Newtown Scores State Grant To Clean Up Blighted Property

NEWTOWN, CT — The State of Connecticut has awarded Newtown a $610,000 for the remediation and redevelopment of a local property.

The money locally will go towards hazardous materials abatement of a 0.28-acre duplex building site at the former Fairfield Hills Campus. The buildings, which have been vacant since 1995, will house the Newtown Parks and Recreation Department and be leased for commercial use.

The grant is one of 21 pay-outs for blighted areas covering 150 acres of contaminated land in 18 municipalities across Connecticut, totaling $20 million. The funds will be used to support the costs of cleaning up these vacant properties so they can be redeveloped and put back into productive use to support economic growth and housing needs.

The grants are being released through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. These state investments are expected to leverage approximately $530 million in private investments and facilitate the creation of 1,392 units of new housing, as well as the growth of new businesses.

"This series of state grants enables us to partner with developers who will take these zombie properties and bring them back from the dead, cleaning up contaminated land and bringing life back to these neighborhoods." Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement Wednesday.