New Haven Gets $4.3M State Funding To Remediate 3 Blighted Sites

NEW HAVEN, CT — New Haven is set to receive $4.285 million in state funding to help in the "investigation and clean-up" of three sites that include around 14 acres of land "for the purposes of putting them back in to productive use," Gov. Ned Lamont said this week.

In total, around $24.6 million in state funding is going to local communities help with the costs associated with assessing and remediating a total of 41 blighted parcels of land in 16 towns and cities across the state.

The grant and loan funding are from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. The state assistance is expected to leverage approximately $625 million in private funding and will help in the investigation and clean-up of approximately 86 acres of land.

What are brownfields?

Connecticut law defines a brownfield as “any abandoned or underutilized site where redevelopment, reuse or expansion has not occurred due to the presence or potential presence of pollution in the buildings, soil or groundwater that requires investigation or remediation before or in conjunction with the redevelopment, reuse or expansion of the property.”

Brownfield sites exist in every corner of the state and in communities large and small. They range from former factories in urban centers to mills in the hearts of historic villages. In many cases, these sites have been abandoned or underutilized for decades, and in some cases for generations, principally because the costs of remediating contamination have made redevelopment economically infeasible. In many cases, the polluter is no longer a viable entity, and/or the pollution occurred before modern environmental laws were enacted.

“Cleaning up blighted properties that have been vacant for decades and putting them into productive use will ultimately generate private investment equal to many times these state grants,” Lamont said. “If we remediate these properties now, we can turn an eyesore into an asset, revitalize neighborhoods, and transform otherwise unusable property into new space for businesses and residents.”

New Haven sites set to receive funding

• $2,000,000 grant for remediation and demolition of structures on 13 parcels of land across 7.6 acres at Dixwell Plaza (157-230 Dixwell Avenue) to enable redevelopment by ConnCORP. Phase 1 includes construction of the headquarters for the Connecticut Center for the Arts and Technology, a healthcare clinic, a daycare facility, 184 units of mixed-income housing, a food hall, grocery store and retail. Phase 2 will consist of a performing arts center, office buildings, and townhomes.
• $1,300,000 grant for remedial excavation activities at the 4.42-acre property located at 16 Miller Street. Plans are to construct 56 mixed-income rental apartments by West River Housing Company, LLC, including a clubhouse community center, meeting space, management offices, a coffee shop, interior parking, playground and a community gazebo.
• $985,000 grant for investigation and remediation activities at the former New England Linen Supply Company properties located at 149-169 Derby Avenue. The redevelopment by Monarch Apartment Homes, LLC will include 67 affordable housing units with a combination of one, two, and three bedrooms.

“Remediation of brownfields is critically important for the health of our environment, and the health of our communities,” Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “Ensuring that these sites are properly cleaned up will contribute to safer communities and will open the door to significant economic benefit once remediated. Brownfield locations are also the wise choice for development and growth, as these properties and the surrounding areas have had significant infrastructure investments in water, sewer, transportation, and energy."