Author: Christina Musante

As seen on NBC at NBC Connecticut by Jennifer Cuevas

The New Haven Housing Authority has plans to begin a new affordable housing project as part of the West Rock neighborhood redevelopment.

The abandoned healthcare facility at 34 Level St. will be transformed into 50 affordable housing units for seniors.

Shenae Draughn, the executive vice president for Elm City Communities said they were able to obtain the property on Level Street and others in the city, through a partnership with the City of New Haven.

“We look to the city to have a PILOT agreement (which is a “payment in lieu of taxes”), that will help offset the expenses of providing affordable housing in the city of New Haven,” Draughn said.

She explained Elm City Communities will pay a set rate of $450 per unit, adding it will increase by 3% each year.

She said the agreement helps them to use more of their operating income towards debt that they leverage to build the development and also, it decreases the operating expenses which allows for a successful development.

Draughn added the final project result will include supportive services for seniors.

“We want them to age in place, that will be therapeutic, as well as recreational services. We will have a full-time service provider there as well,” said Draughn.

Mayor Justin Elicker praised the PILOT program along with the tax break that was approved by the board of alders as it has helped not only the project at 34 Level St. but many others including the redevelopment of the Brookside Estates.

“The tax break gives them the financial ability to offer affordable units, otherwise it’s really challenging to make the math work,” said Elicker.

He added the location in the West Rock neighborhood is ideal for seniors as the city works to do a complete rebuild of Westville Manor.

“We’re working together with the board of alders and the housing authority to basically tear down all those units and create new units there in the future as well,” Elicker said.

Elm City Communities hopes to break ground on the property in 2025.

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The Glendower Relocation Team Awarded Contract with Willimantic Housing Authority and Continues Relocation Efforts for Multiple Developments

New Haven, CT, August 2024 – The Glendower Relocation Team is proud to announce that it has been awarded the contract with the Willimantic Housing Authority. During the week of July 31st, the team successfully held a resident kickoff meeting followed by one-on-one assessments with the residents. This initiative marks the beginning of a strong partnership aimed at enhancing the housing experience for Willimantic residents.

In addition to this new contract, the Glendower Relocation Team continues to collaborate closely with the Glendower Development team on relocating families from McConaughy Terrace to Westville Manor. The relocation process is progressing smoothly as Phase Three move-outs are currently underway. Beginning the first week of September, Phase Two families will return to their newly renovated homes at McConaughy Terrace.

Ongoing relocation services are also being conducted for Scattered Sites properties, thanks to the Lead and Hazardous Material Grant. These efforts ensure that residents in these locations are safely relocated while critical environmental remediation is performed to eliminate potential hazards.

Looking ahead, the Glendower Relocation Team is preparing for the next phase of its work. During the last week of September 2024, the team will begin assessing families at the Eastview Terrace (EVT) development, in anticipation of major renovations scheduled to start in May 2025. These assessments are crucial for ensuring that all residents are relocated safely and efficiently while renovations are underway.

Furthermore, the Glendower Relocation Team is in the process of returning families from Carabetta Management/Antillean Manor back to the newly redeveloped Antillean Manor Estates at 206 Day Street. This redevelopment marks a significant milestone for the community, providing families with modernized and improved housing options.

Glendower remains committed to its mission of providing high-quality housing solutions and supporting residents throughout every stage of development and relocation.

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As seen on NBC at NBC Connecticut by Jennifer Cuevas

The City of New Haven is taking on two new developments to address the housing demand in Connecticut.

On Tuesday, city officials held a conference along with the project developers to provide details on the 450 new housing units and 3,700 square feet of retail and commercial space coming to George and State Street in Downtown New Haven.

“The State of Connecticut needs around 90,000 new units to be able to support the demand for housing and New Haven is leading the charge as far as the number of building permits issued as far as the number of new units we are creating, have created and will create,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.

The first site is being called Site A and will be developed by Gilbane Development and Xenolith.

Site A will go from Fair Street to Chapel Street and will be built on two acres for a total of 279 housing units, of which 70 will be affordable units.

It will also include over 1,500 square feet of community and retail space, according to the mayor.

Senior Vice President and Head of Affordable-Mixed Income for Gilbane Development Roj Robinson said the project will help assist in the reconnection of Wooster Square to Downtown 9th square district.

Andrea Kretchmer with Xenolith said her team is looking forward to beginning the predevelopment process for Site A.

“At Xenolith, we love a good RFP, particularly one with a demonstrative commitment to community outreach and engagement,” Kretchmer said.

Kretchmer added the project will also focus on the the three c’s of development: climate resiliency, carbon reduction, and career-oriented jobs.

As for Site B, close to 175 units will be built on one acre of land from State Street to Orange Street and will be developed by Glendower Group and Elm City Communities along with LMXD.

Similar to site A, site B will also include thousands of square feet in commercial space.

Out of the 175 units, 51 units will be marked for affordable housing.

President of Glendower Group and Elm City Communities Karen Dubois-Walton spoke about the need for bringing the units to New Haven.

“We are at over 40,000 families on our waitlists so that’s the real. Those are the families that are waiting for us to build and to turn parking lots into really quality housing.”

Dubois-Walton said they will be able to use the base vouchering by the federal government to ensure affordability.

“The affordable units that we develop with our project base vouchering, families will never pay more than 30 percent of their income towards their rent cost.”

Mayor Elicker added the developers have nine months to finalize their project designs.

During that time, community outreach will take place, beginning in late August to September, to get community feedback on the projects.

City officials and developers said they are hoping to break ground by 2025, but added the timeline may be pushed to 2026.