Innovation, opportunity, and community empowerment.

Welcome to Our
Choice Neighborhoods
This plan aims to transform the Robert T. Wolfe Apartments
and surrounding “Union Square” community. Robert T. Wolfe is
a 92-unit, low-income, public housing high rise located adjacent
to the Union Station Train Station, New Haven.
Learn More
Welcome to our Choice
Neighborhoods Initiative
Planning Grant site
Learn about the redevelopment of Robert T. Wolfe Community
and Union Square Neighborhood.
Click Here
Innovation, opportunity,
community, empowerment
Through a comprehensive redevelopment plan, Glendower
will aim to follow HUD’s three-pronged “Housing, People
and Neighborhood” approach.
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WHAT IS CNI?

The Choice Neighborhoods Implementation initiative will transform distressed neighborhoods into viable and sustainable mixed-income neighborhoods by linking housing improvements with appropriate services, schools, public assets, transportation, and access to jobs.

The Choice Neighborhoods program supports locally driven strategies that address struggling neighborhoods with distressed HUD housing through a comprehensive approach.

Planning Grants are typically awarded to help communities and organizations develop comprehensive plans in 3 main areas:

a.       Housing

b.       People

c.       Neighborhoods

Elm City Communities and The Glendower Group were fortunate to receive this grant in 2023 to fully develop a strategy and implementation committee for a Transformation Plan with strategies for Educational Assistance, Human Service (People) Support, Housing Development and Neighborhood Improvement. This partnership signifies a shared commitment to transforming the community into a vibrant, accessible and inclusive space.

MILESTONES

“Union Square” Sketches Revealed

The latest sketches for Union Square have been unveiled! The vision includes vibrant green spaces, updated amenities, and a more pedestrian-friendly layout. These designs promise to transform Union Square into a dynamic hub. View the story here: New Haven Independent

Exciting Developments: Onsite Environmental Investigation Marks Next Phase of Revitalization

We’re thrilled to announce that onsite environmental investigative work is now underway, marking a pivotal step forward in our commitment to sustainability and community well-being.

Our team is diligently exploring the environmental landscape onsite, ensuring that every aspect of our revitalization efforts aligns with our eco-friendly ethos. Stay tuned for updates as we continue to progress towards a greener, more vibrant future for all.

Announcing our Early Action CoChairs: Pioneers of Proactive Change

Paving the Way Towards a Better Tomorrow for our Union Square Community

We are thrilled to announce the selection of our Early Action CoChairs for our Union Square Early Action Committee! After careful consideration and review, we are confident in the capabilities and dedication of our newly appointed CoChairs.

HUD requires that grantees undertake specific Early Action Activities that must be completed within the two-year planning grant timeline to demonstrate progress towards neighborhood transformation. The committee will develop the scopes of the selected activities, that when implemented, are considered to have the greatest positive impact on the neighborhood.


Together, as CoChairs, Ed and Josh will lead these efforts and encourage proactive measures, promote collaboration, and spearhead these initiatives to address any challenges head-on.

Please join us in congratulating Ed and Josh on their appointment as our Early Action CoChairs! We look forward to their leadership and the positive impact they will undoubtedly make on our Union Square Neighborhood.

Let’s embark on this journey of proactive change together!

 


Mr. Edward LaChance (left) and Mr. Josh Golden (right)

HUD Announces $7 Million in Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants

Grants will fund community-driven revitalization planning in neighborhoods with distressed public housing.

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge announced $7 million in Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants to 14 communities across America. Each awardee will receive a $500,000 grant to create a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plan to redevelop severely distressed public housing, improve outcomes for residents, and bring new amenities to high-poverty neighborhoods.

The grants will go to communities of all sizes from small cities, such as Selma, AL, to larger urban areas, such as Albuquerque, NM, and Oklahoma City, OK. Increased appropriations and a renewed national interest fuel the program’s expansion nationwide. This is the largest cohort of new Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants since 2012. This year’s awardees were selected from a pool of 28 applications. See the listing of specific organizations and funding amounts below.

“Choice Neighborhood Planning Grants represent HUD’s commitment to creating new housing across the country,” said Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “This federal investment builds the momentum neighborhoods need to make the big, impactful changes that will benefit residents and communities.”

Click below to read more:

HUD Announces $7 Million in Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants

Housing Authority Lands $500K For Robert T. Wolfe, “Union Square” Planning

The city’s housing authority has been awarded $500,000 in federal funds to help plan for how best to revitalize the Robert T. Wolfe apartment complex and the surrounding community around Union Station.

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/hud_funds_robert_t_wolfe_redevelopment_planElm City Communities, the umbrella organization that includes the city’s public housing authority and its related development and property management arms, announced that grant in a Wednesday morning email press release. The $500,000 comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the form of a Choice Neighborhoods planning grant.

The planning grant will focus on how best to improve Robert T. Wolfe, an eight-story, 92-unit public housing complex located at 49 Union Ave. that has a history of its primarily elderly and disabled tenants decrying poor conditions.

The building is operated by Elm City Communities, which is receiving the grant along with its nonprofit real estate development arm The Glendower Group.

In addition to improving Robert T. Wolfe, ECC and The Glendower Group intend to develop the surrounding area that has been dubbed Union Square” by the project managers. Robert T. Wolfe stands right next to the long-vacant swatch of land that used to house the now-demolished 301-unit Church Street South apartment complex.

Click here to read more.