Mayor Justin Elicker visited a site for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program on Thursday morning to highlight the free services the program offers. VITA, which consists of 14 sites across the greater New Haven area, provides free annual tax preparation assistance and financial advisory services to low to moderate-income Connecticut residents.

The program provides assistance to community members who have a household income of less than $63,000, are disabled or speak limited English.

The organization held a briefing at its Evergreen AAA Site in West River to spotlight its services and raise community awareness. 

“Last year, VITA volunteers in New Haven helped 3,700 families. That’s a huge number. 1,700 families claimed over $4.6 million in refunds. So some of that money could be yours this year, and if you’re listening, make sure you come in and get your refund and save $1.1 million in tax preparation fees,” Mayor Elicker said in a speech. “This is a huge, huge service to our communities.”

VITA works in conjunction with other organizations in the city, one of which is the Financial Empowerment Center which provides educational events, personal budgeting and access to banking and credit advisors.

Brenda Moore, the Empowerment Center’s program manager, emphasized the importance of helping community members get “back on track,” following the pandemic and rising inflation. 

According to Nick Brundage, a VITA program manager, many New Haveners don’t take advantage of these resources, and he pointed to an IRS report that estimated around 20 percent of people eligible for certain tax credits in the city don’t receive them.

“We’re looking at you know, about a quarter of a million dollars left at the IRS that can be in people’s pockets here in New Haven,” Brundage said. “So getting the word out about the VITA program is incredibly important. And as families continue to face inflation, the VITA program continues to be a free service that connects them to other services like the [Financial Empowerment Center].”

VITA also hopes to make community members aware of the fiscal policies that are shaping their day-to-day lives.

According to Brundage, a group of dependency credits, which are credits that can reduce the taxes a filer pays by up to $2,000, were reduced after the pandemic.

Volunteers are an integral core of VITA’s services and programs, and a few team members were present for the event.

Takima Robinson, the chief program officer, continues to volunteer because of the meaningful contribution that she believes the team is making in the city. 

“$19,355 I want to say one more time, $19,355. That is a refund that we were able to get a family when I started many years ago,” Robinson said. “That is why I still come back and volunteer. It is a life changer. VITA comes in handy to those who need it the most.”

VITA hopes to open more branches and grow its team this coming year to expand its offerings for the 2025 tax season. 

Pamela Allen, the site coordinator for VITA Evergreen AAA, also encourages volunteers to bring the program’s services to their own communities and towns if they don’t provide similar services. 

According to Allen, universities in the area have an obligation to provide financial advice and tax assistance to the towns they are in. 

“Yale needs to do this. Albertus Magnus needs to do this. Southern needs to do this. They need to open up the door, save their students some money, and also help community members save some money,” she said. 

VITA Evergreen AAA is located at 43 Norton St.

Correction, Feb. 28: This article has been corrected as VITA consists of 14 sites across the greater New Haven area and provides services to those who have a household income of less than 63,000 not 55,000.

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Evans originally started the business from a bus before moving it to a physical location in 2016.

He associates the “non-traditional” route he took when he first began Ricky D’s with his new mobile app venture. 

Jorge Banuelos GRD ’27, a Ph.D. student in history who is a regular, declared it the best restaurant in the city.

“I think it’s definitely the best one I’ve spotted in New Haven. Probably the best I’ve had in Connecticut as a whole,” Banuelos said. “I’m originally from Kansas. So I have very high standards when it comes to smoked meat, and it exceeds the mark every time.”

Banuelos also highlighted the restaurant’s atmosphere and described it as service with a smile, which reminds him of the southern hospitality of his childhood.

The restaurant has also become a destination for undergraduate students, given its proximity to Pauli Murray College and Science Hill.

Ludovico Mazzocchi ’27 thanks the restaurant for exposing him to American dishes and culture.

“As an international student, I have always wanted to try new restaurants in New Haven,” Mazzocchi said. “In the UK, wings and ribs aren’t a very popular dish, so getting to try that here has been super fun.”

Despite Ricky D’s in-person success, the restaurant implemented their new mobile app last fall to increase their engagement and reward loyal patrons.

Evans began working on this venture last year and expects it to play a crucial role in growing Ricky D’s. Through the app, he hopes to reach more customers and spread his brand’s name domestically and internationally.

According to Evans, the game is a restaurant management simulator in which users can prepare and sell dishes digitally and collect in-game currency. In the future, patrons will be able to use the in-game “shack points” in store, creating a new form of rewards points for loyal customers. 

“[The app] is something new and innovative that I’ve been really focused on to help grow the business not just physically but also gauging digitally as well as the rib shack cooking game is available in 176 countries in the Apple App Store in the Android app store,” Evans said. “It’s essentially a replica of the restaurant. Users can serve customers in the game, earn shack points, get on the leadership board, upgrade their menu and upgrade their equipment.” 

Evans began working in conjunction with developers, and he hopes the app can help other local businesses grow as well.

Other small businesses will be able to use Ricky D’s template of the app to personalize it for their own businesses.

Ricky D’s is located at 302 Winchester Ave.

The post Ricky D’s Rib Shack launches new game for patrons appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Pizza, which has played a crucial role in shaping New Haven’s fame, has also helped generate economic growth in the restaurant industry. To honor its centrality to New Haven’s identity, Governor Ned Lamont took the opportunity to declare New Haven as the pizza capital of America. 

The festivities commenced with a speech from Colin Caplan, the owner of the culinary entertainment company Taste of New Haven.

“This is a day to celebrate what pizza’s all about. It’s about community, it’s about sharing, it’s about the hard work of the people that stand behind me,” Caplan said.

Caplan highlighted the economic impact of pizza in New Haven, saying pizza alone contributes $100 million to New Haven’s economy, with a significant portion of that being through tourism.

Mayor Justin Elicker also spoke about the importance of the dish in driving market interest and tourism. 

“It is just amazing how folks are taking a risk, investing in our community, bringing a lot of attention to New Haven,” Elicker said in his speech. 

Connecticut State Comptroller Sean Scanlon highlighted the significance of celebrating the city’s most famous food. 

“What we do here is a special thing that people come from all over the world to see. We should be really proud of that,” Scanlon said. 

Rep. Patricia Dillon brought a bill to the House floor in 2021 to recognize pizza as Connecticut’s state food, but the bill failed to pass the Senate. 

Even though the bill didn’t pass, Dillon said that she still hopes that the city’s pizzerias get the recognition they deserve. 

“When I brought out the pizza bill in the house, I said I wanted to honor people who make things with their hands — the craftspeople. The people who kept us alive during the pandemic,” Dillon said. “When we were home safe, they were in the kitchen cooking.”

Despite this sense of community and unity, pizzerias across the city have been vying for the spot as No. 1 in New Haven. 

George Koutroumanis, the owner of Yorkside Pizza, described this as a healthy form of competition, however. 

Despite the underlying sense of competition between the pizzerias across the city, Koutroumanis said it’s all in good fun, adding that at the end of the day, the different pizzeria owners are “all friends.”

He also highlighted the difficulty of labeling one pizzeria as the best. There is much more than taste that determines a customer’s preference, according to Koutroumanis. 

“Every pizza has a special palace in every person’s heart. When I came to America from Greece, I used to go to a pizza place in Waterbury,” Koutroumanis told the News. “That place has a very special place in my heart. Everyone has a pizzeria or a slice that is very special to them. So it’s very hard to say where the best pizza is.”

Ernie’s Pizza is located at 1279 Whalley Ave. 

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The smoke shop, which opened in 2022 at 986 Chapel St. and is not licensed to sell cannabis products, failed multiple undercover visits by state officials. On Jan. 9, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong brought a lawsuit against Anesthesia, three other cannabis retailers and three wholesalers for failing to comply with Connecticut’s Unfair Trade Practices Act. 

“On multiple unannounced visits, investigators from the Department of Consumer Protection and Office of the Attorney General observed thousands of high-THC products, including those more potent than any product available in the regulated cannabis market,” a state press release read. “Products included potent edibles, as well as marijuana flower.” 

In addition to illegal distribution, the lawsuit alleges that Anesthesia sold products that lacked labels and state-mandated warnings. 

Bryan T. Cafferelli, the commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection, explained the dangers that come with unlabeled products and the harm it can cause to underage buyers. 

“Many of these products are packaged in a way that is misleading – signaling to consumers that the product inside is safe when it is not – and, most shamefully, are often sold to people who are underage and may not realize the effects of what they are consuming,” Caffereli wrote in a press release. “Adults who choose to consume cannabis should shop in the regulated market and keep their products out of sight and out of reach from children and teens.” 

Anesthesia Smoke Shop declined to comment on the allegations in the lawsuit. 

Three underage patrons told the News they were able to buy cannabis and other THC products from the shop dating back to transactions from 2022. The legal age to buy cannabis products in Connecticut is 21.

The New Haven Police Department and the New Haven office of the Drug Enforcement Administration did not respond to requests to comment. 

“I would say it was easier to buy from them freshman year. They got a little more strict with IDs at the beginning of sophomore year,” a Yale College sophomore — who requested anonymity because of their age — told the News.  “I don’t know if it was because I was a regular_, but they stopped checking my ID after the first few times. They definitely sold to minors. Freshman year they only asked for my age and didn’t cross-check with my ID.” 

An anonymous first-year student said that there were no cannabis products visible when they first entered the store, but that when they asked a worker for edibles, they were able to purchase without issue.

According to patrons, all cannabis products were stored behind the counter or in the back areas of the smoke shop. 

“I asked the person at the desk if they sold edibles and she went behind the counter and got stuff. It was 10 gummies of 10 milligrams [THC],” the anonymous first year said. “I paid in cash. They were stronger. They were definitely stronger than other 10 milligram edibles I had had before and they hit faster as well.”

Another anonymous sophomore described Anesthesia’s lax vetting measures, which allowed them to buy cannabis despite them being 19, two years below the legal age requirement.  

According to the source, the smoke shop also had patrons buy cannabis with cash instead of debit or credit cards.

“I’ve never been asked for my ID. The only questioning I’ve experienced is if I’m paying with cash,” the anonymous sophomore said. “I believe once you’ve made it in the door, you have access to buy whatever you want no matter the age.”

Violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act can result in fines of up to $5,000 per infraction. 

In 2024, Connecticut secured judgments against four additional Connecticut cannabis retailers and imposed fines totaling $40,000 for alleged violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, stemming from the sale of delta-8 THC products. 

“We have multiple active investigations into additional retailers and wholesalers, and we will keep the heat on so long as these dangerous, illegal products are sold,” Tong said in the press release. 

The Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act was adopted in 1973. 

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The company closed their outlet in Orange, Conn., in 2019 but still has stores in South Windsor and Danbury.

The decision, which was announced earlier this year, aims to help the company optimize its customer service and general operations.

“This decision comes as we evolve the size and concept of our stores to best serve customers going forward,” reads L.L. Bean’s statement to the News. “While it is difficult to close a location, we are undertaking the closure  with great care for our employees and with the knowledge we can continue to serve Connecticut customers,” referencing their online and other stores.

James Sinclair, a music director who lives in the city, was shocked by the decision, considering L.L. Bean had outlasted competitors in the area, including Patagonia, which closed in 2022.

“It seemed like a perfect fit here. And they drove out to businesses that were somewhat parallel,” Sinclair said. 

Other patrons were not surprised by L.L. Bean’s departure as a result of the franchise’s limited availability and lack of merchandise variation at the outlet.

Sylvia Van Sinderin, another patron, found the franchise’s limited focus challenging and described difficulty finding clothing from L.L. Bean’s website.

“Well, the store was never big enough. With a very limited focus and a lot of the things that I usually get from L.L. Bean weren’t available here anyway,” Van Sinderin said. “But I do miss being able to pop in and they were good. If they didn’t have a pair of shoes in stock you can just get on your computer. But I’ll miss the in-person service. It’s always been good service here.”

She also highlighted the lack of non-student centric items and clothing. 

Others shared similar sentiments, including Savannah Eastler ’26.

Broadway’s L.L. Bean didn’t quite capture “the spirit” of the chain, according to Eastler, who cited its small space and location on Broadway. “I think that maybe you can’t be half an L.L. Bean and that was sort of half an L.L. Bean. If you’re not ginormous and in the middle of the woods and you also don’t have like three stories and sell fishing poles, you’re not a real L.L. Bean.”

A future tenant for 272 Elm St. has not been selected, but there are a few businesses vying for the space.

David DelVecchio, a director of real estate and asset management for Yale, highlighted the potential for another fashion retailer occupying the building. According to him, this business could be open later this year.

Van Sinderen hopes that the new tenant is a business that lasts, especially after the past few years’ series of closures.

“I just want someone who’s committed. Maybe not a chain because … it’s really easy to go online and just shop there unless you’re looking for something unique,” Sinderen said. “And it’s just kind of fun to go shopping the old way.”

L.L. Bean’s New Haven location opened in August 2018.

The post L.L. Bean to leave Broadway in February appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Affinity Dispensary, the sole dispensary in New Haven has become one of the biggest contributors to the growth of this industry. 

The dispensary, which serves both medicinal and adult-use customers, underwent a smooth transition and capped the year off with a healthy growth in sales. 

“The state enjoyed a very successful first year. We saw a successful rollout, and the Department of Consumer Protection was very thoughtful when they began rolling out adult-use products,” said Ray Pantelana, Affinity Dispensary’s founder. “We saw a smooth transition from a medical to hybrid market. We are really proud of our sales. There are always things that can be done better, but we along with the state did a good job of getting things off the ground.” 

This transition is in large part due to the growing nature of both production and distribution, according to Pantalena. 

There are currently six marijuana producers, who cultivate the product, in the state, two of which opened last year. There are also 11 more with provisional licenses. 

Given ordinances that stipulate that state dispensaries can only sell cannabis grown in Connecticut, these nascent businesses rely heavily on state cultivators. 

To meet demand and expand its operations, Affinity also recently opened another site in Bridgeport. 

“We opened a couple of weeks ago,” Pantalena said of the Bridgeport location. “It’s an 8000 square feet store, and it’s Connecticut’s first superstore. We are looking to serve Bridgeport and the greater Fairfield area, which has seen a rise in demand. I think we will be seeing a ton of new stores opening up this coming year.”

This growth is not specific to Affinity, however, as there are now 64 dispensaries with either provisional or final licenses across the state. 

Adam Wood, the president of Connecticut’s Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, shared Pantalena’s optimism. 

The organization, which is the state’s leading trading association for businesses in the cannabis industry, has been a key player in shaping the market since its inception in 2022. 

“This product has always been present in our state for a long time, and many people just wanted it to be regulated, and the regulation brought health and safety benefits. I think the zoning and the citations from most towns have been accommodating and an understandable approach,” Wood said. “Some cities and municipalities have embraced it and have created an economy that helps and uplifts the communities.” 

Despite the market’s steady growth, Wood said he believes there are still some key barriers to entry and operation, one of which is access to capital. To aid emerging dispensaries the state has founded a $50 million social equity fund, which will provide low-interest loans to the businesses.  

The Cannabis Chamber of Commerce has been working with the state to accelerate this loan program and has also tried to tackle other regulatory obstacles, one of these being hampered marketing. 

“When you go into a dispensary you can’t see any of the products. There’s a menu, but you can’t physically see the products,” Wood said. “If you go to Massachusetts and other states and go into dispensaries, they have all the products displayed and they’re colorful and branded. There’s really creative marketing, but none of that exists here.”

There have been some efforts in the state legislature to deregulate branding, but the concern of cannabis becoming more appealing to younger audiences still looms, according to Wood.  

Despite these hurdles, Pantalena and Wood are still expecting a strong year for the market. 

Affinity hopes to see a “10-12 percent growth rate in expansion,” and Wood expects “over a dozen” new cultivators across the state. 

There is still a hint of volatility and variability in the margins of businesses, according to Wood, but the industry is expected to increase its profit margins and expand. 

In a sign of the industry’s growth, the Department of Consumer Protection recently raised the transaction limitations of dispensaries across the state.  

Beginning Dec. 1, transaction limits for adult-use customers increased to 1/2 ounce of raw flower or the equivalent per transaction, according to the Department of Consumer Protection’s new rule. The limit for medical marijuana patients stayed the same under the new rule. 

Affinity Dispensary’s New Haven site is located at 1351 Whalley Ave. 

The post At one year, New Haven’s cannabis industry is rolling along appeared first on Yale Daily News.

For the first time ever, the owners of the Jitter Bus have begun renting a brick-and-mortar site in the Wooster Square neighborhood to grow their business with a second location. The mobile Jitter Bus will remain at the Grove and Prospect Street location.  

Dan Barletta, one of the company’s co-founders and owners, described the move to a permanent location as a goal the group has had since opening in 2016.

“We had been looking to start a brick-and-mortar for a couple of years. We wanted to do it in New Haven for sure,” Barletta said. “We looked at a couple spots and either the rent was too high or it wasn’t the right location … There aren’t that many spots in the Wooster Square area, so [this location] was a great fit.” 

Barletta added that they found the Wooster Square site on Grand Avenue about a year ago. The building owner, Bruce Seymour, who Barletta met through a mutual friend, was “looking to add something to the neighborhood.”

Although the bus is near Grove and Prospect Street on weekdays, it can already be found in the Wooster Square neighborhood during the Saturday farmers market at Conte Hills West Middle School.

The founders had been looking for a brick-and-mortar site in 2016, but they were “simply too young,” Barletta said, and didn’t have enough capital, so they bought the bus and began their operations.

Barletta and his co-founder Paul Crosby are excited for the new venue and what it means for the business and community at large. 

“We’re hoping it will become a good spot in New Haven to come, work and hangout with friends,” he said. 

Seymour, the landlord at the Wooster Square location, shared similar sentiments. He hopes the shop will make the “community a better place.” He added that he would “never lease to cannabis dispensaries, alcohol vendors, or smoke shops.” 

He also highlighted the importance of respect as a pillar for a landlord-tenant relationship. Seymour, who when younger founded a DVD company that eventually failed to stay afloat, was unable to pay his rent, which Seymour said his landlord continually raised. 

Barletta emphasized community as an integral part of Jitter Bus’ mission. The company has a deep-rooted connection to Yale, and Barletta estimates that students and faculty make up “70-80 percent” of the van’s patrons. 

The group wants to strengthen this relationship as they look to expand further over the coming years. 

Students on campus are excited for the new site, even if it is far from Yale’s main campus. 

“I go [to the Jitter Bus] almost every day. They make great coffee and it’s great to see them growing,” Falco Emery ’26 said. “Getting a location is a step in the right direction, but I am concerned this could lead to an increase in prices.” 

The brick-and-mortar site will be located at 847 Grand Ave.

The post Jitter Bus to open first brick-and-mortar location appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The festivities and events, hosted by 19 bars across New Haven, included special Prohibition-era drinks and opportunities for patrons to explore this era in the city’s history. 

Jonathan Edwards, an account development manager at Slocum & Sons, organized Repeal Day. He urged the public to attend this “momentous anniversary” and to dress the part in a promotional post on Facebook. In the post, Edwards wrote that this year’s event was the ninth annual party celebrating Repeal Day in New Haven.

“We encourage everyone to dress like your favorite flapper, bootlegger, gangster or crooked politician… just like you were living in 1933,” he wrote. “We look forward to seeing all of you in your hats, spats, pearls and boas!”

Phill Alves, the regional manager of Elm City Social, highlighted the importance of Repeal Day in educating the public about New Haven’s history, considering the city played a crucial role in both the temperance and repeal movements. 

Bootleggers in the city received whiskey from Canada and rum from islands in the Caribbean through New Haven’s harbors, according to Alves. 

“New Haven was very involved in all aspects of Prohibition. There was a strong temperance movement here to ban alcohol, and since it’s a harbor town there was a lot of bootlegging happening around here,” Alves said. 

Elm City Social, which already serves drinks from this era including the “Rubber Ducky,” added more cocktails to their menu to give patrons a glimpse into nightlife of the era. 

The Rubber Ducky dirnk is meant to pay homage to bootleggers who used their bathtubs to make gin, according to Alves. 

He also emphasized that the holiday was meant to celebrate freedom. 

“It’s important to realize that our entire industry was banned from existence 90 years ago. It’s important to celebrate the fact that they have freed the booze,” Alves said, “We are all welcome — those of age of course — to enjoy a night out. It’s symbolic of the American spirit. As a country we are revered for the love of freedom we have, and it’s important to celebrate that.” 

Chacra, a Peruvian restaurant downtown, followed the theme by providing popular drinks from the era like French 75s and their house special, “The Last War,” which is a blend of juice, gin and lemon, common ingredients for cocktails of the time. 

Despite the emphasis on drinking and appreciating the freedom to do so, Walter Vera, the owner of Chacra, highlighted that Repeal Day is about more than just alcohol. 

“It brings people together. It’s not just about drinking. It’s about gathering and seeing friends that you haven’t seen in a while,” Vera said. “This is our second year hosting Repeal Day. There is something really nice about celebrating with the rest of New Haven. People can go bar hopping with friends and working with the other bars was a great time. It was a successful night and we even got feedback from our patrons on drink ideas.” 

Next year’s Repeal Day is set for Dec. 7, according to Alves, and many of the city’s local bars are expecting another successful celebration. 

Prohibition was repealed on Dec. 5, 1933, with the ratification of the 21st Amendment.  

The post New Haven bars celebrate Repeal Day appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Yale will honor all existing leases with the current tenants, which include Campus Customs, Broadway Salon and One Good for Another consignment, according to Lauren Zucker, the University’s associate vice president and director of New Haven affairs. 

Jeremy Cobden, the owner of Yale Customs, which is located at 57 Broadway, expressed his optimism about the property’s new ownership and the great relationship the University has with other tenants.

“We are very excited for the future. Yale does an amazing job taking care of the property that it owns,” Cobden wrote in a statement. “The Shops at Yale marketing efforts have been fantastic over the years. We look forward to embracing these new efforts.”

Yale’s involvement in Broadway began to draw attention in the early 2000s, when the University began a concerted effort to acquire several properties in the area, according to Elihu Rubin ’99, associate professor of urbanism at the Yale School of Architecture.

Rubin, along with co-creator Elena Oxman, explored the changing nature of Broadway, particularly the shuttering of local businesses, in their 2000 documentary “On Broadway: A New Haven Streetscape.” At the time, as local businesses folded for a variety of reasons, Yale worked to bring in well-known national retailers, such as Urban Outfitters. 

Broadway currently hosts national chains including Lululemon, Apple and J. Crew. 

Zucker described the Broadway of 20 years ago as a “very different place,” noting empty storefronts and a sense of discomfort among community members when visiting the street, particularly in the evening. Now, Broadway, branded as part of the “Shops at Yale,” is an “inviting” space for New Haveners and Yale community alike to enjoy a diverse set of retailers, both local and national, according to Zucker. 

“In order for the smaller retailers to survive, they rely on the larger tenants — who can typically afford a greater marketing spend — to draw shoppers to the district,” Zucker wrote to the News. “These national tenants help support our smaller, local merchants such as Grey Matter Books, Ay Arepa, and Tyco for example.”

Seventy percent of the University’s properties portfolio has tenants that are either regional or local owners, according to Zucker. She also emphasized women and BIPOC-owned tenants such as Any Occasion Florist, Soulful Threads and Soap-edi. 

The last non-Yale owned storefront on that stretch is 21 Broadway, which is owned by 1055X Properties LLC, according to reporting by the New Haven Independent. When asked twice if the University had future plans to acquire 21 Broadway, Zucker did not directly respond. 

Rubin acknowledged that depending on perspective, community members may characterize Broadway and its national brands as “sterile” and “inaccessible” while others may view the space as “safe” and “well-managed.” While it is difficult to assign a value judgment on Yale’s vision for development, Rubin said that he was worried about one entity’s control over the future of an entire public space. 

“The overall issue here is that, increasingly, it’s one organization making those choices,” Rubin said. “More traditional retail or commercial districts are built over the course of many years, and through the decisions of many different people. And that’s what gives certain urban districts a sense of inviting heterogeneity.” 

For Rubin, Broadway has become a “mall managed by the University,” listing Yorkside Pizza and Toad’s as some of the few remaining interesting retailers. He also questioned the utility and price accessibility of national clothing retailers for the everyday Yalie. 

Rubin linked an increase of popular national stores with a spike in homogeneity of the nation’s cities and towns, many of which are opening the same chains and establishments. 

Husso Hwang, the owner of Blue Jay Cleaners, said he is excited about the prospects of 57 Broadway’s new ownership amid Yale’s continued expansion. 

“It’s very exciting to see Yale bought the property,” Hwang said. “We have been here a long time, almost 30 years, so it’s good to have an owner you can trust. We don’t expect any changes to how we operate and it will be business as usual.”

According to the 2023 fiscal year’s estimates, the University would pay New Haven an expected $117,469 in combined taxes for the two properties.  

One of the properties also includes a vacant space facing Yale’s campus that previously housed Newman Architects. The properties total more than 30,000 sq feet. 

The recent transaction follows previous acquisitions of 1, 15, 23, 29, 51, 57, 65 and 77 Broadway by the University. 

Broadway is home to 65 businesses and establishments. 

The post Yale acquires 51 and 57 Broadway for $7 million in move to expand University presence appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The pharmaceutical firm, which was acquired by AstraZeneca in 2021, specializes in the treatment of rare diseases. The firm has over 500 employees at its New Haven office and is expecting to hire more in the coming years in their research and development department. 

Allen Tavari, a researcher who previously worked at biopharmaceutical company Amgen and specializes in downstream processing, highlighted the firm’s close-knit culture and values. 

“Working at Alexion has been a very rewarding experience. Amgen is very large, and they have tens of thousands of employees. Alexion acts like a small-to-midsize biotech company,” Tavari said. “And this helps with collaboration. One person might be wearing many different hats so you will get the opportunity to work with people across different departments.” 

Tavari is a leader in Alexion’s next generation downstream processing research. He explained that his research has focused on using smaller-scale bioproductors to reduce material costs and footprint, while not diminishing output. 

To meet global demand for biologicals — medicines purified from cell cultures of bacteria or yeast or plant or animal cells — firms normally use large bioproductors that tend to be 20,000 liters in size, according to Tavari. But he said that his team, which specializes in research and development, uses a far smaller scale that tends to range between three and ten liters.

Alexion uses sites in Dublin, Ireland and Anthole, Ireland, to produce on the traditional, larger scale. 

Much of the work on this project and Alexion’s research and development department has relied on local talent. According to Andrei Arion, another Alexion researcher, this was a major reason why the firm chose New Haven. 

“The talent pool in the area is amazing. The people that don’t want to live in a big city like Boston or New York City come here because you can have both a suburban and urban lifestyle here,” Arion said. “This is big for researchers who are looking for a healthy work life balance.” 

Tavari shared similar sentiments, highlighting New Haven’s leading population of lab technicians and microbiologists. According to a Global Commercial Real Estate Services report from 2022, New Haven has the nation’s highest concentration of microbiologists and biological technicians. 

Neethu Srinivaas, a researcher at Alexion, also pointed to the “presence of many startups and incubators” as another upside to being located in the city. He added that these resources can yield great results for nascent businesses and research projects by offering networks, resources and even mentorship. 

Tavari also cited the city’s “good balance” of local universities as a leading cause for this support. 

Yale has been an anchor tenant in Alexion’s building and is leasing an estimated 125,000 square-feet across three of the building’s 10 floors in partnership with BioLabs, an incubator for biotech startups, according to a Yale press release in 2022. 

The University press release noted that Yale hopes to “accelerate” the growth of multiple startups and is collaborating with the city’s Downtown Crossing economic development plan. 

Alexion is located at 100 College St. 

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