North End Housing Redevelopment

   Redevelopment of substandard housing in the Ferry, Green, and Rapallo blocks of the North End was determined by NEAT's membership to be a primary goal in l997. In l998 NEAT initiated a housing committee that included neighborhood leadership, housing specialists, and key community partners to develop a plan to address the housing needs of the neighborhood. Nehemiah Housing Corp., The Connection Fund, Alderhouse Residential Communities, Inc., Habitat for Humanity, Liberty Bank, and Wesleyan University representatives worked tirelessly over many years to develop a responsible plan based upon input from the Yale Urban Design Workshop and from The Middletown Report emanating from a charrette undertaken in l999 in collaboration with the Yale Urban Design Workshop, the City of Middletown, and other community partners. The plan developed by The North End Housing Initiative (NEHI) made up of the neighborhood, non-profit housing developers, Wesleyan, and Liberty Bank was adopted by the Redevelopment Agency and the Common Council and officially adopted as the plan for neighborhood redevelopment. NEHI gained preferred developer status to undertake the plan, however, the LLC was unable to secure the tax credits needed to finance the development. In 2004 The Richman Group of Greenwich and Broad Park Development Corporation of Hartford became designated developers of rental (Richman) and homeownership

In March of 2006, demolition of the entire north side of Ferry Street, excluding 4-unit 38 Ferry Street (owned by Nehemiah Housing Corporation) took place to make way for Wharfside Commons, an affordable housing community of 96-units expected to open in late 2006 for residents of up to 60% AMI. Broad Park Development Corporation is expected to build up to 44 units of homeownership in the same geographic area beginning in 2006. NEAT has a memorandum of understanding with the City of Middletown and both developers on the housing development project.

The quest to develop affordable and mixed income housing in the east of Main neighborhood has been long, contentious, and controversial. NEAT members are optimistic that the goal of providing housing that is safe, well-managed, attractive and affordable to low and moderate income levels will comply with community-directed priorities and that a reduction in chronic public safety problems in the neighborhood will become a positive exponent of an improved housing stock.