Remediation assessment for Collins Co. site boosted by state grant

Updated on Thursday, Dec. 5

By John Fitts

Staff Writer

CANTON – Funding to refine environmental cleanup assessment at the axe factory site was among the state grants awarded through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program this week.

On Dec. 4, Gov. Ned Lamont announced $20 million in funding for 21 blighted properties in the state.

The Town of Canton received $200,000 for “Environmental Site Assessment, Remedial Action Plan, geotechnical investigations, market study and building infrastructure needs assessment,” at the 19.3-acre Collins Co. site, which was home to the world-famous edge tool manufacturer from 1826 to the mid 1960s. Today, dozens of small business, manufacturers and artisans operate on site but some buildings are uninhabitable, and infrastructure is aging rapidly.

Lisa and Merritt Tilney, principals at Collinsville Redevelopment Company (CRC) and daughters of complex owner “Rusty” Tilney, are looking to remediate the site, update its infrastructure, modernize utilities, raze some dilapidated structures, renovate some 20 buildings, and construct three new structures in a mixed-use plan that includes uses such as light industrial, retail, office and as many as 290 housing units. The plan also includes community spaces, connections to Main Street, green initiatives and more and the two are seeking both private equity and public funding.  

On Oct. 16 the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a site plan for the project. While far from the only regulatory approvals needed, it and a wetlands permit granted earlier this year, were important steps in the project. (As previously reported by the Valley Press, a neighboring property owner has filed an appeal of the Oct. 16 decision, an action the town’s attorney is seeking to have dismissed based on the timing of the action).

It's a complex project with many moving parts but environmental cleanup is crucial. In 2023, GZA Environmental completed a Phase III environmental Draft Conceptual Remediation Action Plan and preliminary Cost estimate for the site.

A preliminary cost analysis in that draft estimates cleanup for ground contamination between $2.2 and $3.4 million. Additionally, buildings include lead-based paint, asbestos and PCB window glazing that would require abatement when renovated.

According to a draft report, soil contaminants requiring remediation include

lead, arsenic, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). Some of the historic causes for the contaminants were petroleum storage tanks, lead based paint on building exteriors, coal storage and coal ash fill. Much of that came from Collins Co. activities, as listed in the application, such as “steel hardening, tempering grinding, tumbling, polishing, molding, machining, and pattern making.” Many also contend some contamination came from more recent activities.

With an approved site plan, environmental assessors to home in on a more refined remediation plan for the property, said Neil Pade, Canton’s director of Planning and Community Development.

“It takes the conceptual remediation action plan and refines it based on the presently approved plan of development for the site,” Pade said.

“CRC has been working on a redevelopment plan for the site since February 2023 and has signed an Option Agreement to purchase the site from At Collinsville,” one part of the application states. “While the conceptual redevelopment plans for the restoration of 20 historic buildings, as well as construction of 224 apartments (15 % affordable) and 64 condominiums, this application targets finalizing the RAP and cost estimates for remediation, geotechnical information needed to restore historic bridges and canals, a market study to confirm viability of the conceptual redevelopment plan, and a building infrastructure needs assessment for existing in-use buildings.” (Editor’s note: The application was filed prior to the Planning and Zoning site plan approval).

Additionally, the town is seeking a $250,000 CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) funding from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection toward remediation.

CRC and town officials welcomed the awarding of the Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program dollars.

“The Town of Canton remains steadfast in their support of the redevelopment of the much beloved historic Collinsville Axe Factory,” said First Selectman Kevin Witkos. “Acting in accordance with our Plan of Conservation and Development, we will continue to support and apply for grants that will assist the redevelopment project to move forward. This is an exciting time, after so many starts/stops and delays that the project has already been through many land-use boards in town, state regulatory agencies and now with the acceptance of these grant funds, the site can gather the necessary information to begin the remediation process.”

State Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw said she’s had numerous conversations about the project and is grateful that state leaders are listening. She said that sometimes people aren’t aware of just how important the project is to the goal of preserving the buildings on the site.

“I’m grateful to the governor and DECD for prioritizing this because obviously there are many brownfield sites in the state but in terms of Canton being able to move forward with this project and the developers, especially, being able to move forward with the project, this is a really great step,” Kavros DeGraw said.

“We are thrilled the Town received the DECD assessment grant,” Lisa and Merritt Tilney noted in a joint statement to the Valley Press. “This is a great next step in the site remediation effort and redevelopment overall.”

Below is the full state press release, which we originally shared on Dec. 4.

HARTFORD – Governor Ned Lamont today (12-4-24) announced that he has approved a series of state grants totaling $20 million that will be used to support the remediation and redevelopment of 21 blighted properties consisting of 150 acres of contaminated land in 18 municipalities across Connecticut. 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.

“All of these blighted properties have been vacant for years when we should be using them to grow new businesses and support the development of badly needed housing,” Governor Lamont said. “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.”

“Under the leadership of Governor Lamont, Connecticut continues to make impactful investments in our communities that are building vibrancy, creating jobs, and improving the lives of our residents,” Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe said. “This latest round of brownfield investments is noteworthy for the high amount of private investment it is leveraging and for how it is helping to address one our state’s most pressing needs – increasing the supply of quality housing.”

The grants announced today under this funding round include:

• Ansonia: $200,000 grant to the City of Ansonia for environmental, hazardous building materials, and structural assessments that will facilitate the development of cost estimates and options to repurpose the former Ansonia Opera House at 100 Main Street.

• Canton: $200,000 grant to the Town to prepare a Phase III Environmental Site Assessment, Remedial Action Plan, geotechnical investigations, market study and building infrastructure needs assessment of the 19.3-acre, former Collinsville Axe Factory located at 10 Depot Street to help further the restoration and reuse of the historic mill properties for housing development.

• Cornwall: $200,000 grant to the Northwest Hills Council of Governments to conduct assessment activities on a 12.38-acre parcel, formerly known as 282 Kent Road to study the feasibility for redevelopment for affordable housing.

• Cromwell: $3,000,000 grant to the Town of Cromwell for abatement, demolition, and remediation activities at 100 Berlin Road, formerly the site of the Red Lion Hotel. The cleanup will enable the redevelopment of the 12.74-acre property into a 254-unit mixed-use development.

• East Haven and New Haven: $200,000 grant to the two municipalities to continue the assessment of the privately-owned, 21.47-acre Coppola Metals Property located at 201 and 181 Russell Street in New Haven and 201 Russell Street in East Haven. The site was formerly used as a scrapyard and has sat vacant and highly contaminated for more than 20 years.

• Enfield: $4,000,000 grant to the Town of Enfield for remediation activities on the 3.24-acre site at 33 North River Street, former home of the power plant for Bigelow Carpet Manufacturing. Plans include a 160-unit multifamily residential complex and transit-oriented development on the site.

• Hartford: $162,125 grant to the City of Hartford for the assessment of eight properties across the city totaling 2.36 acres. Potential end uses for the vacant lots and abandoned buildings include residential development, a public library branch, social service operations through the House of Bread, and a digital inclusion center.

• Hartford: $987,000 grant to the Connecticut Brownfield Land Bank, Inc. to abate hazardous building materials on the properties located at 20 and 30 Trinity Street and remove an underground storage tank. Plans are to adaptively reuse and repurpose the former state-owned buildings for a 104-unit mixed-income residential and transit-oriented development.

• Naugatuck: $1,375,000 grant to the Borough of Naugatuck for remediation and soil management at a 7.75-acre, city-owned parking lot located at 0 Maple Street. This will enable the construction of 60 mixed-income housing units and 4,700 square feet of commercial space.

• New Haven: $186,000 grant to the City of New Haven to complete environmental investigations, hazardous building material surveys, structural assessments, and remedial design plans for two adjacent properties at 71 and 89 Shelton Avenue totaling 4.89 acres. The assessment activities will assist in developing options for reuse to attract prospective developers.

• Newtown: $610,000 grant to the Town of Newtown for 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.

• Norwich: $1,857,370 grant to the Norwich Community Development Corporation to remediate and stabilize the historic Mason House located at 68 Thermos Avenue. The Integrated Day Charter School plans to use the remediated space to expand, allowing them to provide community mental health services and host community events.

• Stamford: $950,000 grant to the Western Council of Governments to complete excavation and remediation of contaminated soil on a 3.8-acre site at 39 Woodland Avenue. Redevelopment plans include mixed-use development with 714 new units of residential housing, as well as parks and pedestrian connections to the Stamford Transportation Center and the harbor.

• Stonington: $4,000,000 grant to the Town of Stonington for abatement and remediation activities at the four-story mill property located at 21 Pawcatuck Avenue.  The cleanup of the 5.24-acre site will enable it to be repurposed into a 51-unit apartment building with limited commercial space.

• Torrington: $200,000 grant to the City of Torrington to assess two parcels totaling 21.5 acres located at 535 Migeon Avenue.  The studies will help identify potential development options on these sites along the Naugatuck Riverfront.

• Torrington: $200,000 grant to the Torrington Development Corporation for assessment of the Yankee Pedlar Inn, a 1.62-acre site located at 93 Main Street.  The assessments will help position this historical asset for future redevelopment.

• Waterbury: $550,000 grant to the Waterbury Development Corporation to complete remediation of the 0.29-acre property at 9 and 15 Branch Street. The cleanup will enable the development of the Police Activity League’s Splash Pad and Playground, consistent with the organization’s mission of fostering positive partnership between the law enforcement and the broader community.

• Waterbury: $150,320 grant to the Connecticut Brownfield Land Bank, Inc. for the assessment of the 2.37-acre William V. Begg Building site, located at 1106 Bank Street. The planned end use is to return the high-rise back to affordable housing.    

• West Hartford: $660,096 grant to the Town of West Hartford for the remediation, abatement, and partial demolition of a 1.83-acre vacant site owned by an affiliate of the West Hartford Housing Authority. The site will be redeveloped into a 49 mixed-income rental apartment complex.

• Winchester: $200,000 grant to the Northwest Hills Council of Governments to conduct environmental assessment on the 9.49-acre property located at 41 and 3 Meadow Street. Potential plans for the site include adaptive reuse to meet the demands for small manufacturing in the area.

• Windham: $200,000 grant to the Town of Windham for the assessment of the 2.46-acre site of the former Kramer Building located at 322 Prospect Street in downtown. This work will facilitate the development of options for adaptive reuse of the building.

For more information on Connecticut’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program, visit ctbrownfields.gov.