New Haven's Wooster Square Community Team Revives After Six-Month Hiatus

Wooster Square Community Group Returns After Six Months, Eyes Grand Avenue Housing Dispute

The Downtown-Wooster Square Community Management Team held its first meeting in over six months on March 25, 2026, drawing more than 25 residents to New Haven City Hall's Meeting Room 3 — with additional participants joining via Zoom — as the neighborhood forum returned from dormancy after going inactive for lack of leadership.

The revival was organized and led by Rhea McTiernan-Huge, a Yale College junior and lifelong Wooster Square resident who spent three months learning how community management teams operate before calling the first meeting. Her mother, Jennifer McTiernan, accepted the role of vice chair.

"There's a lot of things that happen where I'm like, 'I wish I had known about this sooner!'" McTiernan-Huge said, describing her motivation for taking on the chairmanship.

New Haven Neighborhood Group Had Been Without a Chair

The Downtown-Wooster Square Community Management Team, one of 12 neighborhood-based CMTs across New Haven, had gone inactive for a single reason: no one had stepped up to chair the group. The teams are volunteer-led forums that bring together residents, city officials, police, and other stakeholders to address local quality-of-life, public safety, and development concerns.

The March 25 meeting marked the team's first session since mid-2025.

Lee Cruz, co-chair of the Fair Haven CMT, attended the revival in a show of solidarity. "CMTs are where the rubber meets the road in democracy," Cruz told those assembled. Longtime Wooster Square resident Anstress Farwell also attended, providing the group's bylaws and institutional history.

McTiernan-Huge and her mother have both said they are open to others joining the executive board before formal elections, scheduled for January 2027.

Grand Avenue Development Tops Agenda

One of the central issues raised at the revival meeting was the fate of three long-vacant properties at 873, 887, and 897 Grand Avenue — a dilapidated commercial building, a surface parking lot, and the former home of Unger's Flooring on the north side of Grand Avenue.

In late 2022, developer Joel Strulovich of Airmont, New York purchased all three parcels for $3.1 million. In November 2023, the City Plan Commission unanimously approved his site plan for a six-story, 112-unit apartment building — 66 studios, 38 one-bedroom units, and 8 two-bedroom units.

Within weeks, neighboring Lyon Street residents Linda Reeder and Richard Tortora filed a lawsuit challenging the approval. Represented by attorney Marjorie Shansky, the pair argued the 72-foot building would overshadow nearby two- and three-story homes, block winter sunlight, and compromise solar panels on their properties. Their complaint also alleged the commission failed to adequately address a 110-signature petition opposing the project.

By July 2024, the legal dispute had halted construction. Strulovich reported losing financing and said he was weighing whether to find new investors or sell. By March 2026, the properties had been listed for sale with the original development plan abandoned. The lawsuit, Docket No. NNHCV246138873S, remains pending in state Superior Court before Judge Robin Lynn Wilson.

At the March 25 meeting, resident Mona Berman expressed frustration over how long the buildings have sat vacant and deteriorating.

Noise, Blight, and a New District Police Manager

The revival meeting also surfaced other neighborhood concerns. Resident Miriam Grossman raised questions about police responsiveness to noise disturbances. Livable Cities Initiative representatives reported on illegally dumped mattresses and overflowing dumpsters in the area.

Lt. David Guliuzza introduced himself as the new police district manager for the downtown and Wooster Square neighborhood — a personnel change that affects the primary police contact for community concerns going forward.

McTiernan-Huge: From Columbus Petition to CMT Chair

McTiernan-Huge grew up in Wooster Square, attending the neighborhood's annual Cherry Blossom Festival and riding her bike through Wooster Square Park as a child before going to Wilbur Cross High School. As a Wilbur Cross sophomore, she organized a petition calling for the removal of a Christopher Columbus statue from Wooster Square Park, gathering more than 1,500 signatures across two campaigns. The effort contributed directly to the statue's removal.

In May 2025, she entered the Ward 1 aldermanic race as a Democrat, one of several Yale-affiliated candidates vying for the seat. She withdrew in September 2025 and endorsed Elias Theodore — her former Wilbur Cross classmate — who won the Ward 1 seat.

Monthly Meetings Resume; Next Session April 21

The revived DWSCMT will hold monthly meetings on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at New Haven City Hall, in a hybrid format with Zoom available. The next meeting is scheduled for April 21, 2026.

Residents can contact the team at dwscmt@gmail.com. The DWSCMT manages $20,000 annually through New Haven's Neighborhood Public Improvement Program, which funds community-selected public projects through a competitive application and resident voting process.

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