The city of Waterbury has received multiple proposals for redevelopment of a roughly 16-acre brownfield that used to house the Anamet brass manufacturing company, and officials hope to pick a preferred developer by the end of this year.
Waterbury officials aren’t willing to say how many proposals were received Oct. 8 in response to a request for proposals released in early July. They did confirm more than one response was submitted.
This is the city’s third search for a development partner for 698 South Main St. in a little more than two years. Over the past seven years, the city has invested about $9 million from federal, state and local coffers to prepare the long-blighted site for redevelopment.
Under former Mayor Neil O’Leary, a company created by the city bought the property for $650,000 in 2017. The city has spent millions of dollars in state brownfield funding demolishing dilapidated buildings. It spent another $2.8 million from city taxpayers to replace the roof of a roughly 190,000-square-foot, high-bay industrial building on-site seen as ripe for reuse.
A tentative deal following the first search for a development partner fizzled as negotiations dragged on. Unsatisfied by responses to the second RFP round, current Mayor Paul Pernerewski called for a third.
Waterbury Development Corp. Executive Director Thomas Hyde confirmed this week a selection committee will be formed to sort through responses, hopefully picking a preferred developer by the turn of the year.Â
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