Additional affordable rental housing in town is one step closer.
The Town Council last week agreed to seek a developer to transform an abandoned site at 9 Railroad Ave. that once stored chemicals.
The Town acquired the former Axton-Cross Chemical Storage Warehouse on Railroad Avenue in a 2020 tax foreclosure and is now seeking a partner to redevelop the site into affordable housing units or mixed commercial residential use.
The 1.45-acre vacant parcel is heavily wooded with no standing structures. It has remained undeveloped since 1959, when the original buildings were destroyed by fire.
In February, the Town Council reviewed several potential uses for the property including the option of a full sale, and decided instead on a public-private development model.
The council on March 10 directed DeCarlo Brown, the town’s director of planning and economic development, to draft a request for proposals.
Proposals received by the town must include a detailed development plan that references the character of the neighborhood; addresses any necessary environmental remediation; incorporates affordable rental housing; and provides a path for the town to recover its acquisition costs, according to Brown.
Councilors learned in September that the environmental cleanup of the property would cost between $1 and $1.5 million.
This cost will be borne by the developer unless the developer is a non-profit, in which case grants or loans could be available from the Environmental Protection Agency, according to Councilor Paul Schumacher.
A review committee will evaluate submissions this spring and make a recommendation to the council on which developer and plan to use.
“This is great,” said Schumacher. “This is the first step in a lengthy process, and we need to gauge interest and understand what the possibilities are.”
A mandatory pre-proposal meeting will be held at Town Hall following a site walk Tuesday, April 14 . Written proposals are due by May 5; the request for proposals is available on the town website.
