By Mona Mahadevan
New Haven Independent
And the ribbon is cut, marking the official opening of Cadence on Canal.
The facade — which blends red brick and gray paneling — is described as “art-infused” on the Cadence on Canal website.
Housing czar Arlevia Samuel said this project was especially meaningful to her because it was her first RFP.
After 13 years of delays, a 176-unit, mixed-income apartment complex has taken root on the long-vacant lot at Canal, Ashmun, and Henry Streets.
More than 20 people gathered outside the new Dixwell building at 222 Canal St. to mark the grand opening of the new housing development, which is called Cadence on Canal.
“This building is uncompromising. It is Class A. It is top-of-the-line. It is highly amenitized. It is a luxury building,” said developer Yves Joseph of RJ Development & Advisors LLC.
The press conference celebrated the city’s growing housing supply, especially of affordable units.
“New Haven is hopping,” declared Mayor Justin Elicker. “We are leading the charge in the state to confront our housing crisis.” He said the city is “well on [its] way” to meeting its goal of adding 10,000 new units of housing over the next decade, with 7,000 already in the pipeline. According to a press release, the city aims to make 30 percent of those 10,000 units affordable.
Cadence on Canal is part of that effort, adding 176 units to the city’s housing stock — 58 of which are income-restricted.
Of those 58 affordable units, 10 will be reserved for Section 8 voucher holders, 15 for tenants earning up to 60 percent of the area median income (for example, a two-person household making $45,500), and the rest for tenants earning up to 80 percent of the area median income ($72,800 for a family of two in 2025).
In exchange, a Development and Land Disposition Agreement (DLDA) for the project, approved by the Board of Alders in 2020, freezes local property taxes for the affordable units at $400 per apartment for five years.
On Tuesday, Joseph announced that even more units would be subsidized — specifically, for artists who agree to provide cultural programming and educational workshops for the New Haven community. The Artist in Place (AIP) initiative, made possible through a partnership with the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition, will extend to all properties owned by RJ Development.
The building has been leasing since March and is already 60 percent occupied, according to Joseph. He said the tenant mix so far matches that of other apartment complexes in the city: a blend of Yale affiliates, Yale New Haven Hospital staff, and biotechnology professionals. Most of the affordable units remain available, he added, due to a city requirement requiring them to stay on the market for 90 days before being rented.
Though Cadence on Canal serves a mixed-income community, it offers amenities on par with the city’s newest luxury developments.
Located just off the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, the building’s facade mixes contemporary gray paneling with rich red brick, marking it as a new but anchored presence in the Dixwell neighborhood.
The five-story complex boasts an entertainment kitchen, fitness center, co-working space, fire pit, outdoor lounge, and dog park. Each unit — ranging from studios to two-bedrooms — features stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and a full-sized washer and dryer.
Downstairs, construction is underway on Soulfully Vegan, a new restaurant owned by Calvin and Allison Vaughn. The menu concept “is to take classic American fare and make them so you almost forget they’re vegan,” said Allison. The couple already runs a restaurant in Berlin, which sells burgers, fries, and milkshakes. The Dixwell location will feature an expanded menu, including smoothies and salads.
While the crowd welcomed the long-awaited opening of Cadence on Canal, speakers repeatedly pointed to the many hurdles that had delayed the project over the years.
“Every bit of Murphy’s Law went into effect,” said city housing czar Arlevia Samuel. “If it could go wrong, it did go wrong.”
So why did it take 13 years for the building to finally celebrate its grand opening?
According to Joseph, the delays began in 2012, when he lost a bid on the site to another developer. When that company was unable to complete its proposal, which was for a senior public-housing complex, the city reissued its request for proposals. RJ Development won the second round in 2016.
Progress slowed again when title issues surfaced. A sliver of the parcel was owned by the Housing Authority of New Haven, complicating the sale, but the city eventually resolved the issue and sold the 1.7‑acre lot to RJ Development for $500,000.
The project also needed approval from multiple city boards, including the Board of Zoning Appeals.
And then, there was Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison. Laughing, she admitted, “I was a big component in the challenge.”
“We want development, but we want to be able to keep people in their homes, in their communities,” she said. Morrison pushed Joseph for at least 50 affordable units — a significant increase from his original proposal of around 33.
“It’s not free to deliver mixed-income housing,” Joseph said Tuesday. “It’s not inexpensive to allocate affordable housing units in a Class A development.”
But Morrison told Joseph to “figure it out.” A few months later, he returned with an even better offer: 58 affordable units.
On Tuesday, John credited support from LISC Housing and 18 Squared with making that possible.
13 years and $60 million later, Joseph said he still hasn’t made a penny on the deal — but he’s “well on the way.”
The lounge is huge, filled with sun, and features an entertainment kitchen out of view.
The building lobby includes two pieces of modern art, including this wall hanging.
