By a 4,000-vote margin, New Haven voters overwhelmingly approved the City and Town Development Act for another five-year stint Tuesday.
The state act allows New Haven and other Connecticut cities to acquire vacant properties, issue bonds and address housing shortages for redevelopment projects. State law requires approval from each city’s voters every five years.
“It reflects that the city has an agenda that the voters really support,” said Henry Fernandez, New Haven’s economic development administrator.
“It allows the city to continue with a wide variety of tools it has used for development for many years,” Fernandez said. “It has uses for both profit and non-profit groups.”
Fernandez said the city has used the act for help with developing the Hill Health Center, the Jewish Home for the Aged and K-Mart.
The River Street redevelopment proposal also relies on the development act.
–Marc Wiznia