Alderwoman Holmes & neighbors return with a new tune.
The last time developer Ben Gross showed up in the Hall of Records to pitch a plan to renovate Goatville’s crumbling Star Supply building into apartments, neighbors lined up to stop him. On Tuesday evening in the same room, those neighbors showed up to heap praise on his new and improved plan.
That was the scene at the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), in the basement of the Hall of Records at 200 Orange St. Gross appeared there with a new partner and a new plan for the Star Supply building, a complex of five brick structures at the top of State Street, bordered by Mechanic and Lawrence streets.
Click here to see the new plans.
Thomas MacMillan Photo
Gross (pictured) has been trying to develop the site for months. His first proposal — to build 270 apartments at the 3.22 acre site — was squashed in April amid neighborhood concerns about parking and gentrification.
Following that failure, Gross teamed up with another former would-be Star Supply developer, Andy Montelli, of Post Road Residential, Inc. Montelli had sought to develop the site several years ago, until the 2008 economic downturn scuttled his plans.
Together, Gross and Montelli started over at Star Supply, this time by meeting with neighbors at the outset to win their support.
That effort was a success, as demonstrated by the line of neighbors who took turns Tuesday evening urging the BZA to approve the latest proposal.
The BZA sent the matter to the City Plan Commission for a recommendation. The item will come back to the BZA next month for a final vote.
The latest request is for a number of zoning variances, including to allow residences in an industrial zone and to have smaller yards than required.
Beinfeild Architecture
Those and other permissions would clear the way for the construction of 235 apartments and 4,000 square feet of retail space. The development would have 273 parking spots — more than zoning requires — and 235 bike-parking spots.
Anthony Avallone, the developers’ attorney, told BZA members that the four of the five structures on the site would be torn down. The fifth, on Lawrence Street, would be 80 percent preserved. The retail space would be on the first floor of that building.
Architect Seelan Pather (pictured) told board members that the proposed design respects the different architectural characteristics of each of the three streets. The plan “creates a massing” that “steps away” from the residential area on Mechanic Street and rises on the eastern side, the side closest to I‑91.
On Mechanic Street, the development would have three-story townhouses. The building would step up to a larger four story apartment building to the east, and finally to a five story “loft” style building, Pather said.
The plans call for underground parking and concealed first-story parking under the “loft” building. The roof would have a water tower, as a form of “branding” for the development, Pather said.
The development would comprise market-rate apartments, not affordable housing. That’s due to the high cost of environmental remediation on the site, said Avallone.
East Rock Alderman Jessica Holmes (pictured at the top of the story), who had helped lead the effort to prevent Gross’ last plan from becoming reality, told the BZA that’s she supports the new plan. She said the new plan addresses all of the neighborhood’s concerns about character, parking, and investment in the neighborhood.
“He really listened,” neighbor Stefanie Lapetina (pictured) said of Gross. In all, eight people spoke up in favor of the project, including representatives of the New Haven Preservation Trust and the New Haven Urban Design League.
There was no opposition.
After the testimony, Montelli said it’s too early to tell how much the project will cost. He said it would also be “premature” to talk about the financing of the project until all the permissions are in place.
The City Plan Commission will meet next Wednesday to consider the proposal’s impact on the Mill River.