Sketch of the plan.
Fair Haven Community Health Care (FHCHC) has examined its parking-related growing pains, and is now looking for community and government approval for the cure.
Current configuration, including three buildings to be demolished.
Addressing a dearth of parking spaces for patients and staff, the center plans to expand its lot by knocking down three buildings it owns behind the Grand Avenue facility, at 83, 85, and 87 Woolsey St. The knockdown will allow for an additional 10 parking spaces, pending approval of a requested special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals.
CEO Suzanne Lagarde, FHCHC Vice President Dominic Seraphin, and TPA Design architect Oliver Goffrey pitched their plan Thursday night at a meeting of the Fair Haven Community Management meeting, held at the Fair Haven public library branch. They asked for a vote of support from the management team.
The management team did not have a quorum for the vote at the meeting, so it posted the question online for neighbors to vote through Sunday. To qualify as a voting member, Fair Haven residents must have previously attended five monthly management team meetings.
Currently, the clinic has 47 parking spots. Over the years the center’s programs and staff have expanded, leading to the clinic partnering with John S. Martinez Magnet School for annex parking on James Street.
“These improvements will help further accessibility and ease for our patients and staff as we continue to expand service to the Fair Haven community,” said Seraphin.
The plan includes planting roughly 20 trees around the clinic for shade and for better aesthetics. The sewage and runoff system will also be upgraded on site. The clinic is installing a new runoff collection system to better water the trees. The new parking lot will also include “smart” light posts that adjust automatically depending on the season and amount of sunlight.
However, that all made the zoning complicated.
The demolition of the three Woolsey Street buildings, which the clinic reports had essentially fallen into disrepair, triggered setback rules, requiring the center to seek permission to rezone the space. The new parking lot must have a 17-foot setback space, which it would create through a green space with boulders.
Through fulfilling this requirement, they are running into another city law that requires a minimum number of parking spaces based upon the square footage of a building they are attached to.
In New Haven, under city zoning rules, the 32,000 square-foot clinic would require 64 parking spots. However, with the setback requirement the clinic has the space for only 57 spots.
So on July 12, the clinic will make the case at a Board of Zoning Appeals hearing for both a special exception on the number of parking spots as well as the reclassification of the previous residential zoning on the space occupied by the three clinic-owned homes on Woolsey. (Click here to read the FHCHC submission to the zoning board.)
Maya McFadden Photo
Surveyer Zack Weingart working on the plan in March at the FHCHC site.
The new tree filtration system.
The clinic also plans to appeal the setback requirement, but that process will take longer and the clinic does not expect any movement for at least six months. If the appeal is granted, then the clinic can add an additional 10 slots, fulfilling the city’s 64 parking space requirement.
New city ordinances also require parking spaces to either have enough shade over them or be painted over to ensure that the parking spaces do not overheat during the summer.
“These rules will probably add to our costs, but we’re going to make it work,” said Seraphin.
The clinic is funding this project through a $600,000 federal grant.