By Mary E. O’Leary, Register Topics Editor

NEW HAVEN — The Foote School plans to purchase property now owned by the St. Francis Home for Children so Foote can add a soccer field.

Charlotte Murphy, spokeswoman for the school, said the closing on the 3.8-acre deal should take place in around two months.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to buy contiguous property. How often does an opportunity like this come up in this neighborhood?” Murphy said of the purchase in East Rock.

St. Francis Home will continue to own the house at 651 Prospect St.

Foote intends to demolish St. Francis’ 1950s dormitory building on Prospect Street. A corridor that connects the dormitory to 651 Prospect St. also will be razed, as well as a classroom building behind the dormitory.

A trailer building, that once served as offices for St. Francis, will be taken off the site. St. Francis will keep the residential building behind 651 Prospect St., as well as a storage building.

The cleared land will allow Foote to put in a regulation soccer field along Highland Street near Prospect Street.

Murphy said further down Highland Street, Foote plans to put in a parking lot for about 18 vehicles and possibly a storage shed. Longer range plans call for putting in a hard-surfaced ball court, either tennis or basketball.

Foote will keep the stonewall surrounding the property, as well as the retaining walls.

“We are really sensitive to the neighbors on all sides,” Murphy said. “There will be plenty of buffer.” Continued...

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She said having a regulation field for play will allow the school, in the future, to consider enhancing science facilities at the current campus. Foote now has a small field behind the school and a soccer field on Highland Street, that is less than regulation size.

The private school serves 470 students in kindergarten through ninth grade; it is located on 14 acres in the East Rock neighborhood.

St. Francis Home for Children has downsized considerably in recent years. Home officials did not return a call seeking comment.

A house at 682 Prospect St., which was formerly owned by St. Francis, was recently approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals for conversion to three large apartments, much to the delight of the neighbors.

Rabbi Shmully Hecht showed plans that maintain the architectural character of the large house, that had fallen into disrepair. Hecht, who lives two doors away, said 682 Prospect St. was “an eyesore in a beautiful neighborhood.”

“I think all of this is terrific,” said Elizabeth Sledge, a nearby neighbor, of the upgrade planned by Hecht. She said 682 Prospect St. and a home next to it “have been a neighborhood blight.”

Elizabeth Lopez, another neighbor, also spoke in favor of Hecht’s plan. “It will be a huge improvement,” she said.

Mary E. O’Leary can be reached at 789-5731 or moleary@nhregister.com.

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