Community Updates
WoosterSqWatch
On Thursday June 30, 2026, the City is hosting a community and public information meeting about three proposed new projects — the development at 2 Church Street, the Church Street Promenade, and the Arc Bridge — all part of the New Haven Quantum and Life Science Innovation Cluster Initiative. The initiative was awarded funding from the State of Connecticut’s Innovation Cluster program. It brings together state, federal, city, and private investments to create transformational placemaking projects and facilities to grow Connecticut jobs and accelerate our key innovation industries. In 2025, the City of New Haven was honored to be the first chosen partner on this initiative, which has led to over $50M in initial funding. This funding will support a new building at 2 Church Street as well as the public infrastructure necessary to enable future job growth and community connections. The grant will also advance the work of Innovation Cluster partners QuantumCT and BioCT which are leading the development of the quantum and life sciences in the state. The City welcomes you to join them on Tuesday, June 30 as we discuss these new initiatives, the technologies advancing here in New Haven, job opportunities, and construction schedules. Spanish translation will be provided at the meeting. Persons with hearing and/or speech disabilities may dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS). Additional language assistance may be requested by contacting the Department’s Language Assistance Call Line (860) 594-2109. Requests should be made at least 5 business days prior to the meeting. Language assistance is provided at no cost to the public and efforts will be made to respond to timely requests for assistance. There will be a 14-day comment period that follows the meeting. Individuals may leave a question or comment via email to Anna Mariotti at amar...@newhavenct.gov.
WoosterSqWatch
English Station: Vision for the Future of a New Haven Landmark
Neighbors are invited for a walking tour to explore the possibilities for the revitalization of the landmark English Station and its Mill River setting.
You can join the walking tour on one of two dates: July 11, 10-11:30 AM, or July 18, 1-2:30 PM
For more information and to register, go to:
Learn more about zoning and how it affects New Haven
This month: Public Act 25-1 An Act Concerning Housing Growth
This month we are highlighting the recently enacted housing bill from the state legislature that further moves CT cities and towns towards meeting housing needs: Public Act 25-1 (or PA 25-1): An Act Concerning Housing Growth.
PA 25-1 was enacted to promote housing growth throughout the state of Connecticut through a series of policy, funding, and programmatic changes that expand the possibilities for multi-family housing development, mixed-use development (businesses and housing together), and transit-oriented development (developments near transit hubs, like bus stops and train stations).
In particular, PA 25-1 includes updates to zoning rules and processes that support these housing development goals. These updated rules are applicable to the City of New Haven and go into effect starting July 1, 2026. The City Plan Department will soon be submitting a zoning text amendment to the Board of Alders that will update the New Haven Zoning Ordinance to comply with the requirements of PA 25-1. This text amendment will bring New Haven into alignment with these recent state policy changes and will align with the City’s goals for increasing housing opportunity citywide. In the meantime, cities and towns in CT will still be required to comply with and apply the zoning rules adopted in PA 25-1 starting on July 1st. There are two main zoning updates adopted in PA 25-1 that will go into effect on that date:
- Removal of minimum off-street parking requirements for residential developments of 16 or fewer housing units and new standards for developments with 17 or more units to reduce the costs that come with requiring parking in excess of actual parking needs, and
- Requiring a “summary review” process for residential developments between 2-9 housing units in commercial and mixed-use zones to provide more predictable pathways for middle-scale housing development.
The City Plan Department plans to hold a public meeting in August when the zoning text amendment to adopt these state zoning changes has been submitted to the Board of Alders. Be on the lookout later in July for the date and time of that public meeting! In the meantime, please check out this memo for additional detail on the exact zoning updates that will be put into effect and what this means in practice for the review of residential development projects.