It’s official: the New Haven Adult Education Center will continue to rent in the Hill for at least another year and a half, now that the Board of Alders has approved a lease renewal.
Alders unanimously approved that renewal at their June meeting on Wednesday evening, without any discussion.
The lease enables New Haven Public Schools’ adult education programming to remain at 580 Ella T. Grasso Blvd. for the time being, as the city plans to ultimately relocate those programs to Newhallville.
Adult Ed’s current home on Ella T. Grasso Boulevard is owned by SP Ella LLC, a limited liability company controlled by Sim Levenhartz.
Technically, the lease approved on Wednesday night is a five-year agreement with that company from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030. However, the city negotiated a right to terminate the lease at any point after a year and a half, provided that they notify the landlord 90 days in advance.
Plans are already in motion to rehabilitate the former state welfare building at 188 Bassett St., a building now owned by the city, so that Adult Ed can relocate there by June 2026.
If that timeline doesn’t change, then the city will pay an extra six months of rent to Levenhartz’s company after relocating.
Per the lease, rent will increase by 3 percent annually — growing to nearly $62,000 per month in the coming year and then to $63,733 per month in the following year.