Industrial District Tour Eyes Mixed-Use Future

Machinery whirred as employees of Art To Frames on River Street fulfilled custom frame orders, during the final stop on a city Development Commission tour showcasing what a commercial-industrial district near the Mill River currently looks like — and what it some day might be.

The frame factory, which opened in June 2020 at 115 River St., employs nearly 100 New Haveners year-round — a ​“big deal” for a New Haven employer, according to Deputy Economic Development Administrator Carlos Eyzaguirre, who led Wednesday’s tour.

Art To Frames offered a glimpse into the commission’s — and the city’s — vision for the historically commercial-industrial district just east of the Mill River in Fair Haven: a vibrant, mixed-use community that maximizes its properties’ potentials with housing and businesses.

The tour came as the city is drafting new policy and development goals for the Mill River District. It also marked the latest on-the-town outing for a commission charged with providing guidance on economic conditions and trends in the Elm City.

The tour was scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. at the corner of Grand Avenue and East Street, where Eyzaguirre and commissioners Casey Pickett, who works as Climate Haven’s managing director of incubation, and Dan McLeggon, a senior account manager for coUrbanize, piled into a city car and drove to the old English Station power plant.

The group was joined on Grand by Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli, Economic Development Officer Malachi Bridges, and Executive Director of the New Haven Parking Authority Doug Hausladen.

The first stop on the tour overlooked the Mill River and its adjacent trail, both of which will be beneficiaries of a $5 million grant from the state allocated to the city’s redevelopment efforts in Fair Haven.

“We’re looking to transition from solely commercial industry into a mixed-use area with increased housing and vibrancy,” said Piscitelli. As of right now, the Development Commission has its eyes set on maximizing the potential of the Mill River’s waterfront and its coastal properties, which have yet to receive much attention.

On the opposite side of Grand, the old English Station power plant loomed. The long-decommissioned plant is currently at the center of a lawsuit filed in January by Attorney General William Tong against its previous owner, United Illuminating, over failure to clean the property up in a timely manner. Piscitelli said that litigation likely won’t be resolved until at least 2026.

English Station is the crown jewel of the Mill River district’s potential: ​“English Station is one of our biggest concerns,” Eyzaguirre said.

On the way to the tour’s second stop, the commissioners circled around to the back of English Station, which serves as a repository for Torrington-based construction company O&G’s materials. The industrial salt reservoir for the entire state occupies a portion of the space, leased by O&G to bulk shipment company Gateway Terminal.

“A salt reservoir near a major waterway doesn’t seem like the greatest idea,” McLeggon noted.

“I wonder if keeping it further inland would be safer, and where we would put it,” Pickett said.

When Ezyaguirre first started with the city in 2004, jobs took priority over housing, especially in the industrially-oriented Mill River district: ​“This district alone produced more SKUs [stock-keeping units] than Home Depot.”

Local farmers market nonprofit CitySeed’s new headquarters at 162 James St., previously the location of the Connecticut Laminating Company, was the second stop on the tour. That former factory site is slated to be converted into a hub of commercial kitchens rentable by the hour, as well as an office and co-working space designed to support local culinary- and agriculture-minded entrepreneurs.

“CitySeed is moving into Fair Haven, [John S. Martinez School] is thriving,” said Piscitelli, gesturing down James Street towards the public elementary school.

The tour concluded with a look inside Art to Frames, led by Site Manager Joe Minsky. The New Haven operation — the Brooklyn-based company’s second location — is seeking to expand into an adjacent warehouse, contingent upon the city’s approval.

The factory is open Sunday through Friday, with orders going out on the first day of every week.

According to Minsky, the facility can produce up to 20,000 pieces each week. In order to keep up with the demand, employees not currently working on custom orders are tasked with preparing the components for the company’s most popular pieces based on sales history.

Earlier this year, Art to Frames opened a showroom featuring samples of its materials and sizing, a framed TV — a DIY alternative to Samsung’s trendy The Frame TV, which doubles as a framed painting — and a life-size cardboard cutout standee of a skier toasting with a beer.

“This is the really important part,” said Piscitelli. ​“It’s important that [Art to Frames] feels open to the district and to the people.”