Groundbreaking held for project to revitalize New Haven's Dixwell neighborhood

New Haven's Dixwell neighborhood is on the path for a major transformation.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday at 26 Charles Street in New Haven to celebrate the upcoming project, CommCAT Place on Dixwell, a project by ConnCORP.

“All these people had something to do with us being here, it's not just about me, it's about all of us, this is the story of we,” said Eric Clemons, founding CEO of ConnCORP and ConnCAT.

Phase One of the project will include a 69,000-square-foot building with a large courtyard, 184 housing units, a grocery store, a daycare, and a ConnCAT headquarters site, according to ConnCORP’s Chief Operating Officer, Paul McCraven.

McCraven said Phase Two of the project will consist of a cultural center, a performing arts center, parking spaces, and two greenhouses to grow food.

At the groundbreaking event, New Haven Alder for Ward 22, Jeannette Morrison, shared her enthusiasm for the project.

“For me to be in this role for almost the last 14 years and to see this groundbreaking today, it just makes my heart so happy,” Morrison said.

Morrison said these types of community investments show the younger generations the city’s interest in their growth and future.

“They don’t have to go across town and another town, they can go right outside their doors and get everything that they need.”

At the event, ConnCAT Place on Dixwell was also applauded for the synergy it will bring to the neighborhood as it will be across from a branch of the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center and the recently renovated Stetson Branch Library.

"This is the kind of development that New Haven needs, neighborhood by neighborhood, this is a signature development for the Dixwell neighborhood,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney.

The site of ConnCAT Place on Dixwell is the former home of Dixwell Plaza.

Evelyn Massey, a longtime resident of New Haven, said she’d never imagined the space would be revitalized and was honored to witness the change in her community.

“I hope that I’m here to see the end of what's happening here. It's going to be amazing,” Massey said.

Westville resident Devin Sims grew up in the Dixwell neighborhood and is not only proud to see the transformation, but is also honored to be part of the journey.

“In New Haven we say how we feel, we say what we need but we don’t always get the feedback so now getting that feedback, you can see the turnout, everyone wants this,” Sims said.

Construction for Phase One of ConnCAT Place on Dixwell will begin in mid-to-late November and is expected to be completed in 18 to 24 months.