Site plan submission for proposed Wall/ High walkways.
Yale University plans to convert portions of two Downtown city streets that it purchased from the city five years ago into 18-foot-wide pedestrian walkways lined with shrubs and flowers.
The university has submitted an application for a development permit to the City Plan department that details the proposed conversion of one block of Wall Street, between College Street and York Street, and one block of High Street, between Grove Street and Wall Street, into pedestrian-only walkways.
Thomas Breen photo
Corner of Wall Street and High Street.
The university purchased those two blocks, which run through the heart of Yale’s main campus, from the city in 2013 for $3 million. Before that sale, the city had granted the university de facto control over those two blocks dating back to a 1990 town-gown deal. For the past 28 years, under city and university ownership, those two blocks have been closed to public parking and through traffic, and technically admit vehicles only for emergencies and deliveries, though other Yale-related vehicles have ended up passing through and parking there. (Click here, here and here for background.)
The development permit application states the university plans to convert these two blocks of Wall Street and High Street into a pedestrian-friendly walkway similar to Rose Walk, which cuts in front of Yale’s Sterling Library and connects Elm Street and Wall Street.
Wall Street between College Street and York Street.
“The project will further sustainability goals in a number of ways,” the application reads, “including reducing the amount of existing impervious surface, increasing planting and green areas, enhancing existing storm drainage, installing energy-efficient site lighting fixtures and providing additional bicycle parking.”
The application indicates that around 75 percent of existing sidewalk areas will be converted to planting beds with ground covers, bulbs and groupings of shrubs. Yale also plans to install new energy efficient lighting on the two blocks.
Rose Walk.
The hardscape surfaces will include concrete pavers, bluestone, granite ‘setts’ and concrete paving. Granite and concrete curbing will be provided for the main walkways.
The application also proposes that the university build a new “speed table” with raised pavement at the corner of Wall Street and York Street to slow traffic at that intersection.
The applications assert that the project requires no parking for this project and includes no new buildings.
High Street between Grove Street and Wall Street.
It says that the project will be coordinated with the ongoing Schwarzmann Center project, and should be completed, if approved by the city, by December 2020.
Acting City Plan Director Michael Piscitelli said that City Plan staff is conducting an internal review of the application Tuesday afternoon. The City Plan Commission will hold a public meeting on the application in May.
(The above video shows some of the protest that accompanied the 2013 city vote to sell Yale the streets.)
That the city sold off these streets for that paltry $3 million is a crime.