Remember a developer promised to tear down Harold’s Bridal Shop at the corner of State and Elm and build 96 apartments? Years later, that slumbering plan appears to have revived.
MOD Equities won approval of a site plan in 2020 to undertake the project. And never got to it. (Click here for a story about how developers such as MOD Equities are encountering Covid-related, supply chain-induced delays, with some of their projects stalling.)
Now a potential buyer has stepped in to take over the project: 19 Elm Property LLC. A New York developer named Rex Hakimian is listed in the state commercial database as the firm’s principal.
The deal appears to hinge on new zoning approvals. 19 Elm’s attorney, Ben Trachten appeared before the Board of Zoning Appeals Tuesday night to lay out a request for special exceptions to modify small aspects of the project related to parking.
Commissioners listened with quiet interest and asked no questions. No vote was taken, because first the matter must be referred to the City Plan Commission for review. It will return for a formal vote by the BZA next month.
The newly requested changes at 19 Elm St. include a reduction in the number of on-site parking spots from 35 to 24 and permission for additional off-site leased spots to be beyond a 1,000-foot walking limit. The walking distance is 1,499 feet to the farthest of the leased spots to be provided to the developers by the New Haven Parking Authority at State and Wall streets.
“This was a 2020 site plan approval. The number of units isn’t changing. The building size and shape isn’t changing. The only change is the elimination of subsurface parking level that would have held 35 cars. Now there will be 24 parking spaces on site. Vehicular and pedestrian egress and ingress into and out of the property remains unchanged.” The basis for this request, said Trachten, is simply that the New Haven Parking Authority “can’t make all 42 abutting.”
Special exception was also being sought not to provide a dedicated loading space. That is because the site’s “unique location” – fronting on both Elm and State – provided lots of places for trucks to unload, Trachten argued.
If downtown NH is such a great investment, how come developers have to always ask for favors and the ability to circumvent zoning or other requirements? And how come no one local thinks NH is a good investment?
But If everyone can get exemptions, why do we have zoning and building codes at all? Make it a complete free for all! Come to NH and build whatever and however you want. If it doesn't work out, the taxpayers will be stuck with the tab.