Sometimes, the media gets it wrong.
This is one of those times.
In a June 28, 2024 article published in the North Haven Citizen, there were numerous errors that misinform and mislead readers and local residents.
Accurate information is critical when important decisions need to be made in town, and it is for that reason that the facts – clearly and unambiguously – are outlined here.
1. ARTICLE: “A decommissioned church that was almost torn down and replaced with a high school…”
FACTS:
Slate School was not going to tear down the church. They were going to renovate it and add a monstrously large building on the property.
The Slate School project was not approved by the North Haven Planning and Zoning Commission due to its adverse impacts on the neighborhood, including increased traffic and diminished property values. It was deemed to be too much development on too small a parcel.
2. ARTICLE: “Additionally, this project will support the surrounding neighborhood by upgrading a property that has been unoccupied for quite some time.”
FACTS:
Their plans for upgrading the property include adding a two-story structure, about 52’x20’ in size, more than tripling the parking lot size, and tripling the impervious surface area.
The proposed development poses the risk of severe, adverse impacts to the wetlands and watercourses that border the property.
QU proposes to operate the education center 7-days a week, from 8:00am-10:00pm.
QU currently operates an executive education center out of their main campus. One of their representatives has said that the only reason they want to move the program to the Ridge Road site is because they were given the property and needed to find something to do with it.
The existing building has been in a state of decay for at least 4-5 years. It should be torn down.
Developing this property as proposed will not support the community, it will destroy the quiet, rural, residential neighborhood. Traffic and noise will increase dramatically, and property values will be diminished. Once again, it is too large a development for the size of the property.
3. ARTICLE: “Quinnipiac bought the 3.3-acre church property for an undisclosed amount in March, records show.”
FACT: Slate School gifted the property to Quinnipiac. They did not pay anything.
4. ARTICLE: “Quinnipiac’s plan to re-purpose the 43-year-old church building means that the original structure will remain intact, mirroring similar efforts to preserve and restore aging places of worship, like First Congregational Church of West Haven, that are emblematic of Connecticut’s colonial history.”
FACTS:
The only part of this brick church that even remotely evokes colonial architecture is the small, white, spire on top, and that doesn’t compare to the steeples on real colonial churches in Connecticut.
There is no comparing the beautiful First Congregational Church (FCC) in West Haven, constructed in the 1850’s, to the Ridge Road building. Built in 1981, it is a brick box with a cold, unadorned, utilitarian interior. The FCC in West Haven is a majestic example of Early American architecture, inside and outside. And, it is home to an active religious community. QU’s plans for the Ridge Road structure are neither an attempt to preserve colonial or Early American architecture. Not even close.
Even the proponents see potential danger ahead.
Quinnipiac University’s report on projected traffic, filed as part of its application, included this salient observation from traffic engineer James G. Bubaris:
“On the other hand, available sight line distances from the Ridge Road northbound approach to Mount Carmel Avenue were found to be less than recommended. Since corrective action cannot be made without encroaching on private property, it has been recommended that the intersection on Mount Carmel Avenue at Ridge Road be converted to a multi-Stop intersection by adding Stop signs at the two Mount Carmel Avenue approaches.”
Left unsaid, but definitely worth noting, is this: Westbound traffic on Mount Carmel approaching the Stop sign he suggests would be at the mercy of the very sight lines which he says are inadequate. There is a very sharp curve on Mt. Carmel that descends sharply to Ridge Road. If a car were stopped at a Stop sign, a westbound car wouldn’t be able to see it and stop safely given the poor sight line. Previous requests to the Hamden Police Department to add a Stop sign here have been denied because it would be too dangerous.
Westbound Mount Carmel Approaching Outer Ridge