2 Church Street Development Scoping Notice
Notice of Scoping for 2 Church Street Development Public Improvements
Title: New Haven Quantum and Life Sciences Innovation Cluster - 2 Church Street Development
Address of possible action location: 2 Church Street, New Haven, CT
Municipality where the action might be located: New Haven
Description: Winstanley Enterprises, LLC is planning a 4-story building for research and development, laboratory, and general office comprising approximately 200,0000 square feet at 2 Church Street in New Haven, CT. The 2 Church Street site is approximately 1.8 acres and is bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the north, South Frontage Road to the south, 101 College Street to the west, and Church Street to the east. Known as the “2 Church Street Development,” the Proposed Action to be assessed under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA) process consists of the following elements:
• Public infrastructure, including tunnel walls, service drives, lighting, egress, fire suppression, smoke ventilation, deluge drainage, mechanical equipment and life safety systems.
• Public streetscape and plaza improvements with connections to the existing public plaza at 101 College Street.
• Utility and infrastructure improvements, with tie-ins to existing utilities.
• Developer gap financing from DECD.
The Proposed Action falls within the City of New Haven’s Downtown Crossing project. Downtown Crossing is a City of New Haven infrastructure project that rebuilds the former Route 34 expressway into a system of urban boulevards, reestablishes the urban street grid by reconnecting the city streets, and reclaims portions of highway land for development. The building and tunnel system will cap (i.e., be constructed above) the existing service drives, which travel east and west through the site, aligning with goals in the City of New Haven’s Hill-to-Downtown Community Plan, which calls for improving connectivity between The Hill, Union Station, Yale New Haven Hospital, and Yale School of Medicine, and Downtown.
The need for the Proposed Action is due to an urban renewal-era land clearance that isolated surrounding neighborhoods more than 60 years ago. Since then, a fragmented street network has separated the Hill neighborhood from Downtown, making it a challenge to attract investment and residents to the area. As the City has made progress in reconnecting the neighborhoods with infill development in recent decades, another need for the Proposed Action is due to the high demand for transit-oriented development, including research, lab, and office space in Downtown New Haven’s innovation hub.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to continue the progress made by the City in recent years to reconnect the surrounding neighborhoods, improve walkability and connectivity between public amenities, housing, and build upon the City’s growing innovation industry. Winstanley Enterprises, LLC will incorporate comments received during the public scoping period and evaluate the Proposed Action, including taking no action or other feasible alternatives. Direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts associated with the Proposed Action will also be assessed.
Project Map: Access a map of the project area.
Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on: August 6th, 2026.
Any person may ask the sponsoring agency to hold a public scoping meeting by sending such a request to the address below. If a public scoping meeting is requested by 25 or more individuals, or by an association that represents 25 or more members, the sponsoring agency shall schedule a public scoping meeting. Such requests must be made by July 17th, 2026.
Written comments and/or requests for a public scoping meeting should be sent to:
Name: Ryan Acosta
Agency: Department of Economic and Community Development
Address: 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 5, Hartford, CT 06103
E-mail: ryan.acosta@ct.gov
Inquiries and requests to view and or copy documents, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, must be submitted to the Department of Economic and Community Development.
Name: Ryan Acosta
Agency: Department of Economic and Community Development
Address: 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 5, Hartford, CT 06103
E-mail: ryan.acosta@ct.gov
What Happens Next:
The Department of Economic and Community Development will determine whether to proceed with the preparation of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) or that the action does not require the preparation of an EIE under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA). A Post-Scoping Notice of its decision will appear in a future edition of the Environmental Monitor.