HARTFORD, Conn. — The state announced the latest round of funding for brownfield remediation on Thursday, amounting to about $23.8 million to remediate 480 acres of land across 22 properties in 15 towns and cities across Connecticut and put them back into productive use.
The funding comes from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. Officials said these state investments are expected to leverage approximately $862 million in private funding, which is expected to bring the 22 properties back into use.
Criteria for selecting the projects include potential to boost economic development and job growth, along with the development of new housing. Officials said the projects are expected to create nearly 1,000 jobs and over 800 units of housing, including 223 affordable units. More than 60% percent of the funding, $14,540,477, will go to projects in distressed municipalities, where developable land is often scarce.
“It makes no sense to have old, polluted, blighted properties sitting vacant for decades when we could be using this land to grow new businesses and create new housing,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “This state program enables us to partner with municipalities and developers to bring these lifeless properties back from the dead.”
Department of Economic and Community Development Deputy Commissioner Rob Hotaling said, “In this funding round, for example, we have a public-private leverage ratio of 1-to-36, which means that for every state dollar invested another 36 dollars in private funds are supporting these worthwhile projects.
Hotaling said this round of funding features green energy and waste reclamation projects that are another step forward in reaching the state's broader environmental goals.
State commits $24 million to brownfield remediation
See sites funded previously:
- Bridgeport: $990,000 loan for cleanup activities at the former offices of the Southern New England Telephone Company, a 1.163-acre site located at 430 John Street, to enable adaptive reuse of the exiting historic building for a mixed-use development, including 77 artist lofts (eight units set aside for affordable housing),two restaurants with gallery space, and an electric vehicle charging station. The development plans also include installation of solar panels on the roof and a green-energy system.
- Bridgeport: $990,000 loan for cleanup activities at the 0.6-acre former Crawford Laundry Company site located at 455 Fairfield Avenue to enable a mixed-use development that includes 60 affordable housing residences and commercial/retail space. The development plans also include installation of solar panels on the roof and a green-energy system.
- Bristol: $3,784,943 grant to abate and remediate four existing buildings on the 23.20-acre lot located at 300 Broad Street, home of the former Theis Steel Manufacturing company. This project will create 100,000 square feet of clean industrial space potentially available for light manufacturing, office administration, and storage/distribution.
- East Haddam: $200,000 grant to conduct assessment and redevelopment planning activities for 10 parcels totaling 6.98 acres in the historic Village District located on Main Street, Lumberyard Road, and Broom Street.
- East Hampton: $200,000 grant for conduct assessment and planning activities at two historic sites located at 13 Summit Street and 1 Watrous Street, spanning 2.62 acres that was home to the former Summit Thread Company.
- Fairfield: $3,000,000 grant to remediate the vacant 4.9-acre, former Bullard Machine Tool Company site at 81 Black Rock Turnpike. This project will enable a transit-oriented development/mixed-use development that will include 240 residential units (including 20% affordable at 80% area median income), ancillary retail, co-working, and public amenity space.
- New Haven: $804,485 grant to remediate the 0.6-acre property at 112 Chapel Street to serve as a parking and loading area for a new 10,000 square foot warehouse for Art to Frames, a manufacturing company that produces framing and a variety of home improvement decorative products.
- New Haven: $4,000,000 grant to complete demolition, abatement, and remediation of the 7.6-acre site at 156 Dixwell Avenue to enable the redevelopment of ConnCAT Place headquarters, Hill Health Center clinic, a daycare facility, 184 rental housing units (20% affordable), an office building, townhomes, and a 19,855 square foot performing arts center.
- New Haven: $207,900 grant for cleanup activities on the 0.55-acre property at 135 Fulton Terrace to enable a new 28,000 square foot, pre-engineered warehouse building.
- New Haven: $999,999 loan for abatement and remediation of the 5.97-acre former nursing home facility located at 34 Level Street to be redeveloped into a 50-unit, elderly supportive housing development.
- North Haven: $4,000,000 grant to remediate impacted soils on the 92-acre parcel located at 250 Universal Drive to support the construction of a Waste Reclamation Facility and a Carbon Negative Power Plant.
- Norwalk: $1,300,000 grant to remediate the 3.03-acre, city-owned South Norwalk Station parking lot, located at 30 Monroe Street to develop a 200-unit mixed-use and mixed-income transit-oriented development.
- Norwich: $2,091,650 grant for abatement, cleanup, and potential demolition of two historic buildings (Glass House 1 and 2) located on 16.39 acres at 68 Thermos Avenue, home of the former Thermos Factory. The remediation will enable the construction of a solar installation capable of producing electricity for the residential condominium community and for the adjacent Integrated Day Charter School.
- Redding: $200,000 grant to complete site investigation at the former Gilbert and Bennett Wire Mill at 1 North Main Street. This will determine the type and extent of contaminants on the 44-acre site.
- Stonington: $200,000 grant to conduct assessment activities at the former 5.5-acre industrial site at 21 Pawcatuck Avenue to potentially enable residential end use.
- Waterbury: $160,000 grant to conduct a site investigation on two sites at 194 and 196 Mill Street totaling 2.46 acres to determine the type and extent of contaminants there.
- Waterbury: $143,000 grant to conduct site investigation on two parcels of the Waterbury Industrial Commons, located at 2121 Thomaston Ave and Commons Court. This will determine the type and extent of contaminants on 5.68-acre site.
- Waterford: $100,000 grant to conduct an environmental investigation of the 221-acre site, located at 607 Mohegan Ave Parkway, which was formerly a dredged materials dumping location for the U.S. Navy.
- Waterford: $100,000 grant to assess a 1.41-acre site at 74 Scotch Cap Road that previously operated as a petroleum terminal and to redevelop into an open space use.
- Windham: $140,000 grant to conduct phase I, II, and III assessments and develop a remediation action plan at the 22-acre, vacant site located at 322B Main Street to plan and prepare the site for its highest and best end use.
- Windham: $100,000 grant to conduct a site investigation on the 11.63-acre former Giant-Vac factory property at 11 Machine Shop Hill Road to determine the type and extent of contaminants there.
- Winsted: $128,500 grant to remediate and abate the 0.78-acre property of the former Winsted Centerless Company factory located at 10 Bridge Street to potentially enable adaptive reuse for mixed-use development.
For more information on Connecticut’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program, visit ctbrownfields.gov.
Doug Stewart is the Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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