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Governor Lamont Announces State Grants for Assessment and Remediation of 23 Blighted Properties
HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont announced today that he is releasing $18.8 million in state grants that will be used for the assessment and remediation of 227 acres of contaminated land across Connecticut. The funding will support 23 properties in 19 towns and cities, helping cover the costs of cleaning up these parcels so they can be redeveloped and returned to productive use.
The grants are being released through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD) Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. This round of funding is projected to attract $218 million in private investment and facilitate the creation of 450 housing units. Approximately 52% of the total funding will be allocated to distressed municipalities.
“Old, polluted, blighted properties that have sat vacant for decades do nothing to stimulate our economy, grow jobs, and support housing growth,” Governor Lamont said. “With these grants, we are partnering with towns and developers to take unused, lifeless properties and bring them back from the dead, rejuvenating land that can be used for so much more and can bring value back to these neighborhoods.”
“Our brownfield redevelopment efforts continue to produce great results, not only for the communities that can now capitalize on new opportunities for growth and vibrancy but also for the residents who directly benefit from the new end uses for these reclaimed properties, whether it be housing, parks, commercial space, or community centers,” DECD Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe said.
The grants announced today under this funding round include:
The grants are being released through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD) Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. This round of funding is projected to attract $218 million in private investment and facilitate the creation of 450 housing units. Approximately 52% of the total funding will be allocated to distressed municipalities.
“Old, polluted, blighted properties that have sat vacant for decades do nothing to stimulate our economy, grow jobs, and support housing growth,” Governor Lamont said. “With these grants, we are partnering with towns and developers to take unused, lifeless properties and bring them back from the dead, rejuvenating land that can be used for so much more and can bring value back to these neighborhoods.”
“Our brownfield redevelopment efforts continue to produce great results, not only for the communities that can now capitalize on new opportunities for growth and vibrancy but also for the residents who directly benefit from the new end uses for these reclaimed properties, whether it be housing, parks, commercial space, or community centers,” DECD Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe said.
The grants announced today under this funding round include:
- Ansonia: $200,000 grant to the city for the assessment of the 4.21-acre site located at 35 and 65 Main Street, the former Farrel Ansonia Facility that has been vacant since 2018. These assessment activities will enable the city to determine the best use for the site.
- Bridgeport: $200,000 planning grant to the Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments (MetroCOG) for planning activities on the western bank of the Yellow Mill Channel along Waterview Avenue. These planning activities will enable MetroCOG and the city to advance a comprehensive plan for development of a Waterfront Pathway.
- Danbury: $200,000 grant to the city for the environmental assessment of the former Fairfield County Courthouse. This assessment will enable future reuse of the building as municipal office space in the historic district.
- Danbury: $200,000 grant to the city for assessment activities at 13 Barnum Court, which was formerly used for hat manufacturing. The assessment work will help identify potential end uses and developers to cleanup and reuse the site.
- Derby: $200,000 grant to the city to further evaluate site conditions and planning activities for the O’Sullivan’s Island (OSI) property at Caroline Street, a 17.25-acre peninsula of land located south of the downtown commercial district at the confluence of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers. The former regional fire training center is now part of the Naugatuck River Greenway and accessible to the public as a park. The assessment and planning activities will enable the city to further investigate the site to address previously identified contamination and open up the property for additional recreational activities.
- East Lyme: $200,000 grant to the town to conduct assessment activities at 278 Main Street. These assessment activities will help to identify contamination and evaluate the cost of remedial action.
- Hartford: $4,000,000 grant to the city for the demolition and abatement of the existing structure at the 2.95-acre site at 150 Windsor Street. Remediation of this strategic downtown property will open the site to future development opportunities.
- Monroe: $100,000 grant to the town to complete assessment activities at the 7.74-acre site of the former Saint Jude School located at 709 Monroe Turnpike. The town is proposing to adaptively reuse the building for use as a community center and town offices.
- Naugatuck: $200,000 grant to the borough for assessment work on the 36.2-acre site that was formerly a Hershey & Peter Paul Cadbury manufacturing site. This assessment will enable the site to be returned to productive use after 18 years of vacancy.
- New Britain: $2,000,000 grant to the city for abatement and clean-up activities at the New Britain Business Park located at 221 South Street. The 54.91-acre site has historically been a commercial and industrial park and was home to the New Britain Machine Company. These cleanup activities will facilitate the adaptive reuse of 123,000 square feet of existing building space, providing new manufacturing, R&D, warehousing/distribution, and office spaces to meet local and regional market demands.
- New Haven: $880,000 grant to the city for the remediation of the 1.13-acre vacant lot located at 275 South Orange Street. The site was formerly a portion of the New Haven Coliseum and is currently used for parking. The remediation will enable the construction of phase 1B of a multi-use development that will include 7,159 square feet of amenity and retail space and 120 residential units.
- New Haven: $947,500 grant to the city for the demolition and abatement of blighted buildings and excavation of petroleum-impacted soil at 185, 212, and 213 Front Street. The 1.34-acre site, located along the Quinnipiac River, has a history of industrial use, including a coal yard, fuel tank farm, and metalworking shop. The remediation will pave the way for the construction of 70 residential units, retail spaces, and a 29,000 square foot green space and boardwalk to improve pedestrian access.
- New Milford: $150,000 grant to the New Milford Economic Development Corporation for assessment activities at the Former East Street School, a 4.63-acre site located at 50 East Street. These assessment activities will enable the repurposing of the historical former school into a Cultural Center for the Arts and Community Hub, which could include affordable living spaces for creative professionals.
- Norwich: $100,000 grant to the Norwich Community Development Corporation (NCDC) for the assessment of the former Norwich State Hospital, located at 628 and 705 Laurel Hill Road. The funding will enable the NCDC to complete a Phase III ESA, along with a conceptual remedial action plan, structural assessment, hazardous building materials assessment, and estimates of remediation, abatement, and cleanup costs. The NCDC is looking to renovate the property in concert with the neighboring Preston Riverwalk Development.
- Redding: $200,000 grant to the town to conduct assessment activities at 19 North Main Street, which will help identify contamination at the former wastewater treatment facility of the Gilbert and Bennett Wire Mill and inform redevelopment efforts.
- Shelton: $2,975,500 remediation grant to the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments for groundwater and soil cleanup, excavation, and disposal at 113 and 125 Canal Street, sites that were previously used for electroplating and other industrial operations. These remediation efforts will enable the development of two mixed-use complexes with a total of more than 120 residential units, retail space, and a parking garage. In addition, the walkway along the Housatonic River to Veterans Memorial Park will be extended.
- Stonington: $177,000 grant to the town to conduct assessment activities at the Former Campbell Grain Facility, a 1.86-acre project site located at 27 West Broad Street and 15 Cogswell Street in Stonington. These assessment activities will help identify the level of contamination and the cost of a remedial action plan.
- Torrington: $600,000 grant to the city for the abatement and demolition of the remaining buildings (buildings 21 and 24) at the 9.39-acre site located at 70 North Main Street. The proposed grant funds will be used for the remaining abatement and demolition. Upon completion, conceptual plans include construction of new commercial/industrial/light manufacturing buildings with a possible installation of a fuel-cell to generate necessary site power.
- Torrington: $200,000 grant to the New Colony Development Corporation for the completion of assessment and planning activities at 100 Franklin Drive. The funding will enable the city to identify and partner with a potential developer to repurpose the former manufacturing site for potentially residential development.
- West Hartford: $200,000 grant to the town for assessment activities of the Former AC Petersen Ice Cream Production Facility, a 1.02-acre site located at 240 Park Road. The assessment and subsequential cleanup will allow the building’s existing businesses, including the Playhouse on Park, a performing arts theater, to expand into the environmentally affected areas which have been unused or underused for several decades.
- West Hartford: $688,000 grant to the town for demolition and remediation of the 1.21-acre site located at 579 New Park Avenue. The remediation activities will enable the construction of a mixed-use/TOD project consisting of 70 residential units.
- Winchester: $200,000 planning grant to the Northwest Hills Council of Governments to examine a stretch/corridor of vacant and blighted industrial properties along the Mad River. Funds will be used to address potentially contaminated structures and create a comprehensive plan.
- Windsor Locks: $4,000,000 grant to the town for abatement, demolition, and remediation activities at 255 Main Street, which is adjacent to the proposed location of the new train station. The cleanup activities will enable the construction of the first phase of a 120-unit mixed-use/TOD development.
