FARMINGTON – The abandoned millworks on Fairbanks Road will be developed into a residential housing complex, Bill Marceau of Foothills Management said Sunday.

Originally a dowel mill, the building has been derelict since the 1980s, according to Buzz Davis, and has “deteriorated over the years,” until it became, “a real blight.” Davis and Marceau, both Farmington residents who own rental properties in the area, plan to purchase and refurbish the 40-acre property starting in January.

Davis and Marceau, who have done business together in the past, look forward to partnering on the current project. “I think it’s a very intriguing idea,” Davis said. “It will be a challenge, and we have a vision for the property.”

Marceau and Davis plan to turn part of the property into housing for the elderly. “There’s a large existing structure there,” said Marceau, “something needs to be done with it. The main building seems best for residential housing.”

He added that turning rehabilitated factory buildings into housing is being done all over the state in an effort to stop sprawl.

“As opposed to spreading out,” Marceau said, “this [Franklin Millworks] will be close to town and close to services … these people may need.”

According to studies the two have done, there seems to be a need for supportive housing for elderly, and they currently plan to seek funding to from federal and local government agencies. Renovations to the mill will “cost quite a bit of money,” Davis said.

“It’s a substantial structure, with thick concrete and brick walls, but everything inside will have to be replaced.” he said.

Both Marceau and Davis stressed that plans for the property are not yet final and that they are wary of making firm statements about millworks’ future. “You hate to make promises,” Marceau explained. “It’s an evolving process. We’ve got many ideas and a few specifics, but at this point it’s all in the works. These things can take years to finalize.”

Their main aim is to turn the property into a productive piece of real estate, instead of a blight, according to Davis. He and Marceau will purchase the property from Robert Bean of Farmington in January. According to Davis, Franklin Millworks has had a number of owners since the dowel mill closed, most of whom have extracted what value they could from it, through logging and salvaging scraps from the building. “Most of the harvestable trees were taken about 15 years ago,” Davis said.

“It’s been literally a junkyard for years,” Marceau said. “It’s been such a mess. The neighbors have been very excited to see it getting cleaned up.”