Ellen and Joshua Kebabian of Kebabian’s Rugs: “The current proposal poses a serious threat to the ability of businesses on Elm Street to operate.” Mayor Justin Elicker: Pedestrian traffic is good for small businesses. Nearly 75 years after their grandfather secured a loading zone outsid e the family rug business, Ellen and Joshua Kebabian are fighting to preserve that loading zone as plans for a dedicated bus lane on Elm Street take shape. The proposed bus lane, part of a forthcoming Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) initiative, is currently slated to replace parking and loading spots along the downtown portion of Elm Street. On Wednesday, about 20 people — including the Kebabians — gathered for a BRT-focused meeting in a wood-paneled room within the Elm City Club, a private members club at 155 Elm St. that would also be affected by a loss of parking. “Eliminating this access would force employees and customers to either carry large, heavy rugs across active traffic lanes or to stop and load illegally in a bus or travel lane,” Joshua Kebabian said about the potential loss of the 73 Elm St. store’s loading zone “We support improving public transportation and making bus service more reliable in New Haven,” he said. “But the current proposal poses a serious threat to the ability of businesses on Elm Street to operate.” The bus lane is part of a broader plan to implement an express-style BRT system in New Haven. Currently, the city is proposing to move existing parking on Elm Street between State Street and Church Street from the odd-numbered side of the street to the even-numbered side of the street. Meanwhile, between Church Street and York Street, on-street parking would be eliminated altogether. The city is proposing to create new on-street parking spots on Chapel Street to help compensate for the loss of spots on Elm Street. The plans would amount to a net loss of 44 parking spaces downtown. After her family learned about the BRT plan from local urban design activist Anstress Farwell, Ellen worked to convene a meeting with public officials and fellow small business owners on Elm Street. In addition to business owners, attendees at Wednesday’s meeting included Mayor Justin Elicker, Downtown Alders Christine Kim and Elias Theodore, multiple city department heads, a contingent from the state Department of Transportation (DOT), and three consultants from VHB Consultants. At the meeting, Peggy Kebabian, Ellen and Joshua’s mom, called out the mayor and other city leaders for not directly reaching out to local business owners about the BRT plan. “You could have knocked on our door, and you never did, and that is hurtful,” she said. “I am sorry that the notification didn’t get to you,” Elicker responded. “But we care.” He continued that “the long-term vision for our city is that there are opportunities for people that drive” and “that use the bus.” “Many folks are looking for cities to live in that are walkable,” where “they’re able to choose not to buy a car to get around,” Elicker said. “And so by having a lot of opportunities for different forms of transportation, this builds on the customer base for our small businesses.” He noted that the proposal for redesigning Elm Street will not only remove parking spots, but it will also not include a bike lane, which has upset some cycling activists as well. “There is just not enough room for everything to go there,” Elicker said, pointing to a need for “balance.” Off the cuff, he wondered if areas outside small businesses could be reserved for loading at particular hours of the day. He also suggested that nearby parking lots could include more hourly spots to compensate for the reduction in street parking. “What I heard you saying was implying that the decision’s been made up — that it’s gonna be on our side, the odd side of Elm Street,” said Joshua. “Did I misunderstand that?” It’s not set in stone, but “we’re going in the direction” of that plan, Elicker said. “Given the fact that you said that you’re gonna listen to businesses, that obviously should have happened prior to coming to a more conclusive direction,” Joshua replied. “We love this city,” said Ellen. “And we all want to thrive. We all want it to be sustainable. We all want it to be accessible,” said Ellen. She called on the city and state to “engage with all the people that are going to be affected by this.” The VHB and DOT team members brought a massive map of Elm Street to take notes on how each business in attendance would be affected by the loss of parking spaces. When asked if he had any specific ideas for a solution to business owners’ concerns, DOT Facilities and Transit Division Chief Adam Fox said he viewed the meeting as “a listening session.” Right now, he said, “we’re just taking notes.” At the end of the meeting, Ellen Kebabian said she didn’t have a specific solution in mind. Supporting small local businesses should be priority for the city, she said. At the same time, “I want to hear what everyone has to say, including people who ride the buses.” “We Are Destination Businesses” Benjamin DelMonico shows DOT planners how his hatter business will be impacted by a loss of parking. Credit: Laura Glesby photos Sandra Gervais: “You wouldn’t catch me on a bus.” While some business owners expressed interest in finding a “compromise,” others offered skepticism about the value of investing in dedicated bus lanes altogether. They took turns at a microphone at the front of the room, standing before a life-size portrait of Elihu Yale and a wall-mounted Filipino gun “captured at Mindanao,” according to the plaque beneath it. The storefront businesses present — Kebabian’s Rugs, DelMonico Hatter, Ferrucci Fine Men’s Clothier, and the Elm City Club — have been located at their Elm Street locations for generations. And the owners of those businesses said that the vast majority of their customers drive to shop at their stores. “We are destination businesses,” said Vince Ferrucci, the owner of Ferrucci’s — not the kind of stores that pedestrians tend to casually stop by while walking in the neighborhood. “If you look at the demographics of the people who actually put money into this city, they don’t walk. They drive,” said Sandra Gervais, the manager of the Elm City Club. Local hatter Benjamin DelMonico said that while “fast transit is important,” he believes that “what we really need downtown is parking.” “If it was up to me,” he said, “I would put as many parking spaces as possible” while working to lower bus fares for riders. Ferrucci argued that Bus Rapid Transit is “a solution to something that’s not a problem.” “I see buses all the time going by,” he said. “Maybe there’s five people on the bus… So we’re doing all of this for that?” Speaking on behalf of DOT, Fox would later respond that the four bus routes selected for Bus Rapid Transit, including the 212 bus that passes by Ferrucci’s, were chosen because they are the most popular routes in the city. According to a Connecticut Public Transportation Council report from April 2026, individuals rode the 212 bus 61,255 times in the prior month. While there are nearby hourly parking lots, the business owners said that those lots are often full. They said that in general, their customers and employees already find it challenging to park downtown. Gervais noted that traffic and parking is especially hectic when Yale college students move in and out of their dorms. Gervais also expressed aesthetic and sound concerns that she associates with buses. The Elm City Club offers bed-and-breakfast guest rooms available exclusively to its members and members of affiliated clubs. Four of those rooms face Elm Street. Gervais said she is concerned that “there’s gonna be buses zipping down” Elm Street and creating more noise for the guests in those rooms. There is already a major bus stop located across the street from the club, and according to Gervais, she has received complaints from guests about it. “You know, the look that you have when you have a wedding at this club is gonna be totally different,” she added. “When my bride wants to go out front and have pictures taken — because buses are gonna be zipping by, they’re not gonna be able to take pictures like they would like to.” She later continued the conversation one-on-one with Downtown/Yale Alder Elias Theodore. Theodore said he believes there should be stronger communication between the project’s planners and local business owners, but he said he ultimately supports Bus Rapid Transit. “I really believe in this project,” he said. Gervais responded that she believes the buses are unsafe. “You wouldn’t catch me on a bus,” she said. In response to Gervais’ concerns, Fox made the case that Bus Rapid Transit is actually designed to address concerns about bus congestion. “There’s actually worse stacking of buses” without a dedicated bus lane, he said. He added that at their busiest hours, CT Transit bus lines are scheduled to come once every ten minutes. Any Bus Riders In The Room? Anstress Farwell: People who ride the bus regularly “are doing a great environmental service. And they’re not taking anyone’s parking away. So I think it’s really time to appreciate them.” Other attendees of the meeting said they support Bus Rapid Transit as a concept, but believe the plan on the table could be improved. The city’s former Economic Development Administrator Matt Nemerson lambasted the current plan as a “cheap, easy way out.” He argued that the proposal uses “just the simplest of solutions without really digging down into what the future of the city really is all about.” Specifically, he said, a Bus Rapid Transit system should be centered on “the medical center” and the “private sector” located in the Hill. It should include an indoor transit hub, too, he added. Nemerson pressed the mayor: “What do you see as a destination on Elm Street?” Elicker responded that City Hall, the Ives Library branch, Yale University, and a host of local businesses downtown are all “destinations” worthy of a network of bus lines. When Anstress Farwell had an opportunity to speak, she raised concerns about the specific design proposed for Bus Rapid Transit — including her belief that the Elm Street sidewalks would need to be wider in order to accommodate a greater number of bus riders. Farwell, who runs the New Haven Urban Design League located in an office on Elm Street, called for a more radical rethinking of the bus system. It’s time, she said, to “get everyone together to have a cross-disciplinary team make an integrated plan.” In the middle of her remarks, she paused to ask: “Anyone else take the bus every day?” No one, including any of the consultants and DOT planners working on the Bus Rapid Transit project, raised a hand. (Elicker later noted that he does ride the bus regularly, just not every day.) “I do,” said Farwell. “And so I understand the bus system.” People who ride the bus regularly “are doing a great environmental service,” Farwell said. “And they’re not taking anyone’s parking away. So I think it’s really time to appreciate them.” She wore a marled brown bucket hat that she had purchased from DelMonico Hatter. The loading zone outside Kebabian’s. Credit: Thomas Breen photo The post Biz Owners Blast Elm Street Bus Plan appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less