Miller Street & Bridge Street

Project Area

The study Area is bounded on the east by State Route 9, on the north by the Mattabaset River and the wetlands associated with the Cromwell Meadows State Conservation area, on the west by the rail yard which is state owned but leased on a long term basis to the Providence and Worchester Railroad and on the south by railroad tracks and the right of way for the Arrigoni Bridge.

Containing Land

The project area contains 20 lots, 22 principal buildings, 36 residential units, 1 church and 1 full service restaurant.

Project History

The primary concern impacting the viability of the neighborhood is its lack of connection to the City in that the neighborhood is bounded on the north by wetlands, on the west by railroad tracks on the east and south by Route 9 and railroad tracks. Currently a consensus exists that safe and convenient access to the neighborhood is unavailable and the current access from Route 9 has been previously identified as one of the most dangerous intersections in the State of Connecticut.

May 1998

In May of 1998 the Yale School of Architecture in conjunction with the North End Action Team (NEAT) conducted an exhaustive two-day charrette planning process. One of the conclusions of the charrette was that the Miller and Bridge Street neighborhood could not be viable without improved access.

 This process included the development of four options to improve access to the Miller and Bridge Street neighborhood.

Common Council Meeting

The Common Council meet to determine the fate of four buildings in the Miller Bridge Street neighborhood which the city acquired through tax foreclosure. At that meeting NEAT demanded that the Common Council address safety issues in the neighborhood. NEAT felt that access must be improved or residents of the neighborhood must be compensated for their properties and relocated out of the neighborhood in a fair and equitable manner.

Based on this meeting the Mayor and the Common Council concluded that the time had come to address the Miller and Bridge Street problem.

Redevelopment Agency Reenactment

The Mayor and the Economic Development Committee instructed the Director of Planning to convene a meeting of the long dormant Redevelopment Agency. 

The Redevelopment Agency's charge was to determine if any access options presented by the Yale School of Architecture were feasible and if so to determine a proper course of action to implement an access solution. If the proposed access options were deemed unfeasible the Agency was to utilize its redevelopment powers to acquire the properties and relocate the residents, the church and the restaurant.