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Council approves $170,100 remediation contract for historic Vinnie's building; owner plans banquet space and apartments
Summary
The Torrington City Council authorized a $170,100 contract for demolition and remediation at the Vinnie's Pizza property, contingent on DECD approval, to remove contaminated flooring substrate and prepare the building for redevelopment.
The Torrington City Council authorized the mayor to award a contract to Enviro Consultants and Recyclers Inc. of Danbury for demolition and remediation of flooring and contaminated substrate at the property housing Vinnie's Pizza for $170,100, contingent on approval from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD). The scope described by city staff includes removal of hardwood flooring, vacuuming of sand substrate, and scarification (grinding) of the top half-inch of concrete to remove tar residues.
William Wallach, appearing on the call, described the building as an early-20th-century industrial structure with a history of manufacturing operations built on wood flooring with a sand substrate "as a fire prevention kind of mechanism" that has since accumulated contamination. He said previous abatement removed asbestos and lead-based materials in October of the prior year and that this remediation is the final component for first-floor reuse.
The property owner, identified as Safari Properties LLC, proposes converting roughly 6,000–7,000 square feet of the first floor to a banquet facility to host up to 150 people, about 5,000 square feet into restaurant/bar space, and repurposing the remaining approximately 10,000 square feet of first-floor area and upper floors into residential units. City staff described an eventual total of about 33 one-bedroom, two-bedroom and loft-style apartment units across the building's floors.
Councilors asked whether a tenant is secured; staff said the owner's plan is to convert space for these uses but did not state a signed tenant agreement. The motion to award the remediation contract passed on a voice vote; the award is contingent on DECD approval tied to the city's earlier Brownfield grant application and related redevelopment plan.
If approved and completed, staff said remediation work will raise the building's interior to residential standards for the first floor and clear the way for subsequent construction and renovation under private ownership.
