A long idle plan to transform a shuttered New Britain elementary school into apartments is picking up steam.
In February, New Britain’s City Plan Commission signed off on a variance that would allow Matthew Ross, of Newington, to move forward with a plan to transform the 30,500-square-foot, 120-year-old former Israel Putnam School building into 34 apartments restricted to renters aged 55 years and older.
The variance request is being introduced Thursday evening to the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals for the second phase of a two-stage approval process.
The school sits on 2.6 acres at 43 Osgood Ave., in a zone that would only allow conversion into two dwelling units without a variance.
Ross, principal of Newington-based Ross Mechanical Contractors, is also principal of a limited liability company that acquired the Israel Putnam property for $130,000 in 2015. He said the partnership that was originally pursuing the project “had a lot of things going on,” but now he is individually leading the effort and is ready to move ahead.
He said the plan is to create a fully ADA-compliant building with amenities for an older population.
Ross, who already has a multifamily portfolio, said seeing some of his other tenants aging inspired his plans for the school.
He hopes to begin the estimated $4.5 million conversion this spring or early summer and expects construction to take less than two years. His company would perform much of the work, while subcontracting steel framing and roof construction.
Ross said he has not secured government subsidies but plans to speak with the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office about potentially qualifying for historic preservation tax credits.
