Brownfields
Success Story
EPA Grant Recipient:
City of Manchester
Grant Types:
Assessment
Former Uses:
Queen City Inn
Current Use:
Farnum Center Recovery
Treatment Center
Farnum Center
Manchester, New Hampshire
With more than 100,000 residents, Manchester is the largest city in the
State of New Hampshire. It was the world's first industrialized city and
once housed the world's largest textile mill complex. Historically, the City
has been a community where immigrants sought opportunities, and
today Manchester remains an attractive destination for immigrant
workers. Manchester is a modern, vibrant city but suffers from one of the
highest poverty rates in the state. For many years, this area has suffered
with a burdened population struggling with substance abuse. The
addiction epidemic continues to rise in the state, as does the need for
treatment centers. Seeing the increasing need for its substance abuse
treatment services, the Easter Seals Farnum Center launched a campaign
in 2012 to move the Center to a new location, the former Queen City Inn
site.
Priming the Property for Redevelopment
The former Queen City Inn, located at 140 Queen City Avenue, operated
as a motel between 1954 and 2012. Historically, the 3.5-acre site was
surrounded by gasoline stations and other petroleum facilities. In 2012,
this Site was identified in Manchester's downtown revitalization plan and
targeted for redevelopment.
Using its Brownfields community-wide assessment grant, the City of
Manchester conducted Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments
(ESAs) at the site under the oversight of the New Hampshire Department
of Environmental Services. Contaminants found included benzo(a) pyrene
and benzo(b) fluoranthene, which are commonly associated with coal tar.
Based on the results of the Phase I and II ESAs, the site was able to be
sold for cleanup and redevelopment,
"I have been sober for more than two years. I am a free and happy
man. I no longer suffer from the obsessive thoughts and behaviors of
active addiction. My life is more wonderful than I ever could have
imagined and it all began with a small amount of willingness when I
walked through the doors".
Farnum Center Patient
(Credits: Farnumcenter.org)
Figure 2: Main Entrance Credits: City of Manchester
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

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Today
A local developer, Anagriost Investments helped make this treatment
center come to fruition by acquiring the property, funding the cleanup,
and redeveloping the site at an overall investment of almost $4.8M. The
Bishops Charitable Assistance Fund also granted $10,000 toward the
redevelopment.
"The Brownfields
redevelopment of the
Queen City Hotel site
allowed the Farnum Center
to open New Hampshire's
most comprehensive
addiction treatment center.
The Farnum Center has
become the first line of
defense n the trenches
battling New Hampshire's
opiate addiction crisis."
The cleanup involved removal of hazardous building materials such as
asbestos and lead. Reusing the existing building and foundation
structures reduced costs and afforded the opportunity to incorporate
sustainability practices during construction. Ninety-six construction jobs
were leveraged. The hard work and commitment to the needs of the
community resulted in the opening of the state's first non-hospital based
medical detoxification unit, doubling the number of beds available to
patients.
This state-of-the-art treatment facility is located within 2 miles of the
new Elliot Hospital and employs more than 100 people. The City has also
seen an increase in the tax base since the property value has increased
from $1.6 million to over $2.4 million, thus providing key tax revenues for
the City. Farnum's Inpatient programs are gender-specific residential
treatment programs and have the capacity of serve 113 adults who have
primary substance use disorder. Since 2013 to present day, Farnum
Center has had almost 22,000 applications submitted for services. Most
importantly, this redevelopment has given a burdened population with
substance abuse needs a place to seek treatment.
Funding Details
EPA Brownfields Grants	$47,294
Bishops Charitable Assistance Fund	$10,000
Anagnost Investments	$4,800,000
Dick Anagnost, President
Anagnost Investments, Inc.
For more information:
Visit the EPA Brownfields website at
www.epa.gov/brownfields or contact
Christine Lombard, 617-918-1305,
Figure 4: Former Queen City Inn
Credits: City of Manchester
EPA 560-A-19-003

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