Melissa Bailey File Photo
Cruz (at right) leads a tour of the gym.
The city’s latest effort to revive an abandoned Fair Haven school building has come up with only one response — a plan to reclaim the space for arts and apartments.
That was the result of the city’s request for proposals for developers to buy and rehab the former Strong School at 69 Grand Ave. The city has been trying to sell the historic brick building since 2010; so far it has failed to find a developer.
The sole bid came in from SPACe (Strong Performing Arts Center), a collaborative spearheaded by Fair Haven community organizer Lee Cruz. SPACe proposed buying the building for $250,000 and converting it into a community arts center with six to 12 apartments. The 1.055-acre site is valued at $3.2 million, based on data from the latest grand list.
The city tried to drum up interest in the site in a recent tour.
Matthew Nemerson, the city’s economic development chief, said he had intended to form a selection committee to review bids. He said now that only one bid has come in, he will check with counsel on how to proceed. Nemerson said he has not seen the proposal; if the Harp administration decides to pursue it, the Board of Alders would need to approve the deal.
Seeking to fill a $3 million budget hole, the city in 2010 issued a request for interested developers. Only three bids came in and the city decided not to pursue any of them. Fernando Pastor of SEEDnh, who took part in the bidding that year, has returned with a new proposal — this time teaming up with Cruz.
Chris Randall/ I Love New Haven Photo Illustration
Cruz, who lives near the Strong School, has spent two years rounding up arts groups and not-for-profits to get behind a plan to convert the 25,000-square-foot building into a community space and performing arts center. The plan centers on converting a 35,000-square-foot gymnasium into a 100-seat theater and then leasing out former classrooms into office space for arts groups and other small businesses and not-for-profits.
Cruz initially tried to negotiate with the city to lease the building to SPACe; the city insisted on selling it instead.
In the new proposal, Cruz formed a board of directors and teamed up with Fernando Pastor of SEEDnh, O,R&L Construction, and the Sustainable Energy Funding Program. SEEDnh has built four Yale rooming houses and converted four historical mansions on Prospect Hill for Pike International.
To make the plan sustainable, Cruz and Pastor plan to rely on rent from apartments.
The plan calls for tearing down a classroom addition on Perkins Street and building six townhouse-style, three-story apartments there. Each 2,400-square-foot townhouse would rent for $2,350 per month.
If the market allows, SPACe would also build six new “penthouse apartments” on the roof of the building. The “modern lofts,” of 750 to 1,200 square feet, would rent for $1,950 to $2,350 per month, according to the proposal.
The total project, including historic rehabilitation and new construction, would cost $7.5 million, according to the proposal.
To establish credibility, Cruz recruited letters of intent from interested tenants. Included in its submission to the city were letters from the following potential tenants expressing interest in the space: Long Wharf Theater, Neighborhood Music School, The Connection, Arte, Inc., Bregamos Community Theater, the Fair Haven branch of the New Haven Public Library, Fair Haven Community Health Clinic and the Grand Avenue Special Services District.
The plan calls for renting office space to those tenants, as well as creating some street-level retail, a coffee shop, or perhaps a restaurant. Some of the propose uses — the restaurant, health clinic and the apartments — would require an exemption from zoning laws.
Cruz expressed confidence about the new proposal.
“We have a world-class architect, a very reputable construction firm.” With the apartments, he said, “we are presenting an unusual but very credible source of funding.”
He said the proposal represents a homegrown, grassroots effort that aims to elevate the entire neighborhood.
“We are totally invested in the neighborhood,” Cruz said. “If the project flops, it’s our house values that go down, or stay down.”
Nemerson was asked what he thinks about the fact that only one bidder applied.
“This is the market speaking,” he said.
He said there is no rush to sell the building if the proposal doesn’t suit the city’s needs. The building is currently being used as storage for the Board of Education. He said the important thing is that he project be done right.
“This is an exciting neighborhood that is trying to burst out, given its proximity to the water,” he said. He said Mayor Toni Harp would support proposals that don’t just increase the price of housing, but provide a range of affordable housing.
I want this site to be redeveloped, but am curious about the following numbers.
"Each 2,400-square-foot townhouse would rent for $2,350 per month."
Why would a 2,400 SF townhouse rent for $2,350 per month, which is the cost to rent an entire detached house in many neighborhoods throughout the New Haven area?
Lofts of "750 to 1,200 square feet, would rent for $1,950 to $2,350 per month."
Why would small apartments in Fair Haven rent for more than they do in Downtown?
Anyhow, perhaps additional state subsidies can be found to cover some of the construction price (like was done recently for Forest City in Newhallville), so that rental income can sustain the project even if the developers don't get the level of rents that they have projected above. It's very important to make this building an active contributor to the neighborhood again, not a Board of Education storage space, but the City needs to be 100% sure that it will be properly and completely developed before it sells it.