi stand, intercity bus terminal, 175-space parking garage and retail outlets in the 1300 block of Jackson Street.
Another location at Third and Jackson streets on the former F.C. Cline Lumber property was proposed by the administration of former Mayor Kris Ockomon.