Gov. Dannel Malloy announced Wednesday that an $875,000 grant will go to the City of Shelton to clean up and demolish a building on a Canal Street property where an apartment complex is planned.
The grant, part of nearly $9 million in state funding announced Wednesday for remediation of old industrial properties statewide, comes from the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD) Brownfield Remediation Program.
The Planning and Zoning Commission has approved the planned redevelopment of the 1.25-acre site, which calls for about 70 new apartments there.
The Valley Indy sent an email to the property’s developer, John Guedes, Wednesday.
Once an industrial center buzzing with activity, Canal Street is being redeveloped into a residential district under a “master plan” developed by Guedes’ Primrose Companies.
James Ryan, the president of the Shelton Economic Development Corporation, said the grant is “fantastic news” for the city’s plans for downtown.
“It really helps us continue our momentum on Canal Street,” Ryan said.
In announcing the grants, Malloy said the state has plenty of old industrial properties that need to be returned to the tax rolls.
“In a new economic reality, transforming and remediating sites is so important,” Malloy said in a prepared statement. “We’re on the cutting edge of taking otherwise unusable property and transforming it into new space for businesses and residents. These strategic investments help towns and cities take abandoned, blighted, and vacant properties, and bring them back to life in order to spur new investments, new development, and new jobs for those in the communities.”
The governor’s comments echo those made by Sen. Chris Murphy last month during a tour of downtown Shelton.
The governor said that since taking office, he has committed more than $150 million to investigate, clean up, and revitalize brownfield properties statewide.
Ryan said that elsewhere downtown, a contract to demolish the long-vacant Chromium Process factory will be put out to bid this month.
Once the demolition bids come back, Ryan said officials will be tackling the issue of funding the demolition by seeking more grants.
The city has obtained about $1 million in grants for the Chromium Process project, but Mayor Mark Lauretti said last month about $600,000 more was needed.
“This is a critical path, investment that the state and city’s making in moving the ball closer to the end zone,” Ryan said.
