Preferred Developer Set for New Haven Coliseum Site

NEW HAVEN-The City of New Haven has chosen Live Work Learn Play Inc. as the preferred developer for the redevelopment of the 4.5-acre former coliseum site. The New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum was imploded in 2007 and since then the site has primarily served as parking, leased by the city.

The city hopes to redevelop the area into a mixed-use neighborhood that will serve “as the gateway to downtown,” according to a news release about the plans. Mayor John DeStefano, in that news release, credits the real estate market, in part, for enabling the project to move forward. Movement on the project dates back as far as 2008, when the city issued a Request for Qualifications for the redevelopment of the site that identified a frontrunner, though those plans since fell through.

“Despite what is occurring in the national economy, New Haven has continued to grow due to the underlying strength of our core economic sectors,” DeStefano said in a prepared statement. “This, along with a strong residential rental market, makes it possible to move forward on this key development parcel in downtown.”

LWLP will open a New Haven branch as part of its commitment to the project. It will also commit up to $1 million in predevelopment financing to help staff and grow that office. Newman Architects, a New Haven-based firm, will also serve as part of the preferred development team.

“We had issued a RFQ for development teams back in 2008 looking for a preferred developer,” Michael Piscitelli, New Haven’s deputy economic development administrator, tells GlobeSt.com. “At the time the selected developer was Northland Investment Corp.” Piscitelli says that after Northland purchased other properties in the city, including a housing development on Church Street South, both parties decided that it was best for Northland to concentrate its efforts on that site.

As for the current preferred developer, the city has a one-year agreement with the team, during which it will put together a development plan. “At the end of that period the city hopes to enter into a formal agreement,” Piscitelli says. He adds that “their theory is to start and build up, so you could see something 2013 or 2014.”