Developer Don Stanziale, Jr. inside a new apartment he and his partners built on Minerva Street in Derby.
DERBY – City, state and federal officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday (Sept. 30) to highlight an $18 million redevelopment project on Minerva Street.
The contaminated, one-acre property at 67 – 71 Minerva St. had been an eyesore since at least 2015, when it was on the blight list and deemed a “danger to the public” by city inspectors.
Now it’s home to 90 new apartments, including nine that are deemed affordable under state law.
While new apartments and townhouses are regular occurrences in downtown Shelton, it’s rare in Derby. But now things are happening.
About 100 apartments are being built on Main Street with “Trolley Pointe.” The Route 34 widening project is headed toward completion, along with the renovation of the Derby-Shelton bridge. There’s also millions of dollars in improvements slated for the Derby train station.
Officials hope Cedar Village, which is within walking distance of Main Street and the train station, is just the start.
“These 90 units will help to galvanize the growth and redevelopment of Derby, bringing new ideas and energy to this community,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, one of many elected officials on hand Monday. “With 10 percent set aside for affordable housing, it will ensure that the people who build and maintain this neighborhood can afford to stay and can afford to live here.”
Cedar Village was built by Cedar Village Development, LLC, comprised of Shelton developers Don Stanziale, Jr. and his son Don Stanziale, III, owners of Midland Development & Contracting, along with their partners Gino LaVerghetta, a New York-based CPA; Anthony Pili, senior vice president of Orange Bank and Trust, NY; and Shelton-based John J. Brennan Construction Co.
The five-story, 74,000-square foot building features a tan and white mixed exterior of brick, vinyl and clapboard siding. The 90 units include 39 studio apartments ranging in price from $1,350 to $1,475 per month, and 51 one-bedroom apartments that range in price from $1,650 to $1,755 a month.
Those rents are not cheap, according to data from a CT Mirror article about Connecticut having the eighth highest rental rates in the U.S.
The complex also features 110 under-deck parking spaces.
“We broke ground last September and just completed this last week,” said Stanziale, Jr. “This sat vacant for years and now we have all electric, energy efficient apartments, with one bedroom and studios, with 10 percent workforce housing, and nine ADA compliant units.”
Stanziale Jr. said 45 units are already rented, with tenants planning to move in Tuesday (Oct. 1).
The Minerva Street property was a Brownfields project, which means it took taxpayer money in the form of grants to clean up the property. Taxpayer money is often used with contaminated properties because the private sector won’t invest in the properties otherwise.
The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, or NVCOG, worked to secure a $650,000 grant from the state Department of Economic and Community Development, $150,000 in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assessment funds via its Brownfields Program and another $293,612 from the EPA’s revolving loan fund, all for remediation and clean-up of the site.
After the property was cleaned, the city sold it to the developer for $200,000 in Feb. 2023.
The City of Derby also granted the developer a break in order to spur investment. The annual tax bill will be at $70,000 for 20 years.
