Economic Development

If you’re looking for a great small city to help your business grow, West Haven is the place for you! We offer tremendous access to New York and New England via Interstate 95 and Metro-North Railroad, along with numerous redevelopment opportunities along U.S. Route 1, state Route 34 and state Route 122.

We offer a variety of services to companies looking to grow in West Haven, from site selection and remediation guidance to financing assistance that may include a generous local tax abatement incentive for businesses relocating or expanding here.

To learn more about West Haven, its current projects and available properties or how the city can help you, please give us a call — we want to work with you!

For the latest announcements and news regarding economic development projects in West Haven, follow Mayor Dorinda Borer’s Facebook page.

(The Kelsey @ Savin Rock/Renderings, RTR Hospitality)

Current City Development Projects

6 Rock St. (Former Savin Rock Conference Center)

RTR Hospitality will redevelop the former Savin Rock Conference Center at 6 Rock St. into an upscale restaurant and event venue called The Kelsey @ Savin Rock. RTR will completely renovate the building, add patios and a rooftop garden and refresh the property’s landscaping, transforming the former conference center site into a regional destination that will attract thousands of annual visitors, create dozens of local jobs and stimulate other shoreline development. RTR expects to open The Kelsey in May 2026.

165 & 179 Richards St. (Former Clarence E. Thompson School)

Enclave Properties is redeveloping the former Clarence E. Thompson School site into a residential building with 46 apartments featuring a mix of studio and one- and two-bedroom units. The developers will also replace a paved area with landscaped pocket parks. The project not only provides a sustainable reuse of the school building but becomes a fully taxable parcel while providing housing along a residential corridor. The building will begin to welcome its residents in mid-2025.

Current Private Sector Development Projects

41-45 Morse Ave. & 183 Beach St.

CDM Holdings is redeveloping the former Chick’s Drive-in site on Beach Street into Riva, an indoor/outdoor destination restaurant with views of New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound. The restaurant will feature a rooftop beer garden, a Tiki bar with cornhole and pingpong, firepits, live music and performance space, as well as an ice cream counter accessible from Morse Park. Riva, scheduled to open in late spring 2025, will take advantage of the city’s $10 million restoration of Beach Street and will help write the next chapter in Beach Street’s renaissance.

(295 Beach St./Renderings, Wiles Architects LLC)

295 Beach St. (Former Debonair Beach Motel)

Joseph Iannelli, a Fairfield-based developer, has purchased the former Debonair Beach Motel at 295 Beach St. and has received city regulatory approvals to demolish and replace it with a modern, upscale, four-story building with 30 two-bedroom condominium units over ground-level parking and amenities. If all goes according to schedule, he plans to open the building, which will feature a fitness center and a swimming pool, in late 2026.

Other Programs & Initiatives

The newly improved facade at ZZ Power Equipment, 301 Savin Ave. — our first completed project! (City Photo)

ARPA Small Business Facade Improvement Grant Program (American Rescue Plan Act)

Under Mayor Borer’s new ARPA Small Business Grant program, more than 30 West Haven businesses have qualified for grants up to $10,000 for facade improvements, HVAC and outdoor dining upgrades, or other enhancements. All businesses were required to apply and qualify for the federal funding, totaling $366,676, and were approved by the West Haven ARPA Committee. The businesses are located throughout the city.

(Traffic Signal Box, Elizabeth Jasmine Taylor/Contributed Photo)

West Haven Beautification

Local artist Elizabeth Jasmine Taylor of LaCroix Artistry has transformed traffic signal boxes around West Haven with her unique and creative designs. The artist has painted 10 utility boxes, and we hope to expand the beautification program in 2025!

Zoning Code Revisions

The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission recently approved a number of zoning code revisions that will make West Haven more development-friendly. The revisions simplify classifications, expand flexibility, and increase consistency across and between the Regional Business, Light Manufacturing and Industrial Planned Development commercial zones. For details on the changes and how they may help your business to relocate or grow in West Haven, email Director Steve Fontana at sfontana@westhaven-ct.gov or Assistant City Planner Cathy Conniff at conniff@westhaven-ct.gov.

Real Property Tax Incentive Policy

West Haven has created a Real Property Tax Incentive Policy to encourage growing businesses to relocate here. Under the policy, the city may freeze real property tax assessments on eligible properties for a certain period and then phase in, over another certain period, the increased real property tax assessments on those properties, based on the improvements that property owners intend to make to them and the number of jobs those improvements will create or otherwise make possible. For details or to discuss a project’s potential eligibility, contact Director Steve Fontana or project manager Kathleen Krolak of the Office of Economic Development.

CIF $250,000 Planning Grant

West Haven has received a $250,000 Community Investment Fund 2030 award from the State of Connecticut to prepare a downtown municipal development plan that will help the city foster a vibrant, destination-oriented center that focuses on the arts, small businesses and mixed-use residential developments. The MDP will analyze downtown’s strengths and weaknesses, evaluate the efficacy of existing plans and regulations to support revitalization, and identify properties that could benefit from potential redevelopment. When finished in 2025, the city will use the MDP to create a road map for partnering with developers and other stakeholders to revitalize its historic center.

Expanded Building Department Hours

To better meet the needs of contractors and building owners doing business in West Haven, the city has expanded its Building Department hours of operation. The office, located on the first floor of City Hall, will now accept permit applications from 8-11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. In addition, the office will continue to conduct inspections, handle inquiries and perform other functions every weekday until 5 p.m.