Urbane NewHaven
A rendering of the proposed townhouses.
City plans to sell a vacant Jocelyn Square lot to a developer interested in building six new two-family houses advanced — even as city staff cautioned that the proposed development will likely require zoning relief.
The city’s Property Acquisition and Disposition Committee (PAD) took that unanimous vote of support Wednesday afternoon during that latest monthly meeting, which was held online via Zoom.
The committee members voted in support of selling the lot at 156 – 158 Humphrey St. for $25,000 to local developer Eric O’Brien of Urbane NewHaven.
O’Brien plans to build six two-family houses on the site, which currently holds a vacant garage and used to house a gas station.
Each of the new townhomes would have a studio apartment on the ground floor and a two-bedroom unit on the top two floors.
Two of the houses would contain affordable units, all four of which would go to tenants making up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). (Read more about the proposed project here.)
Thomas Breen file photo
LCI’s Eric Trachten: In support of the sale.
Evan Trachten, the city’s acquisitions and dispositions coordinator who presented on the property to the committee, said the project fit into the city’s broader goal of increasing the number of both affordable and market-rate rental units in the city.
“Hopefully this will serve as a future model for other sites in New Haven if we can get it off the ground,” he said. “It’s us believing in a future vision for this neighborhood.”
The proposed buildings would need zoning variances, as they would be more dense than regulations currently permit.
City zoning staffer Nate Hougrand said this might pose a roadblock for the project. “Based on the plan set submitted, they’re going to be asking for a variance for almost every section” from the Board of Zoning Appeals, he said. “I just want to make it clear that it’s going to be an uphill battle.”
Trachten replied that Urbane NewHaven is willing to put in the work to make the case for zoning variances.
“Did the applicant give anything regarding a Plan B?” asked city Small Business Development Officer Clay Williams.
“If the concern is that it’s too dense, I think they would be willing to go back to the drawing board,” said Trachten.
Urbane NewHaven
The proposed floor plans.
Trachten said Urbane NewHaven is seeking zoning relief that would allow them not to have to build any parking spaces at the development itself.
Quinnipiac Meadows Alder Gerald Antunes asked where tenants would be able to park their cars.
Trachten answered that there are several parking lots nearby, including an empty parcel at 50 Mill River St., that could provide parking spaces for tenants.
He pointed out that while the project would be relatively dense, the rowhouse style of housing echoes other streets in the Wooster Square neighborhood.
“I think it actually blends in well with the rest of the area,” East Rock Alder Anna Festa agreed.
The proposed city sale now advances to the LCI Board of Directors, and must ultimately receive a final vote of support by the Board of Alders before going through.
I think this is a great proposal. But going to Nate Hougrand's point, the criterion for a variance is that a literal enforcement of the zoning ordinance would result in hardship. The fact that the development would be good for the city is insufficient. The zoning ordinance is badly outdated and needs to be changed to permit projects like this.