FAQs

Is the Hamden Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) part of the Town of Hamden?

No, HEDC was formed in 2005 as a tool for developing brownfields and other challenging properties and for promoting economic development. HEDC is an independent 501(c)(4), IRS tax-exempt corporation. It has 11 board members who are governed by a set of bylaws and is managed by an Executive Director.

What are brownfields?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines brownfields as “abandoned, idle or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.” Usually brownfields are sites of old factories or other businesses. Many times brownfields are unsightly and strewn with illegally dumped garbage.

Brownfields can have all kinds of dangers – debris, dilapidated buildings and even dangerous, toxic chemicals. Some dangers are easy to see – broken windows and glass, rotted wood floors, rusty nails and pipes, and old barrels. Other dangers are not visible and harder to detect – toxic chemicals that can be harmful to people if they eat them, breathe them or get them on their skin.

What is a Brownfield Land Bank?

The New Colony Development Corporation is a certified Brownfield Land Bank.

Land Banks can be established for the purposes of acquiring, retaining, remediating and selling brownfields in the state for the benefit of municipalities; educating government officials, community leaders, economic development agencies and nonprofit organizations on best practices for redeveloping brownfields.

Land Banks can generally assist in advancing the remediation and redevelopment of the numerous brownfield sites throughout the State, and specifically, to give all communities a new set of tools to advance the redevelopment of strategic sites that might otherwise remain idle.

Land Banks are eligible to participate in a range of Connecticut state brownfield redevelopment programs, such as grants and liability relief programs, which are otherwise restricted to municipalities or economic development corporations.