The housing dimension of the Master Plan involves two aspects: residential relocation and market rate housing.

Residential Relocation
As a result of the proposed relocation of State Street, flood control implementation and the proposed Commercial Center development, the Mills Memorial Apartments and the adjacent Parkside Apartments are proposed to be removed.

The removal of the Mills Memorial Apartments and the Parkside Apartments will create a demand for additional housing within the city limits. The Mills Memorial Apartments, managed by the Meriden Housing Authority, currently provides 140 units of housing for low-income families while the Parkside Apartments provides approximately 160 units of housing, not all of which is government-assised assisted living. The Mills Memorial Apartments are owned and managed by the Meriden Housing Authority (MHA). Established in 1943, the MHA provides housing assistance for low-income families and individuals. The MHA provides assistance in the form of housing certificates, vouchers, portables and public housing. 

From the 1940’s and into the 1960’s, housing policy in the United States tended towards concentrated public housing projects. Many developments constructed during this period focused solely on economic considerations while ignoring the needs of the tenants. Higher density development for public housing became the standard answer to housing problems in cities throughout the country. The MHA projects undertaken during this period reflected this belief in concentrating low-income families in high-density developments. Six public housing projects were undertaken between 1948 and 1971. These six include the Mills Memorial (1962), Community Towers (1971), Chamberlain Heights (1954), Yale Acres (1950), Johnson Farms (1948), and Willow Court (1964). 

By the late 1950’s criticism of the high-density approach to public housing and the adverse effect it had on cities began to emerge. By the time Jane Jacob’s published her critique on modern approaches to planning The Death and Life of Great American Cities in 1961 it became apparent that the low-income housing of the 1950’s and 1960’s failed to provide sustainable communities for low-income residents. City Planners and developers began looking for other solutions for low-income and government assisted housing. Out of this critique of high-density public housing, the concept of scattered-site housing emerged. Scattered-site housing is generally defined as low-density buildings (less than 15 units per site) in economically and racially diverse neighborhoods.1 This method of lowering the density of public housing has been used in many cities across the U.S. including Seattle, Chicago, Cleveland, and Tucson.

While scattered-site housing accounts for only 8 to 9.5% of the nations Public Housing Authority’s inventory, many have met with success.2 Studies conducted on this type of housing suggests that scattered-site housing improves economic & social opportunities for the tenants and their children, lowers rent delinquency, lowers tenant turnover, improves quality of life, and results in lower maintenance costs.3

For purposes of this relocation it is recommended that an inventory of suitable sites for scattered housing in Meriden be undertaken. Strategies for effectively implementing a program in Meriden should also be addressed. Successful programs carefully screen and counsel tenants so that the transition into a scattered-site housing development avoids problems for both the tenant and the neighborhood. Sites that could accommodate townhouse style, low-density development should be identified as well as individuals sites that could accommodate one to three units. A small number of tenants currently living in the Parkside and Mills apartments could also be relocated to vacancies in existing properties currently managed by the MHA. It is recommended that the facilitators of this plan coordinate and collaborate with the MHA to identify and acquire the land needed to meet their goals.

Market Rate Housing
In addition to the relocation mentioned above, there may be the need for additional market rate housing, which would contribute to the activity and vitality of Meriden’s neighborhoods and the City Center. This housing component could be accommodated through several housing options. Two types warrant particular attention.

The first presented is as part of a mixed-use approach to urban planning. In this approach, housing is a part of a full complement of urban activities. The second approach builds on a new design philosophy encouraged by HUD and the Congress for the New Urbanism to create new developments of mixed income housing designed as a residential community.

Mixed Use - Mixing housing with other uses is widely supported in the urban design community and has been successful in the cities that have implemented it. It is seen as an opportunity to promote a full community with all of the aspects of daily life: housing, employment, recreation, retail, civic and educational institutions. There are several locations in Meriden that are ideal for this type of development.

The first is on West Main Street in the Downtown Arts District. This area also extends around the corner to Colony Street. In both of these locations the existing structures are ideal for housing. In some cases, these structures are currently housing that is in need of renovation. Their location is in the center of a developing, small urban streetscape environment. It will be ideal for individuals wanting a small urban housing environment with the amenities of the city in the immediate area of their homes.

This type of mixed-use housing is also recommended for the east side of the new boulevard connector (relocated State Street) from Interstate 691 to downtown. Locating housing above small retail in this area will accomplish several goals. It will provide a transition from the neighborhood on Camp Street to the downtown environment and to the commercial development on the west side of this new thoroughfare. It will also mirror the retail activity on the west side of the boulevard, which is critical to maintain a full urban street experience.

Residential Community - The second type of recommended housing is the formation of well-designed, quiet, small-scale neighborhoods for residential use. This can be undertaken in some of the more decaying neighborhoods in the City. The basic elements of successful housing of this type include maintaining the existing urban fabric, creating defensible neighborhoods, providing ample green space, and accommodating parking without overwhelming neighborhood elements. Dormant, declining neighborhoods can be revitalized using these “Principals for Inner City Neighborhood Design” developed by HUD and the Congress for the New Urbanism.

The existing urban fabric for housing in Meriden generally consists of one and two family houses on relatively small lots. Parking is accommodated by a small driveway to one side of the lots, sometimes leading to a small garage structure. The housing is quite often relatively close to the street, with individual yards in the rear. The houses themselves are generally of pre-World War II vintage.

The streets on which this type of housing is located are almost always secondary streets. This allows for the formation of defensible neighborhoods. The basic premise is that with a limited number of cars passing by, residents become familiar with the people and vehicles that belong in their neighborhood, and recognize outsiders as they pass through. The limited number of cars also creates a safe environment for children, allowing for casual social interaction among families, and eventually leads to an established neighborhood.

The proposed new housing concept consists of developing blocks similar to those already existing throughout the city. They will be located on secondary streets to create the neighborhood conditions discussed. A medium density townhouse configuration is recommended. It would consist of four to six townhouses in a row, and then a break for green space or parking. The medium density townhouse is preferred because it is similar in form to the nearby houses, but is also a cost-effective approach to construction. Parking will be accommodated on the street and/or at the ends of the blocks, which allows for a green space at the center of the block. The new developments will offer housing opportunities for a mix of incomes, ages and abilities, and might include home ownership programs. Some of this housing could be operated by the MHA, as previously discussed.

A combination of housing initiatives will provide a community which accommodates a mix of incomes, but just as importantly provides residential areas and neighborhoods that contribute to the activity and vitality of the City Center and Meriden as a whole.

1 James Hogan, Scattered-Site Housing: Characteristics & Consequence. U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development: Rockville, MD, 1996. pp. xiii.
2 Hogan, 201.
3 Hogan, 35.


The material on this page is reproduced from "Meriden City Center Initiative - A Comprehensive Plan for Revitalization" prepared by BL Companies, released 07/24/2002. All rights reserved.