The vacant former Ronald McDonald house on George Street may soon be converted into a child daycare center.
Yale New Haven Hospital is seeking a special exception permit to house the center, which could accommodate up to 60 children, at 501 George St.
The New Haven Board of Zoning Appeals is slated to consider the application at its meeting Tuesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Kennedy Mitchell Hall of Records, 200 Orange St. Residents can voice their opinions on the proposal at this time.
Stephen Carbery, vice president of facilities for Yale New Haven Health, said the daycare will be for YNHH employees’ children.
“We have such a high demand for daycare,” he said.
The hospital currently runs a child daycare on its St. Raphael campus, at 1450 Chapel St., and it proposes to relocate this operation to the George Street building, which has 10,570 square feet of space. The move will allow the daycare to accommodate about twice as many children.
The facility would have a staff of about 23 people, who would work on different shifts. The daycare’s hours would be 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The house was built in 1880, according to the city assessor’s office. YNHH bought it from the Ronald McDonald organization in 2017 for $1.28 million.
“When we purchased the Ronald McDonald house, we did not have a specific use in mind at the time,” Carbery said.
The hospital’s current daycare is in a much smaller space, and officials thought this building would be a “terrific” fit, he said. The daycare will take up the entire building if the plan is approved.
YNHH plans to make improvements to the interior and exterior of the building, in keeping with its historic background. It would need upgrades, such as a ramp for wheelchair accessibility, for example. The outside will feature an updated playground, and Carbery noted that it has a fenced in yard for children to play in.
“YNHH has planned aesthetic upgrades that will allow the building to reclaim much of its original splendor,” the application states.
Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut provides a temporary “home away from home” for families with a loved one who is being treated at a nearby hospital. It moved to its current location, at 860 Howard Ave., across from Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, in the fall of 2017. The house at 501 George St. had served the organization for 32 years before it relocated to Howard Avenue.
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com
