City Council took the next step in the redevelopment of the north end of Esterbrook Avenue.

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At its meeting on July 12, the governing body approved a resolution (AR-173-21) to authorize and direct the Planning Board to prepare a redevelopment plan for five properties along Esterbrook Avenue (Block 151), between Central and Elm avenues. The properties were declared a non-condemnation redevelopment area after a preliminary investigation by the Planning Board.

The 88-page report presented to the Planning Board in May examined the five properties in detail. At that meeting, the board  unanimously approved a planner’s recommendation that the lots meet the criteria for a non-condemnation area in need of redevelopment under the state’s Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (LRHL).

The study by Heyer, Gruel and Associates deemed two of the five properties as qualifying for redevelopment because of their poor physical condition: Lot 21 / 1430 Esterbrook Ave. and Lot 22 / 1416 Esterbook Ave. Two adjacent properties would qualify because of their proximity within the potential redevelopment area: Lot 20 / 1436 Esterbrook Ave. and Lot 23 / 1410 Esterbrook Ave.

A similar process was followed with the former St. Mark’s Church property on Hamilton Street and several adjacent properties. Over the course of several months in 2019, City Council and the Planning Board authorized studies of the six properties before declaring them in need of redevelopment and then authorized a redevelopment plan. A year later, that redevelopment plan became part of a larger Arts District Redevelopment Plan, encompassing the northern end of downtown, from Elizabeth Avenue to Seminary Avenue.

City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Robert Landolfi previously has said that a developer has acquired the Esterbrook Avenue properties. He expects a concept plan to include multi-family development with lower density than downtown, as a transition to single-family homes in the neighborhood. Any developer would have to negotiate the purchase of the properties, including those that are inhabited.

An entity named Iconic Development Partners, LLC, purchased 1410 Esterbrook Ave. /Lot 23 on Jan. 15 for $310,000, according to property records. It previously sold in September 1990 for $192,000.

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