Affordable Housing Opens in Hamden
by Staff ◊ Jun 03, 2011
NeighborWorks® New Horizons’ announces the opening of their newest development, Highwood Square in Hamden, with a Ribbon Cutting at 11am, on Friday, June 3. Located at 953 Dixwell Avenue, Highwood is Hamden’s new artist housing development. The housing complex has ground floor/retail commercial spaces available in addition to 27 affordable apartments with one, two, and three bedroom units. Many units have high ceilings creating a loft like feel to the apartment with outdoor balconies and bamboo flooring inside.
NeighborWorks® New Horizons, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, builds affordable housing for low income working families throughout the New Haven metro, including developments in Guilford, Branford, Waterbury, Milford, Ansonia, and New Haven, and is currently developing (NSP) homes for sale in the New London area.
Highwood occupies the site of the former Johnson Wholesale Perfume Company and the Nabisco Bakery. The complex was designed by New Haven architect Ben Ledbetter in association with Graftworks Architecture and Design of Manhattan, and constructed by LaRosa Building Group of Meriden. The three buildings in the complex surround a communal lawn, giving it a small campus-like atmosphere. The modern new buildings were designed with the interests of artists and the spirit of the Highwood neighborhood. The project involved an adaptive reuse of two existing 1920’s brick office buildings, plus over 46,000 square feet of new construction. Highwood Square’s eastern edge is bordered by the Farmington Canal Greenway, a former canal line and railroad route which has been paved and converted to a walking and bike path stretching through 10 scenic miles of Hamden and beyond. On site amenities include laundry facilities, a community room, parking, and bike racks.
Highwood Square is the second artist housing development completed by NeighborWorks® New Horizons. Funded by both public and private sources, it is a project of the American Recovery Act and the first in Connecticut to use the U.S. Treasury’s Exchange Program Funding. Funders for the project include: Connecticut Housing Finance Authority – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston – Affordable Housing Program, Webster Bank, The Town of Hamden – Economic and Community Development, REX Development, NeighborWorks America, NeighborWorks Capital, Quinnipiac Bank and Trust, Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund, and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation.
For more information about the event, contact Jill Dotlo at 203.562.4514 ext. 29. If you are interested in leasing retail space, please contact Glori at 203.562.4514 ext. 19.
