Lgn4 & Community Revitglizgtion
BROWNFIELPS SUCCESS IN NEW ENGLAND
MONADNOCK MILLS
CLAREMONT, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Property Details
Property Address: Mill and Water Streets, Claremont, NH
Property Size: Four mill buildings comprising approximately 2 acres
Former Use: Textile (Cotton) Mills
Contaminants Found: Heavy Metals, Petroleum
Current Uses: Mixed Uses Including: Hospitality Suites, Restaurant,
Residential, Commercial Space, Parking Garage
Current Owners: City of Claremont; Monadnock Development, LLC;
Sugar Mills Redevelopment Company, LLC
Project Partners
US EPA, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services,
the Project Development Team (Woven Label, LLC; Claremont Mill
Redevelopment, LLC; and the City of Claremont)
Motivation for Redevelopment: For more than 50 years, much
of Claremont's downtown had been dominated by underused and
abandoned mill buildings. Since these vacant buildings sat in the heart
of the downtown district, the city wanted to return them to productive
use and get them back on the tax rolls, in a plan to revitalize the area.
Mill buildings not only present unique challenges to redevelopment but
also provide great opportunity for historic preservation and utilizing
existing structures without demolition.
After issuing a series of Requests for Developers (RFD) the city finally
found the right timing and mix of developers to make the project work.
The city's plan targeted four mill buildings in the downtown area:
Mills 2 and 6 (Wainshal Building), the Woven Label Building, Mill 3
(Peterson Building), and the Saw Tooth building.
Property History: Located in Claremont's downtown district on the
banks of the Sugar River, the Monadnock Company's Cotton mills
were the area's primary economic engine as far back as 1837. For
years Monadnock was the largest textile manufacturer in the Upper
Connecticut River Valley, operating multiple mills and owning a
number of city buildings, until the company was dissolved in 1963.
Afterward, the company's buildings scattered to different ownerships
and varied uses.
In 2002, the city was awarded a $200,000 EPA Brownfields
Assessment grant, which it used to perform environmental site
assessment work on a number of the mill buildings in the downtown
district, and define areas where cleanup would be needed.
Project Results: Substantial cleanup was required at the Sawtooth
Mill (about $1.5 million in environmental engineering, and soil and
ground water remediation). Minimal clean up was required on the
other three mill sites. Underground storage tanks, heavy metals, and
petroleum contaminants were removed using funds from public and
private sources. In the case of the municipally owned Saw Tooth
Building, the city funded cleanup exclusively.
Funding Details
EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant: $200,000
NH DBS State Response $30,000 for site investigation and UST removal
Funding: $25,000 for environmental engineering
Private Investments: $25,000,000
Community Development Block $500,000 to developers
Grant Funding : $ 1,000,000 to the City
Historic and New Market Tax Credits: Mills 2 and 6 (Wainshal Building)
Project Highlights
City partnered with the development team and NH DES to get all
four mill buildings redeveloped for various reuses
City preserved historic features on the Saw Tooth Building (named
for its saw tooth roof design)
City-owned Saw Tooth Building will satisfy the parking demand
created by the other redeveloped buildings
Mills 2 and 6 (Wainshal Building): Mills 2 and 6 were redeveloped by
Monadnock Redevelopment, LLC for a variety of new uses. The first
two floors host a number of hospitality suites, and the third and fourth
floors are occupied by the Red River Computer Company, which played
a key role in the project's planning and execution.
Woven Label: The Woven Label Building was redeveloped by Woven
Label, LLC and features a restaurant on the first floor and hospitality
rooms on its upper level. Adjacent to the Woven Label Building, the
city constructed a $1.3 million pedestrian bridge across the Sugar River,
and a new city park. The bridge serves as the gateway to the city's new
historic mill district.
Mill 3 (Peterson Building): Sugar River Mills Redevelopment
Company, LLC, owner of Mill 3, has cleaned up and restored the mill
with new, energy efficient windows installed throughout the building.
ReArch Company, LLC plans to construct a number of condominium
units in the building, while leaving the first two floors open for
commercial space.
Saw Tooth Building: The City of Claremont plans to complete
redevelopment of the Saw Tooth Building in November 2009,
transforming the building into commercial units and a multi-level
parking garage that will satisfy parking needs for the other three
redeveloped buildings. The city took special efforts to preserve the
unique "saw tooth" roof, which was designed to allow more natural
light to illuminate the building's interior.
Project Timeline
2002-2006 Site Assessments Completed on All Four Buildings
Summer 2009 Cleanup Completed on All Four Buildings
June 2009 Mills 2 and 6 (Wainshal Building) Redevelopment Completed
June 2009 Woven Label Building Redevelopment Completed
November 2009 Saw Tooth Building Completion Expected
October 2009
Local Contact: KurtBeek, City of Claremont • (603) 542-7030 • kbeek@claremonnh.com
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