The development on the former Church Street South site will include three buildings, 30,000 square feet of commercial space, and family-sized townhomes, with construction happening in phases to rehouse current residents.
New Haven Approves 541 Apartments for Union Square Phase 1 Near Union Station
The New Haven City Plan Commission voted unanimously on March 19, 2026, to approve the site plan for Union Square Phase 1, clearing the way for construction of 541 apartments and 30,000 square feet of commercial space on the former Church Street South site adjacent to Union Station.
The approval — which also included the coastal site plan and a soil erosion control plan — came after the commission deferred a vote on March 6 pending a required zoning change. The Board of Alders approved a Transit-Oriented Community zoning amendment on March 17, enabling the commission's action days later.
What Phase 1 Will Include
The development, led by The Glendower Group on behalf of the Housing Authority of New Haven, will construct three mixed-income residential buildings containing:
- 78 studio apartments
- 265 one-bedroom apartments
- 145 two-bedroom apartments
- 48 three-bedroom apartments
- Four and five-bedroom townhomes facing the Hill neighborhood
The project also includes 30,000 square feet of commercial and retail space and 182 on-site parking spaces.
Phased Construction to Rehouse Residents
Construction is planned in stages to minimize displacement. The first two buildings — containing 206 and 139 units, respectively — will be built first, allowing current residents of the Robert T. Wolfe Apartments to relocate before that building is demolished and the third structure is built.
The plan is designed to rehouse families who were displaced from Church Street South, a public housing complex demolished in 2018. The Hill-facing townhomes are specifically intended to accommodate larger families.
Community and Political Support
Ward 6 Alders Dolores Colon and Carmen Rodriguez spoke in support of the project at the commission meeting. Thomasine Shaw, a longtime Hill neighborhood resident who has followed the redevelopment plans, called the approval "an opportunity to bring a community back."
Commission Chair Ernest Pagan also expressed support for advancing the development.
Federal Funding at Stake
The housing authority has been pursuing a $26 million federal Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the broader Union Square project. Project stakeholders previously warned that delays could jeopardize the city's competitiveness for that funding.
The planning work for Union Square was funded in part by a $500,000 HUD planning grant. The Housing Authority of New Haven purchased the 8.27-acre former Church Street South site in November 2023 for $21 million.
The Broader Union Square Vision
Union Square is envisioned as a large-scale redevelopment of the land near New Haven's Union Station and the Hill neighborhood. The full project, which spans multiple phases, has been discussed for years and envisions approximately 2,490 total units.
Phase 1's approval is the first major construction authorization for the site since the Church Street South buildings came down.
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