New Haven Independent

Two old factory buildings at 71 and 91 Shelton Ave. were part of a huge industrial block owned by the Olin Corp. (which took over the Winchester Repeating Arms Company), former employer of 20,000, which dwindled and finally shut its New Haven doors in March.

David Onze (pictured above) has been looking for an industrial space with high ceilings to build an indoor climbing gym with synthetic rock walls. His first proposed location , along an industrial stretch of the harbor, was rejected by the Board of Zoning Appeals in a recent vote.

Though the City Plan Department had recommended approval, the Port Authority said the use was inappropriate next to heavier industry. City Plan Director Karyn Gilvarg said the board opined that gym “might conflict with future development,” and would not work with nearby facilities that “might be belching smoke” or would have semi trucks roaring by.

Rejection brought Onze to the former Olin site, to this warehouse at 91 Shelton Ave. (pictured), which Gilvarg said used to house part of Olin’s chemical division. The ceilings are a bit lower, 30 feet high instead of 43, but there’s still space enough for a challenging upward pitch. Onze’s gym would occupy a fraction of the space in the back of the five-story building.

The rest of the building, owned by Schneur Katz of Crown Bell Management, has been partially renovated and is being leased out as office space. Katz said he hopes to turn the rest of the building into mixed use, possibly “middle-income affordable condos.”

Gilvarg sees Shelton Avenue’s ghosts of Olin as a good place for residential or mixed commercial use. “We agree with you, the heavy industrial zoning not appropriate there anymore,” because the rest of the area is lined with homes.

“Over there might be a better place for the climbers,” without trucks roaring by, she added.

The Fuel Rod Shed

Katz also has his eye on the more humble, somewhat legendary building next door, a metal shed in whose basement Olin reportedly used enriched uranium in the process of manufacturing fuel rods. A report this summer in the New Haven Advocate drew attention to the shed, questioning if uranium in the basement had been properly cleaned up.

The property fell to the city early this year due to foreclosure.

Katz said he is confident he can do the cleanup necessary to turn the space into office/storage space for small contractors or other business owners. He expected to close on the property as early as this week.