Thomas Breen photos
414 Chapel St.
Builder Mendy Paris with attorney Ben Trachten.
Local builders purchased a Mill River office building for $4.65 million and plan to hold off converting it to market-rate apartments until they’re convinced the neighborhood warrants the investment.
Among other land transactions, a sale has been completed of the Lesley Roy studio in Westville Village, where an agency aimed at foster children plans to take over.
According to the city’s online land records database, on Sept. 9, 414 Chapel LLC, a holding company owned by New Haven landlords Mendy Paris and Sim Levenhartz, purchased for $4.65 million the four-story, 68,000 square-foot office building at 414 Chapel St. along with an adjoining vacant parcel at 160 East St.
They bought it from Morgan Reed Chapel LLC, a holding company owned by Massachusetts investor Joseph Jannetty, as well as from Ariel Holdings LLC, and JEZ Holdings LLC.
The former industrial building and adjacent vacant lot were last sold for $825,000 in 2002, and were last appraised by the city as worth a total of $2,847,000.
In June, Paris received approval from the City Plan Commission to convert office building into 87 market-rate apartments.
Paris told the Independent this week that those residential conversation plans are on hold, for now, as he and his development partner invest their time and attention in another yet-to-be-disclosed apartment project elsewhere in town.
He said that the office building is currently 65 percent occupied, and that he and Levenharz plan on keeping it as office space for at least another two years. They plan to invest in a variety of amenities and upgrades, he said, including a new lobby and fixed-up hallways, to try to rent out the remaining available space, and then to reevaluate the residential conversation plans in the near future.
“We really want to bring life to that part of town,” Paris said. He said that his development company owns another former industrial building right across the street at 419 Chapel St., and plans to build out a food hall he hopes will be a destination attraction for the neighborhood.
But, considering all of the other market-rate apartments planned for the greater Wooster Square area, at 433 Chapel St. and at 87 Union St. and at the former St. Michael’s Church buildings, he wants to wait at least two years to see if 87 apartments are indeed the best investment to make for 414 Chapel.
843 Whalley.
The local foster care nonprofit, The Children’s Community Programs of Connecticut (CCP), purchased artist Lesley Roy’s Westville Village studios at 843 Whalley Ave., 845 Whalley Ave., 849 Whalley Ave., and 11 Tour Ave. for a combined sum of $1.3 million on Aug. 23.
The retail/commercial buildings last sold for a combined sum of $315,000 in 1998 and 1999. The city last appraised the buildings as worth $1,148,700.
CCP Director of New Program Development Gretchen Test told the Independent on Monday that the two-decade-old social services agency plans to move its headquarters into the Westville Village complex from an office space it has rented for years on Blake Street.
“We’re really excited to be able to own our own home office now in the middle of Westville Village,” she said.
CCP has six programs, she said, five of which will be based out of Westville, with one remaining at an office in East Haven. The largest service it officers is through its therapeutic foster care program, which supports foster care families, kids, and relatives through everything from mentoring to individual counselling to coordination with the state Department of Children and Families around visitation and permanency plans.
“Our work mainly consists of our case workers and social workers visiting homes,” Test said, meaning that the Whalley Avenue offices will be used primarily as exactly that: office space, where the agency’s 40-odd employees will do computer work and take phone calls.
“We’re not a mental health agency,” Test said. “We go out and meet families where they are.”
She said that CCP plans to undertake a full rehab of the recently purchased properties, and plans to move in sometime in the next nine months.
She said that local artist Lesley Roy will continue to be able to use the buildings for 90 days after the closing of the deal. After that, she said, CCP will take over the entire space.
Google Maps photo
96 and 98 Chapel St.
And in Fair Haven, Branford investor Malkit Sekhon bought three three-family homes on Chapel Street from Brian & Brian LLC, a holding company owned by New Haven landlords Brian Knudsen and Brian Merrell, for a total of $720,000 on Sept. 6.
Sekhon purchased 92 Chapel St. for $300,000, 96 Chapel St. for $210,000, and 98 Chapel St. for $210,000. The city last appraised 92 Chapel as worth $408,300, 96 Chapel as worth $181,600, and 98 Chapel as worth $183,700.
Previous property sale coverage:
• Local Landlords, Albertus Magnus Expand
• Mandy Buys Warehouse For $1.6M
• Pike Collects $890K On Wooster Sq. Sales
• Springside Apartments Sell For $3.2M
• Family Dollar Sells For 1.8M Dollars
• Pike Sells 2 Buildings To Yale For $3.8M
• Mansion Sells For Only $1.45M
• Landlord Tops 340 Units
• High Street Apts Sell For $25M+
• St. Michael’s School Sold, For Apartments
• Ocean Management Acquires Perrotti Westville Properties
• Paris Realty Picks Up 6 Q Meadows Condos
• Landlord Boosts West River Condo Holdings
• $21 Million Changes Hands In 2 Days
• 50 Factory Jobs Coming To Fair Haven
• Brendan Towers Sold For $6M+
• Investors Drop $917K On West Side Condos
• Mandy’s 2018 Buying Spree Nears $13M
• Mandy Empire Buys Up The Block
• Roots Planted In Newhallville
• Latest Sales: Mandy Buying Spree Continues
• Latest Sales: Mandy Expands In City Point
• Latest Sales: East Rock Home Buy Tops $1M
• Latest Deals: Beulah’s 5th Rehab On Block
• Latest Sales: NHR Sheds Small To Focus Big
• Latest Sales: Mandy Buys In Heights
• Home Sale Price Doubles In 13 Years