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About The Gateway Downtown Development Project
On June 3, 2004, the State of Connecticut and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. jointly announced a historic $230 million development project -- including $180 million in state bond funding - to relocate Gateway Community College and the Long Wharf Theatre to brand new facilities in downtown New Haven. Ultimately, the entire project will revitalize a long-vacant downtown area, including a hotel and conference center, new residential and retail space, and the finishing touches of infrastructural and streetscape improvements.
Gateway Community College. The new $140 million Gateway Community College will consolidate its two campuses to a downtown location on Church Street. The new Gateway Community College Campus will be located on the former Macy's and Malley's Department Store sites. The site is adjacent to the Temple Street Parking Garage, and is bounded on the north by Crown Street, on the east by Church Street, and on the south by North Frontage Road. This move will revitalize two large, vacant blocks in New Haven's downtown area; enable more than 11,000 students and faculty to take advantage of New Haven's many cultural, educational, and entertainment offerings; and increase PILOT dollars to City's tax base. Of the $140 million in State funding for this project, $6 million will be used to reimburse the City for demolishing the former Macy's building that is currently located on the site.
Long Wharf Theatre. As part of this project, the State has also agreed to provide $30 million to relocate Long Wharf Theatre from its current location in the Food Terminal on Sargent Drive to a portion of the site that is currently occupied by the Coliseum. The Theatre will be responsible for raising the remaining funding needed for the relocation. Long Wharf Theatre currently has an audience of 100,000 during a season, and attendance is expected to spike to 120,000 with its downtown move.
Parking and Infrastructure. New Haven has approximately 13,500 parking spaces in the general downtown area. As part of the deal to move Gateway Community College to its new consolidated downtown location, the City has agreed to provide parking spaces in the immediate vicinity for College use and to make the necessary infrastructure improvements in the project area. The State has agreed to grant the City $10 million to defray the cost of new parking and infrastructure projects.
Coliseum. The City is demolishing the former Coliseum as part of the Gateway Project to redevelop the large vacant site with the new Long Wharf Theatre, retail, affordable and market-rate housing, and hotel and conference center facilities. While the State or private developers will fund much of the construction on the Coliseum site, the City is funding the demolition of the Coliseum.
Hotel/Conference Center. The original Gateway Downtown Development Plan conceptualizes a hotel and conference space to accommodate visitors to the area, to be located on a portion of the site occupied by the former Coliseum. The size and amenities will be guided by market demand to ensure long-term sustainability of the project.
Residential / Retail: New Haven does a fine job of ensuring that residential and retail exist to build local foot traffic in our downtown. In this project, mixed-income residential units are slated to line George Street between Orange and State Streets. At least 20% of the residential units will be rented at 50% of market rate, and some of the residential units may be for sale, building the home ownership market in the downtown area. The plan also includes developing some commercial and street-level retail shops on the street within the project area - including patio cafe-style restaurants and shops that could be used by the College, Long Wharf Theatre, and residents alike. Again, the size and specifications will be guided by market demand to ensure sustainability of the project.
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