New Haven Independent

After buying up almost every parcel on the land bounded by Howard, Legion, and Sylvan Avenues and Ward Street in the Hill, Boston developers Intercontinental Real Estate, led by Will Smith (pictured at left), sought approval to rezone the entire block to make way for a large mixed-use complex to complement the under-construction Yale-New Haven Cancer Center. The zoning change would allow the block — which historically held mostly small homes and businesses — to be developed with higher, denser buildings and more retail.

Developers’ plans remain foggy: “a mixed-use medically related project,” was Smith’s description. Sample plans developers brought included a parking garage wrapped by medical offices, a hotel, retail space and homes.

Aldermen at the Legislation Committee weren’t voting on the specific project, but on the plea to rezone three zones into BD-2, the business/medical zone created to pave the way for the cancer center. They unanimously approved his request in a meeting in City Hall Monday night, saying the block — adjacent to Yale-New Haven Hospital’s medical campus — is an appropriate place to expand the city’s medical district.

A (comparatively brief and tame) public hearing brought support from the trade unions, the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, construction partners Gilbane, and other owners of parcels on the block—Pro Park and the Housing Authority of New Haven.

City economic development chief Kelly Murphy applauded the zone change for helping the city “move forward and develop health care and biotechnology in the city,” as well as boosting the tax base and providing union jobs. The City Plan Department and the City Plan Commission have both given the project an official thumbs up.

One woman — Anstress Farwell (pictured) of the New Haven Urban Design League — returned to City Hall to fight the change Monday. Borrowing the developer’s own word — “suburban” — she denounced the “suburban-style development being put into a dense, urban area.” Building a big parking garage does not promote walkability, she also argued. She further cited an agreement the city made during the cancer center hearings that the medical district not cross the Howard Avenue line.

City Hall’s Murphy contended that discussion did not concern this block.

Due to a new zoning rule put in place with Intercontinental’s plan in mind, developers will have to seek a special permit if they plan (as it seems they do) to build a parking garage of of over 200 cars. The project will also see future public hearings at the site plan review process through the City Plan Commission.

With their approval, alders tacked on a recommendation that developers keep “ongoing dialogue” with the people affected by the pending transformation — including elderly residents in the 904 Howard Ave tower, many of whom felt they were kept out of the loop.

About 904 Howard, developers released this nugget of news: They won’t be applying to develop the public housing tower. Since 904 Howard sits on the Howard-Legion lot, the housing authority hopes to seize the zoning change as a chance to turn the aging tower into a mixed-use development. It invited Intercontinental to respond to a Request for Proposals and incorporate public housing into their development; Smith said Monday the company was not interested.

Jimmy Miller, director of the city Housing Authority, said 904 Howard is “not for sale” but that his agency did get one bite on the RFP, and is reviewing the proposal.

No Subsidies

A wave of glee passed through the aldermanic chambers as the developers’ attorney, James Segaloff, theatrically proclaimed: “We’re not asking for any benefits from the city. None! Zero!” He slapped the table for emphasis: “No benefits!”

Developers were apparently entertaining requests from community members to sit down and talk about benefits the other way.

Lena Largie (pictured above at right), who lives a block away from the proposed development, said she and the union-backed neighborhood activist group CORD were withholding support of Intercontinental’s plans until a community benefits agreement had been settled on. After a congenial post-meeting chat with Smith, she felt “optimistic” this would happen.

Hill Alderwoman Jackie James also urged developers to craft a benefits deal. Despite her concerns that hospital development is “a major encroachment” on the neighborhood, James supported the zone change for that block. Alders from surrounding neighborhoods — West River’s Yusuf Shah, the Hill’s Jorge Perez and Dwight’s Joyce Chen — also supported the move, while cautioning for community dialogue over the specific project.

So that the medical district doesn’t start bleeding all over the Hill, Perez, James and East Rock Alderman Roland Lemar pushed for a more comprehensive plan for the neighborhood — one of the city’s poorest, most transient areas, which has seen development after development push out homes.

“This is a very vulnerable part of the city,” said Lemar. Such a plan is vital “particularly in a neighborhood that has seen houses torn down for schools,” for development of the hospital, and now onto Vernon Street.

“We do need to have some comprehensive plan — I really believe that it’s worth going through that exercise,” Perez said. “This will not be the last development in this area. To prevent a lot of hard feelings, [we need to] engage in that — and include neighborhood people.”

The city gave commitment: “I agree we should do that,” said Murphy, the economic development chief.

Rezoning the one block “makes a lot of sense,” said Chen, but “we’ll be monitoring in the future how far this extension goes.”

The zoning change now heads to the full Board of Aldermen for a final vote.