The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development has $20 million in grants and loans available in a new round of funding to help remediate and redevelop brownfield sites throughout the state.
Municipalities and economic development agencies are eligible to apply for grant funding of up to $4 million, according to an announcement from Gov. Dannel Malloy. Municipalities, agencies, for-profit and nonprofit developers are eligible to apply for low-interest loan funding of up to $2 million.
Redeveloping Connecticut’s brownfields is critical to the state’s economic transformation, Malloy said in the announcement.
“Connecticut has a proud history of industrial and economic innovation that continues up to this day, with major companies and innovators making long-term commitments to our state,” he said in the statement. “In order to continue that economic transformation, we need to address the legacy sites left behind from previous eras.”
The brownfield remediation projects will return properties to the tax rolls and create jobs, Malloy said. It will alleviate the pressure of developing on the state’s open space and agricultural land and ensure the state can grow in a “smart, sustainable and sensible” manner, he added.
The state funding can be used for abatement, demolition, site investigation and assessment, and groundwater monitoring. It can also be used for installation of institutional controls and professional service fees associated with redevelopment, including attorney’s, planning, designing and consulting fees.
“Brownfield redevelopment is critical for Connecticut’s economic and environmental future,” said Robert J. Klee, state commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in a statement. “Investing in brownfield properties reduces risks to public health and the environment.”
The projects will be rated and ranked based on the following criteria:
â—Â Applicant/municipal financial need.
â—Â Remediation/cleanup project feasibility.
â—Â Redevelopment project feasibility.
â—Â Redevelopment project economic and community impact.
â—Â Responsible growth and livability initiatives.
â—Â Applicant capacity and experience.
The Department of Economic and Community Development will participate in information sessions for potential applicants throughout the state. In Fairfield County, the Greater Bridgeport Regional Council and South Western Regional Planning Agency will host a brownfield project meeting on May 28 at 999 Broad Street in Bridgeport.
For more information about the application process and brownfield redevelopment programs, visit ctbrownfields.gov.
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