A dozen people spoke during a public hearing about the City of Ansonia’s plan to move the police department to a downtown office building and sell two other properties to be redeveloped as apartments and retail.
The Board of Aldermen’s recording secretary sent the Valley Indy an audio recording of the May 2 meeting. Click the play button below to listen.
The hearing concerned two deals that have the potential to drastically change downtown Ansonia, bringing the police department to a much more central location while also breathing new life into the area in the form of nearly 300 new apartments.
Click here, here and here for previous stories with more background.
During the first part of the hearing, officials gave an overview of the deals. Those speaking: John Marini, the city’s lawyer, Kevin Hale, its police chief, Brian Humes, an architect, and Sheila O’Malley, the city’s grants writer and economic development director.
Then, about 43 minutes in, Aldermen and the public got a chance to ask questions and give their opinions.
Though generally enthusiastic about the outlines of the city’s plans, several people asked officials to make more information about the deals’ terms public before deciding on them.
The city’s Aldermen are scheduled to discuss the deals behind closed doors during their regular monthly meeting Tuesday.
Background
Under the terms of the deal the city has made public (the actual contracts have not been made public), Ansonia taxpayers would pay around $3 million for 65 Main St., Farrel Corp.’s former headquarters, from Shaw Growth Ventures, an entity that took control of the office building next to the Eagle Hose firehouse through foreclosure.
The money would come from a low-interest federal loan of up to $12 million authorized by voters in a 2016 referendum.
The Cassetti administration wants to buy the property and use it for a police station and senior center.
The city and Shaw would split ownership of a parking lot between the building and 501 E.Main St., the former Farrel “Process Lab,” which the city says Shaw will develop into up to 200 apartments.
The other downtown Ansonia land deal on the agenda involves the city selling two long underdeveloped properties to to Copper City Development, owned by Jerry Nocerino and Charles Smith, for $200,000.
The two properties to be sold are:
1. The ATP building, 497 E. Main St.
2. The Palmer building, 153 Main St.
Nocerino, who has successfully redeveloped several commercial properties in the area, has long eyed the buildings for around 90 apartments.
As part of the deal, the city plans to offer Copper City Development a tax incentive to fix the city’s assessment of the properties for “a period of years.”
Late Monday the city sent the Valley Indy the documents below responding to some of the questions raised during the public hearing.
Press Release_response to Hearing Questions #1 by The Valley Indy on Scribd
Press Release_repsonse to Hearing Questions #2 by The Valley Indy on Scribd
Main Street 65 Parking Lot Ansonia 2017 (1) by The Valley Indy on Scribd
