DERBY – A property once listed on the city’s “most blighted list” is scheduled to be renovated into the new headquarters of a construction company.

Members of the Derby Planning and Zoning Commission Jan. 20 unanimously approved plans for 4 You LLC, a licensed home improvement contractor based in Woodbridge, to renovate 3 Francis St. off Hawkins Street in west Derby.

The property was once home to the Castle bottling company but has been falling apart for more than a decade.

In 2012 the building department compiled a list of the worst properties in the city and presented the “dirty dozen” to the Board of Aldermen.

Blight inspectors at the time described 3 Francis St. as “totally blighted.” The property has also been referred to as 245 Francis St. on Derby documents.

“One neighbor has complained to us that he feels that rodents, including rats, come from that property, causing a danger to his home,” the blight inspector noted.

In 2012 the property had been blighted since 2008 and owed more than $100,000 to the city in blight fines.

Derby eventually foreclosed on the property. 4 You LLC purchased the property in 2024 for $57,000, according to the Coldwell Banker website.

Now, 4 You LLC owners Vlad Ablozhey and Olegs Volincuks plan a complete renovation of the building, according to the plans submitted to the building department. 

Those plans show three offices to be constructed inside the building, along with a meeting room and storage area. There will be a waiting area and a reception area added, along with new bathrooms and a kitchenette.

Windows are slated to be replaced along with the vinyl siding, a new overhead garage door will be installed, and the electric meter will be replaced and moved. 

For reasons unclear to city officials and the new owners, someone at some point attached six electrical meters to the building, perhaps a business plan that never moved forward.

“We want to restore the building and use it,” Volincuks told the commission.

According to a statement of use from the company, business hours will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and there will be between two to four employees.

The property is unique in that Francis Street is zoned for residential use, and there are many residential properties surrounding it.

The property exists as a pre-existing non-conforming use, planning speak for a grandfathered use.

The Valley Indy emailed the owners seeking comment but did not hear back.