State grant may equal more housing in Newhallville

275 Winchester Ave. in New Haven is seen in this file photo. 275 Winchester Ave. in New Haven is seen in this file photo. Photo: File Photo Photo: File Photo Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close State grant may equal more housing in Newhallville 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

NEW HAVEN — The Science Park Development Corp. has been awarded a $200,000 state grant for the environmental assessment of the fomer Winchester Repeating Arms Co.

David Silverstone, the chairman of the board of the corporation, said the plan is to bring in a developer to finish the rest of the proposed housing at the former arms manufacturer in Newhallville.

Winchester Lofts, which was finished in 2015, is a $60 million conversion to 158 apartments that preserved much of the historic architecture for a large portion of the factory. The corporation had signed a deal with Forest City for the plan in 2008, just before the Great Recession delayed it for years.

Silverstone said the state money would be used to determine how big a reclamation job they will face in carrying out the second phase of housing at 275 Winchester Ave. up to Mansfield Street. He said they have identified a new developer, but he would not say who it is.

Silverstone said it would be a lot cheaper to tear down the remaining factory, but the corporation wants to save it using federal grants and historic tax credits. Silverstone said they failed to get money to do the actual remediation, but they will keep trying.

The chairman said 80 percent of the large industrial site has been reclaimed over the years with going research businesses thriving there.

The grant is part of $3.6 million in state funding announced by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Wednesday to 11 projects in eight Connecticut municipalities to assess, remediate and revitalize blighted properties in their communities - also known as “brownfields” - and put them back into productive use. These projects encompass 59 acres of redevelopment, the governor’s office said in the release.

“The redevelopment of brownfields presents a huge economic potential,” Malloy said in the release. “Over the past eight years we have done just that, and today thousands of acres of once contaminated former industrial land and buildings have been repurposed to meet the needs of today’s businesses and communities. Brownfield remediation benefits neighbors, local economies, and the environment, and this round of funding will make our cities and towns better, more vibrant places to live and work.”

Under this week’s round of funding announcements, a total of $2.95 million will be awarded to seven remediation and redevelopment projects. An additional $625,000 will be awarded for four assessment projects for future revitalization. All funds will be awarded through the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

Since Malloy took office in 2011, state investments of approximately $206 million have supported over 234 brownfield projects across 72 municipalities, remediating 3,062 acres and leveraging approximately $3.2 billion in non-DECD funds. In addition, these investments are helping create more than 3,000 permanent and 15,000 construction jobs, according to the release.

“Brownfield investments like the ones we are announcing today are a central part of the state’s larger plan to spur economic growth at the local level, and the positive impacts are wide-ranging,” DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith said in the release. “They help create jobs, address contamination issues, reverse blight, support new housing development and promote transit-oriented development - just to name a few.”

The remediation of brownfield sites are a win not only for the economy, but the environment as well, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Rob Klee said.

“Brownfields are a wise choice for redevelopment, as they already have the infrastructure in place to support new growth, reduce the need to develop valuable open space, with the added benefit of cleaning up the environment,” Klee said in the release.