May 17, 2007
Redding's former Gilbert & Bennett site
Owners seek environmental designation
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by SUSAN WOLF
pilot@thereddingpilot.com
Just as the redevelopment of the former Gilbert & Bennett site is moving toward infrastructure work, its owners are hoping to get an environmental LEED development designation for their redevelopment project.
Stephen Soler, Georgetown Land Development Company president, the redeveloper of the former manufacturing site, said his project is among 360 applications for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) pilot program. If approved, he said, his project would be designated a Gold LEED development, and the designation would apply to the entire development.
The LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into the first national standard for neighborhood design, according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Web site.
“LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development’s location and design meet accepted high standards for environmentally responsible, sustainable, development,” the council says.
The designation “is based on the way a project is planned and laid out in the community,” said Mr. Soler. Among the pluses for the Gilbert & Bennett site redevelopment, he said, are the daylighting of the Norwalk River, which runs through the site, a walkable community, the creation of more open space than existed, the recycling of material on the site, brownfield remediation, and the planned new railroad station.
Mr. Soler is optimistic about his development getting the designation later this month.
LEED for Neighborhood Development is a collaboration between the U.S. Green Building Council, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Meanwhile, progress is continuing on the more than 50-acre site off Route 107 in Georgetown.
The plan
Planned for the more than 50-acre site is a pedestrian-friendly village. The residential component of the company’s plan calls for a total of 416 units of housing, including loft units, townhouses, single-family homes, affordable units for artists, apartments over retail buildings, and 40 units of subsidized housing for senior citizens. A community theater and a satellite for the Wilton Family Y are included in the plans, as well as a new railroad station and retail and commercial businesses. Included are plans for four restaurants, with at least three having river views.
Recently, Norwalk Hospital announced its expansion of services, including 30,000 to 50,000 square feet of space at the site. The space would be used to provide urgent care services and other clinical services such as laboratory, radiology and offices for primary care physicians and specialists.
Since December, building demolitions have been ongoing. To date, said Mr. Soler last week, about one-half million square feet of space has been removed. What will remain are historic industrial buildings that can be renovated for other purposes, for both residential and commercial uses.
“We have taken these buildings down so we can go vertical,” said Mr. Soler. He explained that to do this, roads — 12 new roads are planned — and other infrastructure must be built at the site.
Next step
The next step, he said, is to have the geotechnical work done so a remedial plan can be prepared for doing the road work. Borings will be done and then, based on soils conditions, “clean corridors” will be mapped out, Mr. Soler said. The plan will determine “what to pull out and how to manage it,” he added.
In some areas of the brownfield site, contaminated soils will be removed and replaced with new fill; in others, liners will be placed and then covered with fill. Mr. Soler called this a “combination remediation plan,” and one that is being done in conjunction with the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Once the geotechnical and design work is completed for the first phase of work, that work will be put out to bid — by the end of the month, Mr. Soler said.
This phase includes the reconstruction of North Main Street and the construction of the new Station Place, along with the burying of utilities. It also includes the construction of the new hospital building, said Mr. Soler, who added he expects work on this building to begin by the end of the year. Construction for the infrastructure phase is slated to begin this summer.
Intersection work is already out to bid with bids expected to come in this week. This work must be done in conjunction with the first phase, said Mr. Soler.
There will be intersection improvements at Route 107 and North Main Street, including a new traffic signal; Routes 107 and 57, where another traffic signal is planned; and Routes 107 and 7 and Route 7 and North Main Street, where lights already exist.
Commercial
The first building to be renovated for commercial use, said Mr. Soler recently, will “probably” be the “Sawtooth Building,” which is named for its roofline. This building is by the river.
After discussion with the tenants, yet to be announced, design work will begin, with final design slated for July. Renovation work is anticipated to begin in September.
The next building targeted for renovation is one near the waterfall. It, too, is slated for commercial use. The design work for this building is targeted to start in April with the final design approved in June. Like the Sawtooth building, plans will go to the town’s building office for approval. Mr. Soler expects work on this building to start by the end of September.
Affordable units
By the end of January 2008, he expects to break ground for the 55 affordable housing units in the plan. These include the 40 units of senior housing as well as 15 subsidized units for artists.
Mr. Soler’s company is developing the commercial portion of the project. The bulk of the residential work will be handled by another company or companies, but this portion of the project must also adhere to the design standards in the master plan already approved by the Zoning Commission. The Georgetown Special Taxing District, which only applies to the redevelopment site, will serve as the regulating body to ensure adherence to the design code.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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