Coliseum Redo Promise: Park Will Be Public

The public space at the new Coliseum site redevelopment will be a true ​“gateway to the city” that is open to all — and not a fenced-in private courtyard like what currently sits one block away in front of the Knights of Columbus tower.

City officials and a Norwalk-based redevelopment team made that promise during the latest community meeting about a mini-city’s worth of rebuilding now underway in New Haven’s ​“Tenth Square.”

That meeting and focused discussion on just how public the public spaces at 275 Orange St. will be took place Thursday evening during a community conversation hosted by Hill/City Point/Ninth Square Alder Carmen Rodriguez at the Canal Dock Boathouse on Long Wharf.

Bringing together the project’s developers, architects, and city officials, the meetup provided an opportunity for Hill residents to ask questions and dive deep on a long-delayed development project that at long last has broken ground.

The first phase of that redevelopment will bring to the current surface parking lot at 275 Orange St. 200 new apartments, 16,000 square feet of retail space, 25,000 square feet of public open space, and a ​“retail laneway.”

Hill neighbors pushed time and again on Thursday to make sure that this eagerly anticipated redevelopment, and especially the planned new public space and park, be open to all New Haveners that want to enjoy it. 

Thursday’s meeting was held the old fashioned way. Internet connectivity issues at the Canal Dock Boathouse prevented the event from being live streamed online, meaning in-person attendance only. And due to another technical issue, the developers, the Norwalk-based Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, had to pass out hard-copies of their slides in lieu of a functioning projector. 

Holding up a photo of the new life sciences building that is planned for the second phase of redevelopment at the Coliseum site, architect Frank Clarke quipped, ​“this reminds me of my third grade teacher teaching me to spell” as he tapped the image with his pen.

Spinnaker Real Estate Partners broke ground on the first phase of the construction last week. Frank Caico, who oversees real estate acquisition for the firm, told attendees at the community meeting Thursday that they had filed their plans for the second phase with the city just a few hours before. That means that the next phase of redevelopment should come before the City Plan Commission for site plan review as early as next month.

Read more about the redevelopment plans and progress here and here.

At Thursday’s meeting, many residents had questions for Caico and other developer representatives about the public spaces that would be a part of the new project. 

Mostly, they wondered whether the new park and plaza would end up like the courtyard outside the Knights of Columbus building across the street: fenced-in and unavailable to the community.

“We don’t want to have a gated community,” Alder Rodriguez replied to resident concerns. She and the developers explained that the public plaza would remain just that, public, and that the park would be maintained by the city and kept open for families to enjoy. ​“Trust me,” Rodriguez continued. ​“That conversation was had.”

Longtime New Haveners recalled their own fond memories of the demolished and long-gone Coliseum as they sought reassurance that parts of the new project will be open to all. 

“I grew up watching pro-wrestling there,” said Ernest Pagan, a leader of the local carpenters union and a member of the City Plan Commission. ​“It was a part of my childhood.”

Rodriguez recognized how much the Coliseum meant to her ward. She praised the developers for including community members in conversations about what the future of the site should look like. ​“They’ve been very open to discussing making this a public space for both children and adults,” she told this reporter.

Beyond making the Coliseum site a community space, neighbors also pushed on Thursday to ensure that the project would give back to the community, from the time that construction begins to the grand opening of the businesses and apartments in a few years.

Pagan confirmed with the developers that construction workers would be paid New Haven’s livable wage — currently $18.45 with an added $1 for workers without medical and other benefits. He advocated for all workers to be given full medical benefits and retirement. ​“We want to retire with dignity,” he said. The developers made no promises on that front.

Caico did say that his firm would be open to working with Pagan on another request: working with apprentices on the project. The City of New Haven will require contractors on the project to hire apprentices for at least 15 percent of all their hours. Pagan encouraged more outreach to those just starting out in construction.

Hill resident Thomasine Shaw suggested that Spinnaker prioritize hiring apprentices from New Haven. ​“Let’s face it,” she said. ​“Our education system is not what it should be.” Though she recognized good-paying early-career jobs are scarce beyond just New Haven, she pointed out that ​“urban students” would benefit the most from such an opportunity.

Shaw and Caico agreed that taking a group of apprentices on a tour of the site would be a great way to get New Haven students involved.

Neighbors shared many ideas that they hoped would maximize the site’s positive contribution to their community: less parking and more bike storage, a revitalization of the neighboring Knights of Columbus courtyard, and opportunities for small, local businesses to move into the storefronts.

Overall, residents expressed hope about the Coliseum site plan and gratitude for the opportunity to give their input.

As Pagan told this reporter: ​“This is a beautiful time to be in New Haven. It’s special to see the city growing right in front of your eyes.”