Valley Street Redevelopment OK’d

The City Plan Commission unanimously approved the city housing authority’s plans to knock down and replace 40 decades-old affordable apartments on Valley Street as part of a redevelopment project that the authority first got approved in 2017, and only recently learned will be funded in large part by the state.

That approval came Wednesday night during the commission’s regular monthly meeting, which was held online via the Zoom video-conferencing app as part of the city’s efforts to keep the wheels of municipal government turning even amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Calling in from their respective homes, the commissioners unanimously approved the detailed site plan application by Elm City Community/Housing Authority of New Haven to build nine new residential buildings containing 40 apartments along with a new community building at 210 Valley St. That site is currently home to 10 buildings containing 40 two-story townhomes that were built in 1974.

“All new units will provide handicapped visitability, while four units will be completely handicapped-accessible,” reads the City Plan Department staff report on the application. ​“The unit mix will closely match current bedroom types. The proposed building architecture and streetscape is designed to relate better to the character of the neighborhood, including the removal of chain-link fences that currently are prevalent throughout the site.”

Elm City Communities Vice President of Development Edward LaChance (pictured) explained that the site plan application was nearly identical to one approved by the City Plan Commission back in 2017—and quite a bit smaller than a general plan approved by the commission as part of the housing authority’s successful Planned Development District (PDD) application in 2019. That latter general plan called for the construction of a total of 55 new housing units at the site, 44 of which would be affordable and 11 market-rate.

LaChance said that the housing authority reverted to the previous, smaller redevelopment plan for the site because the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) will provide roughly $25 million to make that version of the project happen.

He said that the housing authority applied for those funds for the 40-unit redevelopment plan in 2017 and 2018, and were denied by CHFA both times. Because CHFA’s affordable housing tax credit program prohibits applicants from submitting the same application three years in a row, the housing authority decided instead put together a different plan — which ultimately led to the 55-unit proposal and the underlying PDD.

And then, CHFA did an audit, and informed the housing authority that the original 40-unit proposal was indeed supposed to get funding back in 2017.

“Even though we like the new plan, it’s hard to give back $25 million in funding when you’re not assured you’ll ever get funding,” he said.

Architect Paul Bailey said that all nine of the new residential buildings will have front porches and front doors facing Valley Street or porches and side doors that face the street. All have townhouses or flats, and have no more than four or five housing units per building.

“They all have a residential character,” he said. ​“I believe these new structures will fit will in the Valley Street neighborhood and will reinforce the residential character of the immediate area.”

LaChance said the housing authority is hoping to close on its financing for the project and begin construction by mid-September.