Thomas MacMillan Photo
The city’s anti-blight agency took steps this week to create a new farm on Ferry Street, new housing on Quinnipiac Avenue, help improve a school on Runo Terrace, and pick up $10,000 on Winchester Avenue.
Those four efforts appeared as new proposals submitted to the Board of Alders Monday night by Erik Johnson, head of the Livable City Initiative (LCI).
The alders will consider the proposals in committee before a vote by the full board.
Farming
LCI is looking to buy a 0.4‑acre vacant lot at 613 Ferry St. from We Buy Houses LLC for $50,000. That’s part of a new “urban agriculture initiative,” Johnson said.
The city is planning to help New Haven Farms and the Land Trust to expand urban farming operations at the site.
Johnson said more transactions like this will come in the future, as the city seeks ways to improve access to fresh vegetables.
“We’re trying to expand community gardens to community farms,” Johnson said. “Ultimately it will make people healthier.”
Housing
Allan Appel Photo
LCI also seeks permission to buy a vacant lot at 494 – 536 Quinnipiac Ave. (pictured) from Continuum of Care for $400,000. The city would sell that riverfront land to a developer to build about 15 apartments, Johnson said.
This plan has been in the works for over a year, following over a decade of wrangling over the property. Neighbors opposed three previous development plans, but backed the city’s proposal at a meeting in February, 2013.
School
On Runo Terrace in Fair Haven Heights, LCI wants to buy two properties on behalf of the Board of Ed. The city would buy the lots for $50,000 each and demolish two houses to make way for improvements to the Quinnipiac Elementary School nearby.
The Board of Ed would pay to create a new playground, more staff parking, and redo an intersection to improve traffic flow and drainage.
Johnson described the plan as a pilot program for improving access to city construction contracts by local small and minority-owned businesses. The city and Board of Ed will seek such a contractor to work on the project, he said.
10 Grand
Paul Bass File Photo
Finally, LCI seeks permission to sell an easement for $10,000 to the developer of an apartment building at 555 Winchester Ave. (pictured before its renovation), to allow for an egress from the property.
Yonachan “Yochi” Levitansky began working to restore the circa-1916 eight-unit apartment building in 2013. Reached Tuesday, Levitansky said the completed building opened a few months ago and is now partially occupied.