New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Spa approved for old Stone Academy site
WEST HAVEN — City officials approved a plan this week to rejuvenate part of Sawmill Road through the exfoliation of an abandoned building.
The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a site plan and liquor permit for a high-end spa, featuring hands-off treatments like massage chairs and facial machines in addition to hot and cold pools and various saunas with different features, for the former Stone Academy site at 560 Sawmill Road.
Much of the building will remain intact, including its stairwells, but the facade will be changed somewhat to add an enclosure for a swimming pool and to add more depth to the entryway — including a waterfall, representatives of the iSpa Haven development project told commissioners.
Architect Douglas Cutler said the plan would add more parking, while replace some existing concrete with landscaping to off-set the addition of impervious surface.
When asked if there are any other developments in the region that can compare to the iSpa Haven proposal, project attorney Vincent Falcone said it would be akin to an existing Korean bathhouse style spa in New Jersey. Cutler said that spa came up during the gentrification of the Hudson River on the New Jersey side and has attracted a “high-end clientele.”
Councilwoman Michelle Coletti, the council liaison to the planning commission, said she is familiar with that New Jersey project, saying it is popular and a “pretty widely known destination.”
Falcone said the spa would employ 20 to 25 people, although the shift schedules would determine how many are on site at one time. He said the building’s capacity would be determined by the fire department and not the spa, which is looking to serve as many clients as possible. The spa will offer membership, guest passes and daily fees. Presently, it is planned that non-members would be charged for the time they stay at the spa instead of paying a daily rate.
Falcone said a restaurant on the second floor will be “American style,” but would not be intended for people to drop in to eat and is meant for either members or patrons. He said the current expected hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Coletti read a letter from Councilman Christopher Vargo, whose district includes the iSpa Haven development. In the letter, Vargo expressed his support for what he believes could be a transformative project that could attract people into the city off the highway.
“The renderings illustrate a beautiful modernized facility that I believe will elevate the aesthetics of the surrounding area,” he said.
Vargo expressed some concerns about the potential impact on traffic, as he said the area near the site’s main entrance and exit already has issues with congestion. However, he said he trusted professionals to make the best judgment about the traffic impacts.
In the spa’s application, the estimated timeline from approval until the site opens is 18 months. The project would bring a new use to the building, which has been vacant for a little over a year after Stone Academy, a for-profit nursing preparatory program, abruptly shuttered its doors. The defunct program is currently in litigation for allegedly leaving students on the hook financially for non-transferrable credits.