RJ Development & Advisors LLC has been selected as the preferred developer of the City-owned property located at the corner of Canal and Henry Streets in New Haven CT. The property is situated within a Federally Qualified Opportunity Zone and the proposed development will include approximately 150 rental apartments and associated parking. The residential program will be situated in a four-story wood-framed tower sitting atop one floor of structured parking. The massing, scale, and design has been developed deliberately to frame the corner of Henry and Canal streets in efforts to activate the Henry and Canal Street corridors will act as the development’s main-entrance and ‘front door’. The design, developed by New Haven’s Svigals+Partners, will create a statement that will define this section of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail as it orients southward towards downtown.
The City of New Haven and the local community have communicated clear priorities for the incorporation of affordable housing units at this location. As a result, the development program currently contemplates a significant commitment to affordable housing and the delivery of mixed-income development. Specifically, the proposed development will incorporate Fifty (50) affordable housing units, or one-third (33%) of the total number of units to be included in the project. The development will include a suite of amenities for use by the residential tenants, including: common club room, outdoor seating area/lounge, fitness center, and lobby. The features of the residential units will be high quality and will include stone countertops in the kitchens, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, in-unit washer/dryer, and other features typical of new-construction residential deliveries. Overall, when completed, the project promises to deliver a high-quality Class-A residential development at the site.