City Plan commissioners saw the latest designs for a new $30 million boathouse for New Haven harbor, then gave the plan their blessing as it readies for launch.
The City Plan Commission Wednesday evening granted a Planned Development District modification and the first ever flood plain variance to allow for the new “Community Boathouse at Canal Dock.”
Construction on the new 31,000 square-foot facility is scheduled to begin this fall, will the building ready for occupation by 2013.
On Wednesday evening in City Hall, the City Plan Commission took in a PowerPoint presentation with the latest specs on the project, then voted unanimously to approve it.
“This is one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on,” said City Plan staffer Donna Hall, who has shepherded the project through development. It’s a plan that has been over 10 years in the making, she explained.
It began with the move to build a new I‑95 Q Bridge, which displaced the old Adee Boathouse. After lengthy negotiations, the state Department of Transportation and the city signed a memorandum in 1999 agreeing that the state would help mitigate the loss of the historic building. That agreement led to the State Street train station, the Church Street South bridge, and the boathouse.
The state is putting up $30 million to make it happen. A non-profit has been formed to run the boathouse and no city money will be involved, Hall said.
The new building will include a section of the facade of Adee Boathouse, reconstructed and encased in glass. The facility will be an educational and recreational center and “contribute greatly to the life and culture of New Haven,” Hall said.
Architect Glenn Gregg showed commissioners the latest plans for the new building, which will comprise two stories on top of a 50,000 square-foot platform built out into the harbor off of Long Wharf.
The bottom floor will include storage areas for boats and other equipment. The top floor will be the more “public face” of the building, with a reconstruction of a room from the original boathouse, a kitchen, changing rooms, and a south-facing terrace.
Cardany.
The building will be in a flood plain. So the bottom floor will be constructed with walls that will break away in the event of a 100-year flood, said Chris Cardany, an engineer with Langan, the company spearheading the boathouse design. Such a flood would cause “a couple hundred thousand dollars” worth of damage, but not destroy the building entirely, said Gregg.
Roy Smith, vice-chair of the commission, asked about fishing off of the boathouse platform.
It will not be allowed, Hall said. Baiting, casting, and gutting are not compatible with the use of the space by rowers and sailors and kayakers, she said. Besides, she added, the water is relatively shallow there. It’s not the best spot for angling, she said.
The building and platform will be fully handicapped-accessible, Hall said. But the boathouse will not have handicapped parking. In fact, it won’t have any parking. Hall said the boathouse will work out partnerships with local public and private lots — including IKEA’s — to share parking.
Alderman Justin Elicker, a commissioner, said planners should consider whether there is a safe way for pedestrians to get to the boathouse from IKEA.
Hall said that could be addressed by future site plan reviews by the City Plan Commission.
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the project.