With climate change in mind, a New Haven aldermanic committee advanced a zoning proposal that would allow as-of-right restaurants, supermarkets, and offices — but not housing — along the Union Station railroad tracks. The vote that followed marked progress in the New Haven Parking Authority’s long-brewing effort to redevelop vacant lots around Union Station, an area currently zoned for “wholesale and distribution” uses. It also displayed how climate change has begun to impact New Haven’s housing and economic development policy. As City Plan Director Laura Brown explained to alders, the TOC zone was proposed in line with a national movement for “transit-oriented development” — a planning approach that aims to center city life around mass transportation so that residents can more easily live without a car and reduce carbon emissions. The proposed zone would allow taller buildings that could reach 28–34 stories, with parking spaces capped at 85 per acre.
New Haven advances transit oriented development — with extra step for housing