To uplift every neighborhood by meeting communities where they are and working together to create and support a thriving future.
BJH Advisors, Connecticut Main Street Center
The Neighborhood Commercial District Playbook is a place-based economic development initiative that provides a toolkit for equitable and sustainable growth and activation of commercial centers throughout New Haven.
BACKGROUND: The Neighborhood Commercial Districts Playbook is a comprehensive road map and tool kit that strategically guides the City of New Haven and its communities in realizing the potential of neighborhood commercial districts (NCDs). The Playbook was borne from the City’s vision to create thriving and culturally rich neighborhood commercial centers to meet the needs of residents, enhance quality of life, and generate economic vitality. The goals of the Playbook are three-fold: to ensure that these districts are beautiful, well-managed, and capable of serving both local and regional audiences; to develop unique identities based on cultural, market, and geographical considerations; and to synergize city departments to support neighborhoods efficiently. The Playbook is rooted in the Main Street America approach and engages funding mechanisms that do not introduce a tax overlay on an already tax-burdened populace.
METHODS: The project team (Pirie Associates, BJH Advisors, and Connecticut Main Street Center) engaged in a multi-disciplinary methodology to identify and evaluate each NCD, and to integrate the Playbook within the City’s operational and organizational structure. The first facet evaluates the existing condition of each NCD based on market evaluations, KPIs, and a neighborhood organizational assessment; the second identifies cultural, physical, and geographical resources and characteristics; the third groups NCDs based on character and capacity typologies; and the fourth models support and development strategies through vision-based case studies.
Pirie Associates developed case studies for each NCD typology. West River represents a Pocket NCD; Grand Avenue is a Main Street NCD; and Quinnipiac Meadows is a Connecting Boulevard NCD. Each case study targets an aspirational and unique vision which considers the trajectory of the Neighborhood Commercial Districts as a whole. Through the development of unique neighborhood characters, NCDs work holistically to create a diverse Elm City.