Markeshia Ricks Photo
Walker at 53 Shelton, where he’d like to build.
James Walker believes in the power of second chances. He believes his plan to bring housing and jobs to Shelton Avenue could offer a second chance for Newhallville.
Regulatory hurdles have reminded him that second chances don’t come easy, or cheap.
Walker, who heads Believe In Me Empowerment Corporation, has been working with the city’s anti-blight agency, the Livable City Initiative (LCI), for the last three years to find property that the not-for-profit can buy at a low cost to expand the work that it does to provide supportive housing and case management for people, including particularly those leaving prison, who are struggling to find affordable places to live. BIMEC has been doing that work in the Newhallville community since 2008.
A plan to transform the not-for-profit’s Dixwell Avenue headquarters into that supportive facility didn’t fly at the Board of Zoning last year. Neighbors objected to a plan to put similar supportive housing at 320 Shelton Ave., which is across from Lincoln-Bassett School. So Walker and LCI went back to the drawing board.
After some fits and starts, Walker and LCI have honed in having BIMEC buy and build on two city-owned properties: the aforementioned long, vacant three-story building at 320 Shelton Ave. and a vacant lot at 53 Shelton. In the last three weeks his proposals for both properties, which LCI proposes to sell to BIEMC for a total of $2,000, came before three city boards — and got stuck.
Twilight Zone
LCI’s Evan Trachten.
Evan Trachten, LCI’s acquisition and disposition coordinator, went to bat for BIMEC at a recent city Property Acquisition and Disposition Committee meeting, which must sign off on the land disposition agreement, or LDA, before it can ultimately get an up or down vote from the Board of Alders, which has the final say on whether he can move forward. The agreement would give BIMEC 18 months after closing on either deal to do the work; otherwise, the property would revert to the city.
Trachten, who serves on the committee, told his fellow members —including alders, representatives from the economic development and City Plan departments — that BIMEC initially sought to put the supportive housing and case management services at 320 Shelton. That location is across the street from a school as well as the Remember The Lilies flower shop and a handful of other businesses at the intersection of Bassett Street and Shelton.
The building is leaning quite precariously and could be slated for demolition if something is not done soon, Trachten said. But when neighbors expressed some misgivings, Walker backed off.
“LCI continued to work with them. and that’s how they found 53 Shelton Ave.,” he said. “So, they’re proposing to do the new construction over there to build a social service center for youth and young adults with some supportive housing.”
But Walker didn’t want to give up on 320 Shelton Ave. after doing so much research. He had the idea of restoring the building to its former glory, keeping two affordable residential units on the second and third floors and expand the youth services programs that now run out of his 423 Dixwell Avenue headquarters to 320 Shelton Ave. and provide more job and entrepreneurial training for young people. Such a move would allow Walker to keep his adult service programs in one place and services for young people in another.
Except, it turns out, he might not be able to do any of what he has proposed at either one of those properties.
That word came from City Plan staffer Ted Stevens at the PAD meeting.
House, House … Industrial Zone?
Serena Neal-Sanjurjo: “Deliverables” included.
As it turns out, 53 Shelton, though surrounded by housing on either side and also across the street, is in an area zoned for heavy industrial use, according to Stevens.
“I’m kind of at a loss here,” Quinnipiac Meadows Alder Gerald Antunes said while looking at Google Earth photos of the vacant lot and its neighbors. “You say that housing is not allowed here, but there’s housing there.”
“I’m not sure of the history there,” Stevens said. “What I’m guessing is that that housing is probably 100 years old, so it wasn’t zoned industrial until the ‘60s. It predates the zone.”
A former Winchester Repeating Arms factory building, purchased by Olin Corp. and recently sold to a developer looking to transform the site into nearly 400 apartments, abuts the back of 53 Shelton Ave. That project, which has yet to come to City Plan for a site review, would likely need a zone change. So would Walker’s project, or at least a variance, which Stevens said might be difficult to convince the Board of Zoning Appeals that Walker has a hardship that would justify such an allowance.
The PAD committee voted to support an LDA between the city and BIMEC for the two Shelton Avenue properties. Stevens voted against supporting 53 Shelton, pointing out that BIMEC might acquire the land but end up not being able to develop it in the way that it is proposed in the LDA given the zoning hurdles. He voted in favor of 320 Shelton but suggested that because of the vagueness of the proposal that there might be similar zoning problems.
The LDAs for both properties hit the September City Plan Commission meeting later that day. By that time, a new problem had been discovered at 320 Shelton.
The City Plan Commission reviews land disposition agreements and provides advice to LCI’s Board and the Board of Alders, which makes the final call.
It turns out that the former corner store that once existed on the first floor of the property was a non-conforming use for the building. When it was abandoned, so was the non-conforming use.
Ultimately, City Plan staff suggested to commissioners that there simply wasn’t enough information for them to recommend approving the sale of both properties. Commissioners voted to advise alders to table the sales until BIMEC can be clearer about its plans for both spaces.
Clear As Mud
320 Shelton, where Walker would like to renovate a long vacant property into two apartments upstairs and a youth training services.
Standing the following day at the vacant lot at 53 Shelton, Walker said he hoped to get clarity soon so he can get to work. “I could see this being a nice use upstairs as supportive housing.”
Newhallville Alder Brenda Foskey-Hill said that she wants her colleagues to consider a zone change for 53 Shelton. She said the city should look at how it can ease the way for small organizations like BIMEC to acquire blighted, government-owned land so that they can provide services to the community. Both pieces of property have been vacant for a long time.
Both Walker and Foskey-Hill recalled that a dead body was once found at 53 Shelton. As long as that property stays undeveloped, something similar could happen again, they said.
“With the housing situation for the re-entry population, it’s something that’s needed,” she said. “It’s really needed and if he’s willing to give it they should come up with some type of proposal to change it. It helps the city also.”
Split Decision
The proposed Shelton Avenue projects picked up a split decision at their next regulatory stop, Wednesday night at LCI’s board meeting at City Hall.
The board voted to table 53 Shelton Ave. so that Walker could provide more details about what was proposed. It gave the thumbs up to the 320 Shelton project.
Board member Kenneth Cousar led the push for more details and encouraged Walker to make sure that he has the support of the neighbors and the management team, in which he is active. Cousar was among the neighbors who opposed transitional housing at 320 Shelton.
“A lot of people don’t come to the management team meetings,” Cousar said. “Sometimes it’s best to go door-to-door asking longtime residents what their feelings are before we just put in distressed neighborhoods some more distress.”
LCI Executive Director Serena Neal-Sanjurjo told the board that LCI has worked with Walker because the services he provides are needed in the neighborhood and because 53 Shelton Ave. has been in its portfolio with no movement since 2004.
LCI Board Chairman Tim Yolen questioned LCI’s low asking price for the vacant lot. He said it seemed like a giveaway. He asked if the lot had ever been advertised for sale. It hadn’t, Trachten said Wednesday.
“Something else I think we ought to start addressing,” he said.
Clyburn: Community wants building repaired ASAP.
Assured that the property at 320 Shelton Ave. will not be transitional housing or a sober house and that the first floor will not have an actual corner store, board member and Newhallville Alder Delphine Clyburn made the motion that advanced the proposal. She did ask for a timeline for when Walker could start building. The property has been an eyesore in her ward; the elderly neighbor who lives next door is worried that the building could fall down.
Neal-Sanjurjo told the board that Walker has the money for the renovation of 320 Shelton thanks to community block grant funding. Should alders ultimately approve the LDA for that property, his first responsibility will be to get the structure stabilized. She said the LDA and the administration of the CDBG funds for the project will require that he hit certain milestones including having it ready to occupy no more than 18 months after closing.
“I am a staunch believer that is should take no more than 18 months to build anything especially in our residential neighborhoods when we are providing funding through other programs,” she said. “Everything has deliverables. At the end of phase one, you will have finished XYZ, or you’re not getting money. At the end phase two, you’ve done this or you’re not getting paid.”
“In these agreements, we’re putting in deliverables,” Neal-Sanjurjo added. “If you’re not done in 18 months, we have right to bring it back to the city.”
Clyburn said she was satisfied.
“We do want something to happen to this and happen like now,” she said.
Mr.Walker is a good man.I know him. I hope he can get this.But from what I have seen and my Gentrification Vampire Sense tell me that the Gentrification Vampires want this area also.I heard yale is buying up property around this area.