Livable City Initiative

01/13/2026

Envisioning the Future: Orange & George Redevelopment Community Meeting

Learn about the project
Share your thoughts
Help shape the future of the neighborhood

When: January 22, 2026, at 6pm
Where: Gateway Community College Curran Community Room (N100)

City of New Haven

12/20/2025

🎄🕎✨ LCI's Holiday Decorating Competition ✨🕯️🎄
'Twas holiday time at LCI,
When Candy Cane Lane caught every eye,
Winter Wonderland sparkled with cheer,
But Mary Eller's Cozy Corner stole the year!
Our team decked the halls with pride and care,
Holiday spirit filling the air,
From inspections to licensing, we pause to say:
Happy holidays in the LCI way!

Our office came alive this season as our incredible team went ALL OUT for our second annual holiday decorating competition—and wow, did they raise the bar this year! The creativity, enthusiasm, and holiday spirit on display was absolutely amazing. From Navidad Boricua to Winter Wonderland and beyond, every corner of LCI was transformed into a festive celebration. And congratulations to Mary Eller's Cozy Corner for taking home top honors! 🏆

A huge thank you to our celebrity judges who took time from their busy schedules to help us celebrate: Mayor Justin Elicker, Economic Development Administrator Mike Piscitelli, and Deputy Chief of Staff Hailey Vincent. Your participation made this event even more special!

We're so grateful for this dedicated team that brings the same passion and commitment to serving New Haven's residents every single day. Here's to the holidays, to teamwork, and to the amazing people who make LCI what it is! 🎅🏡❤️

11/26/2025

After nearly two decades of complaints, 240 Winthrop Avenue in West River has been demolished.

For years, this abandoned nursing home collected blight citations while neighbors dealt with illegal activity and dangerous conditions. Then our team found a creative legal solution that changed everything.

Read how we used Connecticut's Building Code to take decisive action—and what this means for other problem properties that have lingered too long.

The newsletter also includes updates on our recent meeting with Afghan refugee women leaders from CRIW and a Thanksgiving message to our community.

Finding the right tool to solve West River's longest-standing blight problem

10/03/2025

📢 New LCI Newsletter: You Can’t Hide Anymore
We’re excited to share our latest community update with some really encouraging progress to report!
Here’s what’s happening:

✅ 6,848 rental properties are now compliant with our residential licensing program—that’s an 84% increase since the end of 2023! This means thousands more rental units in New Haven have landlords who are accountable and meeting quality standards.

✅ Updated ordinances are working. Remember that burnt-out building on Chapel Street that sat there for years? New owners are finally taking action. Landlords who used to dodge enforcement by refusing to sign for certified mail? They’re now showing up to hearings.

✅ New laws protect tenants. Landlords who retaliate against tenants can now lose their licenses. We’re making it clear: play fair with your tenants or lose your ability to rent in New Haven.

This newsletter also introduces you to Sinclair Williams, our agency attorney, who went from advocating for LCI improvements at Legal Aid to now implementing those very changes from the inside. His story is inspiring!

We’re building a city where everyone can live safely and with dignity. These results show it’s possible when we have the right tools and the commitment to use them.

Read the full update and see the progress for yourself: https://open.substack.com/pub/livablecityinitiative/p/you-cant-hide-anymore?r=5f0w90&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Have thoughts or feedback? We’d love to hear from you!

New laws, real results, and the end of the certified mail dodge

09/19/2025

Traffic Advisory
STATE STREET LANE CLOSURES
PLEASE SHARE WITH EVERYONE!!!
Beginning Tuesday, September 23, the northbound travel lanes of State Street between Chapel Street and Audubon Street will be permanently CLOSED as part of the State Street project.
Two-way traffic will be established on the west side (southbound side) of the landscaped medians, with one travel lane in each direction. New line striping and temporary traffic signals will be installed and activated overnight.Southbound State Street traffic will be detoured to Orange Street and Olive Street for the night of 9/22-9/23 only, to allow crews to set up the new traffic pattern.
The northbound detour currently in place on State Street North between Fair Street and Chapel Street will remain active with no changes.
Access to all adjacent properties and cross streets will be maintained. Please use temporary driveways provided or follow police direction if present.
Traffic delays are to be expected as the community adjusts to the new pattern. Thank you for your patience and cooperation on this major infrastructure project!

07/21/2025

🔥 "Summer of Solutions" Newsletter is HERE! 🔥
While everyone's cranking up their air conditioners, we've been cranking up the heat on housing code violators! Our latest newsletter is packed with sizzling updates that'll make you forget all about this heat wave.
🏆 MAJOR WINS:
✅ Ordinance updates passed unanimously through Legislation Committee
✅ NEW STATE LAW streamlining our enforcement (thanks to our brilliant attorney Sinclair Williams!)
✅ 69% compliance in residential licensing - just 80 units away from 70%!
✅ Bureaucratic loopholes CLOSED for bad actors hiding behind certified mail games
From legislative victories in Hartford to closing enforcement loopholes locally, this edition shows what happens when government actually works FOR people instead of protecting red tape.
Plus: Meet Mark Stroud, our Deputy Director who's been serving New Haven for nearly 20 years and responds to housing emergencies at all hours!
Read the full "Summer of Solutions" newsletter: https://open.substack.com/pub/livablecityinitiative/p/summer-of-solutions-lci-heats-up?r=5f0w90&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

06/13/2025

🏠 Major housing enforcement update! The Board of Alders just advanced comprehensive reforms to strengthen tenant protections and streamline enforcement. Key changes: ✊ Anti-retaliation protections for tenants reporting unsafe conditions 📋 Streamlined blight enforcement (no more certified mail evasion) 💰 Blight fines increased to state maximum levels. These reforms give LCI better tools to protect tenants and hold bad actors accountable. Read more: https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/tenant_retaliation_protection_advanced

Tenants who report unsafe living conditions to the city could soon have another layer of protection from retaliatory evictions — by way of a prospective…

06/10/2025

📰 The New Haven Independent covered our Board of Alders hearing happening TODAY at 6 PM. Here's the real story: Right now, problem landlords can dodge accountability simply by refusing to sign for certified mail. We have properties sitting in limbo because of this loophole while neighbors deal with blight daily. Our proposed changes align with state law and close these bureaucratic escape routes. We're working to hold bad actors accountable. Come hear the facts yourself & voice support: TODAY, 6 PM, Aldermanic Chamber. Read the full article: https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/lci_seeks_certified_anti_blight_upgrade

A change to the type of mail used by the city to notify landlords of blight violations might soon make it harder for landlords to dodge fines for…

06/05/2025

🏠 New Haven neighbors! We just dropped our latest newsletter and the numbers are incredible. We cut our response time from 71 days to just 15 days - that's a fourfold improvement in getting problem properties fixed. Plus, we're closing loopholes that let bad landlords hide behind red tape. Big changes are coming to the Board of Alders on June 10th at 6 PM - we need you there! Check out the full update and see what your LCI team has been up to.

Real Progress on Housing & Blight

05/05/2025

04/16/2025

The weather may be a bit dreary today, but we have some spectacular days ahead in the forecast! If you have the chance, be sure to go out and enjoy New Haven's cherry blossoms!