The committee alders voted unanimously in support of a resolution authorizing the city to apply for $32.1 million in grant money as part of Round 2 of the state’s $800 million Community Investment Fund (CIF). Piscitelli explained that the city is seeking $25 million in state aid for a suite of improvements to Long Wharf, including knocking down the former Gateway Community College building on Sargent Drive to help make way for the relocation of Gateway’s automotive trade school; redesigning and elevating Long Wharf Drive to protect the roadway from floods; creating a new community marina that would allow sailboats to access the area around the Canal Dock Boathouse; and developing a larger Long Wharf park complete with a 20-foot-wide waterfront promenade, fewer lanes for driving, more space for parking, and a dedicated tent-covered area for picnicking and enjoying food from the nearby taco trucks. The move to lift Long Wharf Drive, Piscitelli said, stems in part from Fusco Corporation’s planned development of 500 new apartments along the water nearby.
https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/long_wharf_downtown