October 29, 2019
Mixed-use development proposed for Orange Street
PHOTOS | New Haven Biz
The Pinto-Whitney House on Orange Street would be moved slightly to the north to make way for a proposed residential and commercial development.
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo
A new mixed-use residential and commercial development is being proposed for three parcels on Orange Street in New Haven, including property where inventor Eli Whitney once lived.
The applicant, Orange Elm LLC, submitted an application to the city to redevelop property at 269, 275, and 283 Orange St.
In order for the project to proceed, the applicant needs the City Plan Commission’s approval of its site plan. The commission is scheduled to review and discuss it at its next meeting, on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
The applicant hopes to merge the three parcels and build a new seven-story building that would have 102 residential units. This would include 57 studio apartments, 39 apartments with one bedroom, and six with two bedrooms. At street level, the building would house approximately 3,900 square feet of new commercial space. The project also includes 51 parking spaces.
Attorney James Segaloff of the New Haven-based firm Susman, Duffy & Segaloff, who represents the applicant, said no commercial tenants are confirmed yet. Orange Elm LLC’s principal is listed as Daniel Seligsohn, with a business address in New Rochelle, New York, according to the Secretary of the State’s office.
“[My client] is focused on securing the site plan approval first,” Segaloff said. “The hope is that this project will have a positive impact on that Orange Street area, where there isn’t a lot going on now. It is exciting for the neighborhood.”
Segaloff noted that the project also will mean job opportunities because of the ground floor commercial space.
Currently, 269 and 283 Orange are owned by 59 Elm Street Partners LLC, and the property includes two separate parking lots with a total of 108 parking spaces.
Much of the parcel is currently street-level parking.
The property at 275 Orange Street is owned by an affiliated company, 275 Orange LLC. It is between the other two parcels and includes the historic Pinto-Whitney House. The two-and-a half story house has most recently been used for professional office space, with a law office as its tenant. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places and was formerly owned by William Pinto, a prominent early city resident. Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, was Pinto’s tenant and was living at the house when he died in 1825.
The Pinto-Whitney House has a non-historic addition on it, and the plan is to remove this addition from the house, according to Segaloff. The applicant wants to preserve the historic Pinto-Whitney House, but relocate it to the northern corner of the property. Under the plan, the house would be moved closer to the neighboring Connecticut Children’s Museum, which is at the corner of Orange and Wall Streets.
According to Segaloff, they have been talking to museum officials and want to accommodate and address any neighbors’ concerns, such as with the use of landscaping and streetscapes.
The applicant asserts in documents submitted to the city that the proposed development will “continue to build on the success of the downtown revitalization particularly the Orange Street corridor.”
“It presents a significant opportunity for our city to continue its growth and vitality,” the application states.
Simon David Real Estate is currently advertising “retail for lease” at the development site, with availability in the first quarter of 2021.
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.
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