The transformation of downtown Meriden, Connecticut is a story replicable in towns and cities across the country. For decades, Meriden struggled to recover from a declining manufacturing economy, seismic shifts in shopping preferences, catastrophic flooding, demographic changes, and underutilized/obsolete buildings, including a distressed public housing site in the heart of downtown.
Decades of incremental investments made by the City and its stakeholders were capped by a two-year, bilingual HUD Choice Neighborhoods Planning process during which disparate community members rallied behind a singular vision—a vision that bequeaths a sustainable future to the next generation of residents.
Together with master developer Pennrose Properties, LLC, WRT served as grant writer, planning coordinator, master planner, and architect to the Meriden Housing Authority.
WRT first engaged critical stakeholders and residents in the community to develop a Transformation Plan for downtown Meriden. WRT’s downtown housing plan, informed by impactful community engagement, calls for the development of over 600 mixed-income units in the city center. To date, the city and its stakeholders have secured funding for half of these housing units.
