$1.3M Dixwell Deal Wins Final Approval

The Elicker Administration has won its final needed approval to acquire a slate of rundown properties, including a historic long-derelict former jazz club, from an oft-cited megalandlord to the tune of $1.3 million in an effort to revitalize a stretch of Dixwell Avenue.

The Board of Alders voted unanimously in favor of purchasing 262, 263, 265 and 269 Dixwell Ave, which includes the famed, former Monterey Jazz Club, from affiliates of Ocean Management for that sum during its latest meeting at City Hall Monday night.

Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison spoke in support of the deal as ​“a step in the right direction with the continuous redevelopment of the Dixwell community.”

The vote means that the city’s Livable City Initiative (LCI), whose director Arlevia Samuel took the lead on negotiating the package deal with Ocean, has all the city approvals needed to officially enter into the property deal. The final approved sale price of $1.3 million is more than the $1.175 million combined appraisal that LCI received for all four properties as this proposal made its way through the gears of city government. It’s also higher than the $942,000 tax appraisal for these four properties, and the $500,000 that the Ocean affiliates paid half a decade ago when they initially bought the residential and commercial buildings.

Morrison advocated for that sign-off Monday night, describing the acquisitions as ​“the last piece of the puzzle in regards to making sure we are an uplifted community.” These Dixwell Avenue buy-ups arrive alongside the planned redevelopment of the former Walt’s Cleaner’s site, the renovation of an adjacent church, and the planned development of 308 Dixwell Ave. as just some of the revitalization activity taking place on this stretch of Dixwell, not to mention Dixwell Plaza and the Q House. 

“We have the opportunity to build the Monterey into something the whole community will benefit from,” Morrison said. She asserted that giving community members the agency to determine exactly how the historic Monterey site, in particular, is ultimately used, would be part of a process to empower ​“a community that’s always been prideful.”

Read more here about the city’s intentions for the property, which involve placing deed restrictions on existing multifamily housing at 262 and 263 Dixwell Ave. and selling them to the Beulah Land Development Corporation to remain affordable housing. A community input process, meanwhile, is meant to determine how the Monterey Jazz Club and an adjacent, vacant deli storefront are redeveloped.

While the alders were unanimous in their decision Monday, read more here and here about the deal’s controversial nature as debated at recent LCI Board of Directors meetings over the past few months. Some individuals, such as LCI board member Nadine Horton, expressed concern that paying a megalandlord with a track record of delayed fixed for substandard living conditions and sitting on blighted properties for a profit could be akin to ​“rewarding bad behavior.” And read more here about pitches by the mayor, LCI, and Dixwell music-lovers and cultural leaders about the importance of publicly acquiring the former Monterey club. 

During the State of the City address also held Monday night, Mayor Elicker said the city is ​“investing more than ever in our traditionally underserved communities” while he complimented strides taken by the city when it comes to ​“holding our mega landlords accountable by ensuring inspections and consistent enforcement from the Livable City Initiative.” He mentioned the expansion of tenants’ rights, among other provisions, as another important development in limiting the exploitative power of large landlords.