Alders OKs Zone Change For Munson St. Project

Alders voted unanimously to rezone a 13-acre parcel in Newhallville, clearing the way for a proposed 385-apartment complex.

The vote, at City Hall Tuesday night, allows for the amendment of the zoning map for the parcel at 201 Munson St. to be changed from a Heavy Industrial, or IH, designation to a General High-Density Resident District, or RH‑2. The change comes after a short-lived effort in December to delay the decision.

The property sits on part of the former home of the old sprawling Winchester Repeating Arms factory complex, much of which has been reborn as Science Park. The property was purchased by Double A Development Partners and is among a handful of legacy brownfield sites in the area that are headed for cleanup and a new lease on life. Double A, which spent the summer demolishing all the old factory buildings on the site, requested the zone change so that once the remediation of the site is complete, construction of the apartments can begin.

The project is expected to provide jobs for people in the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods. But neighbors have expressed concern over the density of the project and its impact on vehicle and pedestrian traffic, particularly on the Farmington Canal Trail and on one-way streets like Munson.

Newly elected Newhallville/Prospect Hill Alder Steve Winter thanked his predecessor Brenda Foskey-Cyrus, along with fellow Newhallville Alder Delphine Clyburn and Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison, for advancing the project to this point.

“There is broad agreement that residential development is well suited for this site,” he said. ​“In my conversations with community members, I’ve heard some concerns around parking, connectivity, integration with the neighborhood and the canal path, however, this project is going to be of great benefit for the area and the zone change will allow the most direct route for the project.”

Winter said he hopes alders, developers, and City Plan staff can ​“work through those outstanding concerns through site plan review and continued consistent public engagement.”

Alder Clyburn told her colleagues in her support of the zone change that she is grateful that such a project is happening in Newhallville.

“This is bringing life back to us,” she said. ​“More people in the area, more people to enjoy life, the trail.”

“This has been six years that we have asked our mayor to give us someone to help us, to make sure that development happens in Newhallville,” she added. ​“This is a great victory for us.”