Torrington’s Revitalization Gets A Boost From State Funding

My hometown of Torrington has been tirelessly fighting the aging infrastructure and brownfield remediation battle to make things better for all of us residents, and a new round of grants from the state should help.

According to ct.gov and the Office of Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, $28.2 million dollars in state grants from the Connecticut DECD Brownfield Remediation and Development Program will be released 13 towns and cities around Connecticut to support the assessment and remediation of 16 blighted properties.

West Hartford will receive the largest single grant of $6,000,000 in order to clean up a 33.9-acre site on Asylum Avenue, while Enfield, Greenwich, and Shelton will each receive grants of $4,000,000. Enfield's grant will go towards demolition and hazmat abatement of the Enfield Square Shopping Center, while Watertown received $200,000 for work around the old Oakville Pin Shop property.

Torrington will receive a $800,000 grant for the city to clean up the 7.54-acre 24,000 square foot former site of the Torrington Company/Excelsior Needle Company at 59 Field Street. Funds will be used to demolish a two-story building, paving, and the creation of additional parking. Torrington also received two $200,000 grants, one intended for the assessment of the former Torrington Standard Plant at 52 Norwood Street, and the other for a comprehensive brownfield assessment and redevelopment strategy for the North end of Main Street. My suggestion? Buy some rat traps and poison, supposedly the rats are back.

In total, the hope is that this round of state grants will lead to the creation of 835 housing units, of which 157 will be designated as affordable.