At Long Last, Coliseum Redo Set To Start

Hundreds of new apartments, a retail ​“laneway,” a parking garage, and a medical lab and office building are one big step closer to coming to a Ninth Square surface parking lot — now that the city has officially conveyed the former Coliseum site to a Norwalk-based developer.

Mayor Justin Elicker celebrated that real estate news Friday morning in an email press release sent out by city spokesperson Lenny Speiller.

That press release (printed in full below) states that, on Thursday, the city officially handed over a 3.5‑acre parcel at 275 Orange St. to a holding company controlled by developer-investors Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, the Fieber Group, and KDP.

That’s because Spinnaker was recently able to obtain $50 million in financing from Webster Bank to start work on the $76 million ​“Phase 1A” of redeveloping the site of the former Coliseum. Spinnaker took over the redevelopment project in 2019 from a Canadian-based company called LiveWorkLearnPlay, which initially signed a deal with the city in 2013, but then — either because the developers couldn’t raise money or unexpected design problems got in the way — never wound up building anything.

The new redevelopment will be called ​“Square 10.”

Included in Phase 1A, which was approved by the City Plan Commission in November 2020, will be 200 new apartments, 16,000 square feet of retail space, 25,000 square feet of public open space, and a ​“retail laneway.” Twenty of those apartments will be set aside for renters making between 50 and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), and another 20 will be set aside for those making 61 to 100 percent AMI.

The mayor also stated in Friday’s press release that the redeveloper has lined up a Durham, North Carolina-based company called Ancora to build a new 200,000 square-foot medical lab building on the Coliseum site as part of a future phase of redevelopment. Also included in those future redevelopment phases, which still need to go before the City Plan Commission for site plan review, are a 650-space parking garage and up to 100 more apartments.

“The transfer of the Coliseum site to LWLP New Haven LLC marks a major milestone in the Downtown Crossing infrastructure and development project that took patience, perseverance, and the right partner to reach,” Elicker is quoted as saying in the press release. ​“With this closing, the City of New Haven can begin to fulfill an important piece of our Downtown Crossing initiative, a transformative project that is reconnecting neighborhoods long cut off by failed, so-called ​“urban renewal” efforts of the past and creating a new neighborhood within walking distance of Union Station and the Medical District.”

Spinnaker CEO Clay Fowler is also quoted as saying: ​“We are thrilled at last to be moving forward with construction on this site, and to be a partner in a project that is transforming New Haven.”

Construction for Phase 1A should begin early in November.

Read Friday’s press release in full below.

Press Release: Mayor Elicker Announces Start of Phase 1 of “Square 10” at Former New Haven Coliseum Site

NEW HAVEN, CT – Today, Mayor Justin Elicker announced that the City of New Haven finalized its conveyance of Phase 1 of the former site of the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, located at 275 South Orange Street, to LWLP New Haven LLC, a consortium of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, the Fieber Group, and KDP. Phase 1 is a 3.5‑acre parcel which will be developed in three sub-phases for new housing, public amenities, and a medical/lab office building. The closing on the site was officially completed on Thursday, October 27^th, 2022.

Phase 1A of the project calls for the construction of 200 new residential units, approximately 16,000 square feet of retail space, and more than 25,000 square feet of public open space and a plaza along a ​“retail laneway”. LWLP New Haven LLC will set aside 20 of these residential units for households at 50% — 60% of the area median income (AMI) and 20 units for households at 61% — 100% of AMI. (A sample rendering of Phase 1A can be found here.)

“The transfer of the Coliseum site to LWLP New Haven LLC marks a major milestone in the Downtown Crossing infrastructure and development project that took patience, perseverance, and the right partner to reach,” said Mayor Justin Elicker. ​“With this closing, the City of New Haven can begin to fulfill an important piece of our Downtown Crossing initiative, a transformative project that is reconnecting neighborhoods long cut off by failed, so-called ​“urban renewal” efforts of the past and creating a new neighborhood within walking distance of Union Station and the Medical District. The redevelopment of the Coliseum site will provide an assortment of new commercial, residential, office, and educational spaces that will enable new local economic growth, create new jobs, unlock new business opportunities, and provide new market and affordable housing options for New Haven residents.”

Looking ahead, Phase 1B calls for construction of a 650-space parking garage and an additional 75 — 100 apartments, 20% of which will be affordable units. The new housing will partially wrap around the garage structure. Phase 1C will involve the construction of a 200,000+ square foot med/lab building with a ground floor restaurant. Ancora L&G, based in Durham, NC, will carry out the development of Phase 1C. Ancora L&G specializes in building high-quality med/lab environments in academic centers of distinction. In this instance, Ancora L&G will build on the research and innovation led by Yale University, as well as New Haven’s proximity to the New York and Boston metropolitan markets. Pelli Clarke & Partners, a globally-acclaimed architectural firm based in New Haven, will be the designer. (A sample rendering of Phases 1B and 1C can be found here.)

Project Partners:

“We are thrilled at last to be moving forward with construction on this site, and to be a partner in a project that is transforming New Haven,” said Clay Fowler, founding partner of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners and a principal of LWLP New Haven LLC. ​“Spinnaker specializes in development opportunities that integrate the uniqueness and sense of place found in existing communities. We are constantly exploring neighborhoods that possess authenticity, connectedness, and the potential for livability. We appreciate all of the hard work by the city and community stakeholders, and we’re very excited to be moving forward and getting shovels in the ground.”

“We at Ancora L&G are excited to be a part of the redevelopment of this important gateway corner of downtown New Haven into a vibrant, thriving, Square 10,” said Josh Parker, CEO of Ancora L&G. “ We look forward to delivering a landmark building that advances research, academic collaboration and continued growth for the region’s early stage and mature life sciences companies, while also joining with the community’s residential and retail activities to enhance the economic and social health of New Haven.”

“The building planned by Ancora L&G for Square 10 will further establish New Haven as a regional hub for bioscience and biotechnology research and innovation, improving economic outcomes for the City and residents with good-paying jobs,” stated Ginny Kozlowski, CEO, New Haven Economic Development Corporation New Haven. 

“It’s so gratifying to see the Downtown Crossing project taking shape and to know that the input and ideas of residents have been considered and incorporated into the plan,” said New Haven Alder Carmen Rodriguez (Ward 6). ​“The redevelopment of the coliseum site is one of the last, and biggest, parts of this transformative plan and I look forward to residents once again providing input on this project to ensure that Square 10 promotes economic growth that is both inclusive and sustainable.” 

Background:

The Coliseum site at 275 South Orange Street is one of the most important pieces of the Downtown Crossing redevelopment project. In 2007, the City demolished the former New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum and used the site for public parking over the years. Through this public / private partnership, the site will become a vibrant, diverse neighborhood of apartments, stores, med/lab offices, and public open space. 

Under the terms of the 2013 Development and Land Disposition Agreement (DLDA) which LWLP New Haven LLC assumed in 2019, the company formally took possession of the 3.5‑acre Phase 1 parcel and will serve as the developer for the overall project. 

In the two years since assuming the DLDA, LWLP New Haven LLC has met with the community, completed detailed designs, and gained approval of the site plan. The company then secured $50 million in debt financing from Webster Bank, which coupled with private equity from MSquared, enables construction of the $76 million Phase 1A investment to move forward. 

Next Steps:

Two additional development sites along the State Street side of the Coliseum site will remain following the completion of Phase 1C. These sites, comprising approximately one acre in total, will be reserved as Phase 2, and leased to LWLP New Haven LLC for interim uses until such time as a development project is ready to proceed.

The City is seeking additional funding for Downtown Crossing roadway infrastructure, which will in part be used to develop the former North Frontage Road right-of-way into a bicycle and pedestrian greenway park. Once completed, the greenway park will provide seamless bike/ped connectivity from Downtown Crossing to the Farmington Canal Line, thereby connecting city neighborhoods and northerly suburbs to Union Station. 

A groundbreaking event kicking off construction of Phase 1A is scheduled for November 10. A community meeting on the project is tentatively set for November 17, to be followed by the City Plan Commission’s formal review of the Phase 1B and Phase 1C plans at a date to be announced.