Elkus Manfredi Architects
The planned new 101 College St. biotower.
The city pulled in a $3 million state grant to help cover some of the infrastructure development costs associated with the planned new $100 million bioscience lab tower to be built at 101 College St.
The State Bond Commission voted in support of granting New Haven that aid Tuesday morning during its latest meeting held at the State Capitol in Hartford.
The commissioners voted in support of bonding $3 million for a grant-in-aid to the city to help pay for the design and construction of tunnels, driveways and city sidewalk improvements associated with Winstanley Enterprises’s prospective 10-story development.
The bond commission’s agenda indicates that the state will provide a total of $8 million in installments to the city to facilitate necessary public infrastructure upgrades required to make this project a reality. Tuesday’s $3 million grant represents the first installment.
“High-quality lab space is essential to New Haven’s economic development in the science and technology sectors, and this state investment will further enhance New Haven’s leading position in this increasing important part of our economy,” New Haven State Sen. and Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney is quoted as saying in a celebratory press release put out Tuesday with State Rep. Al Paolillo and Mayor Justin Elicker.
Earlier this month, the Board of Alders unanimously approved a public land sale and underlying zoning updates designed to enable the development of the 500,000 square-foot building to be built atop the former Route 34 Connector. Also this month, the City Plan Commission unanimously signed off on the site plan for the proposed development, which is part of the years-in-the-making Downtown Crossing initiative that has sought to reconnect Downtown and the Hill.
The city Development Commission is slated to vote during a special meeting Wednesday morning on updating the Downtown municipal development plan to provide the last municipal regulatory approval needed before 101 College’s developers begin construction later this summer.
$3M For Police Community Engagement Training
In addition to the 101 College grant, commissioners Tuesday voted on a number of other aid packages slated to benefit New Haven and Hamden residents. New Haven and Hamden State Rep. Robyn Porter kept a running tally of those votes on her Facebook page to keep her constituents informed.
In one such vote, the commissioners approved bonding $3 million to pay for community engagement training for law enforcement units in towns with a population of over 100,000 and to towns adjacent to those larger municipalities.
“Funds will provide eligible applicants with training designed to engage the community in transitional justice with an emphasis on reconciliation and repairing the police’s relationships with the communities they serve,” the bond commission’s agenda reads.
In another vote, they approved $5 million for HEDCO’s Minority Business Revolving Loan Fund.
And in another, they approved $4 million for the purchase, rehabilitation, structural repair or demolition of homes in the Newhall Street neighborhood of Hamden that “suffered severe structural damage due to historic fill,” according to the agenda.
“HARD WORK PAYS OFF!” Porter celebrated in a Facebook post in regards to the $4 million Newhall Street grant. “Thank you to my Hamden team and the Finance Committee!”
Given New Haven's role in the state economy, the bonding amounts for development in New Haven should regularly be on the order of $300 million, not $3 million.
The New Haven economy is the only thing keeping the state afloat at this point (and certainly the only thing keeping New Haven's suburban towns afloat).
Look what happened at UConn. The state pumped money into Storrs and Farmington, and while some jobs were retained, there has been virtually no broader private market reaction or impact.
Meanwhile, a small amount of bonding in New Haven has helped make downtown New Haven responsible for about half the state's growth, even though it represents about 0.1% of the state's land area.