ConnCORP House Opens Doors On West Hazel

Rachel Graziano currently lives in Naugatuck, because the rent there is cheaper — but not for long.

By July, she’ll finally move back to her hometown of New Haven, renting a brand new Newhallville house built by her employer, the local workforce and housing developer ConnCAT/ConnCORP.

Graziano joined about 50 ConnCAT and ConnCORP affiliates on Wednesday morning to celebrate the completed construction of the house she’ll soon occupy at 251 West Hazel St. 

“Being a New Haven native, it means the world to me to be back in my town,” she said.

The property had once been home to a crumbling, blighted house, where a tree poked through the roof. ConnCORP demolished the existing house and built a new structure from scratch, from the foundation to the roof. The organization originally purchased the property from Neighborhood Housing Services in 2020 and began construction eight months ago.

“People who are not indigenous to these communities are buying up properties and land-banking,” said ConnCORP CEO Erik Clemons on Wednesday, alluding to the consolidation of large landlords such as Ocean and Mandy Management in Newhallville and New Haven as a whole. Clemons framed ConnCORP’d residential developments as an alternative to ramshackle or expensive homes owned by neglectful or profiteering real estate companies.

According to ConnCORP’s vice president of real estate, Ian Williams, the house cost ConnCORP a total of $688,000 to bring to fruition, including a $300,000 grant from the city. ​“It’s a $300,000 neighborhood,” Williams said, touting the relatively high cost of 251 West Hazel St. as a high-quality investment in Newhallville. Each apartment contains an electric stove, a dishwasher, and a washer-dryer unit.

The new house, a three-story, two-unit structure with a total of six bedrooms, is the first of several houses in the Newhallville neighborhood that ConnCORP is in the process of rehabilitating or rebuilding. The organization has also undertaken the redevelopment of Dixwell Plaza down the street into a residential and commercial hub.

Williams said that ConnCORP’s tenants will pay 30 percent of their household income toward rent. When asked about the house’s affordability, Williams could not provide more information about the income range of tenants. Graziano said she will be paying $1,300 a month, not including utilities, for a two-bedroom apartment on the house’s first floor.

Graziano, ConnCAT’s youth program assistant, was hand-selected as a tenant after her supervisors noticed how she took the bus to work each day from the Naugatuck Valley.

Her upstairs neighbors will be a family of four, including a toddler and a teenager, who currently rent out of another ConnCORP-owned house.

Graziano said she grew up in a military family that moved around often, with New Haven considered their home base. ​“I’ve lived in almost every single neighborhood, from the Hill to Prospect Hill,” she said.

As an adult, Graziano moved to Naugatuck, where rent tends to be more affordable. But ​“I miss the culture of New Haven. I miss the people,” she said.

She envisions a black and white color scheme in her new apartment, with minimalist decor and plenty of greenery. 

She received her first new potted plant for the home on Wednesday, a housewarming gift from Alisha Crutchfield of the Westville floral and gift shop BLOOM.

Graziano wiped away tears before ceremonially snipping a wide green ribbon at Wednesday’s celebration.

“Wipe your feet!” she joked, as dozens filed into the house to see the new apartments for themselves.