The City of New Haven broke ground on a 65-unit supportive housing development on Monday.
The seven-story project, called West Ridge, is part of the state’s effort to address the affordable housing crisis. It will bring 65 new affordable apartments to New Haven, with 62 one-bedroom and two-bedroom units for seniors and young residents with disabilities.
It’s evidence of an apartment boom in the city supported by state funding, Mayor Justin Elicker said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
“We want to build, build, build," he said.
“Our goal is to build over 10,000 units in the next 10 years. And we are well on that path helping the state which is confronting a real challenge with affordable housing,” he said.
“And New Haven wants a very significant part of that. And we say YIMBY (Yes in my backyard), we want people to live in our community. We are an absolutely welcoming community to everyone,” Elicker said.
Connecticut has a housing deficit of 100,000 units, according to state officials.
Lawmakers allocated $800 million for new housing in the state’s latest budget, passed by the General Assembly.
In the meantime, an affordable housing bill that Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed last week after opponents claimed it was a state override of local zoning will be revised and reconsidered by lawmakers in a special session in the fall.
