While owner-occupied homes are on ice for now, 33 rental townhouses are rapidly rising at a reborn public housing complex on the Quinnipiac River.
“Tin knockers” is the affectionate name that carpenters like Tony Gargano and Jeff Andrews use to describe the guys who put in the duct work. They’re the only ones not yet busy at work at the Quinnipiac Terrace site.
Gargano and Andrews (pictured in foreground and background) are foremen with a 30-person crew from New Haven Partitions that Thursday was working its 100th day on the Housing Authority of New Haven’s phase three construction at Quinnipiac Terrace. The first phase opened in 2006, replacing what had become a run-down, roach-infested public housing barrack.
The workers said they expect to finish the framing, roofing, partitions, and trim on the new phase by March.
They’re working on adding 11 units on the south side of the colorful and sought-after mixed-income Quinnipiac Terrace development and 22 units on the north side.
There Mike Fitch, another foreman, was rising into a brilliantly bright blue sky Thursday morning via one of the half dozen “man lifts” that dot the property that stretches from Bailey Street on the north to Peck Street on the south along Front Street.
This third phase of the mixed income development, modeled on Monterey Place in Dixwell, is being erected by the Housing Authority of New Haven (HANH) and Trinity Financial Group.
It was originally planned to include 10 owner-occupied homes on the south and 10 on the north to complement the 33 rental units now rising.
However, the economic downturn put the kibosh on that prospect for now. Click here for that story, and why HANH determined to defer those buildings until the market improves.
By federal guidelines, the home ownership units will not be converted to any other use and eventually will be built and sold at market rates. The land on which they will go up has the prime views of the river; for now that land is a staging area for the rental construction.
The colorful colonial look of the completed phase three rental portion of Q Terrace will be identical to what exists, said Andrews.
Allan Appel
The crew have found no great surprises in the construction process, said Gargano. Andrews said most of the 30 guys in the New Haven Partitions crew reside in New Haven. The project must abide by city guidelines for employment of residents, minorities and women.
On Jan. 10, by when much of the framing work will be done at Q Terrace, some of the crew will be shifting to the other end of town to begin framing the initial buildings of the $173 million reconstruction of the demolished Brookside and Rockview complexes into some 395 new housing units at West Rock Redevelopment project. Click .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)for that story.
Oh, as to those tin knockers, they can’t come in until the roofs are all on, said Andrews.