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An architectural rendering of the proposed 2 Church Street building that would be the final component of New Haven’s Downtown Crossing development project, which aims to reconnect downtown to the Hill section and the city’s medical district.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Courtesy of City of New Haven \/ Winstanley Enterprises<\/p>\n
NEW HAVEN \u2014 City officials are preparing to move forward with a\u00a0200,000-square-foot laboratory and office building that would become the centerpiece of New Haven’s growing life sciences and quantum technology hub while completing the final phase of the\u00a0Downtown Crossing<\/a> redevelopment project.<\/p>\n The proposed development at 2 Church St. would become the home of the previously announced Unilever Global Innovation Center<\/a>. Backed by millions of dollars in state funding, the project is the third and final phase of Downtown Crossing, the city’s long-running effort to replace the former Route 34 highway and reconnect downtown with the Hill neighborhood and medical district.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The project’s development and land disposition agreements will go before the Board of Alders’ Community Development Committee during a public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Board of Alders chamber at City Hall. If approved, the agreements will advance to the full Board of Alders for a vote.<\/p>\n \u201cNew Haven is one of fastest-growing hubs in the nation for the life sciences and quantum science, and the developments of 100 College Street, 101 College Street and 2 Church Street all demonstrate the growth of these industries in our city and underscore how New Haven is a center for cutting-edge research, development and innovation in these fields,” said Mayor Justin Elicker.<\/p>\n “Importantly, as we grow, we are committed to growing inclusively \u2014 and, just like the other buildings, 2 Church Street and the companies housed there will provide new job opportunities for our residents and also generate new tax revenue for the city that helps pay for critical municipal services that support our residents,” Elicker said. “It\u2019s a really exciting time of economic growth and development for New Haven.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Downtown Crossing was created to repair the damage caused by urban renewal and the construction of Route 34, which demolished the Oak Street neighborhood and divided the Hill from downtown. The 2 Church St. project represents the final phase of that effort.<\/p>\n A map of the site of the proposed 2 Church Street building that would be the final component of New Haven’s Downtown Crossing development project, which aims to reconnect downtown to the Hill section and the city’s medical district.\u00a0<\/p>\n Courtesy of City of New Haven \/ Winstanley Enterprises<\/p>\n For Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli, however, the project is about more than a single building. It’s about growing efforts like\u00a0QuantumCT and BioCT to put Connecticut \u2014 and New Haven \u2014 on the cutting edge of quantum technology and biotechnology.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Just as importantly, he said, “it reinforces and provides opportunities to connect New Haven residents to meaningful career opportunities at all levels.”\u00a0<\/p>\n The state has committed about $37 million to support those broader efforts, with funding benefiting not only the city and development partner Winstanley Enterprises<\/a> but also organizations including QuantumCT and BioCT, Piscitelli said.<\/p>\n QuantumCT is a public-private partnership that includes the University of Connecticut, Yale University, Southern Connecticut State University, ConnCORP, Connecticut Innovations and the state Department of Economic and Community Development.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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