Norwalk Among Recipients Of State Grants To Support Redevelopment Of Blighted Properties In CT

NORWALK, CT — Governor Ned Lamont recently announced his administration is releasing $15.2 million in state funding to support assessment and remediation activities at 12 blighted properties in communities across Connecticut, including Norwalk.

According to a news release provided Wednesday by Lamont's office, the state funding will help cover the costs of cleaning up these unused, polluted parcels so they can be redeveloped and returned to productive use, including for the creation of new housing and other economic development and job growth opportunities.

The grants are being distributed through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development's Brownfield Remediation and Development Program, according to the release.

This round of funding will support investigation and cleanup activities on 267 acres of land and are expected to leverage more than $81 million in private investments, according to the release.

"By partnering with towns and developers, we can take unused, blighted properties that have sat vacant for decades and bring them back from the dead, rejuvenating these parcels and bringing life back to these neighborhoods," Lamont said in a news release. "Through the remediation of these properties, we are creating new opportunities to transform otherwise unusable lots into new spaces that support housing growth and new business opportunities."

According to the release, the assistance announced last week under this funding round includes:

• Norwalk: $200,000 grant to the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency for the assessment of the 2.46-acre, privately-owned site at 108 Water Street along the Norwalk River. These assessment activities will help advance the plan to transform the property into a mixed-use waterfront development with 59 residential units, a hotel, and approximately 36,000 square feet of office space, along with supporting retail and public-facing uses within walking distance of the South Norwalk Train Station.
• Norwalk: $200,000 planning grant to the Western Connecticut Council of Governments, in partnership with Open Doors, to advance a comprehensive strategy for a cluster of underutilized properties in the Colonial Village Neighborhood of South Norwalk. These include multiple known and suspected brownfield sites associated with historical industrial uses, including manufacturing facilities, auto repair operations, and other light and heavy industrial activities. The planning grant will help integrate prior investments, prioritize sites, and develop an implementation strategy to support redevelopment that advances housing stability, economic mobility, and environmental resilience.

Other Connecticut towns set to receive state funding include Shelton, Waterbury, East Hartford, Enfield, Hamden, New Britain, Plainville, Thomaston, Ansonia and Seymour, according to the release.

"Connecticut's economy is strong and getting stronger. We are making targeted, strategic investments that turn these underutilized, often blighted properties into attractive investment opportunities," DECD Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe said in a news release. "Our brownfield redevelopment programs successfully leverage the private dollars needed to turn compromised properties into centers of economic growth and community revitalization."