272 River Street, Waterbury

Project Type: Cleanup Planning

NVCOG’s Revolving Loan Fund Committee has subgranted Waterbury Development Corporation $100,000 for cleanup planning at 272 River Street, Waterbury. Funding would be used to close out the remaining data gaps, remedial design planning, and post-remedial monitoring. The 0.77-acre site is located within an urban area within the south end of Waterbury and is surrounded by a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial properties. The Mad River bisects the entire parcel, and upon completion of remedial activities, the city has proposed to conserve the property as recreational space.

835 South Main Street, Waterbury

Project Type: Cleanup Planning

NVCOG’s Revolving Loan Fund Committee has subgranted Waterbury Development Corporation $350,000 for cleanup activities at 835 South Main Street, Waterbury, also known as the former A Benedict Company and the Waterbury Button Factory. Funding would be used for cleanup planning, developing remedial design plans, LEP oversight, and post-remediation monitoring. Existing environmental reports indicate the elevated presence of hazardous materials. All existing structures were demolished after a fire that occurred in early 2023. As part of the Mad River Redevelopment Corridor, the city of Waterbury has identified this parcel as a priority for redevelopment and is the recipient of $9,000,000 in state and federal funding. Once redeveloped as mixed-use, this project is expected to include housing and commercial space for jobs generated upon the successful revitalization of the former Anamet complex.

280 Elm Street, Naugatuck

Project Type: Cleanup Planning

NVCOG’s Revolving Loan Fund Committee has subgranted the Borough of Naugatuck $350,000 to remove an estimated 60,000 cubic yards of contaminated soils at the 76-acre former Uniroyal industrial complex via excavation and capping at 280/0 Elm Street. The Borough acquired the site in 2022 and subsequently received a Stewardship Permit from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, assigned the former owner – chemical manufacturer Lanxess, responsibility for all environmental cleanup. This funding will supplement extensive, secured investment, including $3,000,000 from Connecticut’s Community Investment Fund and $6,000,000 from the Borough. Critically, Lanxess has provided nearly $16,000,000 in private funding toward remedial activities. Roadway construction is expected to begin on portions of the site shortly. Upon completion, the site will house a portion of the Naugatuck Industrial Park, yielding millions in private investment and the cleanup of a site immediately adjacent to the Naugatuck River. 

170 Freight Street & 00 West Main Street, Waterbury

 

Project Type: Cleanup Planning

NVCOG’s Revolving Loan Fund has sub-granted The Waterbury Development Corporation $350,000.00 for cleanup planning, remediation, and abatement activities at a single parcel, 170 Freight Street & 000 West Main Street, also known as the former Anaconda-American Brass Company site. Funding would be used to develop the Property and to create an interim and final Remediation Action Plan to guide abatement activities in preparation for the demolition of existing structures. Any remaining funds will be used for remedial activities and site monitoring on the Property. 
 
The parcel is part of the larger Freight Street Redevelopment Strategy, a road map developed by the City of Waterbury (City) to facilitate the transformation of the Freight Street District into a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood. The Freight Street District totals approximately 70 acres and is located adjacent to the region’s most critical transportation infrastructure, including I-84, Route 8, and the Waterbury Branch rail line. Over the last four years, the City has made tremendous strides in improving infrastructure in the area, including the reconstruction of Freight Street, the extension of Jackson Street, and streetscape improvements on Meadow Street that will link the Freight Street District with Downtown Waterbury. Similarly, proposed improvements on the Waterbury Branch rail line present an opportunity for future transit-oriented development. The redevelopment of the Freight Street District complements ongoing revitalization efforts in Downtown Waterbury, including its adjacency to the Naugatuck Greenway trail.
 

Site specific end-use includes a mixed-use development with both market-rate and affordable housing.

Project Type: Demolition, overseen by Tighe & Bond, began in October 2023.

143 Wolcott Road, Wolcott

Project Type: Assessment

Activities: The town has requested assistance obtaining a Phase I environmental site assessment. NVCOG has secured a site access agreement. DTE, the selected environmental firm has produced a phase I report. 

Project Status: NVCOG staff is assisting the Town to facilitate a property transfer. 

300 Broad Street, Bristol

Project type: Assessment

Activities: The Regional Brownfield Partnership has awarded 300 Broad Street Properties LLC. $83,000 in petroleum assessment funds to conduct environmental assessment activities inside the combined 175,000 foot facility and surrounding footprint. The site was historically used for a variety of manufacturing and industrial purposes. The century-old manufacturing complex was constructed in 1915 by Wallace Barnes Company and last occupied by Theis Precision Steel until 2019. The now-vacant parcel was acquired by private developers in 2022. A conceptual RAP, supported by Phase II and Phase III reports valued expected remedial costs between $1 million and $3 million. Once complete, the property owners intend to rehabilitate existing interior space to modern manufacturing, industrial, and warehouse facilities. Invested funds are expected to leverage several million dollars in private funding and create dozens of full-time, high-paying jobs.  

Project Status: NVCOG has secured an award of $3.7 million from the Department and Economic and Community Development to abate and remediate four existing buildings on the 23-acre site. Preliminary meetings will take place throughout the summer with the property owners, DECD, and NVCOG staff. 

67-71 Minerva Street, Derby

 

Project Type: Assessment

Activities: NVCOG’s Revolving Loan Fund Committee awarded the city of Derby $293,000 to conduct remedial activities at a former and currently vacant autobody shop. The site is located along the Naugatuck River, within a Transportation Oriented Development area and in close proximity to other downtown redevelopment projects. Supplemented by a $650,000 grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), these grants will leverage approximately $15 million in private investments to build a mixed-use space with 90 high-quality one and two-bedroom apartments with ground-floor commercial space and additional parking. 

 

Project Status: Derby has signed an agreement with BL Companies to oversee the remaining remedial activities. The Developer, Cedar Village Minerva Square, and Brennan Construction have selected a contractor to complete abatement and construction services. Work is expected to begin in September. All parties have signed a financial assistance proposal with DECD.

 

Public Meeting: NVCOG held a public meeting to present key updates on upcoming work and answer public inquiries about the project. The presented documents are available below. 

 

67-71 Minerva & 47 Caroline St. Derby CPR

67-71 Minerva Street, 147 Caroline Street ABCA

698 South Main Street, Waterbury

Project Type: Cleanup Planning

Activities: NVCOG’s Revolving Loan Fund Committee has awarded the Waterbury Development Corporation a subgrant for $277,000, joining an initial award of $200,000 to facilitate cleanup planning and remedial activities at 698 South Main Street, Waterbury. This property, nestled between the Naugatuck and Mad Rivers, was once the campus of the Anamet network of factory buildings. The City of Waterbury’s plan for this site includes repurposing the 200,000-square-foot building back into light industrial, rebuilding with mixed-use, and adding a 0.45-mile expansion of the Naugatuck River Greenway, a multi-use trail that will provide opportunities for exercise, active transportation, and recreation while raising property values and connecting regional economic corridors. The Anamet complex is the subject of extensive ongoing investment, including $10,000,000 from state and local partners. Once completed, the site is expected to yield $100,000,000 in private investment.  

Project Status:  Environmental assessment activities within the high-bay building are complete and ongoing across the site. Remedial activities have commenced. The City has demolished the remaining three buildings on site. An RFP for a developer has been completed, with responses currently under review. 

526 North Main Street, Waterbury

Project Type: Assessment

Activities:  The Regional Brownfield Partnership has awarded

NEST, formerly the Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury a $100,000 subgrant for environmental assessment activities at 526 North Main Street, Waterbury. Data will be used to determine the scope of required remediation on-site. The proposed redevelopment of this former industrial site consists of a 100+ unit apartment building with commercial space on the first two floors. NVCOG’s portion of environmental testing is complete; however, the Neighborhood Housing Services of Waterbury have decided to fund supplemental testing to close out data gaps privately. Elevated levels of

PCBs, PAHs, and asbestos have been identified. 


Project Status: Assessment work is complete. The Neighborhood Housing Services is closing remaining data gaps while the environmental firm Arcadis prepares the site to become eligible for supplemental funding from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. 

359 Mill Street, Waterbury (Brass City Harvest)

 

Project Type: Cleanup Planning

Activities: The Revolving Loan Fund Committee of NVCOG has awarded the Waterbury Development Corporation a $86,000 sub-grant to assist with State remedial closeout requirements at 359 Mill Street, Waterbury. The Site, also known as the Brass City Harvest, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that uses urban agriculture to build self-reliance skills, empower residents to modify their dietary behaviors, and increase fresh food access points in the community. This food hub now infuses more than 200,000 pounds of fresh, locally grown food into the community each year. 

 

Recently, NVCOG granted a supplemental award of $285,000 to conduct cleanup planning at two adjacent, vacant parcels at Lot #19 and 777 South Main Street. Once remediated, these parcels will house an expanded marketplace and new greenhouses. Environmental requirements include groundwater sampling and monitoring, as well as closeout reports.

 

Project Status: The Waterbury Development Corporation has secured the environmental firm to complete Phase II of the

project, including remedial design and soil and groundwater remediation on Lot #19 and 777 South Main Street. Phase I of remedial activities have been completed. Phase II will begin in late summer 2023.