NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A new affordable housing complex is being built in New Haven’s West River neighborhood, and the developers are making sure to include the history of the land.
“He’s part of it. Part of his soul is there,” said Jan Lougal, whose father used to own the business that stood on the Derby Avenue lot back in the 1900’s.
Salvatore “Sam” Alea and his business partner ran Monarch Laundry at 149 Derby Ave. for decades, which became a staple for the community.
“These were the route men. R-O-U-T-E. They were the ones who would pick up the bags of laundry every day,” said Cathy Dziekan, as she flipped through photos of her dad, Sam, while on the job. “Our dad, Sam Alea, worked here for his entire life. Started sweeping the floors when he was a teenager and this was in the 1930’s, the 1940’s.”
When Sam became part-owner of the business, it became his family’s lives, too.
The building was later sold to another cleaning business when Alea passed away called New England Linen.
The lot was then left vacant once New England Linen shut down.
Now, developers through Avon-based Honeycomb Real Estate Partners are transforming the lot into 100% percent affordable housing, calling it The Monarch Apartments.
On Tuesday, dozens of people gathered at the site for a groundbreaking.
“64 apartments, comprised of one, two and three bedrooms. There will be a full community space, computer learning center, fitness facility, bike storage, green space,” said Lewis Brown, founder and managing member of Honeycomb Real Estate Partners.
Brown and his team plan to rent every apartment out at below-market rates.
“There is an affordable housing crisis going on in the state. It’s talked about a lot. We need to continue to do this work because so many cannot afford to be housed,” Brown said.
“It’s the type of community that we want to be where there’s not one place where all people of a certain economic status live and another place where all people of a different economic status live. That we all live together because we can learn from each other, and we can understand each other better at a time when I think our nation is very divided,” said Mayor Justin Elicker with the City of New Haven.
Within the last four or five years, Elicker said the city has brought 2,000 units online, with another 3,500 now in the pipeline. Elicker said 40% are affordable.
“We’re trying to find more opportunities to break down those barriers and really learn from each other,” Elicker said.
The units are expected to be open for occupancy after the company finishes its remediation efforts of the property and the build. The remediation efforts, Brown said, are nearly complete.
Once the units are up for grabs, they’ll be offered to families making 80%, 60% or 50% and below the area median income.
“It really takes a village to put everything together from financing to building to the development side, and that requires everyone to pitch in which is what has happened here,” Brown said.
At the heart of it all, Brown and his team hope to keep the history of the site at the forefront, with Alea in mind.
“And to see that this is going to help people in New Haven have a better life, a safer life, and maybe give them a foot up in the community, that’s what’s going to make him really proud. Because that was his core belief,” said Tracey Gilhuly, Alea’s granddaughter.
Brown said the Monarch Apartments are expected to be complete within the next year.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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