Insights

The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) recently announced its next round of brownfield funding. DECD is accepting applications until November 17, 2014, for grants of up to $1.5 million to qualifying municipalities and economic development agencies. DECD anticipates in the neighborhood of five awards to incentivize the continued revitalization of Connecticut's brownfield sites under the Historic Brownfield Revitalization Program.

Grants are for sites that are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places or State Register, or already a designated Local Historic Property. During this sixth round of brownfield funding, each of the qualified applicants is eligible for a grant of up to $300,000. These dollars are available for assessing environmental and structural conditions, as well as for conducting community-driven reuse visioning and planning activities. As part of this round of funding, DECD, the State Historic Preservation Office and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation will coordinate their efforts to facilitate innovative strategies for the remediation, stabilization and redevelopment of historically significant mills and other similar properties throughout the state.

The use of the funds is limited to costs associated with the investigation, assessment and reuse planning of a historically significant brownfield site. These costs may include those for (i) soil, groundwater and infrastructure investigation; (ii) site assessment; (iii) hazardous building materials surveys; and (iv) structural analysis, planning, engineering and environmental consulting.

For more information regarding this round of funding, please see DECD's Notice of Funding Availability here.

Applications must be submitted electronically via brownfields@ct.gov to DECD by 4:00 PM on Monday, November 17, 2014. Applicants should expect to participate in an in-person interview in Hartford during the week of either December 8 or 15, 2014. Funding awards will be announced in January 2015.

Questions relating to the application process for this sixth round of funding may be submitted to brownfields@ct.gov by October 27, 2014. DECD will post responses to questions received at www.ctbrownfields.gov by November 3, 2014.