News & Events

During the 20th century, the City of Waterbury, Connecticut was an industrial center and the country’s leading manufacturer of brass and copper goods. With many of these factories now closed, Waterbury is looking to repurpose these underutilized properties. Our Environmental Business Line is proud to support the City of Waterbury and Waterbury Development Corporation’s ongoing efforts to assess, remediate, and repurpose brownfields throughout the city.

130 Freight Street and 000 West Main Street

With over 150 years of industrial development, including operation as a hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility, these adjacent properties present a complex environmental challenge to future redevelopment. The project team is helping the City navigate several state and federal cleanup programs to maximize use of brownfields funding from multiple sources. Our team has provided Licensed Environmental Professional (LEP) services, including environmental assessment and investigation, remediation planning, and state and federal cleanup program compliance to support the City in its vision for a transformative, mixed-use redevelopment of this site. The City envisions a vibrant new city center, combining residential, retail, and commercial spaces with public amenities for the Freight Street corridor.

The exterior of the former industrial building at 170 Freight Street.

170 Freight Street

Adjacent to 130 Freight Street and historically part of the Waterbury/American/Anaconda Brass Company, 170 Freight Street offers additional redevelopment potential that builds on the City’s vision for the Freight Street corridor. Like its neighbor, the site had been used for industrial manufacturing for over a century. To better understand future opportunities for the site, we provided hazardous building materials assessment (HBMA), abatement and demolition support, site assessment, and remediation planning.

835 S. Main Street, seen after the 2023 fire.

835 South Main Street

Further south is a site that was home to the former Waterbury Button Company. Located next to the Mad River, it’s now planned for conversion into a public park. Our environmental services are helping to ready the site so it can be safely enjoyed by the community; we have provided HBMA and demolition design, followed by building demolition, waste management and disposal, and air monitoring services during the removal phase.

Former Bristol-Babcock Facility

The former Bristol-Babcock facility, which operated as an industrial site for over a century, was identified as a priority brownfields site for cleanup due to its location near the Naugatuck River and residential neighborhoods. Our firm is assisting the City with an Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) and remediation planning as well as HBM abatement and building demolition design services, with site demolition planned for the second half of 2025. The final redevelopment plan remains under consideration, but the focus is on readying the site is safe for future use, whether public or private.

Together, these projects mark critical steps in Waterbury’s broader revitalization strategy. Our environmental specialists are helping the city unlock the potential of its underused brownfields properties, creating safer, more vibrant spaces for residents and driving future investment.