Shelton Applies for Small Cities Grant

Shelton has applied to the state for a to set up a revolving loan fund for housing rehabilitation.

Lisa Low, a professional grant consultant, met Monday morning with state Rep. Jason Perillo (R-113) of Shelton to ask for his help gaining approval of the grant.

The meeting took place during Perillo’s scheduled meeting hours with constituents at Shelton City Hall. Low said she also met with state Sen. Kevin Kelly (R-21), who represents Shelton.

Perillo promised he would help, and said he was particularly interested because of the housing rehabilitation program’s potential for aiding the development of downtown Shelton.

Low said she has a contract with Shelton to set up the program, which would then be administered by her company, Lisa Low & Associates.

She said she is also working with other towns in the Valley to set up similar programs in Derby, Ansonia and Seymour.

Low said the Small Cities Grant program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered in Connecticut by the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).

Shelton would use the money to provide zero-interest loans to the owners of single-family or multi-family houses who qualify under HUD income guidelines.

Low said loans in the program are $25,000 or less. The homeowners must use the money for housing improvements that make the residences more livable, such as roof repairs, furnace and water heater replacements, and weatherization and energy conservation improvements.

"A lot of who we help are elderly, who don’t want to leave their homes but don’t have the money to repair them," Low said.

The homeowner doesn’t have to repay the loan. Instead, the money is recovered when the residence is sold. Then it goes back into the revolving fund and is loaned out again.

Low said the program has the potential of helping plans to redevelop Shelton’s downtown district.

A 250-unit apartment development on Canal Street by AvalonBay Communities is expected to begin construction soon.

Perillo said as new housing and commercial units are developed along Canal Street, there would be an incentive for local building owners in downtown Shelton to improve their properties.

For a generation, Shelton has seen most of its economic development along Bridgeport Avenue and Constitution Boulevard. He believes much of the city’s future development will take place downtown.

"We’ve had a good, 20-year run, and if we want another 20-year run it’s right here," Perillo said.

But many of the residential buildings downtown need improvements that the owners can’t afford to make.

"If there are 10 houses, two are beautiful, two are deplorable and the rest are average," he said.

He advised Low to take a ride around the back roads, such as Oak Avenue and Division Avenue, in the downtown district where he said she would see lots of interesting, well built residential buildings.