University, city officials confront communication gap

Broadway

Local aldermen and University officials met on Mon., Oct. 22, in an attempt to heal chronically strained town-gown relations. The meeting, organized by Alderman Josh Civin (D-1), CC '96, covered a variety of issues, but was primarily centered around how to make downtown more attractive to both businesses and consumers. University Secretary Linda Lorimer and officials from Yale's Office of New Haven Affairs agreed with Civin that in order to achieve this goal, the city needs to bring in large, big-name retailers to spur economic development and improve marketing.

"We need to improve the perception of downtown as a place to work, study, and shop," Assistant Secretary for State and Municipal Affairs Susan Godshall said. Civin said, "We discussed the necessity of bringing in the right mix of stores to the area. We agreed that we need to be more responsive to what residents and students want."

One goal which could significantly affect the Yale population is to try to increase the amount and variety of businesses that stay open into the evening. Presently, only a handful of coffee bars and pizza joints are open on Broadway after dark.

Both sides also stressed the importance of bringing in larger flights into Tweed-New Haven Airport, as well as providing more parking in the downtown area.

Among more Yale-related issues, they discussed security on Lake Place, Yale's interaction with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, plans to build a new basketball court for the Payne Whitney Gym, and the fate of the Divinity School.

The meeting helped to close the communication gap between the University and local government, and foster a better working relationship between the two parties. "Often, we get suspicious when we hear things second- or third-hand. The meeting was productive, and we're committed to having more in the future," Civin said.

Alderwoman Olivia Martsen (D-3) agrees. "While a lot of issues are still unresolved, [the meeting] helped in developing a better working relationship with the University. It's definitely a good start to get people informed and work on communication," she said.