New Haven receives $70M for renovations

In the upcoming months, New Haven will get a makeover. On Thurs., Oct. 8, Mayor John DeStefano, Jr., laid out the details for major transit and harbor projects. The plans will be possible due to the $70 million New Haven has received from the state of Connecticut.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH SITTING PRETTY: Whether or not the historic Yale boathouse is floated down the river to Long Wharf, it will continue to attract visitors.

The projects, which include a bridge over the railroad tracks on Union Street and relocation of the historic Yale boathouse, are aimed at knitting the city together and making it more accessible to commuters, according to city and state officials.

Reconnecting the harbor area to the rest of downtown is one of the city's major goals. The $30 million Church Street bridge will extend from Church Street south over the railroad tracks to Long Wharf, providing a direct link between the two regions of the city. Such a link between downtown and the harbor area does not currently exist. "Once you're at Long Wharf, you have to go about three-quarters of a mile to reconnect to downtown," City Planner Karen Gilvarg pointed out.

"The bridge will improve access from [Interstate 95] and create a new gateway into downtown," Richard Martinez, chief of policy and planning for the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT), added.

In addition, New Haven officials hope that the relocation of Yale's historic brick boathouse, currently located on Forbes Avenue, will help make the harbor more vibrant. In its present location, the building will continue to be threatened by plans to expand the Quinnipiac Bridge.

Once floated down the river to Long Wharf, the building will house a replica of the Amistad slave ship, as well as restaurants and shops. The state is still figuring out the best way to preserve the boathouse. "The question is whether we really can literally pick it up and move it," Martinez said. "We're looking at the different relocating, reconstructing, and replicating possibilities." The city is currently working on getting the necessary permits to begin this project.

The DOT has agreed to assist with the other parts of the city's $4 million plan for harbor renovation. These include restoring the eroded shoreline at Long Wharf's Vietnam Memorial Park, creating a new festival plaza, and adding a 229-ship marina. These projects, Gilvarg believes, will create necessary public space in New Haven. "Right now there really is no gathering place near the harbor. It's ridiculous that, on the Fourth of July, it's almost impossible to fit everyone on the narrow space there to watch the fireworks," she said.

Yale officials are optimistic about the results of an improved harbor area. Vice President of New Haven and State Affairs Bruce Alexander, BK '65, believes that a rejuvenated harbor would lure more visitors to the area. "Anything that increases the regional activity is good for the city, and for Yale," he said.

Local businesses are not entirely convinced. Bill Kalas, manager of Copper Kitchen restaurant on Chapel Street, thinks it's too soon to predict how the planned renovations will affect businesses like his. "How can you say for sure right now? You could say that the harbor will take business away, or you could say that it could bring more people to downtown who will buy from us. We'll have to see," he said.

At the same time, New Haven is working on making it easier to commute to, from, and within the city. A proposed new $5 million downtown train station at the corner of Chapel and State streets would allow Shoreline East commuter train riders to get off before Union Station, closer to downtown. DeStefano emphasized that the new station will be an additional, not a replacement, stop. "We're not abandoning Union station," he said. The new station hopes to open within two years.

Facing the new train station will be a new $15 million bus depot topped with 300 new parking spaces. Martinez explained that this new station would create an excellent transfer point in the downtown area. "It's ideal. People will be able to get off the train, cross the street, wait in a nicely heated or air conditioned bus station, and then get on a bus," he said.

Kuczkowski added that about 38 percent of bus riders transfer, and the new station will make this switch easier and more pleasant. The state has also provided the city with $500,000 for a two-year study on possible improvements to bus routes. The DOT would like to have both of these projects complete before it turns to reconstruction of the Quinnipiac Bridge, Martinez said.

According to Gilvarg, New Haven's many improvements will help make it more of a commuter town. The city could someday be "in the same relation to Manhattan as Stamford is now," she said.

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