New Haven Independent

Posted by: Wjay | June 11, 2007 8:09 PM

"It's a real estate deal for" Yale, Kelly Murphy said. "At the end of the day, this [New Haven] is a better place if you want to locate your business -- restaurants, architecture, cultural activities that I don't think West Haven offers."

Very Interesting, Ms. Murphy, Why not suggest that to the Mayor and the New Haven Board of Education, who present an apposite augument. In case you don't know the BOE is contemplating building a Science and Engineering magnet school at the University of New Haven in West Haven in order to better train New Haven students in science and math. They would rather go this route than use a current New Haven Magnet school and partner with Yale for the same services, and, for far less $$$. By the way, the New Haven Taxpayer will foot the bill for the West Haven venture. I strongly suggest you argue the taxpayer's point of view, using the reasoning and logic you provided above, in deference to the yale plan.

Happy trails..

Posted by: charlie | June 11, 2007 9:34 PM

This is good news, not bad. Having space for Yale's and Yale affiliates' research activities to expand would benefit the entire area. In any other part of the country, remember, West Haven would be an annexed section of New Haven (which has a very small footprint and, in reality, is a city of much more than 130,000 people). This might give even more reason for West Haven to shut down its government and be annexed by New Haven.

Posted by: BBerkowitz | June 11, 2007 9:48 PM

How Is New Haven going to convince businesses to occupy science Park if they can't convince Yale to stay in New Haven.
With everything we give up to Yale, this is how the New Haven Tax Payer is repaid?

Posted by: BBerkowitz | June 11, 2007 9:50 PM

Will Yale pay taxes in West Haven?

Posted by: Ned | June 11, 2007 10:16 PM

What are the benefits of locating in Science Park? It is hard to get to; it is bordered by a dangerous, depressing neighborhood, and it appears to consist mostly of abandoned, polluted factory buildings. What's not to like? On the plus side, it has the ill maintained bicycle path to nowhere and uhm??

Posted by: Gary Doyens | June 11, 2007 10:20 PM

This ought to be a wake up call. There's only so much bashing and trashing major employers and investors will take in New Haven. If a deal is struck, it will be interesting to see how many of the biotech firms stay in New Haven or eventually move to the new campus. Then again, the mayor wants to build a school for West Haven at New Haven taxpayer expense -- might as well give them jobs and a future tax base too.

Posted by: Uncle Nunzio | June 12, 2007 10:19 AM

Ned:

I agree. Most University employees are scared to work in Science Park. What is the benefit of keeping people working in that area when the city has done nothing to fix the problems there.

Posted by: Esbe | June 12, 2007 11:58 AM

The thing to look for is whether this is for Yale academic lab space, or is it going to be as a place to house bio-tech start-ups? In the latter case, I don't think that Yale would buy it directly (but I could be wrong.)

So it perhaps it is for academic lab use -- i.e. for research on federally funded grants. If so, then is it coming off the West Haven tax rolls? And, would New Haven have preferred that non-taxable space to have been built here -- or not?

Posted by: BBerkowitz | June 12, 2007 1:23 PM

Science Park used to be what Bayer is today: a nice empty factory and office building.
Yale needs to follow the lead of Higher One and smaller bio-techs in science park and invest in impoverished parts of New Haven to bring back the these booming businesses.
West Haven has not been annexed by New Haven and we do not have a regional tax system. New Haven handles enough of the regional burden that we don't need our cornerstone investing their dollars in the surrounding communities.
Try to leave Bayer pharmaceutical for New Haven at 4:30 on a week day and see how close West Haven really is. Employees will be shacking up dining and shopping in Milford long before New Haven.
For all the investment that Yale has done for the city this is quite a departure.

Posted by: Uncle Nunzio | June 12, 2007 4:11 PM

BBerkowitz:

Of course, unlike Science Park, the Bayer facility isn't in an area where there are regular shoot-outs and muggings.

At least the shops, stores, restaurants, etc in Milford offer easy and free parking. New Haven makes it a complete inconvenience to be a consumer in the city. If you aren't paying $8+ to park in a lot, your car is getting tagged and towed on the street by their wonderful "bootfinder". Then if you manage to find parking, and attempt to walk to your destination, you end up getting harassed by all the regular wack job pan-handlers in the city.

No sane business is going to want to do business in New Haven, if the city isn't providing incentives for businesses to attract consumers.

Posted by: charlie | June 12, 2007 5:45 PM

Jobs and taxes are shared regionally, through redistribution by the State and other entities. Yale, with only 10,000 employees or so, is a tiny fraction of the region's 280,000-odd workers. The restaurants, law firms, architects and other tax producing entities in downtown New Haven are supported by people from as far away as Rhode Island and Hartford, not just people who live within the tiny 18 square miles of New Haven proper. In fact the vast majority of New Haven's tax base is ultimately supported by nearby suburban towns, who use those tax producing entities, spend more money and go out more often than the average New Haven resident. Even if property taxes aren't shared, we need to start looking at things in terms of the health of the entire region, not fighting about who is investing five miles from anywhere else.

Posted by: BBerkowitz | June 12, 2007 5:46 PM

Nunzio,
There didn't used to be the crime when those factories were operating.
Downtown used to be an area of regular muggings and shootings too before businesses reinvested in the area and brought more foot traffic.
Your comments on New Haven exemplify my fears that Yale's current (i.e. this deal) departure of investment in the city will exaggerate those negative opinions of our city.
It doesn't really sound like it's your city by your post however, so I'll exclude you from the collective we.

Posted by: Uncle Nunzio | June 12, 2007 10:14 PM

BBerkowitz:

It's still a city I'm always in. I work there and used to live there.

The fact of the matter is taxes are out of control, the parking situation is awful, and crime is seriously on the rise. The mayor has put more effort in PR for himself, then creating a better place to work, live, shop, consume, etc...

Yale would be making an investment in creating a better and more attractive research facility if they were able to take over the Bayer facility. There is already a horrible perception of New Haven from outsiders. It makes it difficult to recruit qualified researchers when that perception is a reality in most people's mind. Yale relies heavily on research money to operate the University. They can bring in higher profile researchers, that bring in lots of grant money, because they can provide a safe a secure research campus with an investment in the Bayer property. Why should the University use their money to clean up a mess they didn't create?

Yale shouldn't be blamed for what they are doing. They are attempting to do their best to be a premire research University. Yale isn't in the business to manage municipal services. It's the city and the current mayor that's the problem.

Posted by: Sierra Di | June 13, 2007 2:15 AM

Wake up call to the many New Haven residents who have been mislead by misguided leaders into thinking that New Haven was doing Yale a favor for a mostly, (not completely - I must mention) tax exempt status!

To the contrary, Yale University is the best thing that ever happened to New Haven! It is time for new Haven to realize a fact that many municipalities across the nation have accepted and come to appreciate and benefit from: Thou must welcome and work closely with thy local world class University and grow together.

I hope this shut down the stupidest communal rhetoric that proclaims that "... well because Yale does not pay taxes ... that is why the mill rate is so high ... blah blah blah ... ". I know elected Alderperson who go around clamoring that misguided and misleading chorus.

Posted by: Jonathan Dranoff | June 13, 2007 7:29 AM

Regarding this debate:

Several quick points:

1) Yale does pay taxes on all non-academic real estate. Yale is the largest owner of commercial real estate in the city.
2) If Bayer has first-rate lab space, Yale would have to be crazy not to consider purchasing it. Lab space is always at a premium, and rehab is generally better than new construction.
3) New Haven and West Haven share a huge border. How can improvement of West Haven's infrastructure hurt New Haven?
4) There are a number of reasons for the seeming failure of Science Park, but probably the main one is aesthetic. Drive by - the area is dingy, obviously blighted, and certainly not a research paradise. If you had a biotech startup, wouldn't you think twice about locating in Science Park?

Posted by: Tim | June 13, 2007 10:15 PM

Yale made an extremely smart move, modern facilities at a fraction of the cost and time. New Haven is unsafe at any time, City hall and unions hold you hostage, mass corruption and as business unfriendly as a city can be.
When Yale resorts to mass e-mails warning about crime, gangs of youths randomly attack Yale staff and students,and your car gets towed or bike stolen, thats not a positive attribute for investment.
Yale will bring jobs and investment to West Haven. That will lead to expansion of facilities in New Haven if the city doesn't shoot itself in the foot. New Haven lives off of the taxes of the surrounding towns and thier residents. The city doesn't have an ironclad hold on any expansion by the University. Its a good deal for all concerned.