Norwich – The City Council will be asked to approve a purchase agreement Tuesday with the preferred developer of the former Human Services building, which plans to convert the building into "Rose City Food Hall," housing various food vendors with a common dining area for customers.

A proposal by Norwich business partners Asaf Cohen and Sofia LeWitt of the LeWitt Group was selected from two the city received in October for the building at 80 Broadway and adjacent parking lot at 68 Broadway recently vacated by the city Human Services offices. The 1860 building across from City Hall was the original home of Otis Library.

The City Council meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, with public comment allowed prior to the vote on the proposed resolution to approve the purchase and sale agreement. The agreement is attached to the agenda and posted at http://norwichct.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02202018-3380.

According to the 10-page proposed purchase and sale agreement, the LeWitt Group plans to purchase the building under the ownership name Otis Home LLC. The firm would pay $131,300 for the building and parking lot combined, with exact amounts for each property yet to be determined.

The partners plan to renovate the building to house a commercial kitchen and operational space for individually owned food vendors, who would sell to customers for takeout or eat-in dining. A common dining area would be created as part of the plan.

The developers could not be reached for comment Monday.

Although the proposed purchase price fell short of the minimum price of $196,300 for the building and $22,100 for the parking lot set in the city’s request for proposals, the council unanimously approved the group as preferred developers Nov. 20. The second proposal for a brewery in the building also fell below the desired sale price.

The agreement calls for the LeWitt Group to post a deposit of $20,000 at the time the agreement is signed and pay the remainder at the closing. The closing is to be held within 30 days of approval of the agreement.

But the group would have 60 days to assess the building’s conditions and the business proposal to decide if the project is economically feasible. If not, the group would be allowed to cancel the agreement.

c.bessette@theday.com