A Stratford manufacturer is looking to set up shop at a dilapidated downtown Derby building.
The move could clean-up an eyesore on Minerva Street.
Designs In Iron Inc. of Stratford filed an application with the Derby Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday to use about 4,600 square feet of the building at 67 Minerva St. to manufacture decorative iron pieces, such as those used for railings. The company is owned by Fabrizio Taramelli.
Taramelli didn’t return calls for comment.
However, in his application, Taramelli said his business would be open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and would have two workers there at a time.
Taramelli said the company would receive an average of two customer visits a week. He expects three cars in the lot at peak hours.
The Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to take up Taramelli’s application in March.
The Building
The vacant, 18,000 square-foot building fronts Minerva and is also accessible on Caroline Street.
It formerly housed Vintage Motorcars, a shop that closed in 2005.
The building’s history with automobiles stretches back to the early 1900s, when it was the Lombardi Motor Car Company, a car sales and repair shop, according to an article posted on the Valley Indy Facebook page by reader Randy Ritter.
The building is currently for sale for $299,000.
The portion on Minerva Street had a partial roof collapse last year. A pile of snow could be seen inside the building Thursday, along with a steady stream of water from the large hole in the roof.
The building department has ordered building owner John Guedes, to fix the roof or remove that portion of the building. Guedes was not able to be reached for comment Thursday.
Derby Building Inspector Dave Kopjanski said the new application includes the removal of the front part of the building and the use of the back portion.
“They could utilize that empty space where the building is to be demolished for parking,” Kopjanski said.
-The city hasn’t put the building on its blight list — yet, Kopjanski said. – Kopjanski on Feb. 24 said the building has been on the blight list since 2006.
He said the partial roof collapse happened last year, before all the recent snow.
The building sits in a Central Design District zone, Kopjanski said. That means any use is potentially allowed, but all uses must be approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
“There’s not such thing as a directly permitted use (there),” Kopjanski said. “Every use has to be approved and voted on.”
