The state is awarding more than $19 million in grants to help remediate dilapidated and blighted properties around Connecticut.
The goal, according to Gov. Ned Lamont’s office, is to help get unused sites cleaned up and back in use.
Statewide, the money is going to help clean up 31 blighted properties in 23 municipalities. Of the $19 million, roughly $6 million is going toward properties in Greater New Haven, such as historic buildings on River Street in New Haven, once home to the Bigelow Company, a manufacturer launched in 1883.
The former Farrel site in Ansonia is also benefiting from the grant money.
Sheila O’Malley, Ansonia’s economic development director, said the city is pleased the state selected the site for remediation and demolition.
“There is tremendous value in the redevelopment of that site not only for Ansonia, but for the entire Valley,” O’Malley said.
The Farrel demolition and cleanup will open up “badly needed space for manufacturing and industrial reuse and employ hundreds looking for jobs,” she added.
Ansonia Corporation Counsel John Marini called it a “huge step forward” in getting a long vacant parcel reused.
“We can’t keep up with the requests we get for manufacturing space,” Marini said.
The grants are from the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation Program.
Lamont said cleaning up long-vacant blighted properties and putting them back into use will turn eyesores into assets, and “ultimately generate back many more times the amount of these grants through private investments.”
In Greater New Haven, the grants include the following projects:
- In Ansonia, $1 million to assess, demolish and remediate a portion of the former Farrel Foundry and Machine Co. site on 35 North Main St., to create manufacturing and light industrial space.
- In New Haven, $646,500 to remediate and clean up a portion of the historic Bigelow buildings at 198 River St., so the property can be renovated and marketed for office and light industrial use.
- In Waterbury, $2 million for remaining demolition and remediation of the former Anaconda American Brass/EWR Complex located at 130 Freight and West Main streets, for future mixed residential, commercial or manufacturing use.
- In Waterbury, $2 million toward remaining demolition and remediation of the “Anamet” site at 698 South Main St. for potential warehousing and manufacturing.
- In West Haven, $245,333 to remediate the former Allingtown Library building at 1 Forest Rd., along with neighboring property at 55 Forest Rd., for redevelopment into an office facility.
The following include funding for assessment work only:
- New Haven, 156-158 Humphrey St.: $75,000 for environmental assessments needed prior to conversion of a former auto repair garage site into a 12-unit housing complex.
- West Haven, 561 West St.: $58,000 for environmental assessments prior to redevelopment of the former school building into a 30-unit housing complex.
- West Haven, 66 Tetlow St.: $60,000 for assessment work at the former school to enable reuse as a 27-unit housing complex.
- West Haven: $60,500 for supplemental investigations at the site of the former school at 165 and 179 Richards St. and 70 Hall St., to enable reuse as a 31-unit housing complex and 18,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.
