Waterbury Development Corporation

The City of Waterbury, in partnership with the Waterbury Development Corporation team, has made significant progress on projects located in the City's Central Business District throughout the past week. Here are a few updates of our recent involvement: ★????The City and Waterbury Development Corporation are set to begin engineering design and planning for the West Main Street Utility Improvement Project. This is part of the third phase of streetscape and utility improvements in the downtown area, thanks to a ~$1,000,000 commitment from the City's Local Transportation Capital Improvement Fund. ★????Just off of West Main Street, the Exchange Place Building (24 - 30 Bank Street) has been released for purchase and sale in hopes of repurposing the vacant building into housing within the downtown area. The unique, quaint configuration of the building has sparked interest amongst developers. ★????On the opposite side of the City's Central Business District, the Sacred Heart Church Hall (13 Wolcott Street) will soon be released in a Request for Proposal to renovate the historic church into a re-entry center for former inmates. The City bought the property back in July 2024, moving quickly to repurpose the church into a community-based asset. Our organization assists with turning these economic and community development projects from ambitious ideas into actionable outcomes. Continue to check out progress in local media outlets and our page as development continues. . . . #WaterburyCT #DowntownRevitalization #CommunityDevelopment #UrbanRenewal #EconomicGrowth #InfrastructureUpgrade #HousingDevelopment #StreetscapeImprovements #LocalGovernment #SmartGrowth Photos from Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments

Exchange Place Utility Improvements Two Week Look-Ahead Schedule

In accordance with US EPA FY25 Guidelines for Brownfield Cleanup Grants, the City of Waterbury is providing the community with notice of its intent to apply for an EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant and allowing the community an opportunity to comment on the draft application prior to submission. The City of Waterbury is seeking funding by way of an EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant to further cleanup at the Freight Street Corridor (three parcels), including 170 Freight Street and 130 Freight/000 West Main Streets, Waterbury, CT 06702. The draft application for funding and the draft Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives document is available for public review on the Waterbury Development Corporation website. A virtual public meeting will take place this Wednesday, October 30, at 4 P.M. in order to discuss the draft application, draft Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives document, and consider public commentary prior to the application’s submittal. Please refer to the attached link to the WDC Website - News for further detail. https://lnkd.in/gC6qvMiG

Weekend Update on the Former Anamet Complex (698 South Main Street)! . . . This past week, proposals were due to select a development firm for the 698 South Main Street Property. Waterbury Development Corporation has been the lead project management firm overseeing the demolition and remediation work completed to date. Members of the 698 South Main Street Inc. Board Members will form a selection committee to review proposals, in an effort to repurpose this massive brownfield into a space that benefits the community. The former Anamet site, located at 698 South Main Street in Waterbury, CT, is a testament to the City's industrial legacy and the challenges encountered while transforming a once-thriving manufacturing hub into a space of placemaking and economic vitality. This massive industrial complex, which once employed hundreds, has sat vacant for decades because of the high costs associated with redevelopment, a common challenge across post-industrial cities in the U.S. and beyond. The site was entered into Connecticut’s Transfer Act in 2003, to ensure City and future seller comply with Connecticut’s Remediation Standard Regulations (RSRs), which requires the site to be fully assessed, cleaned up, and verified by the State of Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) prior to redevelopment. Waterbury Development Corporation has been involved with the ongoing environmental investigatory work, re-roofing of the High-Bay Building on site, demolition of eight former buildings, and planning of the Naugatuck River Greenway to run behind the site, all thanks to investments secured through state and federal brownfield assessment and cleanup programs. This phased redevelopment effort, while complex, offers a unique opportunity to repurpose a former economic hub into a space to better suit the existing community. See the article by Michael Puffer in the Hartford Business Journal for the most recent update on this site’s development. https://lnkd.in/eybKuNVR . . . #CityofWaterbury #EconomicDevelopment #CommunityRevitalization #UrbanRenewal #ConnecticutBrownfields #Smartgrowth

Here is the two week look-ahead schedule for Exchange Place Utility Improvements - Waterbury.

Over the past few months, our project management team has worked closely with Tighe & Bond. Inc. (Licensed Environmental Professional) and Manafort Brothers Inc. (Construction Company) to facilitate the demolition and loading/disposal of hazardous building debris of the Former Waterbury Button Factory. This historic factory (c. 1812) was known for melting brass and pewter pots into military buttons used on uniforms throughout the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Throughout the past few years, Connecticut's Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, and the Environmental Protection Agency has provided financial assistance and expertise to complete this project. The demolition and removal of these hazardous building materials will finish in the coming weeks to positively impact resident’s public health, achieve environmental justice, and drive socioeconomic mobility in the City of Waterbury. This project is another example of the #sustainablegrowth and #brownfieldredevelopment projects in Waterbury.? . . . This project was only possible because of the collaboration between local, state, and federal stakeholders. WDC is excited to continue working towards the environmental cleanup and redevelopment of this parcel, which will complement the rest of the brownfields cleanup in the Mad River Corridor! Photo Credits: Library of Congress Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments

Blast from the Past: The Bank Street - Brooklyn Neighborhood Pocket Park (909 Bank Street) Project reached full completion in June 2022. 909 Bank Street was once the site of numerous eating and drinking establishments in the densely populated Brooklyn neighborhood. A fire in 2012 burned the building that sat on that particular property. After the fire, the City/WDC secured funding from the Naugatuck Valley Council of Government (EPA) and a $1.2M Community Development Block Grant (HUD) to acquire, remediate, and redevelop this small site into a recreational playscape. The Park was dedicated to the families of Police Lieutenant Vincent Riddick and Lisa Stokes Velez.? . . . #WDC #CommunityDevelopment #Waterbury #Connecticut #Brownfields #GoodNewsFriday

While often overlooked, the functionality of our streetscapes and utilities plays an essential role in our daily lives. Over the past decade, the WDC team has worked alongside local, state, and federal stakeholders to revamp our downtown, directing much attention toward streetscape and underground utility work. These capital improvement projects are critical to spur development in the City’s Central Business District. Upon completion, these renovations will support our previous projects, including our involvement in the Waterbury Green, Prospect Street Parking Lot, East Main Street, Howland Hughes, Library Park, Palace Theater, Rectory Building, and more. Our Two-Week Look Ahead posts notify the public of weekly upgrades in the Exchange Place Phase II Utility Improvements area. Look at the map for a high-level view of past investments and current projects in our Central Business District! . . . #centralbusinessdistrict #economicdevelopment #Waterbury #WDC #projectmanagement #strategicpartnerships

https://lnkd.in/e-uABspa The search for a developer to transform the St. Mary's Grammar School into healthcare workforce housing has begun! Read this great article from the HBJ below for more detail. . . . #Economicdevelopment #workforcehousing #projectmanagement #StateLocalPartnerships #downtownrevitalization

Significant progress is being made on the establishment of the Naugatuck/Waterbury Industrial Park this week! The Inland Wetlands Permitting application will be brought up for a public hearing on Wednesday, October 2nd before the City of Waterbury’s Inland Wetlands & Watercourse Commission. This marks a major step in the planning and development of the multistory Amazon e-commerce distribution center. Last year, Bluewater Property Group received approval to extend the due diligence phase of the project, ensuring environmental impacts were fully investigated and considered during planning and development. The proposal includes a multi-story warehouse building with 652,000 sq ft footprint, 59 loading docks, 542 trailer locations and parking for 1,040 cars and six motorcycles. This project would bring a significant number of new jobs and tax revenue to Waterbury and Naugatuck. Check out these articles from this past week for more detail! . . .? Plans forge ahead for Amazon facility in Waterbury, Naugatuck | Republican-American (rep-am.com) .? #Waterbury #Naugatuck #EconomicResurgence #Connecticut #PublicPrivatePartnerships #CityofWaterbury #WDC