Fair Haven Waterfront Development Planned

By Alexandra Martinakova, New Haven Independent

NEW HAVEN, CT — A local developer plans to build 70 senior apartments and 18,000 square feet of commercial space across three new buildings along the Quinnipiac River — prompting pushback from some Fair Haven neighbors concerned about overbuilding the neighborhood’s waterfront.

Fereshteh Bekhrad, general manager of Riverfront Development LLC, detailed those plans last Thursday night during a public meeting held in the basement of the Fair Haven branch public library.

In front of about 50 people, including Fair Haven Alders Sarah Miller and Frank Redente, Bekhrad described her new-construction plans for properties her company owns at 185, 201, 212, and 213 Front St. Those properties currently contain warehouse buildings and empty space right alongside the Quinnipiac River.

Her design — for a project called Oyster Harbor Village — consists of 70 senior housing units; 18,000 square feet of related commercial facilities, including a restaurant, oyster bar, coffee and sandwich shop; a rooftop garden; and the central facilities. It also includes about 29,000 square feet of boardwalk and landscaped areas open to the public and residents alike; 430 linear feet of floating docks for public use; and about 600 feet of public pedestrian promenade alongside the shoreline.

The stated purpose of the development is to revitalize the 500-foot shoreline of the Quinnipiac River, conduct environmental remediation of existing petroleum-related contamination, and boost Fair Haven and Fair Haven Heights.

The three buildings will each be four stories and 40 feet tall. There will be 75 feet of space between each building. There will also be 53 on-site parking spaces.

The construction of this project is expected to take up to three years, along with four or five months of clean-up of the contaminated area. It’s expected to cost roughly $34 million in total.

For the clean-up of the site, the city is slated to receive a $995,000 state Municipal Brownfields Remediation Grant for various investigation, remediation, and demolition efforts at at 185, 212 and 213 Front St.

Bekhrad described this proposal as phases three and four of the Oyster Harbor Village project. Phase one and two, which included a 78,000-square-foot development on Quinnipiac Avenue, are already complete.

Attendees at last Thursday’s meeting generally agreed that the current vacant Front Street space needs to be filled with something. As Miller confirmed, it will be, whether it is Oyster Harbor Village or something else down the line. And yet, many people were concerned about the scope of the construction and other issues, from lack of parking to potential noise from the construction and future nightlife.

Suzanne Watstone, who used to live on Chapel Street before moving to Fair Haven, detailed her experience with loud nightlife and voiced her concerns with the bar and restaurant in the proposed new development.

“What troubles me is the scale, the commercial center is right next to the condo[s],” she said. “You’re gonna be putting the restaurant right next to a residential complex. Maybe there’s a way to create a sound barrier or something so that where I live won’t feel like I’m in the middle of Quincy Market.”

Bekhrad explained that the buildings are positioned that way because of where the narrow land necessitates parking to be.

Miller and Redente said no business at this spot would be able to stay open after 11 p.m., and if it does, residents should inform the alders right away. Q River Grill was cited as an example in this case, and the alders confirmed the establishment is already on their radar.

Krystal Manning of 323 Front St. pointed out that the development seems to include very little parking. Bekhrad answered that that they are conducting a traffic study for which they don’t have results yet; however, because of the narrow landscape, there is no possible way to include more parking, and building underneath isn’t possible either for a parking garage.

Bekhrad also said that the idea is that people might use the river as a road, which is why there are 45 parking spots along the river and projected mini-buses would take the seniors living in the area to and from the rest of the city.

When Bekhrad said that only 26 out of the 53 parking spaces are currently projected for commercial parking, the crowd protested, as attendees didn’t want people parking on nearby streets.

Some people, like Tony from Chatham Street, argued that the architecture of the development doesn’t match the historical design of Fair Haven and is too modern for the area.

Bekhrad said she tried hard to make sure the architecture would fit.

Aidan, who lives on Front Street, posed the of question whether the development would drive up rent and home prices in the area for current residents, as it is projected to add additional real estate tax revenue of more than $800,000 per year.

“How does someone who lives here and wants to stay here and buy a house here compete with that?” he asked. “It’s great that there is senior living for seniors, but we’re not seniors, not all of us. I just see this as creating another obstacle for young people trying to settle here.”

Miller answered honestly that they cannot promise that it won’t, and that “we are picking between two imperfect options.”

She also said that there might be future road closures in the area during the construction, but they will always be announced in advance. The river development, however, will be built up from the water.

Bekhrad and the alders also said that they would be willing to set up a walkthrough for the community through the development so everyone can see the vision for themselves.

Despite the backlash, Bekhrad said that this is her last project, and that she’s is doing it for the neighborhood she loves and wants to talk about it more with the community.

The alders defended Bekhrad during the meeting, with Redente saying that “this is someone who has proven to be a productive community member, and I say we give her a chance.”

“Let’s figure out how it fits the neighborhood, and how we can all work together,” Redente said.

The New Haven Independent is a not-for-profit public-interest daily news site founded in 2005.