In late 2016, the City of Norwich was awarded a $384,000 brownfields assessment grant ($185,000 for petroleum sites and $199,000 for hazard substance sites) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The funding allows the City, utilizing its consultant Tighe & Bond, to perform Phase I through Phase III environmental assessments and remediation planning on an undetermined number of commercial and non-residential sites through-out the City. Recently, the City was notified by EPA that the grant would be extended for an additional nine-months, to September 30, 2020, to continue to provide no-cost environmental assessments for brownfield sites that qualify. In response to this announcement, the City is continuing to solicit interest in the program from owners who are actively looking to redevelop their property in the near future.

Norwich, a city with significant industrial heritage, encourages remediation and redevelopment of brownfields sites to contribute to its overall improved health and the vitality of the community. A “brownfield” is an abandoned, vacant, or underutilized property where redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of contamination. For more information, please contact Deanna Rhodes, AICP, City of Norwich Director of Planning & Neighborhood Services at 860/823-3767 or by email at drhodes@cityofnorwich.org