Mary E. O’Leary , Register Topics Editor, The New Haven Register 10/12/2004

Its international headquarters is located at the corner of North Frontage Road and Church Street and would remain at this site, according to sources.

The proposed office building would be on George Street, but on the same block where the headquarters is located.

Aldermanic President George Perez said it was his understanding that the Knights would like to control the whole block.

Long Wharf Theatre, which originally was proposed for South Orange Street and North Frontage Road, would move across the street to the site of the closed New Haven Coliseum.

Michael Stotts, managing director of Long Wharf, said the theater’s board would be happy with such a change as the Coliseum site "actually affords us more flexibility, so it is not something we are adverse to."

The 40-year-old theater has a $30 million pledge from the state to facilitate its move from Sargent Drive, as long as the theater can raise the remaining $15 million to $30 million needed for construction.

Neither the Knights nor Economic Development Administrator Henry Fernandez was ready on Monday to discuss details of the Knights’ proposal, but both called the talks productive.

"We have had and continue to have good positive productive discussions with the city and have every reason to believe that we can arrive at a plan for the block that will meet everyone’s needs," said Patrick Korten, spokesman for the Knights.

Fernandez said there is "no question in our minds we would love for them (the Knights) to be a partner in the development."

In June, the city unveiled details of plans to relocate Gateway off Sargent Drive to a two-block site on Church Street where the former Malley’s and Macy’s stores once operated.

The state has approved $140 million for the college and last month allocated the first $20 million that would pay for design of Gateway, as well as acquisition of two sites in the immediate area to support new garages and the razing of Macy’s.

Phase II of the proposal would invite private investors to construct five apartment buildings on George Street with street-level retail space and a plaza in the center of the block that would face the entrance to the college.

The Knights proposal, if approved, would replace this design.

Ownership of the property on this block is currently split between the K of C and the city, including the original site proposed for the theater. Also, under a previous agreement, both the Knights and the city would have to agree to any changes to the small park that now faces Church Street.

On the adjacent block of George and South Orange streets, the plan looked to a possible hotel and convention center. Fernandez said there is also room here for Long Wharf.

The development administrator said the original proposal also looked to residential and commercial development on George Street between Orange Street and State Street and that would continue. As part of a community benefits package, the city pledged that 20 percent of the housing would be affordable units.

Several architects and the New Haven Urban Design League continue to question demolition of the Coliseum and location of the college across two city blocks.

They favor denser housing and commercial development downtown, as well as reuse of the Coliseum, potentially split between a convention center and Long Wharf Theatre and continued use of the 1,800-space Coliseum parking garage.

Anstress Farwell of the design league was heartened by the changes under discussion and the city’s response.

"I’m very encouraged because it would seem to say that the plan is not set in stone, that if someone has a good idea they are open to it," she said.

A hearing is expected to be set in the near future on a $6 million bond allocation to raze the closed arena.