Stamford, Connecticut: Running
Whole Hog into Brownfields
Cleanup
Stamford, CT
T
A h
he South End community in Stamford, Connecticut is now
enjoying the sound of successful redevelopment, through the patented
sound of Harley-Davidson's engines. With the cooperation of the city,
EPA, a private developer, and the community, a new Harley-Davidson
dealership and maintenance facility replaced formerly abandoned lots in
Stamford's industrial community. The project represents a $1.8 million
investment of the dealership owner's own funding for purchasing and
redeveloping the site. This investment in one of Stamford's poorest
communities will result in a cleaner environment, up to 10 new jobs for
residents, and increased tax revenues for the city.
The cooperative effort that led to this success story illustrates why
Stamford was selected as a Showcase Community in 1998. Showcase
Communities are selected by the Brownfields National Partnership to
demonstrate that through cooperation, federal, state, local, and private
efforts can be concentrated around brownfields to restore these sites,
stimulate economic development, and revitalize communities. Showcase
Communities serve as models for broad-based cooperative efforts to
support locally based initiatives. Showcases receive up to $400,000
from EPA for both environmental assessments and to support the loan
of a federal employee to the Showcase for up to three years.
Showcase Communities receive additional financial and technical
support from the Partnership's more than 20 federal partners, depending
on the community need and program eligibility.
The road to success in the South End community began in early 1999,
when Blues Brothers, LLC, the company that owns the Harley-
Davidson franchise in Stamford, began looking for a place to relocate
and expand its existing showroom. An abandoned .75-acre site a few
blocks from the showroom looked promising, but the property's former
uses as a machine shop and printing and engraving facility meant that
environmental assessments were needed to determine whether any
contamination existed. Blues Brothers funded a series of site
assessments from March-June 1999 that revealed the presence of
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, arsenic, chromium, and other
metals. Although the company was only required to clean up the
property to Connecticut's commercial standards, Blues Brothers was
committed to working with the city's Brownfields Cleanup Revolving
continued f\
The abandoned former machine
shop site, prior to redevelopment.
JUST THE FACTS:
• With assistance from a $ 160,000
BCRLF loan, Blues Brothers
removed 3,500 tons of soil from the
site, at a total cost of $395,000.
• Additional brownfields targeted by
Stamford's Showcase Community
include a 40-acre former utilities site
that will be reused for offices,
housing, and a new marina and ferry
terminal; a 12-acre former fuel depot
being converted into a $50 million,
390,000-square-foot development of
luxury rental units; and a new urban
transitway that will accommodate
future redevelopment and
rehabilitation projects within the area.
With the cooperation of the city,
EPA, a private developer, and the
community, a new Harley-Davidson
dealership and maintenance facility
replaced formerly abandoned lots in
Stamford's industrial community. The
cooperative effort that led to this
success story illustrates why
Stamford was selected as a
Showcase Community in 1998 by the
Brownfields National Partnership.
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Loan Fund (BCRLF) award team (Stamford received a $750,000 BCRLF grant from EPA to establish
this fund) to clean up the site to residential standards, to allow for broader future reuse options for the
property. With assistance from a $160,000 BCRLF loan, Blues Brothers removed 3,500 tons
of soil from the site, at a total cost of $395,000 ($45,000 of which was paid by the
seller when contamination exceeded estimates). Using its own funds, the
company also gutted an existing brick building on the site, maintaining its
wide plank floors and overhead exposed beams, and installed new
windows and lighting; the company also prepared another abandoned
building on the property for redevelopment. These two buildings are
now a service and a retail center.
CONTACTS:
For more information on EPA's Showcase
Communities, contact Tony Raia of OSWER's
Office of Brownfields Cleanup and
Redevelopment at (202) 566-2758
Or visit EPA's Brownfields Website at:
http://www.epa.aov/brownfields/
Prior to these cleanup efforts, the president of Blues Brothers attended
a neighborhood meeting to present his company's proposed cleanup and
redevelopment plans to residents. The South End Neighborhood
Revitalization Zone Task Force had been meeting for three years to
address the community's revitalization needs; Blues Brothers attended
one of the meetings to demonstrate the company's commitment to the
community and its revitalization efforts. The BCRLF Manager also
attended this meeting, encouraging Blues Brothers to participate in EPA's loan
program. Together, these groups worked tirelessly to secure funding, complete the
cleanup, and open the new dealership for business, all with the full support of the community
and the Task Force. The dealership officially opened in November 2000, and the BCRLF loan has
already been repaid.
The retail and maintenance shops that have replaced the formerly blighted, vacant property represent
a tremendous success for the impoverished community of South End. As the shiny chrome on a new
Harley motorcycle attests, this project serves as a shining example of what can be accomplished when
the community, a conscientious property owner, and local, state, and federal officials work together to
create an outcome that benefits everyone.
Additional brownfields redevelopment projects targeted by Stamford's Showcase
Community include a 40-acre former utilities site that will be reused for
offices, housing, and a new marina and ferry terminal; a 12-acre former fuel
depot being converted into a $50 million, 390,000-square-foot development
of luxury rental units; and a new urban transitway that will accommodate
future redevelopment and rehabilitation projects within the area.
The new Harley-Davidson
showroom built on the former
brownfield.
Brownfields Success Story
Stamford, CT
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105)
EPA 500-F-02-167
December 2002
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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