Ocean Management now faces $13,000 in fines for neglecting the long-abandoned, fire-damaged house at 1303 Chapel St. — a penalty that the company intends to contest in court as it seeks a permit to rehabilitate the building. Julie Bernblum, a volunteer hearing officer with the city’s anti-bl ight Livable City Initiative (LCI), imposed that fine in a City Hall meeting room on Tuesday morning. The fine pertained to five blight-code violations that LCI noted on Aug. 18, 2025. One violation, according to LCI, is that Ocean failed to prevent the building from “becoming dilapidated or decaying.” Another is that the property poses a “substantial and unreasonable interference with the lawful use and enjoyment… of other premises within the vicinity of the building.” LCI also cited the company for the building’s partially open exterior walls, which left the structure vulnerable to water and weather. And the agency cited Ocean for failing to maintain both the fence around the property and the overall cleanliness of the property. While Ocean had 10 days to rectify these problems, LCI issued a civil citation on Jan. 16. Bernblum decided Tuesday to approve the city’s request for a fine of $13,000 — half of the allowable amount for a 26-day period following a civil citation issued in January. In an emailed statement, Ocean owner Shmulik Aizenberg wrote, “We are aware of the fine; however, we do not believe it is warranted. We have taken all necessary steps to maintain the property, and in many respects have gone beyond what was required. Accordingly, we intend to challenge the fine through the appropriate legal channels and seek to have it overturned as soon as possible.” Ocean, one of the city’s largest landlords, has recently challenged other LCI citations via the state Superior Court. Aizenberg added, “At the same time, we are actively advancing plans to obtain the necessary building permits and move forward with a full rehabilitation of the 1303 Chapel Walter Camp House. We remain committed to restoring the property responsibly and in compliance with all applicable requirements.” The house in question, built in 1900, was once home to Walter Camp, the athlete and sports writer who founded American football in the late 1800s. An affiliate of Ocean Management purchased the historic house in November 2019, indicating plans to convert the building to a 13-apartment residence. That Christmas, however, someone set fire to the building, ravaging the third floor beyond repair. The building languished for some time until Ocean obtained a building permit in early 2021 to do a “full gut of current structure (house),” to “rebuild” the “fire damaged 3rd floor,” and to “construct” a “4 story rear addition,” according to a Building Department report in August. Ocean did strip the remnants of the building’s historic facade and rebuilt a frame for the third story. The building was left unfinished, and no four-story rear structure has been constructed. The permit was eventually voided, according to the report, due to “no work in over 1 year on this permit.” Over the years, Ocean has faced several lawsuits regarding the property, including resolved financial disputes with a former contractor and a mortgage lender. On April 1 of this year, the city filed a lawsuit against a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) affiliated with Ocean over unpaid taxes on the building since 2024. Ocean owes the city at least $40,320.96, not including interest, for two years of unpaid taxes. Additionally, in January, a company affiliated with the real estate lending company CoreVest filed a lawsuit against the same Ocean-affiliated LLC over failing to pay back a loan due on Nov. 30, 2023. The lawsuit notes liens on the property related to water and sewage bills. At Tuesday’s hearing, LCI Neighborhood Specialist Tracy Claxton testified that the building has been “open to the elements and open to trespass.” She said that there’s one person in particular who continues to squat in the building despite being told not to by both the city and the property manager. “I’m very concerned,” she said, “because, God forbid, during the cold weather,” the squatter might “light fire to keep warm… And that’s wood. That would go up just like that.” Tracy Claxton: The building is “open to the elements and trespass.” While Ocean has attempted temporary fixes to the violations, the solutions have not been permanent, said Claxton. After city officials held a press conference outside the house in August 2025, Ocean sought to secure the open structure by wrapping it in a white cover. The wrapping has not lasted, according to Claxton. “It was practically off,” she said. (Ocean’s Aizenberg offered a photo update on Tuesday indicating that the wrapping has since been restored.) “The fence is always an issue. Every three weeks, I have to call them about the fence,” Claxton said. It’s possible that the fence is continually damaged by wind as well as by trespassers, she said. According to Claxton, property manager Sayda Nemorin frequently responds to her concerns about the fence by fixing the property. Still, “every few weeks, it’s another incident,” said Claxton. In terms of cleanliness, the piles of wood that Claxton initially found outside the building have also been cleared. She said she recently noticed a toppled port-a-potty. Dwight neighbors Olivia Martsen and Jane Comins denounce the property’s condition. Dwight neighborhood activist Jane Comins, who appeared at the hearing alongside fellow neighborhood advocate Olivia Martsen, testified to the impact of the blighted building on her experience as someone who lives a few blocks away. “Litter is all over the place,” including “stolen packages, garbage, mattresses,” Comins said. She estimated that she has submitted “hundreds” of complaints about the property to the city via SeeClickFix. “The property is demeaning to the entire neighborhood,” Comins said. To the children who attend school nearby and the pedestrians at Day Street Park, “we are sending a message that we don’t care about you or the neighborhood, that this is acceptable.” At the hearing, property manager Sayda Nemorin responded to LCI’s concerns. “We do our best to send our guys out there to do the work” after LCI has reached out, Nemorin said. She said the property does have a fence; if that fence is loose or broken, Ocean sends someone out to repair it. “Unfortunately, we do not have control of the public… We try our best to restrain them from coming in. But unfortunately, they are responsible for their own actions,” said Nemorin. Nemorin said that as she is the property manager, not the owner, she cannot speak to Aizenberg’s long-term plans for the building. “Mr. Aizenberg and his attorney would have to discuss that,” Nemorin said. “I don’t know what the plans are for that going forward. Again, my job is just to maintain and try to keep up, and I do the best I can with that so far.” Hearing Officer Julie Bernblum: Why was the property left undeveloped for so long? Bernblum asked Nemorin, “Can you tell me anything about why the property’s still in this condition when the fire occurred in 2019?” “I cannot,” Nemorin responded. “Okay,” said Bernblum. Nemorin stressed that she can’t speak for the property’s owners. Meanwhile, LCI attorney Sinclair Williams reported to Bernblum that Ocean is in the process of applying for a building permit to rehabilitate the building with 13 new apartments. Williams said that the city asked for a fine for the period of Jan. 16 — the date LCI issued the citation — to Feb. 12 — the date that Ocean submitted an initial application for the building permit. Williams said that if Ocean fails to obtain the permit, the city will ask for the fine to be extended. Since over three violations have been noted, Williams said, the city can fine Ocean up to $1,000 per day — or $26,000. “Given that they did try to fix some things — there’s been some communication, there’s been some fixing of things — we would ask for the fine to be half of that, so that would be $13,000.” Bernblum agreed with this fine. Typically, she said, “I think money’s better spent addressing the actual issues than in fines, but I do think this has sat here long enough that I do have to impose some fines. So we’re gonna go with the $13,000.” After the hearing concluded, Williams reported that Ocean’s permit application, currently under review by the city, estimates a cost of construction at $650,000. “That doesn’t seem like enough to me,” said Bernblum. The Camp House in August. (Thomas Breen Photos) The status of the Camp House as of Tuesday, according to Ocean. The post Ocean Fined $13K For Camp House Blight appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less