A vision of the future, courtesy LiveWorkLearnPlay
As the city cooks up a plan to develop the former site of the New Haven Coliseum, it is “setting the table” with a proposed zone change.
On Monday evening, the Board of Aldermen received a proposal to change the zoning of the former coliseum site from BD to BD‑3, the same zoning as the “Dowtown Crossing” project, which will fill in the nearby Rt. 34 corridor.
The Board of Aldermen will consider the proposal in committee, then send it back to the full board with a recommendation for a full vote.
“It’s setting the table for LiveWorkLearnPlay,” said City Plan Director Karyn Gilvarg, referring to the city’s preferred developer for the coliseum site. Montreal-based LiveWorkLearnPlay has been working up plans for a $250 – 350 million development there.
Gilvarg said BD‑3 zoning allows for denser and more pedestrian-friendly development, with requirements such as 15-foot wide sidewalks. Residential buildings in BD‑3 zones don’t have to have the large side yards than they would in a BD zone, she said.
Gilvarg said city development chief Kelly Murphy will submit a specific coliseum proposal to the aldermen in the future.
Illustrations like this, along with clever words like "LiveWorkLearnPlay" are a wonderful public relations ploy to build support for the proverbial "pig in a poke".
In reality, no one knows what the final design will look like or even what use the buildings will have. The developer determines that.
And in our tax based starved city, the developer rules.
The Downtown Crossing did not live up to the promises made. Citizens had to fight for sidewalks. Did we forget this already????
Note: "Gilvarg said city development chief Kelly Murphy will submit a specific coliseum proposal to the aldermen in the future."
So don't get excited just yet.