nothin Downtown-Style Dixwell Deal Green-Lighted | New Haven Independent

Downtown-Style Dixwell Deal Green-Lighted

Markeshia Ricks Photo

Developer Salas-Romer.

Thanks to a vote at City Hall this week, a one-time problem bar has moved closer to becoming a bakery-coffee shop with new apartments beside it at a section of Dixwell in transition.

The unanimous vote, by the City Plan Commission, OK’d the site plan for a trio of properties that developer Juan Miguel Salas-Romer plans to transform into eight apartments and an additional home for Café G bakery-cafe.

The properties are a block away from the Farmington Canal Trail, Science Park and the 200,000 square-foot Winchester Lofts, all part of efforts to revitalize the eastern crossroads of the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods.

Salas-Romer, one of New Haven’s busiest builders, purchased the building that was home to the former Red Café Ultra Lounge (and before that the Cardinals Café) at 320 – 324 Ashmun St. and the vacant gravel lot behind it at 202 Munson St. in a private deal.

More recently he purchased the a third adjacent city-owned building, the long vacant former Pentecostal Apostolic Faith Assemblies church at 27 – 29 Henry St. (pictured), from the Livable City Initiative at auction for a bid of $50,500. He was the lone bidder. (Read more about that here).

Salas-Romer was not at the City Plan meeting for the vote Wednesday night. He was represented by site engineer James Sakonchick and architect Fernando Pastor (pictured). The plan calls for renovating and combining the existing buildings at Henry and Ashmun streets into a single property that will be known as The W Residence.” The Café G, an outpost of a downtown bakery and coffee/lunch spot, would go into the former Red Café Ultra Lounge space (pictured).

There had initially been some thought that Salas-Romer might have to obtain a variance for parking. But the gravel lot at 202 Munson St. will be paved and ultimately have 11 parking spaces — eight for residents and three potentially for Café G customers. That is one more parking space than the lot previously accommodated. The site also has access to parallel street parking in front on all three sides, though that could change.

Pastor and Sakonchick showed off a mock-up of what the development could look like if it also creates a more pedestrian-friendly space by closing off a portion of Ashmun Street that bisects the triangular corner, and adding outdoor seating. Such a change would be in line with the kinds of inexpensive, pedestrian and bike-friendly changes that local officials and activists have been pushing in general in New Haven. (Read about both here and here.)

City Plan Executive Director Karyn Gilvarg told board members the plans before them were not contingent on such a change.

Commissioner Kevin Diadamo raised concern that there were only three spaces for café customers. He pressed the architect and engineer about assumptions that the residents might be students and not have cars. Pastor pointed out the abundance of street parking and also the expectation that many people will be walking and biking to the café, especially if they live in the adjacent neighborhood, utilize the Farmington Canal, or work at Science Park.

Commissioner and Westville Alder Adam Marchand noted that there is currently no coffee shop in that area servicing the many employees already working there or the employees or Winchester Lofts occupants who will come in the future.

That’s exactly why we’re doing this,” Pastor said.

Marchand suggested that parking could become a problem as both the Winchester Lofts and Science Park fill up. Yale has about 800 employees at the park now, and soon the park will be home to Highville Charter School. (Read more about that here.)

Pastor said that a lot of people are taking advantage of the free parking currently available in the area to avoid paying parking garage fees. It might be important for the city to consider metered parking at some point,” he said.

Commissioner Leslie Radcliffe asked whether the developers had met with the management teams and the alders for the area, which is along Dixwell’s border with the Newhallville neighborhood. Pastor said such meetings began over two years ago. Not only do people view the development favorably, but prefer the plans to any possibility of the commercial space reopening as a bar, he said. The property has become a bit of an eyesore, and Pastor said people wanted something there … but not a bar.”

Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison (pictured) confirmed Thursday that Salas-Romer reached out to her from the start of the project not just to share his vision for the property but to hear hers. He also has committed to providing jobs for the community through the bakery and also wants community members to work on the construction of the development, Morrison said. She said he will be talking more with the management team about that, and it was an idea that he brought to her.

She said Salas-Romer has already shown his commitment to being a good neighbor and she welcomes him and the project in the neighborhood. She said it will be in line with the ongoing growth of the area.

I’m happy to know that the community will no longer have to deal with a bar-nightlife setting in that area,” she said. Since I have been an alder person it has been a point of contention.”

With the commission approving the site plan, the only remaining hurdle appears to be having LCI’s board of directors and then the Board of Alders sign off on the deal.

LCI Executive Director Serena Neal-Sanjurjo said the LCI board will take it up next Wednesday. Hopefully in March we’ll go through the process for the Board of Alders,” she said.

The project is expected to be completed in a single phase starting in March and ending in September.

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