THE CITY OF STAMFORD RECEIVES AN EPA BROWNFIELDS ASSESSMENT GRANT FOR THE EAST SIDE
Stamford received a $159,500 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant for Brownfields assessment in the City’s East Side along Myrtle Avenue and East Main Street (Route 1). Mayor Dannel P. Malloy noted that: “This EPA grant represents a crucial first step in preparing for the construction of the Stamford Urban Transitway (SUT) Project. The SUT will ultimately reduce pollution and encourage redevelopment through the incorporation of transit-oriented development.”
The goal of this assessment grant is to develop an inventory of brownfield properties in the Myrtle Avenue Corridor that will be prioritized and assessed in a streamlined and cost effective manner. By assessing the ownership status and condition of properties in this area, the City will aid in its redevelopment in accordance with the City Master Plan and bring about a higher use of the properties that will in turn be more beneficial to the entire Stamford community.
Tasks and activities to be undertaken as a result of these funds include: - Developing and periodically updating the inventory of potential brownfield properties;
- Obtaining consultant services to provide technical assistance and oversight of the properties;
- Conducting public outreach workshops and preparing outreach materials relevant to the brownfield area; and
- Performing assessments, preparing site sampling plans, enrolling appropriate sites in the State Voluntary Cleanup Program and determining whether further assessment, cleanup, or no action is required before redevelopment will occur.
The overall coordination of the activities will be carried out by the management staff of the Stamford Urban Transitway Project with technical assistance and oversight to be performed by an environmental consultant and the State Voluntary Cleanup Program. The first public hearing was held on July 17, 2007 with others to be held during the two year project period.
For years the Myrtle Avenue Corridor has supported a dense concentration of industrial, commercial and residential properties. The close proximity of homes and businesses places the area’s residents at higher risk for exposure to contaminants from industrial sites. The area is characterized by lower incomes and higher unemployment rates than the City as a whole, has a large ethnic and racially diverse population, high population density, limited access to private vehicles, expansive population growth, and higher rates of pediatric asthma than most other Stamford neighborhoods.
By assessing this brownfield area, Stamford is taking the critical first step for redevelopment that will yield sustainable benefits to residents and businesses in the Myrtle Avenue Corridor. The identification and subsequent removal of pollutants and contaminated soil will reduce threats to human health. Following assessment and cleanup, the properties will become part of the Stamford Urban Transitway. The SUT will be a modern, multi lane facility that will enhance transit options between I-95, the Stamford Intermodal Transportation Center and the southern part of the City. These transportation improvements are essential to the continued growth and success of Stamford. SUT plans include streetscapes, pedestrian crossings and visual elements that will eliminate the negative aesthetics and bring a sense of life back to this East Side neighborhood. |