Board approves $5.54 million grant application to clean up 169 Union Ave., paving way for mixed‑use housing

The Community Development Committee of the New Haven Board of Alders on Wednesday approved a resolution authorizing the city to apply for and accept a $5,540,000 remediation grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and to partner with Glendower Group on cleanup and redevelopment of 169 Union Avenue.

City and developer representatives described the measure as a joint application to the DECD and the state Brownfield program to fund remediation work that will clear the way for an initial phase of housing. A presenter said Phase 1 of the proposed development envisions 541 apartment units plus commercial space; the committee heard the application is part of a multi‑partner effort that also ties into a Choice Neighborhood HUD planning process.

Environmental consultant Neil Payne told the committee the site presents three primary challenges: asbestos‑concrete sanitary and storm lines that must be removed, about five feet of urban fill that must be remediated to residential standards, and multiple historic leaking underground oil tanks that have generated a petroleum groundwater plume. "There’s a massive plume out there as well of contaminated petroleum groundwater emanating across Union Ave," Payne said, and added that the project’s remediation strategy focuses on removing source material above and slightly into the water table and incorporating building vapor‑mitigation systems to protect occupants.

Alder Christine Kim asked whether the DECD funding would cover the full remediation cost and whether cleanup standards would address volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Presenters said the DECD and Brownfield funding streams are intended to cover remediation work, that the project is aiming for residential cleanup standards, and that the city and developer have included contingencies in their budget in case additional contamination is found during excavation.

Supporters on the committee framed the action as an affordable‑housing and community revitalization step. An alder who identified housing authority partnership and earlier planning meetings said the New Haven Housing Authority and the city have worked together on cooperative agreements and HUD applications tied to the site, and speakers emphasized the project’s potential to return residents to a site with a history of displacement.

The committee approved the resolution by voice vote. The chair declared "the ayes have it," and the item will move forward for the city to pursue the DECD grant and related state cleanup processes.

The committee also closed the public comment period for related agenda items and passed over a separate parking plan item for 69 Davis Street without discussion; public written testimony opposing demolition and conversion of a Davis Street property into an 89‑space surface lot was presented during the meeting.