Downtown bus station razed for private parking

Tillman Redevelopment LLC demolished City Utilities’ former downtown bus transfer station over the past two days to make way for parking.

Paul Tillman, property manager of Tillman Redevelopment and son of developer Scott Tillman, yesterday said the 0.35-acre property will be converted to an unspecified number of private parking spots for the company’s downtown tenants.  

“The liability just made more sense to have it down,” Tillman said of the property his dad bought last month from CU for $421,250.

In the coming weeks, workers will clear the remaining debris and flatten out the surface at an undisclosed cost.

Beyond parking, the Tillmans have other ideas in mind. Paul Tillman said they may combine it with the adjacent Tillman-owned parking lot, creating new entrances. Another idea is constructing a building on the old CU lot.

“We don’t have anything firm planned on it yet,” said Tillman, who last month was unsure what Tillman Redevelopment would do with the property.

CU abandoned the property when it moved last May to its new $4.4 million, 5,859-square-foot bus station at 211 N. Main Ave. The old station had been used for nearly three decades.