For years, a large portion of Ansonia’s downtown has been marred by empty, decaying factory buildings.
City officials would like the areas cleaned up, revitalized and used again. Toward that end, last year the city applied for and received a $200,000 state grant to target a 116-acre tract off Liberty Street and Riverside Drive. The land was formerly home to large manufacturers such as the Ansonia Copper & Brass Co.. It is the largest piece of contiguous property available for redevelopment in the city.
The money came through the Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development’s Brownfield Area-Wide Revitalization (BAR) Grant program, which is aimed at helping communities develop strategies to assess, clean up and reuse blighted properties.
Sheila O’Malley, economic development director for Ansonia, said the site is a key one considering the small geographical size of the city and the relatively large size of the parcel. The site includes not only the former Ansonia Copper & Brass but adjacent former industrial properties also. While Ansonia Copper & Brass had at one time been a top local taxpayer, it closed its downtown factory in 2013.
“The hope is to get the buildings demolished and the site cleaned up and ready for new development,” O’Malley said.
The city is currently using the state grant money to examine existing and proposed land uses, study any environmental issues, do surveying, and design the best vehicular and pedestrian traffic patterns.
“We need to find out information about the site and what potential developers could expect,” O’Malley said.
Ansonia Corporation Counsel John Marini said the area could possibly be used for manufacturing or technology-focused businesses.
“We want to turn the area into an economic generator once again,” Marini said. “First, we need to tackle the obstacles of remediation and demolition. This site is the hope of Ansonia and the Valley.”
In its application to the state, city officials noted that the Ansonia Copper & Brass closing left behind a “heavily contaminated brownfield area that remains unapproachable to developers, despite its transit-friendly downtown and riverfront location.”
The property is located along the Naugatuck River and near the Ansonia railroad station.
Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti says he envisions the site’s redevelopment will mean employment opportunities for residents of the city and area.
O’Malley said she sees “endless possibilities” for the site’s future, but she noted that a mix of commercial and light manufacturing would be in high demand.
According to O’Malley, the cleanup costs to remediate and demolish everything on site are estimated to be between $8 million and $10 million.
Previously, the city obtained funding to help with brownfield abatement and demolition activities, including $500,000 in 2015. The city is in the process of applying for additional funds for more clean-up and demolition, O’Malley said.
“I am confident that we can clean this up in two to three years,” O’Malley said. “The exciting part about this is that the more we know about the site, the easier it is to tackle the issues.”
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@NewHavenBiz.com
