Frew Wins Bid To Rehab School

An abandoned schoolhouse in East Rock may have a new life as affordable apartments now that a former alderman and State Street developer has emerged as the city’s top choice to renovate the building.

A selection committee chose Bob Frew as the preferred developer for the former Lovell Elementary School building at 45 Nash St., which the city owns. The three-story brick building was left vacant last summer after the city ended the CT Scholars program, part of Wilbur Cross High School, which had been housed there.

The city put out a Request For Proposals in December, seeking a developer to buy the building and convert it into housing. Four developers bid on the project.

Frew said he was notified Friday that had been chosen over his competitors, some of whom proposed condos instead of apartments.

East Rock Alderman Matt Smith was one of about a dozen people on a selection committee that chose Frew’s proposal.

“I think it’s going to really radically transform that part of Nash Street, that part of Lawrence Street ​‚and even the back side of Mechanic Street,” Smith said. The new apartments will bring in new energy and vitality, and improved landscaping will make the area more visually appealing, Smith said.

Though the committee named Frew as its preferred developer, the process is not yet done, Smith cautioned. The city still needs to negotiate a final deal with Frew, at which point money would have to change hands.

Smith and Ben Berkowitz, another committee member, said Frew won out because of his longtime connection to East Rock and his role in transforming State Street.

“What put it over the top for Bob was that no one has as long a track record in East Rock,” Smith said on Wednesday.

Frew, a former alderman, is also an architect, contractor, and developer. He has renovated large portions of State Street and properties on Nash Street over the years.

Frew has plans for creating at least 11 apartments in the building. He said he’d like to add more if zoners will allow it.

He said he plans to spend about $1.5 million renovating the building, which he hopes to have complete by September 2012.

The apartments will rent for less than $1,000 per month, Frew said.

“I’m delighted,” Frew said Wednesday. He said he found out he’d been selected on Friday afternoon, then went and played bridge with his wife, as they normally do on Friday evenings.

In an interview last month, Frew said he didn’t think his bid would win. He predicted the committee would choose one of the ​“condo people.” One of those was Shmully Hecht, who proposed turning the building into luxury apartments.

Alderman Smith said Frew pulled ahead because he’s known for following through on his projects, and maintaining his properties well.

Frew is ​“somebody the neighborhood trusts,” he said. ​“Everybody was comfortable with Bob.”

Smith said it’s also important that Frew plans affordable apartments. People in the neighborhood were saying that luxury condos wouldn’t fit there, Smith said.

Another mark in Frew’s favor was that his proposed contractors live in East Rock, said Berkowitz, a web innovator who lives in the neighborhood and heads the Upper State Street Association.

“It came down to reputation in the community and the ability to build a product satisfactorily for tenants,” Berkowitz said. ​“Bob’s just been such a boon to the community. He really loves this stuff.”

Berkowitz and Smith both said the project will transform the neighborhood.

Berkowitz said he hopes other developers will take note of the interest in the area, and that someone will step in to renovate the old Star Supply building nearby.

Second SEED

Berkowitz said the bid from Prete Construction was probably the committee’s second-favorite proposal. Prete submitted a bid with SEEDnh, a group that has been involved in a series of efforts to rehab and preserve historic buildings in town.

Their bid was the only one that proposed a mixed use for the building. The plans called for retail or office space on the first floor. The proposal also stood out due to its bold architectural renderings and its inclusion of new construction on the site.

The plan called for four new duplexes to be built alongside the school, said Fernando Pastor, the head of SEEDnh. That was designed to increase the density of the neighborhood, Pastor said.

SEEDnh’s plans also called for some wavy walls ​“floating” as ​“organic elements” on the first floor, Pastor said. And the proposal included a ​“glass lantern to identify the new building entrance on Lawrence Street.”

Pastor said he feels SEEDnh’s proposal really stood out because of the detail of the renderings and floor plans submitted. ​“There’s no comparison from the other ones.”

Pastor said he found out Wednesday that SEEDnh’s bid had not been selected.

“I feel disappointed by the process because there’s no explanation of why someone got it and someone didn’t,” he said.

Nevertheless, Pastor said he’s happy Frew was selected. ​“Surely the community will benefit from his experience in the area.”