Ancora Partners’ approved lab building is part of the initial phase of the Square 10 project at the former New Haven Coliseum property. Image courtesy of Pelli Clarke & Partners and Jacobs
Gov. Ned Lamont’s office said Friday it’s making a $50.5 million investment in public infrastructure and facilities in downtown New Haven that are targeted toward “propelling growth in the life sciences industry” and the emerging quantum computing sector.
The investments are included as part of the first grant award made under the state’s newly launched, $100 million Connecticut Innovation Clusters Program, which is administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).
“Every day in downtown New Haven, workers are developing the cutting-edge research, technologies, and products that are changing the world and propelling Connecticut forward as a leader in the fields of life sciences and quantum technologies,” Lamont said in a statement. “We want to build on this foundation, encourage new growth, and further cement New Haven’s reputation as a groundbreaker in these sectors. These targeted investments in the downtown neighborhood’s public infrastructure and facilities will enable us to further partner with these businesses and accelerate job growth and more opportunities here in Connecticut.”
The investments come as the nation’s biotech industry is facing rocky financial conditions as this extended period of higher interest rates have dried up venture capital.
The state money will break down as:
- $1.3 million for an “early start activation space” in Winstanley Enterprises’ new 101 College St. biotech tower
- $17.5 million in “pedestrian-first streetscapes, stormwater management and climate-resilient mobility infrastructure” to lay the groundwork for another biotech building next to 101 College St., on city-owned land that was once the Route 34 expressway known as Parcel B.
- $14.5 million in “development fund gap financing” split between a future Parcel B project and an approved, 9-story biotech tower from a joint venture of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners and national life science developer Ancora Partners.
- $17.2 million for a quantum computing project, pedestrian and bike improvements between downtown New Haven and the city’s train station and biotech-related business events.
Lamont’s announcement described the Parcel B project as “200,000+” square feet but no formal proposals for the site have yet been made. If approved, financed and built, it would make a fourth life science tower in the in as many blocks.
The Spinnaker/Ancora tower, in the Square 10 development on the former Coliseum site, will be 277,435 square feet but was reportedly put on pause in April due to Trump administration cuts to government research funding after being initially expected to break ground in 2024. That project was already the recipient of $1 million in state site cleanup grant funding.
Together, the two buildings, plus Winstanley Enterprises’ 100 and 101 College St. towers, would make for nearly 2 million square feet of life science space in downtown New Haven, alone.
“At a time when many states seem to be moving away from science and technology, Connecticut has chosen to increase its investment in the future, investing in the places, the partners, and the existing industries to create transformative impact and growth for the people of Connecticut,” Carter Winstanley, principal for Winstanley Enterprises, said in a statement provided by Lamont’s office.
