Description

An April 2010 fire destroyed 511-517 Dixwell Avenue, a 7,600 sf building located at the corner of Dixwell and Division Street in the Newhallville neighborhood that contained space for small businesses in addition to 7 rental apartments. The building lot, right in the heart of the neighborhood, has sat undeveloped for over 6 years now. Are there any plans to rebuild on the site? The lot is small and located in a Medium Density Residential Zoning District (RM-2), which makes it difficult to rebuild the same density and mix of uses on the site while also providing parking. Furthermore, building code requirements, construction costs, and land values can make the development of new non-subsidized affordable housing units difficult. However, an affordable mixed-use building typology was recently developed to meet modern building code requirements while minimizing construction costs and maximizing rent-able floor area. The building lot at 511-517 Dixwell Avenue might be the perfect candidate for this kind of new construction if zoning variances are granted. (See comments for additional images.)