An illustration showing what the Seymour train station will look like at the end of the project.
SEYMOUR – The state Department of Transportation (DOT) is buying land along the railroad tracks downtown as officials ready for upgrades to the train station.
The Seymour Board of Selectpersons voted 4 – 2 March 4 to sell land at 150 Main St. and 170 Main St. to the state DOT for $196,300.
The DOT also purchased a privately-owned parking lot at 124 Main St. for $470,000. The lot is across from 115 Main St., the former Bank of America location.
The land at 150 Main St. is a 27-space parking lot at the train station. The land at 124 Main St. is a 21-space parking lot. There are no parking spaces at 170 Main St.
The three parcels are next to each other near the Seymour train station. The land totals 0.49 acres.
The state DOT is making deals as part of a $19.5 million renovation project planned for the Seymour train station. It’s part of a larger, $106 million improvement plan for train stations in the Naugatuck Valley. Work on the overall project is scheduled to start in the fall of 2025 and continue into 2027. Click here for a previous Valley Indy story.
The Seymour train station overhaul is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2026. After the Seymour project is completed, there will be 50 free public parking spaces at the renovated train station, DOT officials said.
Federal and state governments have been investing in the Waterbury branch of the Metro-North rail line. The idea is that reliable train service can bring residential and business development to the towns on the line – “transportation oriented development.”
The line has stops in Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck and Waterbury.
The Connecticut Mirror reported in February that the Waterbury branch is one of two train lines in the state where ridership has surpassed pre-pandemic numbers. The Mirror reported 269,352 people rode the Waterbury line in 2024, an 11 percent increase over the previous year.
Blue prints for the renovation.
The $19.5 million plan for the Seymour train station includes the installation of a 350-foot long, elevated platform.
The platform will have a canopy and windscreen to protect commuters from the elements, and it will be heated so that snow melts in the winter. The platform will be compliant with the American with Disabilities Act.
Riders will see new passenger information systems, improved lighting, new security cameras and blue light emergency phones. There will also be a vending machine to purchase Metro-North tickets.
The DOT also plans pedestrian safety and traffic improvements along Main Street, drainage improvements, and other parking area improvements, including marked accessible parking spaces and electric vehicle charging stations.
The project will result in the temporary loss of 47 parking spaces downtown during construction.
According to Seymour Town Engineer Bryan Nesteriak, there are 598 parking spaces downtown.
That breaks down to 306 public parking spaces, including the lot across from the former Trestle Tavern on South Main Street and the fish bypass parking lot on Wakeley Street.
There are 292 private parking spaces, which include the AutoZone shopping plaza on First Street.
Nesteriak said over a two-week period he drove through downtown at different times of day.
“About 60 percent of the spaces are occupied at any given time, and in my opinion, there’s always available parking downtown, but you may have to walk a little further,” Nesteriak said.
Theresa Conroy and Fred Stanek, two Democrats on the seven-person Seymour Board of Selectmen, voted against selling the town-owned land to the state.
Conroy said she voted no because the deal is not fair.
According to town assessor land records, the property at 150 Main St. has an appraised value of $199,700 and the property at 170 Main St. has an appraised value of $42,000. The combined appraised value is $241,700, yet the DOT’s offer and what the town sold the land for was $196,300, Conroy said.
Conroy said the town is leaving money on the table.
“I have concerns we’re not getting fair market value for this property, and an extra $45,000 can do a lot for our budget,” Conroy said.
Stanek said he voted no because downtown would be losing parking during construction.
“We will not have any (downtown) parking during construction, and I think that this will seriously affect the economic viability of downtown Seymour,” Stanek said.
Seymour town attorney Richard Buturla said the state had said they would take the land by eminent domain.
The $106 million project is being funded by state and federal money. State DOT officials said about 80 percent of the funding – or about $85 million – is coming from the federal government, with the remaining money coming from the state.
The Valley Indy asked whether funding could be affected by budget cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We do not anticipate any loss of federal funding for these projects and remain committed to making continued progress in upgrading all Waterbury Branch Line stations,” state DOT spokesman Joe Cooper said.
The parking lot at 124 Main St. looking toward the train station.
