CT allocates $13.6 million for cleaning up brownfields

Connecticut will spend $13.6 million to assess or redevelop brownfield sites in 14 municipalities, marking Connecticut officials’ latest effort to clean up polluted properties and spur economic development, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Monday.

Officials say the newest round of funding will pay to remediate and revitalize 89 acres of blighted properties. Malloy said the investment will clean up neighborhoods, strengthen communities, and draw more economic activity to those locations.

Officials say the state has invested more than $220 million in brownfield redevelopment since 2012.

The governor made the announcement on Homestead Avenue in Hartford, beside two of the 16 properties in the project. Eight are slated for remediation now and eight more are being assessed for future work.

“Quite frankly it’s nearly impossible to attract corporate development to a site that has scars that this one does, and that’s why it’s so very important to have studied the problem, resolved how we could fix the problem and then undertake the actual cleanup,” Malloy said.

Tim Sullivan, the deputy commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, said each project is different but the cleanup process usually takes several months.

Sullivan said officials are really interested in bringing private investment to the properties and noted many brownfields are clustered near transit, but it takes time and money to clean up toxic chemicals that have contaminated them.

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin echoed the desire to attract developers.

“We talked to many developers, many investors who are excited about these sites because they see the power in this location,” Bronin said. “I’m excited about this because it lays the foundation that we will literally be able to build on in the future.”

The projects being remediated are:

• Bridgeport, 400 Iranistan Avenue: $1.5 million grant to the Bridgeport Housing Authority to redevelop the 15.9-acre Marina Village public housing complex into a new state-of-the-art affordable housing community.  The existing structures will be demolished and replaced with multi-family residential units and community space.
• Danbury, 89 Rose Hill Road: $1.3 million grant to demolish and remediate the former 3.7-acre Mallory Hat Factory. A residential facility for women and children in transition is proposed for this site.
• East Hartford, 590 Burnside Avenue: $200,000 grant to abate hazardous building materials in a former public housing site on a 1.4-acre parcel.
• Hartford, 367, 393 & 424 Homestead Avenue: $1.9 million grant to demolish and remediate three properties, including a former metal foundry manufacturing facility, preparing them for redevelopment.
• Meriden, 1 King Place: $2 million grant for abatement and demolition of a portion of a former hospital structure and parking garage on 5.6 acres to prepare it for private mixed-use redevelopment.  The City of Meriden also has been awarded a $2 million loan to complete the required remediation of the site before it is conveyed to the city’s development partner.
• New Britain, 24 Dwight Court: $1.5 million grant to remediate a one-acre former coal and oil facility that abuts the CTfastrak station, preparing it for redevelopment.
• Plymouth, 142 Main Street – Route 6: $750,000 grant to remediate a 0.5-acre gas station and auto repair facility, preparing it for redevelopment.
• Waterbury, 2100 South Main Street: $1 million grant to remediate the 3.4-acre former RISDON manufacturing facility that was the site of a recent major fire. The remediation will address a major public health hazard and prepare the site for redevelopment.

The projects being assessed for future revitalization are:

• Ansonia: $200,000 grant for investigation of a 2.7-acre parcel located at 65 Main Street.
• Derby: $200,000 grant for investigation of 19 acres on Main Street related to the city’s downtown redevelopment plans.
• New Britain: $200,000 grant for investigation of two sites that include 1411 East Street, a 1 acre parcel adjacent to CCSU and CTfastrak, and 495 Myrtle Street, a 4.4-acre parcel.
• Norwich: $200,000 grant for investigation of the last undeveloped portion of the former Ponemah Mill site, a 5.5-acre site located at 555-559 Norwich Avenue.
• Manchester: $100,000 grant for investigation and monitoring of three parcels on 1.5 acres located at 295, 299, and 303 Broad Street.
• Middletown: $200,000 grant for investigation of a 0.3-acre parcel located at 248 William Street.
• Plainville: $200,000 grant for investigation of two contiguous parcels located at 1 West Main Street (14.59 acres) and 63 West Main Street (0.2 acre).
• Waterbury: $200,000 grant for investigation of the former Bristol Babcock facility, a 6.6-acre parcel located at 40 Bristol Street.