A former police station in Ansonia, Connecticut, could be redeveloped into a data center, according to reports by Valley Independent Sentinel.
The police station, located at 2 Elm Street, was sold to Ansonia-based masonry company Fredi Home Improvement LLC for $320,000 after the Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to proceed. The offer was $30,000 more than the appraised value of the site.
According to Fredi Lalaj, owner of Fredi Home Improvement, he plans to redevelop the basement and first floor of the building into a data center, while the second floor will be used for apartments.
The facility will be a colocation data center, though all plans are subject to approval. Lalaj expects to submit plans and begin the development next month.
“A data center is a good re-use [of the property],” said Sheila O’Malley, the Ansonia Economic Development director. “It’s going to employ people. Anything that can create some jobs for the area is a really good thing for us.”
Lalaj has previously developed a data center in Stamford, Connecticut. Little information is available about this data center, DCD has contacted Fredi for further information about the site.
2 Elm Street was originally the site of the Larkin School, named after its principal Annie Larkin. It was then taken over by the police department in 1980, where they remained for the next 41 years before relocating to Main Street in 2021 due to the "deteriorating" and "cramped" conditions.
While the sale was unanimously approved, Democrat Tom Egan, who is running for mayor, pointed out that the sale may technically be in violation of the Ansonia City Charter which requires a public hearing prior to bidding on city properties and may cause some challenges in the future.
Also in Connecticut, developer NE Edge acquired land in Killingly for around $5 million for a new data center in August 2023.