New Haven Independent

With plans to break ground Monday on the biggest new downtown development project in a generation, an informational hearing was held on Tuesday evening for neighbors to hear about the upcoming construction at State, Chapel and Orange Streets.

The effort — formerly known as “the Shartenberg project” and now officially titled “360 State+ — includes a 32-story residential tower (or 26, depending on how various levels are counted), a parking garage, and 16,000 square feet of new retail space. (See previous Independent coverage on the project here, here, here, and here.)

Tuesday night’s hearing was attended by 30 local residents as well as representatives of the developer, Becker & Becker, and Suffolk Construction, the building company in charge.

The meeting, held in the public hearing room in the Hall of Records on Orange Street, was meant to provide opportunity for downtown residents and retailers to ask questions about= logistics — the construction timeline, noise expectations, disruptions to foot and car traffic. And some people did.

But the majority of the questions were about the project’s design, which has already been finalized.

Speakers expressed concern about building aesthetics and pedestrian accommodations and wondered if the design can be changed. One local business owner said he has embraced the building as planned, and just wants to help get it completed.

The Pretty, Safe Side

The very first question directed to representatives of Becker & Becker and Suffolk Construction was about the appearance of the building’s pre-cast concrete facade. Many of the subsequent questions followed up on this aesthetic line of inquiry. Sara Bronin (pictured in top photo), representing Becker & Becker, mentioned several times that the building will feature design ornaments created by Yale School of Architecture Professor Kent Bloomer.

For some people, this wasn’t good enough.

A man in the audience said that while the building looks nice at the sidewalk level, he considers the upper portion unattractive. He worried that it might end up looking even worse. If constructions costs increase as the project progresses, he said, would the builders sacrifice aesthetics in order to save money?

Bronin said that many changes have been made to the design as it has developed, but that “one of the things that’s never been cut is the Kent Bloomer ornaments.”

Other speakers wanted to ensure that the project have comfortable and safe public areas for pedestrians. Mark Abraham (at right in picture), one of the leaders of New Haven’s Safe Streets movement, asked Bronin about the project’s plans for sidewalks and parks.

Bronin said that the sidewalks will be “nothing different from city standard sidewalks” but that they will be plated with trees. She said the developers are looking for funding for a small “pocket park” on the site.

Abraham expressed a concern about rail commuters catching trains across State Street. He said that the usage of the State Street rail station is increasing and that the city would be encouraging jaywalking by not creating a crosswalk directly between the station and 360 State.

City Development Administrator Kelly Murphy said that she would look into the situation.

“We’d be happy to take the city’s direction on that,” Bronin said.

Farwell: Out Of Scale

Anstress Farwell, president of the New Haven Urban Design League and another member of the traffic-calming advocates, expressed concerns about the pick-up and drop-off area for cars on State Street and the tunnel entrance to the parking garage. She was dismayed by what she saw as an unsafe area for pedestrians in front of the tunnel.

“My biggest concern is the whole project,” Farwell said after the meeting.

She pointed to 360 State’s circular logo and said that it was appropriate since the project has “gone in a circle.” Farwell said that the “base and tower” architectural style, which visually prioritizes the project’s parking garage, is “really old-fashioned” and “has nothing to do with the urban environment” of much smaller buildings.

The Orange Side

“These design questions should’ve been asked about a month ago,” Anthony Polshek Jr. said after the hearing. Anthony and his wife Michelle Polshek run the Orangeside Luncheonette on Orange Street. They came to the meeting in matching black Orangeside T-shirts.

“One thing I see is a lot of negative questions,” Anthony continued. “I look at this as a positive.” He said that he is looking forward to having 1,000 new residents within footsteps of his business.

“I think we should look at what we as a neighborhood can do to support it,” he said.