Developers got the green light to transform a blighted property at the entrance to New Haven’s Westville neighborhood on Wednesday. The City Plan Commission approved a new 245-unit apartment complex for 781 Whalley Ave. after a public hearing on a proposal for the site.
A long-vacant office building at the corner of Whalley and Fitch is set to come down in favor of the new complex, proposed by developer 50 Fitch LLC, with principals Mendel M. Paris and Sim Levenhartz.
Three different applications were approved on Wednesday: an inland wetlands review, a coastal site plan review and the project’s main site plan.
All concerned a 3.62-acre parcel that includes both the derelict building on Whalley and another structure set back at 50 Fitch. The property is adjacent to the West River and Wintergreen Brook, requiring the additional planning reviews.
The building at 50 Fitch, also slated to come down as part of the project, has been home to several businesses, including the former 50’s on Fitch lounge, shuttered by the city in 2020 after allegations it violated pandemic restrictions.
Set to replace the two existing buildings is a 245-unit apartment complex which will include a public walkway along the West River. A series of low walls currently block access to the waterway.
The new complex will occupy the corner and stretch along Fitch, allowing for space in the back “to embrace the river,” said Christopher Bockstael of New Haven-based Svigals + Partners architects.
The complex is planned as a mix of townhomes and apartments ranging from three-bedrooms to studios. Parking totalling 106 spaces will be built into the ground-floor of the complex, along with a 16-space surface lot. A total of 5% of the apartments will be set aside for those making 50% of the area median income.
A focus of the planning meeting was the section of the structure fronting Whalley, which will be set back to improve traffic sightlines. The ground floor of the section will include 2,300 square feet of retail space, extending the Westville retail corridor south on Whalley Avenue.
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
