West Haven Commission Approves 90 Apartments at the Former Mantilia Lot
WEST HAVEN, CT — West Haven’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, to approve a four-story building with 90 market-rate apartments and 11,468 square feet of ground-floor commercial space at 325 Campbell Ave., the former Mantilia Motors dealership. The New Haven Register reported the vote and the public hearing that preceded it.
The applicant is Enclave Properties LLC of New York. Its principals are Tom Bouklis, principal broker at the Manhattan-based Bouklis Group, and Tommy Kolitsopoulos, the Register reported. The same company turned the old Thompson School building on Richards Street into 46 apartments.
What Is Planned for 325 Campbell Ave.
The commercial space takes the first floor, with the apartments on the three floors above. A representative of the developer told the commission the company would like a restaurant and a French bakery as tenants, with outdoor dining along the street, according to the Register. Those are the developer’s aims; the Register named no signed tenant.
Most of the apartments would be studios and one-bedrooms, with 12 two-bedroom units, Bouklis said, according to the Register. Rents would start near $1,600 a month.
The site plan carries 130 parking spaces, which the Register put at more than 60 fewer than the lot holds today, along with a pocket park and a footpath open to neighbors as well as tenants. A traffic study filed with the application found the building would generate about the same traffic as the current use, or less, the Register reported. Bouklis estimated the finished project would pay more than $400,000 a year in taxes and about $46,000 a year in sewer use fees.
The dealership closed in 2009, and the lot has mostly served as parking since, the Register reported. The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission page lists the application file for 325 Campbell: an architectural and zoning set, a drainage report, a zoning compliance narrative, and the site plan, special permit and Village District review applications.
Neighbors on Washington Avenue Split at the Hearing
About 20 neighbors came to the public hearing in the Harriet C. North Room at City Hall, and they did not agree, the Register reported. The rear of the building would face Washington Avenue.
Tom Scianappa of Washington Avenue told the commission the project was “a gigantic change for us” on a lot that had only ever held cars, according to the Register. Bridget Hoskie, a former city councilwoman who lives across Washington Avenue, raised drainage and parking. She said she liked the plan’s right-turn-only exit onto Washington Avenue, which would keep traffic away from Washington School, and the pocket park. John Verderame, also of Washington Avenue, said the project did not belong on Campbell Avenue.
Others spoke for it. Peter DiGangi of 2nd Avenue, who works in commercial real estate, said he had clients looking to stay in West Haven with few options and called the design “absolutely gorgeous,” the Register reported. Cathy Hebert of Blohm Street said the area is blighted now. Jim Stuhlman of White Street said 90 new residents would mean 90 new customers for local businesses. Bonnie Posick of East Avenue raised traffic.
Architect Gernot Bruckner told the hearing the building was designed for the least impact on the houses behind it, and that a resident standing in a Washington Avenue backyard would not see it, according to the Register.
Why the West Haven Commission Voted Yes
Commission members said the application was unusually complete. Vice Chairman John Biancur called it among the most detailed applications the commission had received and said it met the Downtown Municipal Development Plan, the city’s Plan of Conservation and Development, and the special permit regulations, the Register reported. Chairman Chris Suggs said he had compared the plan against the regulations and found an effort to follow the city’s vision rather than the developer’s own. Alternate Richard Standish, who grew up nearby and lives on Atwater Street, said the city had to start building and the project could help downtown. Member Sammy Rivera said few applicants come in ready to build.
The vote approves the application; the city’s file lists site plan, special permit and Village District review. Neither the Register’s account nor the city’s posted file gives a construction start date.
Got a tip? Reach out to us at tips@thequinnipiacpost.com.
Never miss West Haven news
Free local news delivered to your inbox — no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
