By Bob McGarry, Haddam First Selectman
(January 12, 2024) —There has been a flurry of meetings this past week (January 8-12, 2024), with more to come over the next two weeks, concerning the Rossi property. Why is that, you ask?
Last year, the Town of Haddam was awarded a $1.5 million Brownfields grant by the State of Connecticut to address environmental issues on the property, which we bought in December of 2022. We’ve been working with a developer over the fall to draft a redevelopment plan for the property which, in its current state, is a detriment to revitalizing Higganum Center.
The state recently informed us we have to have a contract with a developer by March 31, 2024 or lose the funds. We weren’t given any deadlines when we got the award, nor did we ever get any deadlines for a similar Brownfields grant we’re using to clean up the Scovil Hoe property.
As a result, we’ve accelerated our timeline for bringing this to a Town Meeting. At their regular monthly meetings this past week, both the Board of Selectmen and the Economic Development Commission endorsed the redevelopment plan, which has a mix of residential, retail and commercial buildings.
The plan will be presented at a public hearing on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Thursday January 18, 2024, and will be voted on at a Town Meeting on Thursday, January 25, 2024.
More details on the plan can be found on the town website, www.haddam,org, in this month’s First Selectman’s Update and the 2024 Higganum Center Presentation.
