First, new sidewalks, new lighting, new parking, new traffic patterns and some new facades and signage came to Broadway through a $6.2 million project funded by Yale, New Haven and the federal government and completed last year. In the wake of those changes, Schiavone Property Management Company assumed the management of Yale's properties last summer, and took steps to improve the cleanliness and appearance of the Broadway district.
With an improved infrastructure in place, the next steps for Broadway are a major consideration of the new Office of University Properties, which was formed last June to consolidate the management of Yale's non-academic properties in New Haven. University Vice President and Secretary Linda Koch Lorimer, who is responsible for the Office, explains, "We look to have that portfolio, which consists of 25 commercial buildings and more than 500 off- campus apartments, be more of an asset in New Haven's revitalization and more useful to the University community." She noted that the properties Yale owns in the Broadway neighborhood are an important part of that equation.
Rusty Tilney, director of the Office of University Properties, adds, "I think that a concerted effort by the University over the next several years can attract an exciting array of retailers, both local and national, who will well serve the University community and also help New Haven."
Mr. Tilney says the goals for the development of Broadway are four-fold:
1. Availability in the district of the daily essentials for Yale students who live in the area. "Since most undergraduates do not have cars, we have a responsibility to ensure that they can get a haircut or buy an extension cord or desk lamp within walking distance of the campus," Mr. Tilney says.
2. Availability of a first-rate bookstore that will serve the needs of the academic community.
3. A mix of retailers that will make Broadway a lively attraction for members of the Yale community and lure suburban shoppers back to New Haven, which would be beneficial to the city's revitalization efforts. "We look for a mixture of local and nationally recognized entities that will build on the good quality of local stores currently operating on Broadway, such as Barrie's, Cutler's and Daily Cafe," says Mr. Tilney.
4. More visitors and activity at night, as well as during the day. "It is difficult to find retailers who are willing to stay open nights on Broadway, given the current economics," says Mr. Tilney, "but we think it is important to work toward that goal if Broadway is going to be a success for the Yale community and a safe and strong bridge to the Park-Howe-Dwight neighborhood where hundreds of members of the Yale community live."
Earlier this fall, the Secretary's Office surveyed deans and departmental chairs about their ideas for improving the Broadway area, and meetings were held with the leadership of the Yale College Council and the Graduate and Professional Students Senate. "Yale students have expressed interest in stores providing additional goods and services. Stores offering women's' clothing, health and beauty and videos seem to be in demand," says Mr. Tilney. "Faculty have underscored the need for an outstanding bookstore and have encouraged us to find a good restaurant and a combination of retailers that will make the area more lively and inviting."
Yale, which now owns 97,000 square feet of retail space in the Broadway district, is currently pursuing discussions with prominent retailers such as Eddie Bauer and Urban Outfitters.
"It will be a challenge to convince the right kind of retailers to come to the area, and it will be an evolutionary process," explains Mr. Tilney. "The University's review of its lease with the Yale Co-op and its discussions with Barnes and Noble concerning a possible college store on the site are part of Yale's commitment to reinvigorate important blocks on the western edge of the campus." He says Yale would choose the tenant that could best serve the Yale community and attract the most customers to the area.
The University has engaged architect Bruno D'Agostino of the Cambridge firm, D'Agostino, Izzo, Quirk Architects to develop a concept for Broadway that will tie the district's new and established buildings and tenants together. D'Agostino is well known for such urban redevelopment work as Fanueil Hall in Boston and South Street Seaport in New York City, Mr. Tilney says. He is currently designing the street-level retail and facade for a major development in New York City's Times Square.
"He is interested in creating vibrant street activity," Mr. Tilney says of Mr. D'Agostino, who tries to bring streets to life with sidewalk dining, merchant displays that stretch out of stores and visually arresting use of signs, banners, color and lighting. Mr. Tilney says the architect's goal is to offer a district with an enticing urban flavor, similar to sections of Boston and New York rather than to suburban retail centers.
Yale expects that the University's students, faculty and staff, the many alumni who return to New Haven, and other people who live and work in the area would take advantage of a wider selection of shopping options and services along Broadway. There is also potential for drawing people to the district from a wider circle, depending on the final configuration of stores and ambiance, Mr. Tilney says.
He also says that Yale was interested in expanding entertainment and dining options that would attract visitors to Broadway in the evening, as well as during the day. He notes that Toad's and the York Street Cinema are established entertainment attractions that would figure prominently in any plans to expand night life on Broadway.
Yale's Broadway development plan would augment the University's overall commitment to assist New Haven's efforts to promote economic activity, revitalize its neighborhoods, and improve education and health, Secretary Lorimer says. "If we can succeed in bringing new retailers to New Haven, it will be an additional vote of confidence in the city and will help New Haven's tax base in addition to offering expanded service for the University community," she says.