Allan Appel Photo
Bella Vista architect Craig Laliberte
The rush to approve 399 new units of senior housing in two new skyscraper additions to the Bella Vista complex slowed down Thursday night. Members of the Board of Aldermen’s Legislation Committee tabled approval of a required planned development district a day after the City Plan Department had recommended approval of the $150 million project.
“We’ve had ten seconds to consider it,” complained committee Chairman Jorge Perez, a Hill alderman.
He expressed frustration that 50 pages of legal documents pertaining to the project, along with several traffic studies and a gerontological survey of resident needs, were given to committee members at 3 p.m. Thursday, only hours before the hearing.
City Plan staff and developers Carabetta Enterprises have been collaborating while racing the clock to meet submission dates for state funding deadlines crucial to financing the project. Click here for that story.
So in an unusual move, City Plan approved the project Wednesday night but with a long list of 14 conditions. Click here for that story. City Plan included a requirement that parking and traffic studies to be completed.
Yale Alderman Mike Jones Thursday night called the parking documents given to him inconsistent and in need of further study.
Quinnipiac Meadows Alderman Gerald Antunes expressed continuing concern and sought clarification about stormwater run-off plans. He suggested that the “detention basin” proposed to keep flooding off Eastern Parkway and nearby streets be constructed in a way compatible with the sewer separation in the area.
Perez asked about condition #13, that the developers have 10 years to obtain all building permits. “Why 10 years to complete when [God took] only seven days to make the world?” he asked.
City Plan Director Karyn Gilvarg responded that the project will be built in phases. The condition reflects the developers’ financing game plan, she said.
Perez’s most pointed inquiry pertained to the second condition, that the developer engage in a peer architectural review. He asked know why City Plan had not done that itself. Gilvarg replied that her department is unfortunately too short-staffed to do that on its own.
She explained why the condition was put it in: “I think the building could be improved architecturally, to speak bluntly, and we don’t have in-house capacity.”
Saying that he has a thick skin, the addition’s architect, Craig Laliberte, took the criticism in stride. “The architecture took a back seat [to work devoted] to the living environment,” he said.
He suggested more glass, color, and other mass-lightening effects might result from the review.
The committee has the right to alter the conditions required. It voted to table the approval, without citing when the matter would be put on the calendar again. Perez said it would likely be on next month’s agenda.
Yes, the architecture did take a back seat. Waaay back.
Ms. Gilvarg, if you were to dig into your Rolodex, you could easily deputize an architectural review committee made of citizen volunteers.
The bare facts are that New Haven has some some of the best architectural minds in the world as residents yet we build some of the worst buildings I've ever seen. (My opinion) And I am not just talking about Yale affiliated architects.
I, for one, would happily dedicate my time to such a committee.