Plans are in the works to update the historic New Haven Green

The New Haven green is almost 400 years old, and it’s time for an upgrade.

The city held a listening session earlier this week to hear from the public. They’re working on updated amenities, new businesses and even possibly an ice rink.

“I love ice skating, that would be great,” Tiffany Jarratt, of New Haven, said.

There was positive reaction to some of the ideas on the Green Thursday.

“There’s already a lot of new businesses that bring people, so having things to actually do when you come to the Green would also help,” Larry Yarborough, of East Haven, said.

“The green is the center of New Haven, it’s the center of our central business district, so anytime we’re doing something to improve it, it really adds to the quality of life around all of downtown New Haven,” Garrett Sheehan, CEO of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, said.

Other ideas include an eatery or coffee shop, a playscape for kids and public restrooms.

“There’s a lot of homeless people that need somewhere to use the bathroom, so for sure,” Jarrett said.

Sheehan said the restroom idea has been on the list for some time.

“One of the proposals that we put in several years ago was to have permanent bathrooms so that’s really great that it’s being adopted into the planning,” Sheehan said.

The city was awarded a $4.6 million state grant to make road safety improvements around the Green, which will be incorporated into the plan.

The grant will cover six raised crosswalks and closing Temple Street.

“The vision with closing Temple Street is one where we’re reconnecting the two sides of the Green together and making it much safer for people to walk throughout the city,” Mayor Justin Elicker said.

The 386-year-old National Historic Landmark is actually a privately-owned piece of land, managed by the five-member group Proprietors of the New Haven Green.

“This originates from way back when the colonies were first established,” Judge Janet Arderton, one of the proprietors, said.

The group maintains and improves the land. Arderton said in the last decade, they’ve been focused on more events and activities for more public to enjoy.

Now, she said they’re excited to make 21^st century improvements.

“That will mean that this is a place that you don’t just walk through, you come to,” Arderton said.

But Yarborough is concerned about the crime in the city and the potential for it to escalate if more activities are brought to the Green.

Yarborough said he’d also like to see help for those that are homeless in the area.

“There’s bigger problems that could be addressed before we start doing stuff like that," he said.