Cautious Optimism on North Haven Economic Growth

Mike Freda expressed cautious optimism about a series of development projects that could bring new businesses and jobs to North Haven at Tuesday night's monthly meeting of the Board of Selectmen.

While a plan to bring a Yale-New Haven Hospital emergency center to town stalled last year when the state's Office of Health Care Access denied the New Haven medical giant a certificate of need required to begin construction, Mr. Freda announced that ground had been broken for the first of three buildings on Devine Street intended to house offices for doctors and other healthcare businesses. 

Freda noted that relationships between the Town and Yale-New Haven remains strong.

"They still want to come to North Haven, and we still want them here," said Freda. "We are in constant discussions with them about how to move forward."

An announcement on the future of that partnership should be expected at the March Selectman's meeting. 

In non-medical economic growth, Freda said that Leon's Restaurant of New Haven would be opening a location in the old Hollywood Video lot on Washington Avenue.

In previous months, the Selectman had discussed the possibility of a wine bar opening at the site. That deal is now off the table, due to a contractual misunderstanding. 

"I'm not going to overstate economic development any more," commented Freda, leveling with more skeptical members of the audience. "We'll only announce deals once they're certain."

Later in the month, Freda and other Town representatives will meet with developer Mickey Rabina, whose company bought the defunct Pratt & Whitney building in 2001, to discuss five new construction opportunities. Seventeen previous attempts to turn the site around have fallen flat.

An update on the site will be made in March, Freda said.