Pair Of Bridgeport Sites Receive State Environmental Cleanup Grants

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Two sites in Bridgeport will receive a total of $1.98 million in state grants for environmental clean up, Gov. Ned Lamont announced this week.

The sites are:

• 1.163 acres that were the former offices of the Southern New England Telephone Company, at 430 John St. The historic building on the property is slated to become 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. ($990,000)
• A 0.6-acre property at 455 Fairfield Ave., which is the former Crawford Laundry Company site. The parcel is slated to become a mixed-use development that includes 60 affordable housing units and commercial/retail space. ($990,000)

The parcels are two of 22 properties in 15 towns to receive a grant under the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program.

Brownfields are properties, often abandoned or underused, that may contain contaminated soil, buildings and/or groundwater. Redevelopment of such sites can not happen before the contamination is remediated.

"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," Lamont said in a statement. "This state program enables us to partner with municipalities and developers to bring these lifeless properties back from the dead."

Both of the redeveloped Bridgeport properties also plan to install roof-based solar panels and green-energy systems.

The state is spending about $23.8 million to remediate a total of 480 acres of land under the program.

From Lamont's announcement:

The selected projects are targeted at those that will boost economic development and job growth, as well as those that will aid in the development of new housing. In total, the projects are expected to create approximately 915 jobs and 811 units of housing, including 223 affordable units. Sixty-one percent of the funding ($14,540,477) is being directed to distressed municipalities, where developable land is often scarce and economic revitalization efforts take on added importance.

“Our brownfields program is one the best returns on investment for the state and its taxpayers,” 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. These investments are helping us meet other important public policy objectives as well. For example, this round features important green energy and waste reclamation projects that are another step forward in reaching our broader environmental goals.”

For more information on Connecticut’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program, visit ctbrownfields.gov.