New London sees building boom; city tracker shows about 2,200 units and $1.4 billion in construction since 2018

Director Reyes, director of the Office of Development and Planning (ODP), told the Economic Development Committee on July 21 that New London is in an "open window of construction" driven by job growth and rising investment.

"Where jobs are, you'll find people," Reyes said, explaining that large employers and government investment are producing both market-rate and affordable housing projects in the city. Reyes said ODP maintains a public tracker of major projects that, since February 2018, lists roughly 2,200 housing units either built or in the pipeline and about $1,400,000,000 in construction value.

The update placed New London's recent growth in three categories: housing, jobs coming into the city, and resident perceptions of new development. Reyes briefed the committee on permit revenue as one measure of activity, saying the city previously averaged about $350,000 per year in building-permit revenue and now averages close to $1,000,000 per year. "We're seeing larger investments being made," Reyes said, noting permit fees reflect construction value.

Reyes provided more detail on housing supply and affordability. He said the city has held a 23% rate of affordable housing production: "for every 100 housing units that we build, we're building 23," and that the city's median age is about 36. He also reported roughly 260 units were under construction at the time of the meeting and another 947 units were expected in the next 6 to 12 months, leaving more than 1,000 units still in the pipeline.

Committee members pressed for follow-up on neighborhood and small-business impacts. Councilor Hart said he will look for inclusion of smaller partners — named during the meeting as ECHO, Community Land Trust and Habitat — in ongoing plans. Reyes described zoning reform work, infill incentives, public–private partnerships and infrastructure investments (including lead-pipe replacements) as tools the administration is using to manage rapid development.

Reyes emphasized constraints that make urban construction more expensive than suburban projects: limited land (the city is roughly five and a half square miles), legacy contamination on redeveloped parcels, and infrastructure replacement costs. He said the city uses an affordable-housing policy it updates every five years to guide decisions.

The committee asked for another, more detailed briefing split into subtopics — downtown, Fort Trumbull, and neighborhood-level projects — to allow deeper discussion of small-business impacts, zoning changes and the role of community partners.

Reyes concluded by reiterating the tracker is a public document and that the administration will continue to update council and answer follow-up questions in writing when staff do not have immediate answers at meetings.