Gilbane Development Co. and Xenolith Partners are targeting a deep income affordability component at a 279-unit apartment complex in New Haven made possible by a road redesign. Image courtesy of Newman Architects
A road diet that removes vehicle travel lanes on New Haven’s State Street will do more than improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.
It turned a previously undesirable slice of real estate into the potential location of a 279-unit mixed-income housing complex. New Haven officials say the development plans for two city-owned sites near Wooster Square will create approximately 450 housing units and replace an auto-centric landscape with a new mixed-use neighborhood while addressing Connecticut’s housing shortage.
“New Haven is leading the charge as far as the number of building permits issued, new units we are creating, have created and will create,” Mayor Justin Elicker said in announcing two teams of developers that won a preliminary designation for the sites.
New Haven already punches above its weight when it comes to its share of Connecticut’s recent housing production. The Elm City approved more than 300 new housing units in 2023, ranking fourth out of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities, following an even busier 2022 in which 633 housing permits were issued.
The memorandums of understanding kick off a 9-month community outreach period as developers refine their designs and financing plans. The city is targeting a combined 450 housing units at the two properties, and setting high goals for affordability.
Last week’s press conference took place at the corner of State and Fair streets, known as Lot A, where developer Xenolith Partners and Gilbane Development plan to develop 279 apartments designed by New Haven-based Newman Architects.
The team is committing to reserving 20 percent of units for households earning 30 to 50 percent of area median income, an unusually high threshold for affordability, Elicker said.
Gilbane Development did not respond to a request for further comment. According to an announcement provided by Xenolith Partners, the project will be known as “The Iron” and include energy-efficient building systems and green building practices.
Co-founded in 2016 by Andrea Kretchmer and Terri Belkas-Mitchell, Xenolith Partners has offices in Ridgefield, New York City and Bedford, New York. The firm’s local experience includes a partnership with Massachusetts developer Dakota Partners redeveloping a former police station property in downtown New Britain as Columbus Commons, an 80-unit mixed-income project across from the city’s CTfastrak station. Xenolith Partners declined requests for an interview.
Housing Authority Offshoot Partners with LMXD
The 8.4-acre Lot B, located off George and Orange streets around the corner from Lot A, would be developed by New York developer LMXD and Glendower Group, the development arm of Elm City Communities, the city’s housing authority. The development team is proposing a 170-unit project including 54 income-restricted units.
Reflecting the demand for multifamily housing in New Haven, more than 7,000 families are on the housing authority’s waitlist, noted Karen DuBois-Walton, president of Glendower Group, at the press conference.
Preliminary plans for the as-yet-to-be-named development call for a 7-story building with ground-floor commercial space. Glendower Group will use federal housing vouchers to help finance the affordable units, DuBois-Walton said. Glendower executives did not respond to requests for an interview.
Following community meetings beginning in late summer, financial offers for the two sites will be presented by the developers as part of land disposition agreements subject to approval by the New Haven Development Commission and the Board of Alders, Elicker said.
State Grant Reshapes Boulevard
Plans to add bicycle and pedestrian lanes while removing vehicle travel lanes from the four-lane boulevard are key to the project. The concepts reverse a legacy of prioritizing motor vehicles and parking for suburban commuters over a traditional walkable urban environment, officials said.
In 2022, the state Department of Economic and Community Development awarded a $5.3 million grant to the city of New Haven as part of its Connecticut Communities Grant Challenge program to redesign State Street.
The designs remove two of the four travel lanes while adding bicycle and pedestrian paths, freeing up additional land for redevelopment, New Haven Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscatelli said. Construction began this spring.
Developers and officials say they hope to have all agreements and financing in place to begin construction of the new housing projects as soon as late 2025.
