Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 10, 2025 9 all received 10-year tax deals from the city. O'Leary managed to secure $7.7 million in state grant funds to defray costs of renovating and retrofitting the Howland Hughes building, and then $10 million more for the Odd Fellows rehab. In return, the city has seen iconic buildings rescued from decay, and occupied by users that will draw workers and visitors downtown. The roughly 26,300 square feet being leased by UConn in Odd Fellows will give the university room to grow its in-demand health programs, while also reinforcing and growing its community partnerships. Waterbury high school robotics club students are using the former Odd Fellows banquet hall as practice space, for example. "UConn Waterbury's expansion into this historic space is an investment in our students, faculty and the greater community," said Fumiko Hoeft, UConn Waterbury's campus dean and chief administrative officer. Access Rehab Centers — a partner- ship between Waterbury Hospital and Easterseals — is renting 4,000 square feet of ground-floor space in the Odd Fellows building, where it offers occupational, physical and speech therapy to an underserved population, especially those without ready access to transportation, said Brian Emerick, president of Access Rehab. Not all Green Hub projects have come off without a hitch, however. In December 2018, Post Univer- sity celebrated its move to the rehabbed Howland Hughes building and pledged to bring 400 office workers downtown. Local retailers and restaurants looked forward to a much-needed boost. But Post sent its workers home with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the univer- sity has not mandated a return. Today, about 50 Post workers use the downtown office on any given day, according to the university. Post said it anticipates increasing that number to support growing enrollment at its Waterbury campus, but did not provide specifics. Gramando says the university still pays its rent, but he would like to see more use of the building. "We want the people because we want the city to do better," he said. "We are working hard to work with them and see what they want to do." More to come Meantime, city officials recently selected Gramando as the preferred developer to convert the former St. Mary's Grammar School campus on the edge of downtown into apart- ments for healthcare workers. Forster isn't involved in the project. St. Mary's closed in 2018. The city purchased the 2.2-acre property on Cole and East Main streets, near St. Mary's Hospital, for $1 million in 2023. The property hosts four brick classroom buildings ranging in size from 7,875 square feet to 15,525 square feet, and dating back between 1936 and 1945. The city issued a request for proposals seeking a development partner last September. Gramando offered the city $1.6 million for the property and believes he can fit 44 apartments inside the existing buildings in a redevel- opment effort he hopes to launch this summer. In a second phase, he would add a new 48-unit building. He hopes to tap more state funding for the project, and include space for a day care and recreation center. "I'm trying to build a little commu- nity there," Gramando said. "Even though this is affordable housing for healthcare workers, I'm going to build them the highest-end I can. I want them to be a showcase." Gramando said he also has his eye on another downtown Water- bury building for conversion into 10 apartment units. He is considering state grant programs to make the numbers work. Gramando said government support has been necessary for his Waterbury projects because rents for housing and office space in the city are not yet equal to renovation costs. At the same time, Waterbury leaders, like officials in many cities, see housing as crucial to their down- town revival efforts. O'Leary said the success of Green Hub's efforts, particularly with the Odd Fellows building, demon- strate the value of perseverance, since each project took years to come together. "They (Green Hub) have become really attached to Waterbury and invested millions of their own dollars in these projects," O'Leary said. Joseph Gramando has partnered with Louis Forster, a general partner with San Francisco-based venture investor Green Visor Capital, on his three completed Waterbury redevelopment projects. HBJ PHOTO | MICHAEL PUFFER 860.482.7613 | BorghesiBuilding.com 2155 East Main Street, Torrington, Connecticut 06790 Borghesi Building & Engineering Co., Inc. has been in business for over 80 years. From office renovations to airline hangers, we have helped CT businesses grow. 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