by Thomas Breen The New Haven independent
That’s a big check!
Redev plans for Westville Manor and 34 Level.
A decade-long overhaul of hundreds of units of west-side public housing took another step forward Thursday, as city leaders gathered with U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro to welcome $2 million in federal funds for the redevelopment of Westville Manor and a vacant ex-nursing home into roughly 150 units of new housing.
Housing Authority of New Haven Executive Director Shenae Draughn, Mayor Justin Elicker, city housing authority Board Chair William Kilpatrick, and DeLauro, among others, celebrated that funding during a morning press conference at 34 Level St.
DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, brought a big check — literally — marking $2 million in “community project” funding, formerly known as “earmarks,” that she has secured for the Westville Manor redevelopment project.
Draughn said that this money will go towards covering some of the new-infrastructure costs related to knocking down the existing 150-unit Westville Manor public-housing complex and building 109 units of new mixed-income housing in their stead. This project will also see the demolition of the long-vacant former nursing home across the street at 34 Level St. and the construction of 50 new units of affordable housing for seniors.
“It is a way to say we understand the local needs,” DeLauro said about the community project-funding process. She praised the housing authority’s “vision” and “tenacity” for continuing to redevelop West Rock public housing complex after complex — from Brookside to Rockview to Twin Brook (formerly Ribicoff Cottages) to Wilmot Crossing — to provide residents with new, beautiful, affordable places to call home.
By the time that these 149 new apartments are built and redeveloped at Westville Manor and 34 Level, Draughn said, the housing authority will have built or rebuilt 668 units of housing in the West Rock neighborhood in recent years, with a total investment of more than $200 million in the area.
“Today we will continue,” Draughn said. “Tomorrow we will continue.” Even with this latest redevelopment moving ahead, “we are not finished.”
“It’s been a long time coming for these residents,” added West Rock/West Hills Alder Honda Smith, as she described working with the housing authority over the past 16 years to help make the 34 Level and Westville Manor projects a reality. She praised Draughn and her team for continuing to work hard to do right by the neighborhood.
“We are committed [as a city] to growing,” added Mayor Justin Elicker, “and, importantly, growing inclusively.” He stressed the city’s goal of creating 10,000 new units of housing in ten years, with 30 percent of those units affordable. He said that the city saw 1,500 new units of housing built last year, with another 5,500-plus currently in the pipeline.
The housing authority has owned the 34 Level St. property since 2020. Draughn said that the agency expects to close on financing for the 50-unit, senior-housing redevelopment project and begin construction later this year. She said the housing authority should close on the financing for the redevelopment of Westville Manor next year.
The Westville Manor project will see the construction of 109 new units of housing, with a mix of one- through five-bedroom apartments, plus a community building. Draughn said that roughly 80 units’ worth of tenants live at Westville Manor today, with many former residents having relocated in recent years to Brookside Phase 2. The current Westville Manor buildings will be demolished as part of this project, and tenants will have the opportunity to return to the newly built rentals.
Asked about the estimated total development cost for these projects, Draughn said it is a little too soon to tell. She said they should cost around $350,000- to $400,000-per-unit to build. She added that, as with other West Rock redevelopments, this project will also see the construction of new roads.
The long-vacant former nursing home at 34 Level.
Alder Smith: “It’s been a long time coming for these residents.”
U.S. Rep. DeLauro: Community-project funding “is a way to say we understand the local needs.”
Mayor Elicker: “We are committed to growing, and, importantly, growing inclusively.”