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11/27/2024 12:43 PMNORTH HAVEN
The past year has been one full of accomplishments for the Town of North Haven. Meanwhile, there are new and ongoing challenges which will continue to be met and resolved in 2025, according to First Selectman Mike Freda.
Speaking with The Courier, Freda reflected on notable achievements in town, a number of which can be found in the area of economic development. This includes the introduction of new accommodations in hospitality, food and drink services, and senior living facilities.
This year saw the beginning of construction for the Hampton Inn and Suites hotel at 700 Universal Drive, a project which is expected to be completed in May 2025. Freda said the hotel will be a place to stay for business executives in North Haven in proximity to “the corporations that we have in the southern part of town.” Empty lots with thousands of square footage have been filled with locations to purchase food products, such as the Panera Bread on Universal Drive and the highway rest stop for gas and groceries on the southerly side of Washington Avenue.
The A&M Bronx Baking store at 50 Devine Street is expected to open its doors in January 2025, representing a “big incremental gain for North Haven,” said Freda.
There are opportunities for economic development on the horizon in the coming year, notably the “major investment” being made by Medtronic to create a “worldwide headquarters” facility at its campus, Freda said.
Freda also mentioned upgrades to several of the town’s athletic facilities, including the DeMayo baseball and softball fields, the Vanacore track, and the grandstands and turf fields at the middle school.
Major upgrades in senior housing are another point of significance for North Haven, specifically renovations done at the Temple Pines complex, which saw its infrastructure and building systems improved for the health and safety of its residents.
“It's a really amazing how that came out,” Freda said.
The first selectman also said that upgrades in senior living facilities will continue into the new year, with improvements looking to be brought to the Parkside facility on 191 Pool Road. The completion of both projects will “improve the quality of life for our seniors in the two housing units that we have in our housing authority,” said Freda.
Freda said the town will continue its efforts in economic development, housing, and transportation in 2025, some of which will carry over from this year. Continuing with the theme of senior living, Freda said that “another challenge has been on the corner of State Street and Sackett Point Road, that vacant property there,” referring to the property which is opposite of Liuzzi Gourmet Food Market.
The first selectman said that he is “working very closely” with CTTransit to relocate the Greater New Haven Transit District to the vacant property in an effort to provide shuttle bus services for senior citizens and disabled persons who are in need of transportation.
“This will probably be later in 2025, early 2026,” said Freda.
Freda said that “there will be a continued emphasis on economic development,” in 2025. These efforts are slated to include the filling in of more empty lots and the replacing of previously closed stores, such as the Howard Johnson’s and Donato’s restaurants. Freda added that resolving the “very complicated real estate entanglement” and creating opportunities for development at the Stop & Shop Plaza remains a “priority,” while filling in developable land on Valley Service Road is another major opportunity for the town.
While speaking highly of accomplishments and new opportunities in North Haven, Freda is staying attentive to the major challenges which lie ahead for the town’s residents of both today and tomorrow, as well its visitors.
One of “biggest challenges” which Freda said he is looking to tackle is reconciling the “paradoxical situation” of North Haven’s desirability as a place to live and its rising property values. While property values in North Haven have risen 38%, according to Freda, there is also an intention to reduce the mill rate. The first selectman intends to meet with the town’s department heads on how the mill rate can be reduced to “offset the skyrocketing home values” in North Haven and attract more residents, while the town can simultaneously collect a sufficient amount of tax revenue for its services.
In a town like North Haven, where a vast number of automobile and truck commuting occurs on busy highways, ensuring greater public safety in town is another major challenge for 2025.
For Freda, this includes resolving an alarming “level of recklessness” on the roadways by working closely with the South Central Regional Traffic Enforcement Unit to reduce speeding and accidents on major routes.
“We get a lot of calls on speeding,” he said. “The high rate of speeds has also caused a lot of accidents on the highways…When accidents occur, they’re occurring all over [interstates] 91 and 95. We have one of the largest segments of miles in North Haven that our fire department has to respond to. These are tremendous challenges that we're dealing with today.”