New London ― The city is looking to flip a downtown building used for decades as a dry-cleaning and laundry operation after the owner abandoned the property, owing tens of thousands in back taxes, officials said.

The city through a July tax foreclosure action took possession of the former Shalett’s Cleaning building at 2 Montauk Ave at the intersection of Bank Street, according to city land records and an Aug. 11 transfer deed.

The 108-year-old white brick building on Garibaldi Square was owned and operated by the Shalett’s Cleaning and Dying Corp. until 2004 when ownership was transferred to Ronit Inc., property records show.

“The owner just walked away,” said Felix Reyes, the city’s director of economic development and planning on Thursday. “So, we essentially bought it for about the cost of owed taxes.”

As of this week, back taxes on the property amounted to $43,064, according to Tax Collector Samantha Rivera.

Reyes said the city would begin marketing the historic building to developers within the month with the goal of at least recouping the owed property taxes.

“The city is not in the business of owning buildings; we’re in the business of collecting taxes,” he said. “It’s in our best interest to find a developer willing to purchase and re-develop it. We have no intent to demolish it.”

A sign affixed to the building’s front door stated operations ceased at the location on Jan. 8, 2020. The closure notice was displayed a few feet from a large wooden temporary door spray-painted with a warning to “Stay Out.”

Reyes said he has no specific information on any contaminants that might have seeped into the property after decades of use as a dry-cleaning operation. He said developers specializing in renovating such properties typically conduct environmental studies after a purchase.

“That’s why we want bidders that have expertise in remediation, historic and adaptive use and preservation,” Reyes said, noting the property is located in a tax-incentivized enterprise zone. “The city would work with a firm to secure state and federal brownfield grants, if needed.”

In the interim, the city will be responsible for securing the property, located next to the New London Community Meal Center, to deter trespassers.

Fire Marshal Vernon Skau said he conducted a walk-through of the building on Wednesday where a broken window was found and boarded-up.

“Squatters lead to fire issues as people cook and try to keep warm,” he said. “It’s a big building and a fire there would be a big problem.”

Reyes said the prospect of another vacant downtown building would have been a “bitter pill to swallow” just a few years ago.

“That’s when we had a number of those properties,” he said. “But, one-by-one, many of those buildings have been purchased. That gives me confidence in our ability to attract a developer for Montauk and get it back on the tax rolls.”

Mayor Michael Passero said his office has already received inquires about the building from developers.

“It’s not a bad thing for the city to have the ability to control the redevelopment of that building — we did it successfully before with the Lighthouse Inn,” he said. “I think it’d be nice to see that corner turned into residences.”

A previous version of this story was updated to clarify how the City of New London took possession of the building at 2 Montauk Ave.

j.penney@theday