Architects Keith Krolak and Fernando Pastor present on the daycare proposal. A request to reduce parking requirements for a proposed 300-child daycare in Fair Haven returned to the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) on Tuesday — this time with support from the Elicker administration. The proper ty owner, Vargas Business Hub, is seeking zoning relief to support a project that would turn vacant industrial buildings at 184 and 196 Chapel St. into a childcare center. In March, the city’s zoners denied a similar application on the advice of the City Plan Commission. On Tuesday, María Vargas, a daycare provider of 25 years, returned to City Hall with a revised parking proposal, including a one-year deal with the city Economic Development Administration (EDA) for 10 off-street parking spaces. Attorney Ben Trachten represented the applicant. “The city is very supportive of this use and the redevelopment of the buildings,” said Helen Rosenberg, a city economic development officer. “We will extend ourselves so parking is not an issue.” The city’s zoners first heard about the project in February. According to Vargas’s application, the plans involve converting three abandoned warehouses and offices into a daycare for children under five. The current design includes a playground and assembly space. In their first visit to the BZA, Vargas Business Hub requested permission for nine parking spaces where 84 were required. After receiving the denial, architects Fernando Pastor and Keith Krolak redesigned the daycare with a smaller assembly space, reducing the number of required parking spaces from 84 to 34. They re-tallied the planned parking spaces from nine to 10. They also received a letter from the city’s Economic Development Administration agreeing to provide 10 off-street parking spaces at 100 River St. for at least one year, provided that no other off-street parking can be found. Carlos Eyzaguirre, deputy director of the Economic Development Administration, told the BZA that the city rarely speaks in support of a non-city proposal. However, he said, his team feels “really strongly” that Vargas’s project should move forward. In part, that is because of the significant need for quality daycare in Fair Haven, said Dave Holder, a nonprofit consultant. Daycares give families stability and enable parents to work, he said. “For working families, childcare is not a luxury.” The shortage of childcare extends across the city and state. In 2025, one expert estimated that New Haven had a shortage of 2,194 infant and toddler slots for daycare. As a whole, Connecticut families need another 100,000 childcare slots. The state legislature has taken aim at the daycare shortage, most recently approving a $300 million investment in early childhood education. On Tuesday, Fair Haven Alder Frank Redente — whose ward does not include the location of the proposed daycare — described the project as “an absolutely wonderful addition to the River Street area.” The number of incoming housing developments and new companies around the neighborhood will further increase the need for childcare, he said. “If you allow us, we could grow,” Vargas told the board. Twenty-five years ago, her daycare began at her home with eight children. Now, she said, she hopes to give more kids “opportunities” and “education.” The BZA did not vote on the requested special exception on Tuesday; as per the Zoning Ordinance, the City Plan Commission is required to issue an advisory report on parking-relief applications. Once they do, the request will return to the BZA for a final vote next month. First-floor plans of the five-building development. The post Fair Haven Daycare Plan Revived appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less