Foundation Will Re-apply in Next Round of Funding

By Wiley Wood

One way to bring new families to Norfolk and strengthen the village center’s economy is to make affordable housing available nearby. Or so the thinking goes. But a June application to the Connecticut Department of Housing that would have funded 12 affordable apartments near the village center was denied, according to Lou Barbagallo, president of the Foundation for Norfolk Living.

“We’re disappointed,” said Barbagallo, “but we were advised that more applicants competed for the funds than expected. Twenty-five million dollars were awarded to six projects, mostly in big towns—Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Torrington. They were larger projects than ours and highly leveraged by other sources.”

At a meeting with Department of Housing officials on November 6 to review Norfolk’s application, Barbagallo was encouraged. “They told us that they’re seeking to fund small projects in rural towns, and they encouraged us to re-apply.”

Norfolk’s application for $2.6 million was faulted for its insufficiently detailed architectural drawings. “They want what are called 90-percent or almost final drawings,” said Barbagallo, who plans to get them done in time to apply for the new round of funding in December. “They also thought that the unit cost for construction was high,” he added, “but we’re going to look at that, and also see whether we can get historic preservation credits to improve our points.”

Encouragingly, the Department of Housing will provide the foundation more pre-development money. An original pre-development loan of $120,000 has all been spent—on optioning the land, architectural fees, and engineering services. The new funds will allow the foundation to keep site control and move ahead. Other grant applications are still pending.