Thomas Breen photo
Dresses out, bongs in at 968 Chapel.
The former home of the original Ann Taylor clothing store — which now sports bongs and hookahs instead of upscale womenswear — has changed hands for $2.795 million.
That was one of the latest local property transactions, as recorded on the city’s online land records database. (See below for a full roundup of recent sales.)
On Sept. 22, the Woodbridge-based holding company Carlson Road Limited Partnership purchased the two-unit retail and office building at 968 Chapel St. from Robert Anastasio’s General Asset Company LLC for $2.795 million.
The city last appraised that commercial property as worth $1,636,300.
968 Chapel St.
For over six decades, that downtown storefront was home to Ann Taylor, a high-end clothing chain that catered to female professionals and that got its start in the Elm City. That original Ann Taylor shop sold its last dress and closed its doors for good in July 2020 in the early months of the pandemic after the store’s parent company filed for bankruptcy.
After a brief interlude as a rapid Covid testing site, the 968 Chapel St. storefront is now home to a smoke shop called Anesthesia.
Instead of selling business-casual dresses, Anesthesia traffics in bongs, hookahs, lighters, rolling papers, and other accoutrements for the modern-day smoker.
Outside, and inside, Anesthesia.
Anesthesia’s owner, Khaoula Boulhadi, told the Independent that her shop first opened on Chapel Street roughly six months ago.
“So far, so good,” she said about business downtown. As far as she knows, “we’re staying” in place at 968 Chapel St. even with the new landlord.
A representative from the new landlord company did not respond to email requests for comment by the publication time of this article.
Roundup: "Lomas Co." Building Sold For $3M
163 Orange St., recently sold for $3M.
Other recent local property transactions included:
• On Oct. 5, a holding company controlled by Frank Lunati and Markella Christakis purchased the nine-unit retail and office building at 163 Orange St. from a holding company controlled by Olympia Properties’ Dennis Nicotra for $3 million. That commercial property at the corner of Orange and Court Streets last sold for $1.25 million in 2004, and the city last appraised it as worth $2,098,100.
According to National Register of Historic Places Inventory nomination form for the Ninth Square Historic District from 1984, the two-story brick Georgian Revival building was constructed in 1918, and was once home to the Lomas and Nettleton Company, which was “Connecticut’s largest non-bank mortgage lender.” The building is currently home to Blue Orchid restaurant.
• On Oct. 4, the City of New Haven sold the fenced-in vacant lots at 309 Ashmun St., 291 Ashmun St., and 176 – 186 Canal St. for $500,000 to a holding company controlled by local developers Yves Joseph and Jason Rudnick. The public land sale comes nearly two years after the Board of Alders first signed off in December 2020 on parting with the 1.7‑acre lot in exchange for the developer’s commitment to build a new five-story, 176-unit apartment complex at that site on the border of Dixwell, Newhallville, and Science Park. As part of that Development and Land Disposition Agreement (DLDA) and tax break deal, the new apartment complex must set aside 33 percent of its units at deed-restricted below-market rents over the course of the 15-year accord. (See here for more details.) The city land records database also shows that, on Oct. 4, before selling the property to the developers, the city paid the Housing Authority of New Haven $170,588 for 178 – 186 Canal St., which was formerly home to the old Elm Haven public housing apartments.
• On Oct 10, a holding company controlled by local landlord and investor Shneor Edelkopf bought three three-family houses and a two-family house for $1 million from Lawrence Rohinsky. Those properties are located at 63 Lombard St., 180 Goffe Ter., 232 View St., and 356 Howard Ave. The city last appraised those properties as worth a combined sum of $1,025,400.
• On Sept. 21, Laurel Peterson and Benjamin Johnson bought the single-family house at 184 East Rock Rd. from Jack Hitt and Lisa Sanders for $1.18 million. That Prospect Hill property last sold for $212,000 in 1997, and the city last appraised it as worth $884,800.
See below for a full roundup of recent sales.
Given the $1.1 million the new owners of the Ann Taylor building paid above its appraised value, I would not be surprised if they added several floors for housing. (I believe they could do this as of right.) This is happening now with the former Acme Building on Crown and has been approved for the Olympia Building on Temple Street. A similar expansion may happen with the more architecturally significant Lomas Building.
As noted previously, the recent sales prices of commercial properties and expensive homes have been consistently well above their 2021 appraisals. In contrast, the sales prices of smaller residential properties, such as those bought by Shneor Edelkopf, have been much closer to appraised values. (Appraising the latter is easier because there are multiple comparable sales.) The city cannot redo revaluation. But it should keep the under-appraisals in mind when setting tax policy.
Tom, any background on the sale of the former Elm Haven property? Thoughts as to what the city plans to do with it?