Announcing expansive plans for making New Haven’s train depot an economic hub, city and state officials gathered at Union Station Tuesday to sign a new lease agreement and launch renovations at the historic landmark.
“What you’ve created is a platform for transformation,” U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said. “I know this has been a long fight to get this agreement right.”
Under the deal, the state and city will launch improvements to the station’s basement, first and second floors to allow for more retail space and improved access. Surface parking lots to the east and west of the station will also be revamped to allow for easier connections to buses, bicycles and other forms of transport.
The renovations to the station itself will cost about $7.5 million over five years, according to an estimate in the partnership agreement.
In the larger station area, planners hope to stimulate the growth of a campus through streetscape, parking and traffic improvements.
The lease agreement between the city and the state Department of Transportation (DOT) extends for 35 years with two 10-year extension options that allows the city (through Park New Haven) to lease and operate the Union Station Transportation Campus.
New Haven Economic Development Michael Piscitelli stressed the importance of the transit hub as a keystone for growth of the city’s planned Innovation District, slated to be developed in the Hill and Long Wharf neighborhoods. He cited the potential of growth in the area creating an additional 6,000 jobs and 6,500 housing units, increasing the city’s density and economic base.
Mayor Justin Elicker said, “With housing units in the development pipeline and a growing center of excellence in the biosciences, we will continue to move forward with inclusive growth in the Hill to Downtown district and now we will have a robust transportation system, including a strong regional airport, to support it.”
In a bittersweet moment for the assembled Democrats, Gov. Ned Lamont contrasted President Biden’s stalled Build Back Better better bill with the Union Station deal.
“Our government can work, we can do really big things,” Lamont said. “You’re not going to recognize this place in five years.”
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
