Brownfields
Success Story

EPA Grant Recipient:
East Hartford, Connecticut
Grant Type:
Assessment
Current Use:
Coffee Shop
Former Uses:
Gas station, diner, laundromat, floor tile
store, nightclub
639 Main Street
East Hartford, CT
The intersection of Main and Pitkin streets in East Hartford, Connecticut,
has seen a variety of businesses come and go over the years, including a
gas station, diner, laundromat, and floor tile store. Most recently and
notoriously, a former nightclub was shuttered there after several
instances of illegal activity.
The site is uniquely situated as a gateway to both the town's Downtown
District and an office complex called Founder's Plaza, making it a perfect
candidate for redevelopment, according to Eileen Buckheit, East
Hartford's Development Director.
"East Hartford is designated as a 'distressed municipality,' which can
make widespread economic development a challenge," says Buckheit.
"We knew that if we could transform this site into something long-lasting
and valuable to our community, there would be cascading positive
effects."
The Opportunity
The town's Development Department worked with the property owner to
find an appropriate use for the site and ultimately settled on a local
franchise of a coffee and doughnut chain widely beloved by New
Englanders.
However, the sale of the property stalled when the buyer's commercial
lender required an environmental assessment before moving forward.
Both the buyer and the town were concerned about the costs for site
testing, but Buckheit and her team worked with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Program to secure funding for an
assessment.
"There was a sense of gridlock," says Buckheit, "Without the Brownfields
Program's resources and expertise, the project would have been in real
danger of never reaching its full potential."
The Assessment
The town used approximately one-quarter of a $200,000 Brownfields
Community-wide Assessment Grant for Phase I and Phase II
environmental site assessments, which a local environmental firm
conducted. The assessments revealed no environmental contamination,
but the firm did uncover and remove several storage tanks that were a
holdover from the site's former life as a gas station.
The new coffee shop is one of a select few
franchises built using innovative design
practices, [photo credit Town of East Hartford)
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency

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it'
The town used other funding to repave and
spruce up the pathway from the coffee shop to
Hockanum River Linear Park, (photo credit Town
of East Hartford)
The Redevelopment
When construction began, Buckheit, still eager to achieve those "cascading
positive effects," began exploring how the town could make a deeper
connection between the site and other parts of the community. The
Hockanum River Linear Park, a 3.5-mile waterfront trail that leads to the
Downtown District, has an entrance near the site, but the pathway to the
trailhead was in disrepair. The town used a $100,000 Community
Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) to revamp the sidewalk and beautify the entrance to
the trail, which was completed in May 2019 alongside the new coffee shop.
"This project is the
linchpin of our town's
redevelopment
efforts in the area.
EPA support was
absolutely crucial in
seeing it through."
Eileen Buckheit,
Development Director,
East Hartford, Connecticut
"It just made sense," says Buckheit. "Whether you're starting or ending your
trip along the trail at Main and Pitkin, you can grab a pick-me-up from the
coffee shop on your way."
The Benefits
When the coffee shop opened, it was one of only 50 of the company's more
than 12,800 restaurants to have a "next-gen" design. The design features
innovative water runoff technologies, an open layout, and warm colors to
create an approachable and comfortable atmosphere for customers. The
store employs 25 people full-time and generates approximately $29,000 in
annual tax revenue.
Buckheit emphasizes that getting the project done required a team effort. "I
don't think I've been part of a project before where all the stakeholders,
from federal to state to municipal, public and private, were all on the same
page," says Buckheit. "The town of East Hartford was a first-time recipient
of Brownfields funding, so there was a bit of a learning curve for us. But that
sense of collaboration and desire to complete a common goal was greatly,
greatly appreciated."
Then
April
2013
2015
2017
May
2019
Now
nightclub closes	Phase 1 and Phase 11 site Construction begins	Coffee shop opens
assessments completed
For more information:

Visit the EPA Brownfields website at www.epa.gov/brownfields or contact

Amy Jean McKeown at 617 918 1248 or Mckeown.Amyjean@epa.gov


EPA 901 F 21 008

October 2021
for informational use only no endorsement intended


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