Coliseum
New Haven, CT | 4.5 Acres
Master Planning
The New Haven Coliseum Master Plan is an approximately 4.5 acre site in Downtown New Haven, Connecticut. Formerly the site of the Coliseum, a sports and entertainment arena, the site has been utilized as a surface parking lot since 2007. A collaborative effort between Beinfield Architecture, Fuss & O’Neill, and Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, the Coliseum Master Plan stitches together the surrounding urban fabric to create a vibrant infill development.
Three primary public spaces orgnize the site into smaller development parcels. In the East/West direction, the site is divided by an interior laneway, designed as a woonerf or shared street. Another important trajectory in the urban fabric is a Southeasterly one- connecting Downtown New Haven to the train station. This major connection is celebrated as it intersects the laneway with a series of plazas. The northern plaza is a more hardscaped, urban space with farmers makets, outdoor seating, and programmed events. The southern plaza is more naturalistic in nature, its softer landscape and water features connecting to a larger park network that connects through the city. Ground floor uses in thismaster plan are retail and commercial in nature, with residential and office/lab uses on upper floors.
Beinfield Architecture worked within the guidelines of a Development and Land Disposition Agreement for the master plan of this development. Through a year-long process, the team engaged with city staff, third-party reviewers, Alders, and community interest groups in the design of the master plan. A series of workshops was held to gather community input, both in-person and online.
