Gateway Community College – Campus Consolidation

It has been the goal of the Board of Trustees to consolidate the existing two campuses of Gateway Community College (Long Wharf and North Haven) onto a single site. In November 2002, the Board of Trustees received an initial plan in a feasibility study for co-location of the college at the Church Street site. That plan called for the development of a new 360,000 gross-square-foot campus on what is currently known as the Macy’s and Malley’s sites. The feasibility study report noted that the Church Street site would allow Gateway students to be a part of New Haven’s many historic, cultural, educational and entertainment offerings. Gateway has seen enormous enrollment growth and is now the third largest community college in the state. It is severely limited at its current locations, preventing the college from fulfilling its mission of meeting the workforce development needs of South Central Connecticut.

The new facility will continue to prepare the region’s workforce as the college’s programs from biomedical engineering technology and nursing, to early childhood education and hospitality continue to grow. The college itself will expand its potential to serve as a regional resource by offering accessible educational opportunities and a learning environment with state-of-the-art facilities and technology that will attract students and community members from the entire Greater New Haven region. The development of the new campus on the city-owned Church Street site has the support of all constituencies at the college, the regional legislative delegation, the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, and the City of New Haven, and is a key component for a larger urban revitalization project for this section of downtown New Haven.

The architect has begun the pre-design phase of the project. The EIE process is underway, public hearings have been held to keep the community informed and discussions with the City of New Haven on the Leasing of Parking spaces in the Temple Street garage continue. The Board of Alderman for the City of New Haven approved the Municipal Development Plan on February 22, 2005, authorizing such actions necessary to implement the Gateway Community College Project. The existing capital authorizations have permitted the Board to begin the design process, proceed with the transfer of the property for the college and begin the first stages of site development. Funding for the balance of construction will be requested for allocation in 2009 and is critical to ensure the timely completion of this much needed new campus. Additional funding for equipment has been requested for the college as project funds have been utilized to maintain construction dollars as escalation has been greater than the original project budget allowed.