Three Decades In The Making: Ribbon Cut On Rev. Curtis M. Cofield II Estates

NEW HAVEN, CT — "We made it. We made it."

Monday morning, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers, and other federal, state, city, and community leaders and officials joined the West River Self-Help Investment Plan (SHIP) and the National Housing Partnership Foundation (NHPF), at the ribbon-cutting of the Rev. Curtis Cofield II Estates. A project more than 30 years in the making.

The namesake of the project, the late Rev. Cofield II, was a beloved leader in New Haven’s and Connecticut’s faith community, a strong advocate for individuals experiencing homelessness and individuals living with AIDS, and the former leader of West River SHIP. He was the visionary of the housing initiative. Cofield's son Elder Elyachba Yashra'Al delivered the invocation for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"I'm just being a son ....a son of my beautiful, illustrious, beloved, kind and approachable father."

Located on formerly vacant land purchased from the city of New Haven, the $20.2 million development is spread across 11 town house-style buildings on the 4.3-acre site. It's a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, serving households at or below 60 percent of the area median income. It includes on-site parking, commercial space for minority-owned businesses, and community facilities, including a playground and a community center.

The Route 34 corridor property, adjacent to the International Peace Garden, is bordered by Ella Grasso Boulevard, Tyler Street, Legion Avenue, and Martin Luther King Boulevard/North Frontage Road.

The event marked the culmination of a decades-long collaborative community-driven effort to bring affordable, high-quality housing to the West River neighborhood. And importantly, it reconnects parts of a thriving, vibrant community of families and businesses that was torn down to make way for a never-completed extension of Route 34.

Born and raised on Arbor Street, West River SHIP president Anthony Dawson described the 31-year effort and visionary project "a dream come true."

Tyisha Walker-Myers, New Haven Board of Alders president, noted that without the efforts of former Mayor Toni Harp, the project might never have broken ground.

Current mayor Elicker echoed that sentiment.

"One of the things I've seen over and over again as mayor is that a lot of projects were teed up for us. We just had to make sure they got done," he said. "Mayor Harp, you made sure this project got done."

Speakers for the historic event included, Mayor Justin Elicker; Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro; State Representative Patricia Dillon; Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers, Anthony Dawson, President, West River SHIP; Eric Price, President & CEO, NHP Foundation; Micah Hunter, Project Manager, NHP Foundation; Seila Mosquera-Bruno, Commissioner, CT Department of Housing; Matt Pugliese, Deputy Commissioner, CT Department of Economic and Community Development; Nandini Natarajan Chief Executive Officer – Executive Director, CT Housing Finance Authority; Arlevia Samuel, Deputy Economic Development Administraor, City of New Haven; Shenae Draughn, President, Elm City Communities; Serena Neal-Sanjurjo, Executive Director, New Haven Land Bank; Karen DuBois-Walton, President & CEO, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven; James LaRosa, CEO, LaRosa Building Group LLC; Lisa Maass, CT Market President, Citizens Bank; and Elder Elyachba Yashra’Al.

Here's the full event: