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06/13/2017 12:00 AMThe Town Council approved town officials to sell land at 620 Coe Avenue to Town Fair Tire for $195,000 after years of trying to find the right buyer for the location.
East Haven Economic Development Director Sal Brancati said he was thrilled not only that Town Fair is staying, but also that they are expanding, planning a new division of the business, and that the town is able to accommodate them in a move that will put the property back on the tax rolls. “There’ll be a few jobs created as well.”
The building currently on the land was previously used as a restaurant.
The land was acquired in 2010 during the April Capone administration, with intentions to build a new firehouse and move the fire headquarters from Main Street to Coe Avenue.
Brancati said the town paid $395,000, and spent another $100,000 for engineering work. It was determined that the site could not be used as a firehouse.
“About two years ago, I said, ‘We have to do something with that property,’” said Brancati.
What followed was a series of potential buyers that, for a variety of reasons, fell through.
The first entity Brancati talked to was Carrano’s Railings and Welding. An agreement was in place to sell the property, but studies Carrano commissioned showed the company would need to raise the elevation of the floor by five feet.
“Needless to say, that cost was exorbitant, and Carrano said, ‘I can’t go forward with this,’” said Brancati.
The next attempt to sell was to the Elks Club, which thought the building would be a good fit. Unlike Carrano, it did not need to make any modifications to the floor or roof. However, the contingency for the club was that it had to sell its building in New Haven in order to buy the building on Coe Avenue.
The contract came due, but after a couple of extensions, the deal never materialized and Brancati had to move on.
Dr. Suzanne Lagarde of Fair Haven Community Health Center, which had previously opened an office in East Haven on Hemingway Avenue, was looking at a possible second location in East Haven.
“When she looked at what she had to do to make that a medical center, that became cost prohibitive,” Brancati said.
Brancati said he was talking to Town Fair Tire about purchasing another piece of land at the end of Proto Drive. In the discussions about that piece, Neil Mellen, owner of Town Fair Tire, asked for 620 Coe Avenue as well.
At that time, Brancati was still working with Dr. Lagarde for the Coe Avenue property, but after that deal fell through, Brancati and Town Fair made the deal to sell the land for $195,000, which was approved by the Town Council at the June 6 meeting.
Brancati said that Town Fair is looking at potentially using the site as a pilot program for new division.
“We’re thrilled with that, we think it’s a good use, it’s got great exposure on Coe Avenue,” said Brancati.
Brancati looks forward to closing on the land, and expects another closing with Town Fair Tire on 10 acres of land at 280 Proto Drive to be imminent as well.
If any changes need to be made to the zoning of 620 Coe Avenue, Brancati said the town would go to Zoning and get it done; as he wants to see Town Fair stay here for generations to come.
“Town Fair is a great business in town; biggest taxpayer, biggest employer,” Brancati said.