HARTFORD – Gov. Ned Lamont has released $3.88 million in state grants to assess and remediate six blighted properties in five Fairfield County municipalities. They are among 23 in the state that will receive a total of $18.8 million in state grants to be used for addressing the contamination of 227 acres across Connecticut.
The grants are being released through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD) Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. This round of funding is projected to attract $218 million in private investment and facilitate the creation of 450 housing units. Approximately 52% of the total funding will be allocated to distressed municipalities.
“Old, polluted, blighted properties that have sat vacant for decades do nothing to stimulate our economy, grow jobs, and support housing growth,” Lamont said. “With these grants, we are partnering with towns and developers to take unused, lifeless properties and bring them back from the dead, rejuvenating land that can be used for so much more and can bring value back to these neighborhoods.”
DECD Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe described how these remediated properties could be put to use in the 23 communities.
“Our brownfield redevelopment efforts continue to produce great results, not only for the communities that can now capitalize on new opportunities for growth and vibrancy but also for the residents who directly benefit from the new end uses for these reclaimed properties, whether it be housing, parks, commercial space, or community centers,” O’Keefe said.
The grants announced today under this funding round include:
Bridgeport: $200,000 planning grant to the Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments (MetroCOG) for planning activities on the western bank of the Yellow Mill Channel along Waterview Avenue. These planning activities will enable MetroCOG and the city to advance a comprehensive plan for development of a Waterfront Pathway.
Danbury: $200,000 grant to the city for the environmental assessment of the former Fairfield County Courthouse. This assessment will enable future reuse of the building as municipal office space in the historic district.
Danbury: $200,000 grant to the city for assessment activities at 13 Barnum Court, which was formerly used for hat manufacturing. The assessment work will help identify potential end uses and developers to cleanup and reuse the site.
Monroe: $100,000 grant to the town to complete assessment activities at the 7.74-acre site of the former Saint Jude School located at 709 Monroe Turnpike. The town is proposing to reuse the building for use as a community center and town offices.
Redding: $200,000 grant to the town to conduct assessment activities at 19 North Main St., which will help identify contamination at the former wastewater treatment facility of the Gilbert and Bennett Wire Mill and inform redevelopment efforts.
Shelton: $2,975,500 remediation grant to the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments for groundwater and soil cleanup, excavation, and disposal at 113 and 125 Canal Sts., sites that were previously used for electroplating and other industrial operations. These remediation efforts will enable the development of two mixed-use complexes with a total of more than 120 residential units, retail space, and a parking garage. In addition, the walkway along the Housatonic River to Veterans Memorial Park will be extended.
