For decades, the City of New Haven has been exploring development around Union Station. In 2012, a Hill-to-Downtown Master Plan was developed, which was one of many such plans. 

In 2019, a privately-owned community of 301 affordable housing units known as Church Street South was demolished due to deferred maintenance. The property, directly across from Union Station, was purchased by Elm City Communities (Glendower Group) in 2023. A competitive Request for Proposals was issued for master planning services which was awarded to the team of Torti Gallas + Partners and Kenneth Boroson Architects. 

The Glendower / Torti Gallas / Boroson Team have led and are continuing to lead multiple neighborhood meetings and design sessions with residents, community members, alders and stakeholders to obtain input on their “needs and wants” for the new development.

An intense, week-long charrette was conducted during September 2024 and included enthusiastic participation by residents and neighbors. 

The resulting design accommodates up to 2,000 apartments and townhomes in multiple structures, along with retailers such as coffee shops, and recreation opportunities such as playgrounds, on the 8-acre site. 

The design is staggered among low, medium, and high-rise structures:

- Low-rise structures are located closer to the Church Street (western) edge of the site where lower-scale, 2-3 story homes currently exist in the “Hill” neighborhood.  

- Mid-rise structures flank public spaces across from Union Station, and create a processional pedestrian walk to Church Street. (The City of New Haven is improving the streetscape leading to the New Haven Green.)  

- The mid-rise apartments then scale up to high-rise apartment buildings on the eastern edge of the site, closer to downtown. 

The target population includes residents of the nearby Robert T. Wolfe Apartments and the former Church Street South. These residents were instrumental during the planning and charrette workshop process.