Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and state Transportation Deputy Commissioner Laoise King announced in late June 2025, that Gilbane Development Co. and MURAL Real Estate Partners have been selected to lead a privately developed transit-oriented, mixed-use community at New Haven Union Station.
The $316.1 million project will convert underused state-owned land at Union Station into a vibrant, mixed-use development anchored by two 16-story towers, bringing new housing, retail and jobs just steps from rail, bus and bike connections.
The project will deliver 470 new apartments, including 118 affordable units, alongside more than 28,000 sq. ft. of retail and commercial space, 26,000 sq. ft. of residential amenities and 294 parking spaces to serve both tenants and transit customers.
Its construction will be completed in two phases, with the first scheduled to begin in late 2026 and be completed by early 2028. The second phase will likely start in August 2029 and wrap up by November 2031, according to a CTDOT news release.
"This is exactly the kind of forward-thinking development we need to see more of in Connecticut," Lamont said during his remarks. "We're creating new housing, including affordable units, while strengthening public transit and growing the local economy. It's a win for New Haven and a model for the rest of the state."
King added that the Union Station redevelopment is part of CTDOT's "larger strategy to reimagine underused state land at transit hubs across the state. In communities around the state, our goal is to turn these under-utilized parking lots into neighborhoods that encourage transit activity and long-term economic growth."
"You can't get more transit-oriented development than building nearly 500 new homes right next to one of the busiest train hubs in the northeast," said Ed Broderick, Gilbane's CEO. "[We are] honored to partner with the State of Connecticut, the City of New Haven and Mural Real Estate Partners on this transformative project. This is precisely the kind of visionary development that helps combat the housing crisis and reconnect communities."
In addition to this transit-oriented development project underway in New Haven, CTDOT will issue a request for proposal this summer for another transit-oriented development project in Stamford.
The agency also is studying 18 additional state-owned parking lots for potential transit-oriented development projects in partnership with cities, towns, developers and other stakeholders. Station locations being studied include those in Branford, Darien, Fairfield, Stratford, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Haven and Wilton, among others.
Downtown Windsor Locks to Be Revitalized
A run-down strip mall in downtown Windsor Locks, Conn. will soon become a hub for transportation, affordable housing and retail, according to a July 15 Connecticut Public Radio report.
The site, adjacent to a new train station under construction on Main Street, is in the middle of a transformation. Soil remediation work is under way at the plaza and construction crews will soon begin to demolish vacant structures.
Connecticut has awarded Windsor Locks $4 million to help with the remediation efforts. State officials announced in June that they were awarding nearly $19 million in grants to towns across the state to help clean up blighted properties.
State leaders in Hartford are focusing on projects that can help people across the state, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said July 15 at an event in Windsor Locks.
"Our state prioritizes the construction of affordable housing, of transit-oriented development and projects that benefit the entire region, and so this project was one that checked all the boxes," she said.
The project will include 120 apartments, many of which will be affordable, according to Dan Drazen with Trinity Financial, the project's developer.
Most apartments will be reserved for residents earning below the Area Median Income (AMI), while others will be offered at market rents, added Drazen. The approximate monthly rents will range from $800 to $2,200.
Construction crews expect to break ground at the site by the end of 2025, Connecticut Public Radio noted.
The project's housing component will be completed in two phases, with the first encompassing 70 apartments and 50 more units in the second phase.
Drazen said the initial phase should be completed in two years.
Connecticut also is investing $65 million to move the Windsor Locks train station a single mile from its current location back to the downtown area, where it was historically located. The station is set to reopen later this summer.
Local zoning policies made investing in Windsor Locks more attractive, Drazen told Connecticut Public Radio.
"We not only had local leadership that implemented an overlay district that allowed us to do this project … but local government was also interested in reactivating the historic train station," he said.
The project is about more than just affordable housing, explained state Rep. Tami Zawistowski, who represents the Windsor Locks area.
"It also breathes new life into underutilized space near the Connecticut River and helps revamp a local brownfield," she said.
The ground floor of the new building will include 4,000 sq. ft. of retail space.
"Here's a great opportunity to put in some super hospitality businesses and some other businesses that may have not been here before," Zawistowski added.
