Connecticut State Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development

Press Releases

Governor Dannel P. Malloy

04/16/2014

Gov. Malloy: Brownfield Funds Will Help Towns Revitalize Blighted and Vacant Sites

More than $3.8 Million Awarded to 21 Communities to Investigate Sites for Redevelopment

(NORWICH, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) has awarded $3,821,000 in grants to 21 communities to advance the development of brownfield sites throughout the state.

Administered through the state's Municipal Brownfields Assessment and Inventory Grant Program, the 22 grants announced today will assist cities, towns, and regional development agencies to assess and investigate over 310 acres across 48 sites, allowing the communities to take the vital first or next step toward reuse of sites that in many cases have been underused or abandoned for decades.

"As Connecticut's economy continues to grow, more and more of our legacy manufacturing and other brownfield sites are becoming ripe for redevelopment and reuse," said Governor Malloy, who announced the grants at a news conference at a brownfield site in Norwich that was awarded funding as part of a revitalization project of the city's Shipping Street corridor.

He continued, "With the grants we're announcing today, 21 communities will be able to prepare key sites that are in many cases vacant and blighted for a return to productive uses that will grow jobs and improve quality of life across the state. These assessment grants will create a pipeline of larger remediation and redevelopment projects in the near future."

The municipal grant program was created as a complement to DECD's larger brownfield programs to assist local governments and their development agency partners to begin the process of redeveloping priority brownfield sites. Prior to redevelopment of a brownfield or suspected contaminated site, environmental assessments are often required to provide more information to potential redevelopers about the site's environmental conditions.

Under the program, applicants are eligible to receive grants of up to $200,000 to fund investigation and other pre-development activities to prepare sites for future development and reuse.

"Cities and towns across Connecticut have sites that are not fully contributing to the economy, and these grants will unlock significant new development opportunities for new housing, open space, commercial office space, and adaptive reuse of legacy brownfield sites," said DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith. "The projects selected for funding represent the strongest applications in line with Governor Malloy's priorities, such as affordable housing development transit-oriented development projects, readiness to proceed, and the capacity and experience level of the applicant."

Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Rob Klee said, "These investments in brownfield assessments are the critical first step toward redevelopment of these valuable lands. By putting these properties back into productive use we can take advantage of existing infrastructure, protect public health and the environment, and reduce development pressure on our undeveloped lands."

The projects announced today are as follows:

  • Bethany - Regional Economic Xcelleration - $75,000 for the investigation of 29 acres on two parcels in Bethany that have the potential to support agricultural uses, as well as housing and research, lab, and training space.

  • Bridgeport - $200,000 for the investigation of 13.2 acres on two parcels, Remington Shaver and 60 Main Street, the site of a proposed mixed-use development with affordable housing and public open space.

  • Derby - Valley Council of Governments - $200,000 to investigate the site conditions at O'Sullivan's Island in Derby.

  • Enfield - $200,000 to assess 4.5 acres across seven parcels for potential commercial redevelopment and mixed-use transit-oriented development.

  • Hartford/Farmington - $55,000 for early-stage investigation of 86 acres of Batterson Park for redevelopment that will benefit Hartford and Farmington.

  • Hartford - $112,000 to conduct environmental investigation for a roadway connector from Bartholomew Avenue to Flatbush Avenue in the Parkville neighborhood.

  • Hartford - Capital Region Council of Governments - $200,000 to investigate 9.8 acres across two parcels in Hartford, on Windsor and Hawthorn streets, with potential for transit-oriented development, as well as conducting an inventory of additional brownfield sites that are candidates for redevelopment in conjunction with the state's investment in CTfastrak and the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail corridor.

  • Meriden - $200,000 to assess 5.6 acres across three sites for of a proposed mixed-use, transit-oriented development project that includes the rehabilitation of public housing.

  • Middletown - $200,000 for the investigation of 12 acres on four sites in downtown Middletown, the site of a proposed mixed-use transit-oriented development project.

  • New Britain - $200,000 to assess the commercial redevelopment of a 2-acre parcel on Bosco Drive, the site of a proposed medical office building.

  • New Haven - Science Park Development Corporation - $200,000 to investigate 3.5 acres as part of the next phase of development in Science Park, the former Winchester Repeating Arms Factory, in New Haven.

  • New London - $200,000 to assess 6.8 acres across two downtown parcels for mixed-use redevelopment, including affordable housing.

  • Newtown - $200,000 to investigate 9 buildings on the Fairfield Hills campus.

  • Norwalk - $200,000 award to investigate a 4.9-acre site, currently a parking lot near the South Norwalk station, for the feasibility of mixed-use, transit-oriented development project.

  • Norwich - $200,000 to study 8.5 acres across five sites as part of the revitalization of the Shipping Street corridor.

  • Portland - $200,000 for assessing 5.3 acres on three sites adjacent to the Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park for commercial and open space development.

  • Preston - $200,000 for the investigation of 13 buildings on the 393-acre Norwich Hospital campus prior to demolition and redevelopment of the full site for a variety of potential uses.

  • Shelton - $79,000 to study 1.7 acres known as the Rolfite property for mixed-use redevelopment.

  • Southbury - Valley Council of Governments - $200,000 to assess the baseline environmental conditions of the 449-acre Southbury Training School site in Southbury, done in conjunction with the Southbury Training School Task Force.

  • Thompson - $200,000 to investigate the 33-acre Belding Site for the feasibility of a mixed-use or commercial redevelopment.

  • Vernon - $200,000 for the investigation of 15.2 acres across five former mill sites in Rockville for multiple potential redevelopment uses.

  • Winchester - $100,000 to assess 2.7 acres across two sites for commercial redevelopment.

For more information about the Municipal Brownfields Assessment and Inventory Grant Program or other state brownfield redevelopment programs, visit www.ctbrownfields.gov .


** Download : Map of Municipal Brownfields Assessment and Inventory Grant Program recipients