(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration is awarding more than $19 million in state grants to help with the costs of assessing and remediating 31 blighted properties in 23 towns and cities across Connecticut for the purposes of putting them back into productive use.
“Cleaning up blighted properties that have been vacant for decades and putting them into productive use will ultimately generate back many more times the amount of these grants through private investments,” Governor Lamont said. “If we remediate these properties now, we can turn an eyesore into an asset, revitalize neighborhoods, and transform otherwise unusable property into new space for businesses and residents.”
The grants are from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation Program. The funding from the state is expected to leverage approximately $156 million in private funding and help in the investigation and clean-up of approximately 418 acres of land.
“These investments in the remediation and assessment of contaminated sites are unlocking economic development opportunities all across Connecticut,” Department of Economic and Community Development Deputy Commissioner Alexandra Daum said. “They will create jobs, foster small business growth, allow for new recreational spaces, and expand housing options for our residents – all critical to building more vibrant communities and neighborhoods.”
“The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is proud to work with DECD, other state agencies, and our municipal partners and nonprofit partners as we continue Connecticut’s unprecedented investment in the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields in large cities, suburbs, and rural communities throughout the state,” Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “With the same spirit of Yankee ingenuity and innovation that made our state a leader of the industrial revolution, Connecticut continues to be a nationwide leader in transforming brownfields from a costly blight to an asset to communities throughout the state. Cleaning up and restoring brownfields is fundamentally important to strengthening our economy and to protecting human health and the environment.”
Information about Connecticut’s brownfield redevelopment program is available at www.ctbrownfields.gov.
The grants announced today include:
Remediation/Assessment Projects
- Ansonia: $1,000,000 to assess, demolish and remediate a portion of the former Farrel Foundry and Machine Co. site on 35 North Main Street to create manufacturing and light industrial space that is crucial to downtown development.
- Bristol: $2,000,000 to the New Colony Development Corporation for abatement and remediation activities to convert the former J. H. Sessions & Son Co. complex located at 273 and 296 Riverside Avenue into 91 apartments.
- Hartford/Windsor: $1,220,000 to Riverfront Recapture, Inc. for cleanup and capping activities in the Windsor Meadows State Park (73 Meadow Road, Windsor) and multiple contiguous parcels located around 228 Leibert Road in Hartford. This will help in the creation of a 9-acre cove to support a new paddle sport and outdoors park as well as land for mixed-use housing, office space and/or retail in subsequent phases.
- Hebron: $245,520 for remediation activities to allow for the renovation of the former Amston Silver Company building, located at 459 Church Street. The site will be home to a restaurant, craft brewery and other commercial enterprises.
- New Haven: $646,500 to remediate and cleanup a portion of the historic Bigelow buildings at 198 River Street, which will be renovated and marketed for lease as office and light industrial use.
- New London: $1,999,998 for the abatement and remediation of the former Edward Bloom Silk Mill located at 90 and 100 Garfield Avenue for the creation of 90 units of affordable housing.
- Norwich: $795,000 to the Norwich Community Development Corporation to remediate and renovate the former Ponemah Mills Textile Complex located at 555 and 575 Norwich Avenue which will become a mixed-use residential project including 141 units and 6,000 sq.ft. of restaurant/business space.
- Plainville: $1,170,000 for repurposing the former White Oak Corporation site at 1 & 63 West Main Street into a mixed-use development consisting of medical office space, industrial condominiums, a community building, retail, housing and parking.
- Rocky Hill: $837,830 to complete environmental assessment and remediate 15 – 17 acres of prime agricultural farmland located at 374 New Britain Avenue to be reused for agricultural educational activities, community farming and passive recreation.
- Stonington: $753,889 for remediation and abatement of the property at 123 Greenmanville Avenue, formerly occupied by the Rossie Velvet Mill for redevelopment into the Mystic River Boathouse Park.
- Vernon: $2,000,000 for abatement and remediation of the former Daniel’s Mill at 98 East Main Street that will be redeveloped along with the Amerbelle and Anacoil mills (the Rockville Mill complex) as a gateway to Downtown Vernon. This mixed-use project consists of 110,000 sq. ft. of residential units and 20,000 sq. ft. of commercial, brewpub/restaurant and event space.
- Waterbury: $2,000,000 for remaining demolition and remediation of the former Anaconda American Brass/EWR Complex located at 130 Freight and 000 West Main Street for a potential mixed-use development including residential, commercial and/or manufacturing opportunities.
- Waterbury: $2,000,000 for remaining demolition and remediation of the “Anamet” site located at 698 South Main Street for potential warehousing and/or manufacturing opportunities.
- West Haven: $245,333 to abate and remediate the former Allingtown Library building located at 1 Forest Road along with an adjacent property (55 Forest Road) that will be redeveloped into a modern office facility.
Assessment-only Projects
- Berlin, 303 New Britain Road: $86,330 to undertake additional ground water studies and a Remedial Acton Plan to allow for redevelopment as an Industrial Park.
- Canton, Collinsville Axe Factory, 10 Depot Street: $195,000 for assessment activities to facilitate the redevelopment of the former Collinsville Axe Factory site.
- Colchester, Brown’s Mill, Comstock Bridge Road: $27,500 to evaluate the suitability of the site as a passive recreation area and/or fishing access point to the Salmon River.
- Enfield, 17 North Main Street: $47,000 to conduct additional investigative work and prepare a remedial action plan prior to demolition of the Strand Theater building to help position the site for redevelopment.
- Enfield, North River Street: $175,000 for advanced assessment/investigation to allow for the redevelopment of this waterfront/transit-oriented development site, home to the former power plant for the Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Mill.
- Hartford, 80 Coventry Street: $200,000 to initiate a comprehensive environmental assessment of the Burgdorf/McCook Campus to allow for its transformation into the North End Wellness District.
- Moosup, 100 South Main Street: $200,000 to the Eastern Connecticut Land Bank, Inc., for further investigation of the former Kaman facility to facilitate redevelopment.
- New Haven, 156-158 Humphrey Street: $75,000 for environmental assessments needed prior to conversion of a former auto repair garage site into a 12-unit housing complex.
- New Milford, West Street: $199,000 for environmental assessment and investigation work to explore the development of the site as a public park and the potential restoration of the ruins of the Ruggles/Stilson Mills and Hydro-electric Plant.
- Plainfield, 20 Reservoir Street: $200,000 for environmental assessments to allow for potential redevelopment of the former InterRoyal Mill.
- Redding, 20 North Main Street: $200,000 for assessment activities to allow for redevelopment of the former Gilbert and Bennett Manufacturing Company site.
- Somers, 40 Maple Street: $65,730 for advanced investigation of the former Somersville Mill site which will pave the way for construction of a new four-story building with approximately 70 apartments.
- Stonington, 75 Stillman Avenue: $139,000 for assessment activities to enable the redevelopment of the former location of Stillmanville Mill.
- Torrington, 100 Franklin Drive: $200,000 to conduct predevelopment and other activities to allow for redevelopment of the 7.16-acre site along the Naugatuck River in partnership with the current owners, Nidec America Corporation (Nidec).
- West Haven, 561 West Street: $58,000 for environmental assessments prior to redevelopment the former school building (called the Stiles Building) into a thirty-unit housing complex.
- West Haven, 66 Tetlow Street: $60,000 for assessment work at the former school building (called the Blake Building) to enable adaptive reuse of the structure into a 27-unit housing complex.
- West Haven: $60,500 for supplemental investigations at the site of the former school building (called the Thompson Building) at 165 and 179 Richards St. and 70 Hall St. to enable adaptive reuse of the structure into a 31-unit housing complex with about 18,000 sq. ft. of retail space on the first floor.