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Connecticut to spend $23.8 million to remediate 22 blighted properties

State Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield), moderating a coastal resiliency forum at McKinley School in Fairfield on Thursday June 22, 2023.
Ebong Udoma
/
WSHU
State Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield), moderating a coastal resiliency forum at McKinley School in Fairfield on Thursday, June 22, 2023.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has approved $23.8 million in state funding to remediate 22 blighted properties in 15 cities and towns across the state.

The aim is to clean up old, polluted, blighted properties and put them back into productive use.

The investment is being made through the Department of Economic and Community Development. It is expected to leverage about $862 million in private funding for the rehabilitation of the 22 properties.

One of the properties is a 4.9-acre former Bullard Machine Tool Company site in Fairfield that is receiving a $3 million grant.

“This is a great example of reclaiming contaminated soil, cleaned up, and to be able to do derestricted housing, and in a community, in a setting, where you can have all the amenities — transportation, retail, commerce," said state Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield), who represents the district.

“The part that I’m so excited about is that it is going to be a mixed-use commercial and derestricted residence."

The site will enable a transit-oriented mixed-use development that will include 240 residential units — 20% of the units would be affordable and 80% would be area median income. It is located near Metro-North Railroad’s Fairfield Metro station.

As WSHU Public Radio’s award-winning senior political reporter, Ebong Udoma draws on his extensive tenure to delve deep into state politics during a major election year.