MAYOR ELICKER ANNOUNCES START OF PHASE 1 OF “SQUARE 10” AT FORMER NEW HAVEN COLISEUM SITE
Development consortium led by LWLP New Haven LLC to move forward with transformative
mixed-use development at one of the most significant sites at Downtown Crossing.
NEW HAVEN, CT – Today, Mayor Justin Elicker announced that the City of New Haven finalized its conveyance of Phase 1 of the former site of the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, located at 275 South Orange Street, to LWLP New Haven LLC, a consortium of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, the Fieber Group, and KDP. Phase 1 is a 3.5-acre parcel which will be developed in three sub-phases for new housing, public amenities, and a medical/lab office building. The closing on the site was officially completed on Thursday, October 27th, 2022.
Phase 1A of the project calls for the construction of 200 new residential units, approximately 16,000 square feet of retail space, and more than 25,000 square feet of public open space and a plaza along a “retail laneway”. LWLP New Haven LLC will set aside 20 of these residential units for households at 50% - 60% of the area median income (AMI) and 20 units for households at 61% - 100% of AMI. The developer’s total projected costs for Phase 1A are estimated to be $76 million with an estimated completion date by 2025. (A sample rendering of Phase 1A can be found here.)
“The transfer of the Coliseum site to LWLP New Haven LLC marks a major milestone in the Downtown Crossing infrastructure and development project that took patience, perseverance, and the right partner to reach,” said Mayor Justin Elicker. “With this closing, the City of New Haven can begin to fulfill an important piece of our Downtown Crossing initiative, a transformative project that is reconnecting neighborhoods long cut off by failed, so-called “urban renewal” efforts of the past and creating a new neighborhood within walking distance of Union Station and the Medical District. The redevelopment of the Coliseum site will provide an assortment of new commercial, residential, office, and educational spaces that will enable new local economic growth, create new jobs, unlock new business opportunities, and provide new market and affordable housing options for New Haven residents.”
Looking ahead, Phase 1B calls for construction of a 650-space parking garage and an additional 75 - 100 apartments, 20% of which will be affordable units. The new housing will partially wrap around the garage structure. Phase 1C will involve the construction of a 200,000+ square foot med/lab building with a ground floor restaurant. Ancora L&G, based in Durham, NC, will carry out the development of Phase 1C. Ancora L&G specializes in building high-quality med/lab environments in academic centers of distinction. In this instance, Ancora L&G will build on the research and innovation led by Yale University, as well as New Haven’s proximity to the New York and Boston metropolitan markets. Pelli Clarke & Partners, a globally-acclaimed architectural firm based in New Haven, will be the designer. The developer’s total projected costs for Phases 1B & 1C are still be determined with an estimated completion date by 2027. (A sample rendering of Phases 1B and 1C can be found here.)
Project Partners:
“We are thrilled at last to be moving forward with construction on this site, and to be a partner in a project that is transforming New Haven,” said Clay Fowler, founding partner of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners and a principal of LWLP New Haven LLC. “Spinnaker specializes in development opportunities that integrate the uniqueness and sense of place found in existing communities. We are constantly exploring neighborhoods that possess authenticity, connectedness, and the potential for livability. We appreciate all of the hard work by the city and community stakeholders, and we’re very excited to be moving forward and getting shovels in the ground.”
“We at Ancora L&G are excited to be a part of the redevelopment of this important gateway corner of downtown New Haven into a vibrant, thriving, Square 10,” said Josh Parker, CEO of Ancora L&G. “ We look forward to delivering a landmark building that advances research, academic collaboration and continued growth for the region’s early stage and mature life sciences companies, while also joining with the community’s residential and retail activities to enhance the economic and social health of New Haven.”
“The building planned by Ancora L&G for Square 10 will further establish New Haven as a regional hub for bioscience and biotechnology research and innovation, improving economic outcomes for the City and residents with good-paying jobs,” stated Ginny Kozlowski, CEO, New Haven Economic Development Corporation New Haven.
“It’s so gratifying to see the Downtown Crossing project taking shape and to know that the input and ideas of residents have been considered and incorporated into the plan,” said New Haven Alder Carmen Rodriguez (Ward 6). “The redevelopment of the coliseum site is one of the last, and biggest, parts of this transformative plan and I look forward to residents once again providing input on this project to ensure that Square 10 promotes economic growth that is both inclusive and sustainable.”
Background:
The Coliseum site at 275 South Orange Street is one of the most important pieces of the Downtown Crossing redevelopment project. In 2007, the City demolished the former New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum and used the site for public parking over the years. Through this public / private partnership, the site will become a vibrant, diverse neighborhood of apartments, stores, med/lab offices, and public open space.
Under the terms of the 2013 Development and Land Disposition Agreement (DLDA) which LWLP New Haven LLC assumed in 2019, the company formally took possession of the 3.5-acre Phase 1 parcel and will serve as the developer for the overall project.
In the two years since assuming the DLDA, LWLP New Haven LLC has met with the community, completed detailed designs, and gained approval of the site plan. The company then secured $50 million in debt financing from Webster Bank, which coupled with private equity from MSquared, enables construction of the $76 million Phase 1A investment to move forward.
Next Steps:
Two additional development sites along the State Street side of the Coliseum site will remain following the completion of Phase 1C. These sites, comprising approximately one acre in total, will be reserved as Phase 2, and leased to LWLP New Haven LLC for interim uses until such time as a development project is ready to proceed.
The City is seeking additional funding for Downtown Crossing roadway infrastructure, which will in part be used to develop the former North Frontage Road right-of-way into a bicycle and pedestrian greenway park. Once completed, the greenway park will provide seamless bike/ped connectivity from Downtown Crossing to the Farmington Canal Line, thereby connecting city neighborhoods and northerly suburbs to Union Station.
A groundbreaking event kicking off construction of Phase 1A is scheduled for November 10. A community meeting on the project is tentatively set for November 17, to be followed by the City Plan Commission’s formal review of the Phase 1B and Phase 1C plans at a date to be announced.
Press Contact:
Lenny H. Speiller (he/him)
Director of Communications
Mayor Justin Elicker | City of New Haven
165 Church Street | New Haven, CT 06511
Phone: 203-725-4249
Email: Lspeiller@newhavenct.gov
