Alders approve application to seek brownfield grant to remediate 0 Gibbs Street for potential park

The New Haven Board of Alders’ City Services and Environmental Policy Committee voted Feb. 6 to authorize the mayor to apply for a CERCLA 128(a) brownfield grant from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to investigate and begin remediation at 0 Gibbs Street, officials said.

Steven Winter, executive director for climate and sustainability, told the committee he and staff “are interested in turning this triangular shaped parcel that abuts the Farmington Canal line” into public open space once contamination is addressed. He said the site has been underused since the 1960s and is largely covered by asphalt, and that earlier Phase 1–3 studies show contaminated soil will need removal.

Winter said the grant request is for $250,000, with “a hundred thousand of which would be used to supplement the phase 3 environmental study” for more detailed soil sampling and “the other $150,000 would go towards beginning remediation.” He also said another $250,000 was set aside from the Winchester Green development that could be used toward remediation, but added that the full cost is unknown until more sampling is completed.

Committee members asked about the site’s history and contamination. Winter said the parcel once hosted a large above-ground storage tank, a gasoline underground storage tank, a cement-mixing operation and former transformer locations, and that portions of the parcel contain urban fill. “Area of concern 1 is where the underground storage tank location [is] unknown,” he said, noting these features will require targeted testing and cleanup.

Members stressed community input and equity concerns. Winter said staff had consulted neighborhood youth about two conceptual site plans; the young people favored a design with a central open lawn, shaded picnic areas, exercise equipment and a possible small dog area. Winter also said the site sits across from a large Yale facilities parking lot and is adjacent to some of the city’s hottest census blocks, and that adding trees and green space could modestly address urban heat and recreational needs.

Committee members who spoke supported the application and the park vision. Alder Steyn said the plan “is a great vision of the director Winter” and expressed support for moving forward. The committee approved the resolution by voice vote; members did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript.

Winter outlined next steps if the grant is awarded: the city would accept the funding, contract for supplemental assessment work and, if necessary, contract for remediation work. He said there is no city match required for the brownfield assessment grant. If the DEEP grant is not awarded, Winter said the city could proceed in a scaled way using the Winchester Green funds to finalize the Phase 3 assessment and perform limited remediation as a plan B.

The committee’s vote authorizes application and acceptance of the grant if awarded and directs staff to carry out the assessment and initial remediation work supported by the funding. The resolution (LM-20204-0731) was placed on file with the city clerk and is available in the clerk’s office.

The committee chair said staff will share the neighborhood design sketches distributed to young residents and continue outreach as the project moves forward.