EAST HARTFORD – Senator Tim Larson (D-East Hartford) and Rep. Jeff Currey (D-East Hartford/Manchester/South Windsor) welcomed a state grant to remediate and revitalize a blighted property in East Hartford. The $200,000 state grant will be used to abate hazardous building materials in a former public housing site on a 1.4-acre parcel at 590 Burnside Avenue.
“Projects like these are always welcome to the neighborhood here in East Hartford” Sen. Larson said. “Keeping ahead of blight helps keep our neighborhoods safe, boosts property values, and creates a sense of pride in our community. I look forward to the completion of this project.”
“Revitalizing blighted properties is a smart economic investment that creates a positive ripple effect for the whole neighborhood,” Rep. Currey said. “I’m glad that the town can now begin cleaning up the property and attracting private investment. I look forward to seeing what the future of this property holds.”
East Hartford is one of 14 municipalities in Connecticut to be awarded state funding to assess, remediate and revitalize blighted properties in their communities. A total of $13.6 million is being distributed across the state, Governor Dannel Malloy announced Monday. The projects encompass 89 acres of redevelopment across Connecticut.
For every dollar the state has invested in brownfield redevelopment, non-state partners have invested or will invest $11.41. Since 2012, the State of Connecticut has invested more than $220 million in brownfield redevelopment, resulting in the creation of more than 3,000 permanent jobs and over 15,000 construction jobs in the state.
Monday’s round of funding announcements includes a total of $12.1 million that will be awarded to eight remediation and redevelopment projects, totaling just over 34 acres. An additional $1.5 million will be awarded to eight assessment projects that will prepare for the future revitalization of additional properties, consisting of almost 52 acres. All of the funds will be awarded through the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).
For more information about DECD’s brownfield redevelopment programs, visit www.ctbrownfields.gov.