Stonington — The town has begun to look into the possibility of acquiring a 4.4-acre piece of state-owned land in Mystic that contains an abandoned brick armory building.

The town’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee is discussing the possibility of obtaining the land, which is bordered by Reynolds Hill Road and Summit Street, to provide affordable housing units.

Another potential use, according to First Selectman Rob Simmons, could be as a location to store Mystic storm debris before it is chipped up and hauled away.

But Simmons stressed Tuesday that no decision has been made and that the town is only in the initial stages of deciding whether to proceed with acquiring the land. The site was recently published on a list of state surplus properties.

It is unknown whether the state would charge the town to acquire the site, which was last appraised by the town for $575,000.

“The town needs to be mindful that property like this does not come our way every day,” said Simmons, who added a resident had approached him about the town possibly acquiring the site. “Even if we decide we don’t have a use for it, we should look into it.”

The wooded property sits in a quiet residential neighborhood off Route 27, with the 7,250-square-foot brick building surrounded by a chain-link fence. It was last used by the state to store construction equipment during the renovation of the Mystic drawbridge. The building also hosted community events in the 1950s.

The land is zoned for single-family homes and duplexes on 10,000-square-foot lots. About half the lot does not have frontage on a street — which is needed to develop lots — although an existing right of way could provide additional frontage.

j.wojtas@theday.com

Twitter: @joewojtas