Antillean Manor Co-Op Agrees To Sale

The resident-owners at one of the city’s last cooperative housing developments have reached an agreement to sell the crumbling property to a Meriden-based real estate company, which plans to temporarily relocate them, demolish and rebuild the housing complex, and retain the same number of subsidized affordable housing units for anyone interested in returning to the new facility.

The long-awaited decision took place on March 14. On that date, the board of directors for the 31-unit, rent-subsidized Antillean Manor complex on Day Street in the Dwight neighborhood voted to sell ownership of the co-op to Carabetta Management Co. Carabetta took over management of the mid-20th century cooperative several years ago from a defunct board after the property fell into debt and disrepair under the watch of its tenant-owners. The board needed to be reconstituted to pave the way for this sale.

Carabetta development officer Helen Muniz said that the co-op’s board of directors granted Carabetta a Purchase of Sale Agreement (PSA) during its March meeting.

The PSA will transfer ownership of the property to Carabetta once the management company finishes gathering the necessary finances to purchase, demolish, and rebuild the complex. The funding will also allow the new owners to pay off any obligations on the the complex’s current mortgage from the federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Muniz did not say how much Carabetta will pay to purchase the property, or how much money the company needs to raise before the sale can be completed.

Muniz said that Carabetta plans to submit an application to HUD in June for Competitive Housing Assistance for Multifamily Properties 12 (CHAMP 12) financing. She said that HUD typically awards funding two or three months after receiving applications, and so Carabetta expects to have finances in place to complete the purchase in August or September 2018.

Carabetta has engaged the Farmington-based architectural firm Schadler Selnau Associates to design the new facility. She said that the new property will still have only 31 units, the same number it has now. An original plan to build a mix of low-income and market-rate apartments sparked resistance last year among residents wary of a loss of affordable housing and an increase in gentrification.

“It is going to be very different,” Muniz said about the new Antillean Manor. ​“The [current] staircases are totally unsafe. [The new complex] will be one building. It will definitely be aesthetically more pleasing, more structurally sound, and will meet all ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] code requirements.”

She said Carabetta plans to attend Antillean’s next few monthly board meetings to keep the current resident-owners in the loop in regards to the planned design.

If and when the financing comes through in the early fall, Carabetta plans to pay for the temporary relocation of the 30 families currently living in the complex. Muniz said that the demolition of the existing complex and the construction of the new complex should take around a year, and that tenants should be able to return by late 2019.

Shelley White (pictured at an Antillean board meeting), a New Haven Legal Assistance attorney who represents the resident-owners at Antillean Manor, said relocated families will be able to bring their current Section 8 federal housing subsidies with them to their new temporary homes. Their rent will remain fixed at 30 percent of their income, as it is now, and their current housing subsidies will go to their new temporary landlords.

Families interested in returning to the new Antillean Manor will be able to retain their Section 8 subsidies at the rebuilt complex. However, those subsidies remain with the property, not with the tenant, so residents interested in moving elsewhere after the construction project is complete will not be able to bring housing vouchers with them.

“This is the best outcome,” White said. ​“There isn’t enough money to fix the current place up completely. Although the idea of tenant co-ops is an interesting one, and theoretically a good way for tenants to own where they live and have a say in how it is run, it’s quite a bit of work for tenants to handle.”

Muniz (pictured) said that HUD is aware of and supportive of Carabetta’s plans for Antillean Manor. She said that the management company will work with HUD as the actual purchase date draws near to get the necessary approvals for the reassignment of the project-based Section 8 contract from the current tenant-owners to Carabetta.

West River Alder Tyisha Walker, who is on Antillean Manor’s board of directors, said that she and the current tenants are optimistic about the prospective sale and redevelopment.

“The benefits of [this sale] will be that people will be able to raise their children in a safe environment,” she said. ​“I think it’s important to note that it is an affordable project. I’m really proud of that.”

“I’m optimistic that we can actually get this done,” she continued, ​“because I’m always thinking about the safety and types of conditions that people live in. Sometimes you become what your environment is. I’m excited by this process. I can’t wait until it’s all done, and I know that these residents are excited too.”

Muniz said that the next scheduled Antillean Manor board of directors meeting will take place on April 24, and that Carabetta plans to have a relocation assistance service engaged by that time to begin assessing the temporary relocation needs of the current residents.

Previous coverage of Antillean Manor:
• Gentrification Vampires Vanish From Plan
• Builder Clears Hurdle At Crumbling Coop
• Not So Fast, Antillean Tells Eager Builder
• Plan Unveiled To Raze, Rebuild Co-ops
• Tenants Wooed In Land Grab
• Clean-Up Crews Descend On Antillean Manor
• The Next Church Street South?