File photo
A range of real estate developments and infrastructure projects landed a total of $99 million in grant funding via the State Bond Commission.
Gov. Ned Lamont, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Speaker of the House Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) announced the recipients of money from the Community Investment Fund 2030 grant program Thursday. It’s anticipated the program will release up to $875 million in grants over a five-year period. Eligible projects include capital improvements, such as those focused on affordable housing, brownfield remediation, infrastructure, and public facilities, as well as small business support programs that provide revolving loans, gap financing, microloans, or start-up financing.
“The Community Investment Fund was established last year to improve the economic vibrancy of historically underserved neighborhoods,” Lamont said in a statement released by his office. “Over the next several years, this program will be responsible for providing an incredible amount of opportunities for Connecticut’s cities and towns to revitalize their economic base and chart a path of equitable growth. Each of these projects supports this goal, and I am glad we’ve been able to get them approved.”
Real estate developments that recieved grants included:
Project Name: “Naugatuck Industrial Park Phase III”
Municipality: Naugatuck
Award Amount: $3,000,000
Description: CIF funding will facilitate the redevelopment of the 86-acre site formerly known as the Uniroyal Chemical/United States Rubber Company, located at 0 Elm St., Naugatuck. Funds will be utilized for the construction of permanent and temporary access roads to prepare the site for development.
Project Name: “Civic Block”
Municipality: Bridgeport
Award Amount: $3,500,000
Description: CIF funds will aid the completion of the East End development known as Civic Block. Funds will be used to complete construction to create 35,000 square feet of retail space, including a grocery store in a neighborhood that is currently a food desert.
Project Name: “Re-development of 55 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Drive”
Municipality: Norwalk
Award Amount: $8,000,000
Description: CIF will fund site infrastructure to replace a 5-acre city-owned parking lot with a mixed-income, mixed-use, transit-oriented development. The development is slated for approximately 472 units of new housing, 40,000 square feet of commercial space, a public space including a pedestrian promenade and 25,000-square-foot public park, as well as public and commuter parking.
Project Name: “Oak Grove Apartments and Learning Center”
Municipality: Norwalk
Award Amount: $1,800,000
Description: This CIF award will facilitate the development of a 7.6-acre site into Oak Grove, a 69-unit affordable housing development. The development will also feature a 5,000-square-foot learning center, which will serve both the Oak Grove residents and the adjacent 200-unit Colonial Village apartment complex, providing after-school programs for kindergartners through fifth-graders to support working parents and caregivers.
Project Name: “Business Park North”
Municipality: Norwich
Award Amount: $11,391,193
Description: CIF funding will construct an arterial roadway, pedestrian/bike lane, bus stops and stormwater management, as well as utility installation and upgrades. This work will facilitate the access to, and construction of, 12 sites hosting buildings ranging from 9,000 square feet to 500,000 square feet for warehouse, manufacturing, distribution, office space, and research and development uses.
Project Name: “41 – 45 Stillwater Avenue”
Municipality: Stamford
Award Amount: $2,450,000
Description: CIF will fund the construction of 39 new affordable, supportive housing units in a 4-story, 38,833-square-foot structure. The project will provide a mix of one-bedroom, two- bedroom and three-bedroom units to serve individuals and families. Ground floor office space in the building will house Pacific House headquarters and case management services for tenants.
