A image from the Ansonia Fire Department’s Facebook page from 2017 showing the aftermath of a partial roof collapse at the property.
ANSONIA — The City of Ansonia is scheduled to receive a $500,000 state grant to demolish an old, partially-collapsed industrial building at 35 N. Main St. the former SHW Casting Company.
Ansonia officials said the demolition will allow for the eventual expansion of RugPadUSA, a carpet padding manufacturer that moved to Ansonia from Bridgeport in 2017.
State Rep. Kara Rochelle, D‑Ansonia, announced the grant Tuesday in a news release, saying she had been working to secure the money for more than a year.
The money must be approved by the state bond commission. That entity is scheduled to meet July 21. It is chaired by Gov. Ned Lamont.
“This property, once made available for future development, will bring good-paying jobs to Valley residents, expand the city’s grand list, and give the City the opportunity to potentially lower taxes, or invest in additional services and amenities for residents,” Rochelle said in a prepared statement.
Click here to read the full statement.
The intersection of Main Street and North Main Street in Ansonia, and then North Main Street stretching toward Liberty Street, is dominated by old industrial buildings well past their prime.
The property sits between the former Farrel Corp. and Ansonia Copper & Brass properties, two sprawling former industrial sites downtown, and across Main Street from the Eagle Hose Hook & Ladder Co. 6. was part of the Farrel Corp.‘s holdings years ago.
Mayor David Cassetti said the ultimate goal is to see about 60 acres of that old industrial space cleared, cleaned, and redeveloped in order to expand the city’s tax base.
The former SHW Casting Company takes up about 3.5 acres, city officials said.
During an Aldermen meeting Tuesday, Cassetti thanked Rochelle for her advocacy. He said the grant will allow the city to remove an eyesore. Click here for a 2017 Valley Indy story regarding a partial roof collapse at the site.
“This is the first step toward reclaiming the 60-acre piece that conjoins with Ansonia Copper & Brass,” Cassetti said, noting his administration has been wanting to demo the property for several years.
The building. Photo courtesy of the City of Ansonia.
The mayor noted the city also received assistance in the form of a $170,000 environmental remediation grant from the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments.
The mayor also thanked the Board of Aldermen, corporation counsel John Marini, and economic development director/grant writer Sheila O’Malley for their work.
In her press release, Rochelle thanked Gov. Lamont, and O’Malley as well.
“This was the only request the City’s Economic Development Office specifically submitted to my office,” Rochelle said. “I am pleased to come through on this project and I am glad to be able to deliver.”
The Ansonia Aldermen unanimously approved purchasing 35 N. Main St. from Pandel Properties LLC after an executive session meeting Tuesday.
Essentially the purchase agreement has Ansonia waiving some $80,000 in delinquent taxes owed by the company with the company agreeing to transfer the property to the city.
From the city’s Facebook page.
The city is getting the property under the protection of the Municipal Brownfield Liability Relief Program.
“It’s a very strategically positioned property in the heart of the downtown area,” Marini said. “We see remediation and demolition activity continuing from this ‘first cut’ into the greater Copper and Brass parcel. The goal is to bring the property to its highest and best use for the benefit of taxpayers.”
Ansonia is building a new police station at 65 Main St., essentially across the street from the corner of the property. The senior center is expected to be housed in that building, too. And the city recently approved a plan to redevelop two other buildings on Main Street.
