View Shelton Properties: Should the City Sell Them? in a larger map
A historic building on Howe Avenue is back on the chopping block.
The Board of Aldermen Thursday revoked its July vote not to sell the property at 470 Howe Ave.
Then with a 5-3 vote, the board decided to push it forward in the lengthy process toward a sale.
Aldermen Eric McPherson and Kenneth Olin changed their votes from the July meeting, when they were opposed to selling the property.
Now the question of whether to sell the vacant building, which used to house the police department and Naugatuck Valley Health District office, will move to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
That commission will make a recommendation on the property and report back to the Board of Aldermen.
Regardless of the Planning and Zoning recommendation, the Board of Alderman can still move forward and seek an appraisal on the property if it receives a two-thirds vote to do so, according to the city-land selling procedures.
Thursday’s vote upset Alderman John “Jack” Finn, the lone Democrat on the board. He said it came after “arm-twisting,” he believed, on the part of Mayor Mark Lauretti.
“This building has a lot of history to it and I can’t see any reason we should sell the property,” Finn said after the meeting. “The city should have never allowed it to deteriorate to the point it’s at.”
McPherson, meanwhile, said the building has severe mold problems. He changed his vote because he fears clean up costs will be too expensive.
“I’m looking at the cost of that versus what the property is worth,” McPherson said after the meeting.
McPherson said his changed vote wasn’t necessarily a vote to sell, but a vote to see what is the best route to take.
There are several steps during the city-land sale process where the property may be ruled out again. After the Board of Alderman receive an appraisal on land, the potential sale still needs to go to a public hearing.
The Other Properties
At that same July meeting, the Board of Aldermen had pushed forward four other properties in the process. Thursday, two more inched forward again, while two others were tabled for more discussion.
58 Perry Hill Road
This property has about 1.4 acres of land and a house adjacent to the old intermediate school.
Thursday, the Board of Aldermen tabled any movement on this property until it reviewed the minutes of the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, where that commission said it did not want to sell the property.
The Planning and Zoning recommendation is not binding, but before the Board of Aldermen moves forward it wants to see why the commission was opposed to the sale.
The Board of Aldermen in July initially rejected a motion to move forward with this property, with a tie vote 4-4. However, Board of Aldermen President John Anglace broke the tie vote with a charter-sanctioned second vote in the place of Mayor Mark Lauretti, who was absent from the meeting.
279 Soundview Ave.
The city is looking at whether to sell about an acre portion of the roughly 14 acres of open space at 279 Soundview Ave.
The portion up for discussion has a single-family home and garage. The Conservation and Parks and Recreation commissions have said they want to keep the property.
The Board of Aldermen voted 6-2 in July to continue looking at whether it should sell this property.
The Planning and Zoning Commission reported back to the Aldermen that it was against selling the property.
Thursday, the item was tabled for more discussion.
Middle Avenue
This is a “paper-road” that has been abandoned by the city. The Board of Alderman voted unanimously to proceed with the process of selling this parcel on July 9.
Tuesday the Planning and Zoning Commission agreed, and Thursday, the Board of Aldermen voted to seek an appraisal on the land.
Access Road
This road is where the former Crabtree car dealership sits, which is the proposed site for a new retail development.
Questions over what the city is doing with the road led the Planning and Zoning Commission to reject Monty Blakeman’s proposal for the development. Read the Valley Independent Sentinel coverage of that meeting here.
The Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to continue the process of potentially selling this land in July, and Tuesday the Planning and Zoning Commission agreed.
Thursday the Board of Aldermen voted to seek an appraisal on the land.