Residents, CRHA staff raise concerns about 12-story student housing proposed beside West Haven

Brandon Collins, CRHA redevelopment coordinator, told the board that resident planners object to a proposal by LV Collective to build a 12‑story student housing project on two parking lots adjacent to the West Haven basketball court. Collins said the resident-developed master plan for West Haven included a plaza, two community centers and an accessible switchback ramp to reconnect the neighborhood to West Main Street. He said the proposed building “would be a 12 story wall” that undermines those plans and could affect safety, lighting and access. Collins asked the board to support residents’ concerns and noted LV Collective is scheduled to meet with West Haven resident planners and the Tenth Page Neighborhood Association at 6 p.m. Thursday at Jefferson School Auditorium. He urged board members and residents to email city council and attend upcoming zoning and small-area-plan discussions, because recent zoning changes expanded so-called “x districts” that allow seven or more stories with limited discretionary review. Why it matters: Collisions between large market-rate developments and resident-driven redevelopment plans raise questions about neighborhood access, safety and the level of local review available when zoning allows by-right high-rise construction. Zoning and review context A board discussion noted the city’s new zoning ordinance expanded “x districts” and removed some discretionary review tools — such as special-use permits and negotiated benefit agreements — leaving the Board of Architectural Review as one of the few remaining discretionary processes. Commissioners said that change reduces the leverage available to negotiate site-level mitigations with developers and urged public engagement in upcoming city-council zoning reviews. Next steps Collins said residents and staff will attend the LV Collective meeting and encouraged board members and the public to attend the city-council zoning review sessions and the upcoming West Haven Community Day.