Joe Salemme, of J&L Enterprises, wants to build a 4-story apartment building on 90 Main St. in Derby.
DERBY — A developer wants to construct a four-story apartment building on Main Street. The building would hold 70 market-rate apartments, according to plans unveiled Tuesday.
The building would be constructed at 90 Main St., the site of the former Lifetouch building, which has been vacant for years. Demolition on the old building recently started. The property is on the south side of Main Street, next to the entrance ramp to Route 8 south.
The plans discussed at a Derby Planning & Zoning meeting Tuesday call for 40 studio apartments, 26 one-bedroom apartments, and four two-bedroom apartments. There would be a lounge and a gym, according to the plan, in addition to 81 parking spaces.
According to paperwork in possession of the city, the developer is J&L Enterprises, a company run by brothers Joseph and Louis Salemme of Shelton. Public records list the property as owned by Derby Apartment Investments, a limited liability company of which Joseph and Louis Salemme are listed as principal members.
Joe Salemme spoke to members of the Derby P&Z Commission Tuesday during what the commission billed as an “informal” discussion. A formal review of the site plan is expected to begin in October.
Google Maps
The former Lifetouch property is on the right. The Route 8 south ramp is on the left.
Salemme said the apartment mix — mostly studios and one bedrooms — is driven by data.
“That seems to be the big market demand, according to studies,” Salemme said.
Raul Sanchez, a member of the commission, questioned the entrance and exit to the property, indicating it could be a concern based on what Main Street looks like once the road is widened (a construction project the state has been planning for years).
Salemme said the entrance-exit to Main Street could work, but that he’s willing to work with the city on the matter.
The Derby Redevelopment Zone, which stretches on the south side of Main Street from the Derby-Shelton bridge to the former Lifetouch property, has been stagnant for years.
“I’m pretty excited to see what you have coming,” Ted Estwan, the chairman of the Derby P&Z, said.
Google Maps
An overview from Google Maps showing 90 Main St. in Derby and the surrounding properties.
Lifetouch is a company based in Minnesota. Although it closed its Derby facility, the company still handles photography for schools around the nation.
If Salemme’s project is submitted, reviewed and approved, it will be the second such project approved in the redevelopment zone.
In February, the Derby P&Z Commission approved a site plan for 203 market-rate apartments on Factory Street, a stone’s throw from 90 Main St. That project, which hasn’t started yet, includes 178 one-bedroom units, 21 two-bedrooms units, and four two-bedroom townhouses — and 8,000 square feet of retail space on the first floors of the buildings.
In July, the Derby Board of Aldermen & Alderwomen met in executive session (a type of meeting closed to the public) for 18 minutes to talk about possibly purchasing or helping to relocate a scrap yard on Factory Street. Its presence is seen as an impediment to investment in the downtown redevelopment zone.
