Stafford
BROWNFIELDS INITIATIVE
Stafford Brownfields Program
The Town of Stafford' Brownfields Program is designed to help transform currently blighted areas into clean public spaces that the whole community can take pride in. Here, you will find information about program guidelines, activities and accomplishments. We encourage you to check back regularly to keep informed about Stafford's latest brownfields projects and upcoming milestones. The program, funded by grants received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and successful grant implementation has yielded repeat awards.
What is a Brownfields?
The EPA defines a brownfield site as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contamination.” Why is this of interest to property owners and developers? Brownfields are also development and revitalization opportunities. Common contaminants include asbestos, lead paint, hydrocarbon spillages, solvents, and pesticides. If the land is properly cleaned up and the contamination is remediated, the site can safely be used for other purposes. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment.
Public Hearing & Public Comment Period
A public hearing concerning the draft Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at 6:30 pm at the Stafford Community Center, located at 3 Buckley Highway, Stafford, Connecticut. A summary of tasks accomplished under the FY19 EPA Brownfields Town-Assessment Grant will also be presented at this time. Comments concerning the draft ABCA may be presented at the public meeting or forwarded to Amber Wakley, Director of the Grants & Community Development, at amberw@staffordct.org or at Warren Memorial Town Hall, 1 Main Street, Stafford, CT 06076. Please use the subject line "Cleanup Draft ABCA Comment." and submit by Monday, October 16, 2023, at 4:30 p.m.
Public Hearing Documents:
Notice of Public Hearing
draft Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) - 2023
draft Community Relations Plan
Participation Options:
Members of the public and/or parties with a right and/or requirement to attend this meeting may access participation through any one of the following ways:
In Person
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6:30pm at the Stafford Community Center (3 Buckley Highway)
Remote Participation Platform
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Enter this link into your web browser to open the Zoom website: https://zoom.us/join. Enter the Webinar ID# 822 0902 7760, Passcode: 102566, as directed on the webpage and click “Join”. Follow the on-screen instructions to join the meeting;
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Participants can dial +1 309 205 3325 to join the meeting. When prompted, enter Webinar ID# 822 0902 7760, Passcode: 102566, and follow the instructions to join the meeting.
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Click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82209027760?pwd=Y0t1dlVSUCt3VzJ0Z2w5SVR0SUptUT09. Enter the Webinar ID# 822 0902 7760, Passcode: 102566, as directed on the webpage and click “Join”. Follow the on-screen instructions to join the meeting. Remote participation document
EPA’s Brownfields Program provides grants and technical assistance to
communities, states, tribes and others to assess, safely clean up and
sustainably reuse contaminated properties.
Community-Wide Assessment Funding
The Town of Stafford received a $300,000 FY19 EPA Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Grant and is currently facilitating the grant, Period of Performance: 10/1/2019 - 9/30/2023. Funds have allowed the Town to hire a qualified/licensed environmental professional (Weston & Sampson) develop a prioritized inventory of brownfield properties, establish a brownfield steering committee, prioritize needs and sites, conduct community engagement activities, and identify and quantify contaminants that exist within specific brownfield sites. Detailed outputs include: site inventory of over eleven priority Brownfields sites in the Target Areas, four Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, one Hazardous Building Material Assessment, one Phase II Environmental Site Assessment, one Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives, and two Quality Assurance Project Plan. We also conducted Cleanup and Reuse Planning Activities, attended regional and national Brownfields conferences, and published a series of public outreach surveys and materials.
Assessment Grant funds are used for:
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Site inventory and prioritization
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Community engagement
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Phase I & II Environmental Site Assessments
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Cleanup planning
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Site reuse/redevelopment planning
Town of Stafford Brownfield Program goals:
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Return vacant or underutilized properties into productive reuse
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Protect human and environmental health
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Increase tax base
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Spur job growth
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Eliminate blight
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Create usable greenspace
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Leverage additional resources
Town-Wides Assessments & Reports
Hydeville Mill - 108 Hydeville Road
Phase I Environmental Assessment
Phase II Environmental Assessment
Preliminary Cost Estimate
Structural Assessment
American Woolen - 21 Furnace Avenue
Phase I Environmental Assessment
Stafford Cleaners - 27 East Street
Phase II Environmental Assessment & HBM Survey
Additional Resources:
Assessment Workplan
Stafford Priority Sites
Brownfields Virtual Presentation
To better acquaint community members and stakeholders with the Stafford Brownfields Initiative, a virtual public presentation was held in conjunction with the Board of Selectmen’s Meeting on 12/15/2020. The presentation was designed to broaden understanding and involvement of the Brownfields Program, identify potential Brownfield sites within Stafford, and share adaptive, conceptual reuse scenarios for the former Earl M. Witt Intermediate School.
For Businesses & Developers
If you are looking to conduct any of these activities at a property in Stafford, this program is here for you. Most financial lenders require an ASTM Phase I ESA to be conducted prior to securing a loan. The Town’s Brownfields Program can walk you through this process and may be able to conduct these Phase I/Phase II and/or Hazardous Building Material Assessments for you.
The Town can also assist with cleanup and reuse planning, if needed, following the outcome of the Phase I/Phase II ESAs and/or Hazardous Building Material Assessments. The services the Town can provide can save property owners and developers anywhere from $5,000 to over $50,000. These services can also help remove the stigma and uncertainties of contamination often associated with brownfields that hinder the revitalization of these properties. Funds are intended to kick-start and assist in the redevelopment process.
Some of the significant benefits of this program for the community and private property owners include:
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Help transform blighted sites in neighborhoods.
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Encourage higher property values, create jobs, positively impact the local economy, and create safer, healthier places for us to live, work, and play.
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Help remove the stigma and unknowns associated with these properties to make them more marketable sand facilitate redevelopment.
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Provide due diligence assistance to potential purchasers of Brownfields sites.
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Opportunity to apply for state tax credits for property cleanup
For Residents
The Town selected the team of Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. to work with Stafford to implement the Brownfields program, perform community-wide education and outreach, as well as inventory, site assessment and cleanup/reuse planning activities.
The Town of Stafford is asking the community, local businesses and residents for input on the brownfields sites in the community that they are concerned about and would like to see considered as part of the assessment and cleanup / reuse planning process.
At various stages of the assessment process, the Town may sponsor community meetings to discuss the project and present findings to the public and solicit input. Notices will be posted on our website in advance of the meetings, and announcements will be emailed to residents and other interested parties. In addition, an information repository will be set up at the Town Hall, where residents and members of the public will have access to documents pertaining to the selected site, including Phase I and Phase II reports.
Stay Informed
The Town will maintain a mailing list of residents and the community stakeholders wishing to receive email updates on the grant related brownfields activities. The Town will distribute periodic updates summarizing completed and planned site activities. This mailing list will also be used to notify the public of any upcoming community meetings.
To learn more about property eligibility, contact Amber Wakley at (860) 851-8102 or amberw@staffordct.org
Helpful Links
Though this program has been funded, wholly or in part, by EPA, the contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA.