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Connecticut
Editorial: Historic Mills Offer Great Redevelopment Opportunities for New England
''An irreplaceable historic asset, an integral part of the New England landscape,'' the state's vacant Victorian-era mills offer a great opportunity for redevelopment into housing, light manufacturing and office or retail space, says a Hartford Courant editorial, pointing out that the town of Redding just won U.S. EPA's 2005 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement in the Small Communities category for the planned conversion of the 55-acre former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill into a mixed-use, transit-oriented village.
The project will feature 416 housing units -- including 55 for lower-income families, 40 for seniors, and 15 for artists -- along with retail, office and light industrial components, and a Metro-North rail station.
Located mostly in town centers, the 110 vacant historic mills inventoried so far at Governor M. Jodi Rell's request ''can help the state to grow smartly by increasing density in built areas,'' the editorial points out, also noting that their potential developers face a task harder than they should, since most of these mills don't qualify for the state's historic tax credit.
The governor and legislative leaders, the editorial says, ''should rectify that oversight and otherwise encourage the redevelopment of these majestic buildings.'' -- Courant
11/28/2005
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