New Haven Independent

Posted by: Leslie Blatteau | November 15, 2006 12:54 PM

It seems so strange to me that our city's government continues to welcome the creation of high-priced residential units, when really what we need is quality, affordable housing. But as Mr. Scarpellino said, "little guys" are forgotten. Thousands of city residents struggle to afford to live here; yet the city and the developers it attracts continue to cater to the rich. How much can the elastic stretch?

Posted by: Esbe | November 15, 2006 1:38 PM

I hope that hard-working merchants like these can find new spots downtown. I do note that there is a ton of available retail space downtown. Many of the 9th Square retail (as opposed to restaurant) spots have sat empty for years. The non-Yale blocks of Chapel (near State on one end and near Park on the other) have plenty of openings. Church Street south of the Green has a ton of spots.

I think it is good that the builder of these condos is planning lower-floor retail as well, although I understand that this probably won't help these particular merchants.

The law about spacing liquor stores seems pretty silly in the downtown setting, where bars sit right next to each other. I wonder if there is some way to get that waived?

Posted by: charlie | November 15, 2006 2:06 PM

This piece is absurd. The proposed new development will support dozens of new small businesses, if not hundreds. The parking lot that occupies most of the building site right now currently supports NOBODY.

Posted by: Ned | November 15, 2006 4:59 PM

New Haven doesn't need more subsidized housing - the surrounding, wealthier towns do. How about a few hundred units of subsidized housing in Guilford, or Saybrook, Durham or Cheshire?

Posted by: ? | November 16, 2006 12:28 AM

Peripheral parking and a sports bar worthy of the burbs...I'm pretty sure we won't miss this block too much.
The comparisson of the modern urban renewal to that of the sixties is ridiculous...This revitalization of small cities such as New Haven is occuring because people are running towards cities, not away.
If the condos sell think more money for schools and police.
If they don't sell, they'll have to become affordable.(Not the kind of affordable where the government helps you to live on the most valuable property in the city.)

Posted by: tom lee | November 16, 2006 12:44 AM

Most of the shops that will have to move are real dumps that make downtown look like a slum. As for affordable housing you wouldn’t expect New York to push for affordable housing opposite central park so why would you expect new haven to build it in its most central location. Don’t get me wrong I’m all for affordable housing just keep it out of the original 9 squares.

Posted by: charlie | November 16, 2006 10:54 AM

I agree more affordable housing is needed in Connecticut (and the Northeast in general), but that's a problem for the region to resolve. The affordable housing shouldn't all be dumped in New Haven, which already has far more than its share. The reason being that large concentrations of affordable housing are a huge drain on local tax resources and do not promote diversity or equality. The construction of additional affordable housing units should be banned in New Haven, and required in Hamden, Cheshire, Branford, Guilford and Woodbridge.

Posted by: pinkbicycle | November 16, 2006 11:04 AM

It seems like there ought to be a way for small business and large development projects to coexist. At the same time, New Haven is becoming quite the cosmopolitan city. There maybe be a market for million dollar condos and the like. If there is, then the City can't ignore that demand. We want the growth, but at the same time we want to maintain our provencial overtones.

Posted by: TrueBlueCT | November 16, 2006 12:47 PM

Hey Tom--

Nice of you to refer to this group of family-own businesses as "real dumps". (and it's not as if any of the owners might be reading this article.)

The answer is simple. Between the city's increased tax revenues, and the developers' hopeful profits, someone should help these long-term New Haveners relocate.

Finally, I don't believe anyone has said this project shouldn't happen. Nor has anyone been an obstructionist. So let's keep this a polite discussion.

Posted by: Tom Lee | November 16, 2006 4:38 PM

Hey TrueBlueCT,
I wasn’t trying to be impolite but the shops on that street are dirty and run down. Their owners have taken no care of the property and made no attempt to revitalize the area. Look at TK’s is there any word other then dive for that place. The owners of these shops should have cleaned up long ago if they wanted to stick around. Look at Broadway, Chapel, or Temple that’s how this city should look. Next on the list someone please take care of the new haven variety store on church. yuk!

Posted by: esteban | November 16, 2006 6:27 PM

So Paul...was that a report or an editorial?

Posted by: JP | November 16, 2006 6:58 PM

These new development articles sure generate comments. Personally, I find it a little disappointing that a store that stuck with New Haven for over 40 years will lose its space. Those 40 years included times when the city's future looked very bleak, it truly is a testament to Mrs. Cooperstock to have stuck it out so long. Unfortunately, she will have to move to make way for more "appealing" businesses (at least to Tom Lee) that will have less of a connection to the city and will likely struggle to build their own business.

I think what many New Haveners dislike about these new developments is that people view the city as an amusement park instead of a place where people work, raise children, and struggle to survive. Many of us have lived in New Haven for decades and did not move away for the comforts of the suburbs, only to return when New Haven has spiffed itself up and removed undesirable businesses from downtown.

I also am unsure of why everything needs to be revitalized. If these businesses have been around for years, that seems pretty vital to me. As far as dive bars go, the world needs them too--not just the latest sanitized wine bar. My wife works at 300 George and parks in that lot, which apparently doesn't benefit anyone. She liked it when she was nine months pregnant in August!

There are echoes of urban renewal dreams of yesteryear in New Haven these days. In those times, 45+ years ago, Yale became involved in the city then; giving policy guidance to Mayor Lee. Seems pretty much the same now.

Posted by: Craig | November 16, 2006 7:37 PM

Most of this land is a hideous surface parking lot.

Also, stop ripping the 'wealthy' that will live in these units. A city like New Haven should be embracing ANYBODY that wants to live here. CT's cities need to do anything possible to attract residents as our state loses jobs and raises or creates new taxes almost daily.

This development will provide dense downtown housing for people that will support local business.

Hate to say it, but ever wonder why those retail spots remained open in the 9th Square? Might have something to do with the 50% 'afforadble' housing units in the complex.

Posted by: nutmeg | November 17, 2006 9:11 AM

tk's rules!

Posted by: JP | November 17, 2006 10:57 AM

I will assume Nutmeg's comment is sarcasm. Alas, there are many people who like TK's, but I guess they are not the "right" people. I have been there a few times, I am not in love with the place. I park in that lot frequently when I eat at the Istanbul Cafe, if I can't find a spot on the street. Believe it or not, a parking lot does add value--it allows people to patronize the businesses downtown in a convenient way.

I think what is overlooked is the reason people are attracted to the city in the first place. I always thought it was the diversity of the city. That includes a diversity of businesses that cater to a wide variety of people. If everything goes upscale that diversity will be lost. Do we honestly want downtown to be an upscale shopping mall? If that happens, maybe I'll move to the 'burbs and spend my time in some dive bar out there.

Posted by: charlie | November 17, 2006 2:57 PM

JP, yes, diversity is what attracts people to a city. But honestly, even if you added 20 more towers like the one proposed here, New Haven would still be 100 times more diverse than Manhattan, and more than diverse enough to attract people who thrive around that kind of energy.

Posted by: tom lee | November 18, 2006 1:05 AM

I agree that parking lots are needed although I’ve never had a problem finding parking. As for diversity i think we can all agree that diversity is a good thing but I’m just not convinced that you need the far low end. As for the city becoming a mall i don’t think anyone wants that and I think new haven is far from that. We have many family owned shops and restaurants and almost no national retailers. All I’m saying is that no matter who your clientele is you should have some pride in the way your establishment looks.

Posted by: Yair | November 18, 2006 6:29 PM

It's not diversity. It's vitality.

A city that is "diverse" can still fail. Colorful characters and dingy storefronts are not enough. New Haven has had plenty of diversity and plenty of failure. The current climate of construction, influx of stores, restaurants and money, is a climate of life, and life will also nurture diversity in the true sense.

Posted by: Robn | November 19, 2006 10:08 AM

A lot of readers have made a lot of good points and most of them aren't mutually exclusive. Tax revenue is very important to this city and if a developer is willing to make an investment (without city incentives or tax breaks) then he/she should be allowed to build within the limits of zoning and get the property to generate some tax revenue. Theres nothing worse than a building with a blank bottom, or even worse, a building with parking decks at its base which sit like fortresses on the city sidewalks. Hopefully, for a project of this stature, the zoning laws should require that the developer program active businesses on the ground floor so that the sidewalks are kept alive. Small businesses are very important to this city and hopefully the displaced businesses would get preferrential ability to lease the new ground floor space and some city tax credit to make up for the down time during construction. Lastly, a denser residential component downtown will allow the surrounding neighborhoods to keep their charm. There will come a day when New Haven will see housing pressure begin to chew into the low-rise fabric of the city and erode the stock of wonderful turn of the century architecture. I'd personally hate to see that happen.

Posted by: Bruce | November 20, 2006 12:42 AM

As much as I hate to say it, this discussion is really a waste of time. They don't call Anthony Avallon "Tony Zony" for nothing. I don't know who that guy is sleeping with, but he never, ever, ever gets denied anything. Ever. If you want to build a paper mill on the upper green, just call Tony Zony and he'll have that permit in your hand before you even hang up the phone.