PMC Property Group wants to build a 13-story apartment tower, after the rezoning, by dividing the site at 78 Olive St. overlooking Chapel Street and building on that 23,000 square foot cutout, its lawyer says , Chris McKeon .

Changing the zone from General Commercial BA to Central Commercial/Residential BD-1 would allow for greater height and density and promote transit-oriented development.

This has been approved by the City Plan Commission and is then submitted to the Alder Council Legislation Committee and then to the full council.

Affordable Housing Intentions

McKeon said they were working on the affordable housing component with Alder Eli Sabin, D-7, who hosted the Monday public briefing where the project was discussed.

McKeon said PMC is committed to delivering an affordable component, but is still “running numbers” on how well it works.

He pointed out that the developers of two large projects across the street do not have affordable units and although PMC is also not obligated to do so, “we recognize that these are an important problem for the city, on a city scale, and we take into account the economics of the project. ”

Alex Kolokotronis asked the developer to look at the median area income for New Haven, rather than the region, a point also made by others.

“I don’t know what matrix we’re using,” McKeon said.

Sabin said his “number one priority for this site and any other development in the city is that it is inclusive and benefits everyone in our community.”

He pointed out that the inclusion zone recently adopted by Alders, but not yet in force, would require 15% of units to be priced at 50% AMI.

“We are trying to work towards something along those lines. In the ordinance, developers get a sizable tax break to help pay for affordable housing. We try to balance those things,” Sabin said.

Jaime Myers-McPhail said New Haven has too many luxury apartments. He thanked Sabin for pushing the issue. “I think the answers we got were incredibly evasive and unhelpful,” he said.

Cyclists and pedestrians

Aaron Goode asked how the project promotes connectivity with the Farmington Canal Trail, which will be adjacent to the PMC property and is an important asset for cyclists and pedestrians.

“Given the centrality of the Farmington Canal to the overall development plan, I think we really need clarity on the absence of negative impacts,” Goode said.

Tom Daly of SLR, environmental consultants working with PMC, said they would “carefully review” this and make sure there were no issues with the trail.

McKeon said this will be worked out with municipal plan staff as the project progresses.

“You’re heard,” McKeon said. “We are not trying to be evasive. … We try to listen.

Ian Dunn said the two block area on Chapel, given the construction along Olive, has become problematic and he wanted to see the safety plan when PMC construction is underway.

Design proposals

Daly, in his presentation, said plans call for a seamless streetscape for Chapel Street from Olive Street to the end of his property, with plantings that will provide seasonal color. He also recommends knocking down a wall on Chapel Street and installing benches, which was well received.

Lior Trestman, who was among the residents who offered feedback on the design, said there should be a street-level entry door for the proposed building.

“You only see the end of it (the proposed building),” he said. Combined with the 13-story height, it makes it feel very enclosed, he said.

He called for bike storage to be maximized and, working with the city, said his dream was to protect bike paths on both sides of Chapel. He said the four lanes of traffic there are now “ridiculous”.

The Strouse Adler site is bordered at one end by railway tracks and at the rear by the State Street station site.

The creation of a rear entrance to the station was mentioned, which McKeon welcomed if the complicated engineering project was ever seriously proposed by the state.

Lisa Savin pushed back against uniform landscaping and also said that a variety of building scales is best in an urban setting.

Arthur Nacht was informed that no agency is dealing with design issues per se, although they are incorporated into the city plan review. Nacht said there was a “certain similarity” in the buildings being constructed in New Haven.

Nacht was relieved that PMC is using real brick at 78 Olive St., as well as metal panels and some sort of stone around the base.

But he said he was concerned about the number of apartments built or approved downtown. As they seem to be filling up, he asked how long it could last.

building height

The entire 2.5-acre 78 Olive St. property now houses the Strouse Adler Building, also known as the Smoothie Building, a converted garment factory with 143 apartments and 148 parking spaces.

The BD-1 zone provides for a floor-to-area ratio of 6.0. compared to 2.0 for BA. This is lowered to a FAR of 3.0 and a height of 70 feet if a site is adjacent to a residential area.

FAR 6.0 means the floor area can be up to six times larger than the pitch area.

The site is bounded by Olive, Chapel and Court streets and the railway tracks.

In response to a question, if PMC were to build above the Smoothie Building in the BD-1 area, McKeon said it would be adjacent to a residential area on Olive Street, thus limiting height.

Achieving PMC’s desired height depends on it not being adjacent to residential land.

McKeon said the slicing of land on Chapel Street could be seen as replacing the original two plots among several others combined when PMC bought the property decades ago. These parcels were 679 and 683 Chapel St.

“The FAR we use (6.0 for the 135-unit building) would be limited to the (new) lot,” McKeon said.

The new lot would be adjacent to 673 Chapel and across from 630 Chapel, both of which are already zoned BD-1.

This would appear to surround the BD-1 zoning site.

The new building would face State Street from the 30-plus stories of 360 State Street, an apartment complex with the Elm City Market on the first floor.

McKeon, on a related topic, said a buffer along Court Street, approved decades ago, would be supported whether or not the new area gets final approval and whether the proposed new apartment complex was built.