by Adam Walke The New Haven independent
The city’s Board of Zoning Appeals has approved a plan to install a new elevator at the Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership (LEAP) community center on Jefferson Street — thanks in part to the work of an 18-year-old New Haven Public Schools graduate and legal intern who helped write and present the zoning appeal.
BZA commissioners took that vote Tuesday during their latest monthly meeting, which was held in person at City Hall and online via Zoom.
They unanimously approved three exceptions to the normal building rules for LEAP’s building at 29 – 31 Jefferson St. These exceptions allow the building to take up 85 percent of the lot, to be only 5 feet, 6 inches from the side property line instead of the required 10 feet, and to have a side wall height of 44 feet where just 20 feet is usually permitted.
These variances clear the way for the New Haven Housing Authority and LEAP to install a Schindler 3300 MRL traction elevator that will serve all three floors and the roof of the century-old building. The elevator addition, designed by Kenneth Boroson Architects, is part of broader renovations that aim to make the building fully ADA accessible and improve access to youth programs in the Wooster Square neighborhood.
LEAP Executive Director Henry Fernandez emphasized at Tuesday’s meeting the community importance of the Jefferson Street building, which he described as “an amazing space” created by neighborhood residents more than 100 years ago. Today, he explained, LEAP serves over 950 children and teens across two community centers citywide. Fernandez said the elevator is part of a broader push to make the building more accessible to even more members of the community.
The proposal, submitted by zoning attorney Ben Trachten, was backed by the City Plan Department, which found that the structure’s age and layout created reasonable hardships under zoning rules. The department concluded in an advisory report that the proposal would serve the public health, safety, and welfare by expanding access to the building’s services.
Helping make that case to the BZA on Tuesday was Ethan Masoperh, an 18-year-old who recently graduated from Engineering & Science University Magnet School (ESUMS), a New Haven public school located in West Haven.
Masoperh plans to attend the University of Connecticut this fall as a business analytics and information management major with a pre-law track. He spent two weeks interning almost full-time under Trachten.
Through that role, he worked closely with both Trachten and Fernandez to learn the basics of zoning law, study the site constraints, analyze building drawings, and help draft the official narrative submitted to the city.
Masoperh’s interest in the project stemmed in part from his personal connection to LEAP — his sister previously participated in the program — and his broader passion for supporting nonprofits.
“I’ve always been interested in law,” Masoperh told the Independent during a Friday interview. “And once I was offered this opportunity, I jumped on it.”
His work culminated in presenting the appeal before the Board of Zoning Appeals — an opportunity Trachten said was designed to give him hands-on exposure to boards and commissions before college.
“He learned the zoning requirements and then explained it and made his argument for approval,” Trachten told the Independent. “He was successful.”