City Rejects Strong School Arts-Rehab Plan

The Harp administration is starting over in its quest to find a buyer for a vacant historic brick former Fair Haven school building after turning down a community-based plan for an arts-and-housing complex.

The city has been trying since 2010 to find a developer to revive the building, the circa-1915 former Strong School at 69 Grand Ave. It turned down all three bidders responding to a request for proposals that year. It issued a new request earlier this year and sought to attract potential developers —then received just one response, from a community coalition called SPACe (Strong Performing Arts Center), a collaborative spearheaded by Fair Haven community organizer Lee Cruz.

On Monday Economic Development Administrator Matthew Nemerson wrote to Cruz to inform him that a five-person committee has unanimously voted to reject the SPACe plan. SPACe proposed to pay the city $250,000 and then spend $7.5 million converting the 1.055-acre site into a community arts center with a 100-seat theater; six 2,4000-square-foot three-story townhouse apartments renting for $2,350 a month; six smaller ​“penthouse apartments”; and office space for arts organizations and other not-for-profits.

In Monday’s letter, Nemerson acknowledged the proposal’s community support. But, he continued, the committee found ​“deficiencies in the proposal” ​“so overwhelming as to render the submission unacceptable.” The proposal lacked crucial details about the organizers’ team’s development expertise, market conditions, financing, and construction, operating and maintenance costs. Click here to read the full letter.

Deputy Economic Development Director Fonatana elaborated on those objections in an interview. He said the committee needed to know where the $7.5 million in financing would come from. It questioned whether the proposal took into account major potential costs of historical renovation, including removing lead, asbestos and PCBs. It questioned whether the building’s roof can support apartments.

The selection committee included architect Ken Boroson and Craig Newick, community activist Jane Coppock, and Alders Abby Roth and Richard Furlow.

Lee Cruz (pictured leading a tour of the facility earlier this year) told the Independent that his group plans ​“to make the case that if the city’s committing to involving community residents in developing their community, they need to talk to the community” about specifics of proposals before rejecting them. He said ​“there needs to be a dialogue.”

Nemerson responded in an interview that under an RFP process, the city must rely on submitted proposals. It can’t ask more questions. Even though only one bidder responded to this RFP, often multiple developers do — and it’s not proper for the city to start seeking answers to unresolved questions with just one of them.

“You can’t change the rules” just because only one potential builder submits a proposal, Nemerson said. ​“An RFP — when it’s done, it’s done. You give it your best shot. Then the deal is closed. People are forgetting that.”

That said, Nemerson continued, the selection committee will meet again Wednesday evening and has invited Cruz’s group — not to reconsider the unanimous rejection of the plan, but to discuss a future new RFP, to which SPACe will be welcomed to respond. Nemerson said the city will keep trying to sell the Strong School to someone who’ll revive it. He also said the Harp administration recognizes the importance of working ​“as intermediaries with developers and neighborhoods” so the community does have input in development projects. ​“This clearly go off” on the wrong foot, he said.

Cruz wrote back to Nemerson this week that his group had discussed the rejection with Fair Haven Alder Santiago Berrios-Bones, ​“and he is writing a letter expressing our concerns with the process and substance of the committee’s report.”

Reached by phone Wednesday, Berrios-Bones said he has begun discussing the project with the Harp administration to see if solid financing can be found.

“I would like to see Strong School become an arts center, not only for Fair Haven but for the whole city of New Haven. What I’m trying to see is how feasible it is, who is going to be backing this project economically,” Berrios-Bones said. ​“I’m all for the project. Don’t get me wrong. But I’m also looking at the financing of this project.”