New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
140-unit housing, mixed use development approved
WEST HAVEN — The Planning and Zoning Commission has issued final approvals for a mixed-use development that the panel hopes will begin the revitalization of the city’s central business district.
Chris Soto, the city’s planning director, said the only things that remains for owner Shmulik Aizenberg of GLI Holding LLC to do is to apply for the necessary permits to tear down two vacant buildings on the site of 291 Campbell Ave and 288 Washington Ave. and begin construction on the two L-shaped buildings in the developer’s site plan.
“We’re at a crossroads at the center of town,” said commission Chairwoman Kathleen Hendricks before voting to approve the final special permit and site plan review. “We
can’t keep the center the way it is. It just won’t survive.”
Hendricks said she believes the development, which will add 140 housing units and retail space that is expected to be leased to a cafe and market, “helps us get to the big picture.”
A team of attorneys, engineers and architects presented a site plan to the commission for about 80 minutes; some displeased neighbors interrupted twice during the presentation, appealing to the commission that it was taking too long and was too difficult to follow with malfunctioning audio equipment in City Hall.
Attorney James Perito, who represented the developer before the commission, said one advantage of the site plan is that it connects Campbell and Washington avenues for pedestrians, with a walkway going across the site.
Landscape architect Joe Aveni, who worked with the developer, said the site would incorporate a “lawn aesthetic” to buffer between adjacent properties and so the more than 200 parking spaces are mostly not visible from the roadway.
The site will also include pocket parks on the edge of the property, Aveni said.
Kathryn Gagnan, an engineer that worked on the site, said the developer would increase the capacity for rainwater retention on the site through the use of raingardens and infiltration systems, following neighbors’ concerns about flooding in the area.
Engineer Christopher McLean said a traffic study estimated there would be an added 52 trips in the morning during peak hours and an added 79 trips in the afternoon during peak hours as a result of the construction.
Laura Gilmore, a project manager with Newman Architects, said the tallest portion of the development would be five stories. She said that alongside Campbell Avenue the construction would involve a red brick facade to tie it to buildings on that street; on Washington Avenue the developer will use white vinyl siding to match some of the buildings there.
Representatives from the team said they also intend to preserve interior elements from the American Buckle Co. Factory on the site before demolishing the building, and repurposing those parts in their construction.
Melissa Saint, a representative for the developer, said they intend to offer a flexible lease structure to residential tenants as a means of appealing to a wider base of tenants — such as employees of the West Haven VA Medical Center system who might not want a lease for a full year.
“This is an A-class property that would be attractive to an age group between 25 and 60,” she said. “There’s no specific market we’re directing ourselves towards. There’s proximity to the train station, and we think this property would be attractive to the commuter.”
Perito said that, in collaboration with the city, a wider pipe would be added to the city’s piping infrastructure under the development.
Objections
Some neighbors and property owners, who have raised concerns about flooding and quality of life concerns in the area at multiple meetings during the application process, made a stand before the commission to ask them to reconsider — or at least put additional conditions on the developer. Of the roughly six members of the public who testified, the most common concerns were about traffic and flooding.
Bridgette Hoskie, a councilwoman in the city’s 1st District and a neighbor to the development, said she has concerns that traffic could get out of control, with residents justifying the improper use of the one-way Atwater Street to circumnavigate traffic.
“I just know that street is very scary. We’ve had major rollovers in the last couple of months,” she said.
Hoskie also shared her concerns that adding a parking lot that connects Washington and Campbell avenues could inspire drivers to cut through the property — creating risks for pedestrians. Following her testimony, commissioners agreed to add a condition that the developer must add two speed humps on the property to deter drivers from speeding through the parking lot to get from one avenue to the other .
However, some residents also shared concerns about the proximity to the Washington School, where traffic is often hectic during drop-off and pick-up times as there is no bus loop.
“Anyone who lives in the neighborhood knows that’s a bottleneck,” said Michael Lipsett, a Realtor and property owner in the neighborhood. “That is a terrible bottleneck by the school.”
Lipsett said he believes the commercial space in the development is a “smokescreen” to create more housing in the central business district.
“There’s no doubt with this density that property values will go down,” he said.
He was challenged on that point by Commissioner Steven Mullins.
“The current situation at that location is there’s two dilapidated, eyesore buildings that have been vacant for decades,” he said. “You’re saying it’s more valuable than 140 apartments and market space and a coffee shop?”
Hendricks ended her colleague’s questioning, saying it was not germane to the purpose of Tuesday’s public hearing.
Others spoke against adding housing density to the area.
Tom Sciarappa said he has lived across from the site of the development for 36 years .
“Now I get to look like this,” he said, craning his head upwards, “at a five-story apartment building.”
Sciarappa said he felt he had no further recourse but to move.
“I hope someday they build one of these right in front of your house,” he said to the commissioners, walking out of the meeting room.
Sydne Palmer said that, where the development reaches five stories, it will face the bathroom window of her home.
David Suraci, manager of Fitzgerald’s Florist on Campbell Avenue said his customers are mystified when he tells them what the plans are for the site.
“No one wants more cars on the road in that area,” he said. “West Haven doesn’t have a housing shortage, an affordable housing shortage or a shortage of cars.”
The commission approved the project unanimously. Commissioner John Biancur said he hopes the development will be the first step in a revitalization project to bring more foot traffic and interest to the city’s business district.
“The idea is to encourage retail development,” he said.
Saint estimated the project will take about two years to complete, with a three to four month permitting and demolition process and 18 to 20 months for building — although Perito advised that the market for obtaining construction supplies has been difficult during the pandemic.