An empty building on Chapel Street in Fair Haven may be occupied soon, as an internet-based art framing business hopes to move its operations there.
Art to Frames LLC is seeking a special exception to permit the use of assembly and light fabrication at 166 Chapel St.
The Board of Zoning Appeals recently considered the application, and it is expected to vote at its upcoming meeting May 14. The panel delayed voting at its latest meeting so it could receive recommendations from the City Plan Commission.
Von Roll USA Inc., which is known for its electrical insulation products, recently sold the property to Art CT 770 Land LLC for $640,000, according to city documents. The property includes two structures, which will remain. At the time of the purchase, the new owner indicated it planned to do extensive renovations to ready the property for reuse.
Von Roll had used the approximately 40,000-square-foot warehouse for heavy manufacturing, as it made insulated tape through a high heat process.
Art to Frames, a family-owned business based in Brooklyn, N.Y., has a website, www.arttoframe.com, where customers can order customized frames for photographs or artwork. The New Haven facility would be used to make personalized and custom frames and to ship customer orders.
Attorney Ben Trachten of New Haven, who represents the art framing business, estimated it could open as early as mid-May.
In the application, Trachten asserted the planned use would be “less intensive, less toxic, less disruptive to the neighborhood” than the prior one.
“The area is attractive for its easy proximity to highways and its skilled workforce,” Trachten said.
According to the application, the business is expected to create up to 150 jobs.
The business anticipates its impact on traffic would be minimal, as it would only require shipping small packages.
The site has a history of environmental issues, as it was polluted with petroleum compounds, metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, according to documents at City Hall. In 2018, the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection approved the use of measures to block exposure to the contaminants as an alternative to excavation.
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com
