New Haven Independent

At a meeting of the Quinnipiac River Community Group at the Waucoma Yacht Club, local Fair Haven alders Alex Rhodeen and Erin Sturgis-Pascale reported that the building’s current owner seemed to have been sufficiently put off by community pressure and is looking to sell his building. An opportunity was presenting itself, again, but would there be interest and resources to capitalize on it?

The current owner of what is locally called One Grand is David Vieau and his One Grand LLC. Through his Turning Point Foundation he apparently had been planning to turn the Warner Building into units for transitional housing for recovering addicts. But his efforts were fiercely opposed by many of the QRCG folks as well as many historical preservationists.

“Now our job,” said Sturgis-Pascale, “is to perhaps help find a buyer.” Her suggestion spawned ideas such as Regan’s and triggered an excitement in the room at the possibility of seizing an opportunity “” the upcoming refurbishment of the Grand Avenue Bridge “” to rescue a building that is both symbol and potentially an anchor for the community.

There were suddenly many other notions. Lee Cruz suggested that the New Haven Preservation Trust had interest in the building. As a temporary measure, he suggested, Mutual Housing, with its offices already on Grand Avenue, might be looking for some additional office space.

Cruz suggested somebody “” not himself since he is employed by them “” also be in touch with the Greater New Haven Community Foundation and request support for a kind of community forum to begin what he called a conversation on how to rescue One Grand for appropriate and community-enhancing use.

Local activist and daddy Chris Ozyck added that the building could serve as not only an art center but a historic venue as well. “The Ball Family, an old family from the area, calls me now and then, and they say they have a museum of stuff about Fair Haven. Deb Townsend, the historian of Fair Haven, also has material. There was some initial talk too with Yale’s Peabody Museum. There could be a great institution there.”

“Erin,” Ozyck said, “you should be in touch with the Economic Development Commission and see what possibilities are out there.”

Sturgis-Pascale said the developer had removed all the plumbing in the building, that it is a shell. “I feel a sense of urgency about One Grand, that this might be the moment, the possibility to get some control,” she said. But will anyone step forward to head this effort?

Susan Regan said she would begin working on it.

Scattered-Site Delay

In other news down by the river, Alderman Rhodeen reported that the hearing on scattered-site housing planned for 759 Quinnipiac Ave. scheduled for Friday at the Housing Authority of New Haven (HANH) has been postponed. Rhodeen, who said he opposes the specific project at 759 but not scattered-site housing in general, said that he had met with Jimmy Miller, executive director of HANH, earlier in the day.

Rhodeen indicated that he communicated to Miller that he personally was not opposed to HUD’s scattered-site program, which places lower-income people in higher-income neighborhoods. However, Rhodeen said the program must abide by HUD guidelines. Rhodeen said that Fair Haven Heights already has 43 percent lower-income residents and is therefore by HUD’s own formulas, already “impacted.” That is to say, the 759 Quinnipiac Ave. project therefore exceeds HUD guidelines already. Miller told him he would explore the issue further. Stay tuned.