Markeshia Ricks Photos
DuBois-Walton and Mayor Harp cut ribbon on new Mill River Crossing.
The former Farnam Courts public housing development has traded its dilapidated townhouses for high-rise living, a new name, and views of the Q Bridge and East Rock that rival some of the fanciest digs downtown.
Officials from the Housing Authority of New Haven were joined by Mayor Toni Harp and officials from the state and federal government Tuesday to cut the ribbon on the first completed phase of the onsite redevelopment of the nearly 80-year-old housing complex at Grand Avenue and Hamilton Street.
Karen DuBois-Walton, HANH’s executive director, reminded the crowd gathered in the community room of the new apartment complex that the site now known as Mill River Crossing started out as 244 low-income housing units. More than 138 families were relocated — some permanently — to new apartments at the former Cott soda factory in Fair Haven and Eastview Terrace in the Heights.
That allowed for the demolition of about 120 of the units at the front of the complex facing Grand Avenue to make way for the 94 new apartments, 86 of which are affordable and eight are market rate. They make up the two buildings of the first phase of the redevelopment. The first phase also includes 5,900 square feet of commercial and community space on the first floor. It cost about $25 million to build, DuBois-Walton said.
DuBois-Walton asked ceremony attendees to help her retire the name “Farnam Courts” so that everyone could get used to the new mixed-income development’s new name. She pointed out that Farnam Courts, which was built in the 1940s, had a good run, housing thousands of families over the years.
“It did its purpose,” she said. “But in a nod to the past, we want to move beyond that because we know there are better ways that we can provide community for families. We know because we are doing it.”
Shenae Draughn, senior VP for Glendower Group, talks with Anstress Farwell during a tour.
Mill River Crossing is the latest public-housing development rebuilt through the direction of the Glendower Group, which serves as the nonprofit development arm for the housing authority. It follows in the wake of reborn complexes in West Rock, in Dixwell, and in Fair Haven. DuBois-Walton serves as the president of the group, which is a nonprofit.
“What we do now is build the highest-quality housing for families who need affordable housing,” she said, “but also across the whole range of income tiers of affordable housing and market rate housing as well.”
The first phase consists of two five-story buildings that with a total apartment mix of 31 one-bedrooms, 53 two-bedrooms, eight three-bedrooms, and three four-bedrooms. Ninety-six New Haveners who worked on the job, 20 percent of whom are women and 90 percent of whom are racial and ethnic minorities. DuBois-Walton said 25 percent of the work was done by women-owned companies and 39 percent by minority-owned companies, which garnered them $8.7 million.
Apartments have modern finishes and appliances …
Mayor Toni Harp pointed out that the first phase was completed in just 21 months. “I’d say that’s the very definition of efficiency,” she said. She noted that the best news is how the finished product is efficient and aesthetically pleasing.
“It is more evidence of the vitality and investment and innovation that all create demand for housing among the many who want to live here,” Harp said
“The demand for affordable housing and subsidized housing remains high,” she said. “Those who can’t afford new market-rate housing and others who qualify must also have beautiful safe housing options available to them.”
… and some have views of East Rock …
Housing Authority Commissioner Erik Clemons said Tuesday that he remembered being a nontraditional student at Southern Connecticut State University and a LEAP intern who came to the complex daily to work with children. He said when he walked into the new building he remembered the many conversations he had with people about creating possibilities for kids.
“The conversation was always about creating an environment of possibilities beyond the conditions we were in,” he said. “These are the manifestation of those conversations from almost 15 years ago.”
… while others have views of the Q Bridge.
Shenae Draughn, senior vice president for Glendower, said that the per-unit cost to build the first phase was about $260,000. She said the cost is typical for a project that uses federal funding instead of strictly private funding to build. She said that the project had to stick to the federal Davis-Bacon wage rates, which means, depending on the work, hourly labor wages can start at $45. Building a high-rise is more expensive, she said, as is using more sustainable materials that will last for many years.
$450,000 per unit - And how much money did Glendower make in this deal?