Redevelopment plans taking shape for former Remington site

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch and Stratford Mayor John Harkins met recently with representatives of Sporting Goods Properties, a subsidiary of DuPont, to discuss the progress of environmental remediation and planned development at the former Remington Arms property in the north end of Bridgeport and Stratford.

The site is the largest urban, privately owned, undeveloped land remaining in Fairfield County. Formerly used by Remington as a munitions testing site, the site is now an open space with trees, plants, wildlife, a 23-acre lake called Lake Success and inland wetlands.

Much of the property has been remediated of unexploded ordinance, with the exception of Lake Success, which comprises about 25 acres, according to a statement from the town of Stratford announcing the redevelopment plan. The proposed development is called Lake Success Eco-Business Park.

“DuPont continues to make significant progress towards remediating and restoring the Lake Success Eco Business Park site with the ultimate goal of positioning the property as an asset to the local community and region,” said Thomas E. Stilley, project director, DuPont Corporate Remediation Group.

Sporting Goods Properties is seeking a remediation solution for Lake Success and is preparing development plans for the balance of the site. Plans include two 133,000-square-foot office buildings with a parking garage in Stratford, and six 113,000-square-foot office buildings, six 50,000-square-foot commercial flex buildings, two 30,000-square-foot commercial flex buildings and a 100,000-square-foot hotel-conference facility in Bridgeport.

The site straddles the city of Bridgeport and the town of Stratford. Approximately 344 acres are in Bridgeport and 78 acres are in Stratford, totaling 422 acres.

“This is another example of how we can take an existing brownfield property and put it back into productive use,” Harkins said in a statement. “The fact that the Stratford portion of this property has been remediated and is ready to go forward with development provides great economic development opportunities for our community. We will not only see a low-density development that leaves significant open space but also a benefit from jobs coming into our community.”

Users of the business park are predicted to employ up to 3,400 people.

“With this project, we”™re taking currently unused land, cleaning it up, and turning it into a job creator and revenue generator,” Finch said in a statement.