Brownfields

What is Hartford doing about its brownfields?

Hartford is working to clean up its brownfields, protecting the environment and safeguarding public health, and return them to economically productive uses. Through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative, the city and the EPA are working to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. The city's goal was to attract manufacturing and commercial industries to brownfield sites.

In 1997 the EPA selected Hartford as a National Brownfields Assessment Pilot and awarded the city $200,000. The pilot project targeted blighted and deteriorated sites in three Hartford neighborhoods-Sheldon/Charter Oak, Upper Albany, and Clay Arsenal-areas where the EPA determined that perceptions of environmental contamination had impeded economic development. Unemployment rates in these target areas ranged from 15 to 24 percent, and minorities constituted 80 to 99 percent of the population.

In this initial program, Hartford, with funding from the EPA and other agencies and organizations, identified more than 30 properties of community concern. In March 2000 the EPA gave Hartford $150,000 in supplemental assistance to target four sites for assessment and/or development of cleanup plans. The goal is ultimately to transfer the restored properties back to the city's tax rolls.

Aquaponic Greenhouse and Community Organic Garden Project

This community partnership is converting a brownfield in North Hartford into a greenfield that will produce fish, crayfish (similar to lobsters), and organic vegetables for families in the community. The project consists of two parts: a 60' by 40' greenhouse and a community garden for organic produce.

The greenhouse is being constructed by the University of Connecticut and will house tanks for growing three layers of foodstuffs: fish for local sale, crayfish (known as redclaw lobsters) for restaurant use, and leafy green vegetables to be distributed free to senior citizens. The garden site will be planted, weeded, and harvested by volunteers and local youth workers, who will then distribute the organically grown vegetables free to senior citizens.

Photo courtesy of: ONE/CHANE

Groundbreaking for aquaponic greenhouse,
August 2000

This project was organized by ONE/CHANE, with support from the University of Connecticut's Environmental Research Institute, the City of Hartford, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and many community organizations, local businesses, and city residents.

This project serves several purposes in the City of Hartford:

For further information, contact:
Kevin P. Hood
Environmental Research Institute
University of Connecticut
Longley Building
270 Middle Turnpike, Unit 5210
Storrs, CT 06269-5210
860-486-2546

Who is helping Hartford?

Work on Hartford's brownfields has enlisted the cooperation of numerous local, state, and federal organizations, including the following:

Local
Hartford Health Department
Hartford 2000 and Neighborhood Revitalization Zones
Trinity College
Knox Park Foundation
Co-Opportunity
Concerned Citizens to Save the Sheldon Charter Oak Neighborhood
SAND
Parkville Business Association
House of Bread Soup Kitchen

State
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

Federal
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Brownfields Tax Incentive in Hartford

Under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (the Brownfields Tax Incentive), a taxpayer may be able to deduct qualified remediation expenses spent to clean up a property if the property is within any one of four targeted areas. The environmental cleanup cost deduction provides individuals and businesses with an incentive to clean up certain sites that are contaminated with a hazardous substance. An individual or business can choose to deduct certain cleanup costs in the year they are paid instead of recovering these costs by either:

1. Taking depreciation deductions, if allowed, over several years, or

2. Reducing the taxable gain when the property is sold or exchanged.

http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/html-doc/eligible.htm

What is Hartford doing about its brownfields?

Since 1997 the following brownfield sites have been identified:

Location	Area	Status
Active development/cleanup activities
Site to be evaluated with other funds
Colt Park South A-1e(3)	1.74 acres	Phases I and II are complete. Developer for new light manufacturing company has been nominated and will perform remediation, estimated to cost approximately $60,000.
Colt Park South A-2(E) 2B	3.46 acres	Phases I and II are complete for this former landfill. Cost to remediate could approach $13.5 million.
Colt Park South A-2d	6.4 acres	Phases I and II are complete. Hartford Redevelopment Agency has nominated Co-Opportunity to develop 64,000 square feet as a manufacturing and training facility. Plan is to employ 50 people and train 52. Cost to construct: $3.4 million; cost to remediate using State of Connecticut Urban Sites funds: $1.4 million.
166–172 Wethersfield Avenue		Phase I has been requested by the community. Evaluation will be done using other funds. Property was sold at auction 6/10/00.
Dutch Point Housing Colony Project and Norwich Street		Phase I completed for City-owned pieces: 17–23 Norwich Street: potential underground storage tank 36, 40 Norwich Street: no evidence of prior contamination 107–115 Wyllys Street: no evidence of prior contamination
Capewell Manufacturing Site		Soil remediation complete; interior building contamination remains (estimated cleanup cost of $1.3 million). Development of 105-unit housing unit has been proposed. Tax revenue bonds from the Hartford Redevelopment Agency of approximately $15 million, HOME loan of $1.3 million.
Sheldon Street Parking Lot Parcel C-1		Phase I is complete. Site is part of Adriaen’s Landing.
Riverfront Access		Strong commitment from community to develop as part of Adriaen’s Landing
Colt Firearm Complex	17 acres	Remedial action plan: Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development has funded $5 million.
43–57 Huyshope Avenue		Not active
270 Huyshope Avenue	2.4 acres	Phase I is complete. Phase II is being conducted with non-EPA funds. Site may be contaminated with coal residue and volatile organic compounds. City has funds to purchase this site for minor league baseball stadium. It is also listed on the CCEDA demolition list. Phase III for remediation to be developed soon. Potential to use CCEDA funds for remediation.
295 Huyshope Avenue	2 acres	Recycling facility.
North Meadows Block 6	6 acres	Phase II is being conducted with non-EPA funding.
North Meadows Block 8	7 acres	Phase II is being conducted with non-EPA funding.
North Meadows C-3a – New Road	4.98 acres	Phase I is complete. A geophysical evaluation for retail development is being conducted, and a developer has been identified.
SAND Parcels C-2 and H-2
SAND Parcel D-1		Phase II has been completed with SEP/clean site/development proceeding
SAND Parcel G	4.3 acres	Phases I and II are complete. Neighborhood has expressed a commitment to develop this site. A remedial action plan is needed.
17–73 Albany Avenue Hartford Lumber Yard Buildings (20 and 84 Chestnut Street)	6.4 acres	17–73 Albany Avenue: Phases I and II were previously performed. 20 Chestnut Street: City performed asbestos abatement in 1999 on fire-damaged building.
Chestnut/Edwards Urban Agriculture site	1.74 acres	Phase II is complete and cleanup is under way. Cleanup funding is coming from SEP from the City of Hartford ($108,000); CDBG ($100,000); and Kellogg Foundation ($38,000) through Trinity College. A portion of the site was cleaned with SEP; remainder of site requires stump removal and retesting.
435–467 Albany Avenue	24,000 square feet	Phase I is complete. Market study is complete. Retail development requested by community does not look feasible at this time without major funding.
430 Albany Avenue	1.15 acres	Remediation was performed in 1992. Post-remediation testing shows no contamination over the RSR’s on site. State of Connecticut has approved $600,000 grant to develop 12,800-square-foot retail plaza. Community has been waiting 11 years for this development to proceed.
Homestead Avenue Corridor 393 Homestead 424 Homestead 441–455 Homestead Sigourney /Homestead Project 2 complete/2 pending	4–20 acres	393 Homestead Avenue: Phase I is complete and shows evidence of contamination on site. A Connecticut DEP inspection in March 2000 revealed numerous problems. Building is on CCEDA demolition list and will be demolished. Soil will be tested using EPA funds and building will be tested using CCEDA funds. 424 Homestead Avenue: this abandoned auto repair operation contains many barrels of stored contaminants. The Connecticut DEP issued a notice of violation in June 2000. 441– 455 Homestead Avenue: illegal raw sewage was dumped in the rear of this dog kennel operation. The Connecticut DEP issued a notice of violation in June 2000. Sigourney/Homestead Project (9 properties): 3 Phase I assessments have been contracted for.
17–35 Bartholomew Avenue	1.15 acres	Phase I is complete; Phase II is ready for contract. When the building on this site was demolished, workers discovered an underground tunnel that reaches under the roadway and into the building across the street.
169 Bartholomew Avenue	1–2 acres	This site, which is privately owned, is adjacent to a new bus rapid transit line.
189 Bartholomew Avenue	5.8 acres	This site, which is privately owned, has been combined with site X for business expansion. It is adjacent to a new bus rapid transit line.
201 Bartholomew Avenue	12.2 acres	Cleanup is complete, and business expansion is underway.
45 Olive Street	25000 square feet	This site is privately owned.
156–158, 160–161 Bartholomew Avenue		Building preservation will be undertaken with state funds. Properties were sold at city auction in June 2000.
Pope Park Highway #4	1.5 acres	Phase I is complete. Phase II proposes open space and a bicycle/pedestrian path. Open space portion of the EPA application was not funded.
143–153 Hamilton Street		Site has been leased for a highway billboard and is no longer considered an active development site

As of July 1, 2000, the city had completed 18 Phase I environmental site assessments (ESAs) and had contracted for 2 more. The city had also completed 9 Phase II assessments, using EPA and other funding. One Phase III remedial action plan had been contracted for. A Phase I Assessment is done to determine the historical use of the property, or how it has been used in the past. Information from a Phase I Assessment is then used to formulate a Phase II Assessment, which includes testing the property's soil, water, and/or air. This information is then used to determine cleanup options that are detailed in the Phase III remedial action plan.

As a result of brownfields work to date, the city has added value to its real estate and improved its policies regarding the environmental conditions of abandoned and foreclosed properties.