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Printed From Acorn-Online.com Wilton Bulletin
On-site road work is expected to begin at the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill site off Route 107 next month following the recent state approval of the Georgetown Land Development Company’s remedial action plan. The company is developing the site into a pedestrian-friendly village of mixed uses. The project will include housing, commercial and retail spaces, restaurants, a performing arts center, a new Georgetown campus for the Wilton Family Y, a new Georgetown train station on the Danbury branch of the Metro-North line with service to Norwalk, Stamford, Greenwich and New York City’s Grand Central Station, and a medical facility for Norwalk Hospital. The company was notified of the remedial action plan approval on Oct. 5.
Remedial action plan The state Department of Environmental Protection approved the remedial action plan for the redevelopment of the site. The approval means that work necessary to carry out the approved master plan for development may begin. “This will address the remaining environmental concerns that were the result of previous manufacturing at the site,” the company said in a prepared statement. The factory was at this site for more than 150 years, so there are waste byproducts of the manufacturing process. Extensive testing has been done to identify the contaminated areas. The plan applies to the manufacturing area of the former wire mill facility north from Route 107 and to the southern parcel, south of Route 107 and home to the Georgetown sewer plant. Certain buildings on the site have already been demolished, following their decontamination to remove dust and asbestos. Areas of soil contamination will either be excavated or capped. There will be a dust monitoring plan in place and ongoing monitoring of wind and weather, along with air quality monitoring, particularly for lead. Groundwater will continue to be monitored. The plan was presented to the public at an information meeting on July 12.
Road work On Nov. 5, Stephen Soler, company president, said the plan’s approval means his company can now put in roads and infrastructure. The first phase of roads will include North Main Street, the new Station Place and the “front door” to the project, the intersection of Portland Avenue with Route 107. Off-site road work is not planned until spring. In December, said Mr. Soler, the existing North Main Street would be ripped out and rebuilt as required by the state Department of Transportation. All three road areas have been designed, put out to bid, and contracted out. All of the utilities on the property are to be placed underground.
Slab removal While the road work is in progress, said Mr. Soler, the slab over the Norwalk River would be pulled out. This is part of the process to “daylight” the river, which was covered over in places while the mill was in operation. Another slab that remains after a building’s demolition would also be removed and would be recycled on the site. Mr. Soler said the state’s environmental protection department has granted its approval to recycle and reuse this slab. His company is awaiting approval on the second slab. The company has also redesigned the new Bennett Street that is to go by the park service (Weir Farm) building, the senior housing planned at the site and the performing arts center. Bennett Street is contained within the property and will be off Portland Avenue. Mr. Soler said the retail plan for the site is now in the works.
Sewer plant William Penn, the company’s financial advisor, said the third phase of the sewer plant on the south side of Route 107 is now online with a 125,000 gallon per day capacity. By the end of January, he said, the renovation of phases one and two are scheduled to be complete, yielding a total 245,000 gallon per day capacity. At the end of January, he added, the plant would be ready to be transferred to the town. Georgetown Land Development Company is paying for the plant’s expansion and renovation. The sewer plant expansion is necessary for the company’s redevelopment of the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill site. The plant now has the capacity to treat 75,000 gallons of water per day; the company’s expansion gets the capacity to 245,000 gallons per day. “We will have infrastructure in place to support development activity by 2008,” said Mr. Soler, adding the he expects “to go vertical” with buildings in the spring. By the end of the year, he said, one would start to see “definition” at the site. Also in the works for January are plans for the train station at the site.
Water In a related matter, the state DEP has approved Aquarion water company’s requested permit to divert a maximum of 1.78 million gallons of water per day from the Aquarion main system to the Georgetown section of Redding and Ridgefield to provide public water supply. The diversion would supply up to a maximum of 1.30 million gallons of water per day to Ridgefield and a maximum of 480,000 gallons of water per day to the Georgetown section of Redding. Not all of the water diverted to Georgetown is for the Gilbert & Bennett redevelopment project. Mr. Soler said his company has reserved 170,000 gallons per day for its entire development. Recently the U.S. Green Building Council selected the Gilbert & Bennett redevelopment to participate in its inaugural Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development program. The project has been recognized by U.S. EPA with a National Smart Growth Award and the U.S. Treasury has designated the project a Green Building and Sustainable Design Development. © Copyright 2007 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers |
