Fusco Corp. proposes 500 apartments and 20,000 square feet of commercial space in a pair of waterfront towers at New Haven's Long Wharf, which was inundated by two hurricanes in the past decade. Cube3 Architects
A New Haven developer’s plans for high-rise waterfront housing at Long Wharf is setting up a showdown with state regulators over coastal development in the age of climate change.
Fusco Corp. has received support from New Haven officials as it seeks to redevelop a parking lot and former restaurant in the decaying waterfront district. The Long Wharf neighborhood has been a longtime focus of the local officials’ efforts to reconnect it to the rest of the city and encourage redevelopment, despite the barrier created by Interstate 95’s construction in the 1950s.
In September, Fusco Corp. submitted plans for 500 apartments in two 13- and 15-story towers on the 4.3-acre site. The project has moved quickly through local approvals, with the City Plan Commission giving a unanimous vote of approval on Oct. 20 for a zoning amendment allowing multifamily housing. The project also requires approval by the Board of Alders, which is expected to vote before the end of the year.
But a state official raised serious objections to the project, arguing that a residential development will increase “hazards to life and property” because the property has a history of flooding in Hurricanes Irene and Sandy in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Most of Long Wharf is located in a FEMA special flood hazard zone.
“Sea level rise and other effects of climate change will increase the district’s coastal flood risk and associated damages, loss and disruption,” states the Oct. 20 letter from Brian Thompson, director of the land and water resources division for the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection.
Modeling software indicates that Long Wharf Drive has at least a 50 percent chance of flooding every year, Thompson wrote. And a Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation study predicted that Long Wharf faces a 20- to 50-percent chance of storm surges in any given year.
Fusco Corp.’s plans do not include any details on how residents would be relocated during a storm, Thompson added, in recommending the city reject the development.
Along with a range of units from studios to 3-bedroom apartments, the complex would include 20,000 square feet of commercial space such as a ground-floor food market. Parking would be provided in Fusco Corp.’s 1,800-space parking garage for the Maritime Center office building at 555 Long Wharf, where its headquarters is located.
CEO Lynn Fusco did not respond to a request for comment. In application materials submitted to the city, Fusco Corp. attorney Matthew Ranelli of Shipman and Goodwin stated that the developer is “uniquely aware of the flood risks” through its ownership of the neighboring Maritime Center property. The new buildings are designed with living spaces above the base flood elevation, and buildings will incorporate “higher quality materials” that can withstand dynamic loads in storms.
From Underutilized to Innovative?
The 352-acre Long Wharf district contains a mix of disconnected property uses straddling Interstate 95, ranging from a Jordan’s Furniture outlet to office buildings, surface parking and the long-vacant former Armstrong Rubber offices, now being converted into a boutique hotel by developer Bruce Becker.
Consultants have studied ways to revitalize the area in recent years and identified both high hurdles to revitalization and potential for significant economic development.
The most recent report, completed in 2019 by a team led by architects Perkins Eastman, recommended creation of a “living shoreline” at Long Wharf to absorb storm surges.
The Responsible Growth Plan recommended splitting up the district’s 130 acres of underutilized real estate into five walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods, one of which would include up to 4,600 housing units. The study also recommended 340,000 square feet of office space, 320,000 square feet of retail space and a 440-room hotel, while retaining 33 acres for parks.
Such a buildout, the study concluded, could create 3,500 new jobs generating $182 million in salaries and wages.
“This area has the potential to be New Haven’s `Innovation District,’ a place built on smart and resilient public infrastructure, and offering alternate types of environments and room to grow and change,” the report stated.
