The City of West Haven has plans to upgrade the Downtown Village Improvement District after being awarded $250,000 by the state’s Community Investment Fund 2030.
Mayor Dorinda Borer of West Haven said the funding will be used to conduct various feasibility studies in order to develop an informed proposal of what can be done in the area.
“We need traffic, pedestrian, engineering proposals, what would be the impact if we make changes down there. What's the brownfield impact? Is there needing to be remediation?" Mayor Borer said. "If we bought buildings, what would the cost of those buildings be - so it's a comprehensive plan.”
The Downtown Village Improvement District area goes from Elm Street to Brown Street and from Savin Avenue to Washington Avenue.
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"We really needed a comprehensive multi-pronged approach to address our downtown and this funding is going to significantly help us in those efforts,” said Mayor Borer.
While the process remains in its beginning stages, one resident of West Haven shared ideas of what he would like to see in the future.
“It would be cool to see some new stuff go in there, maybe some new stores, new shops, maybe a couple of restaurants; it would be nice," Joseph Calash said.
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The mayor added as part of the city’s improvements, the City of West Haven will be giving out $400,000 in small grants for businesses across the city to be used for facade upgrades.
