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Revitalizations of Downtowns
The Windham Regional Commission (WRC) has
worked with many brownfields sites, including the
Bellows Falls Waypoint Interpretive Center and the
Brattleboro multi-modal transportation center. Both projects
are EPA success stories with documented results.
The Brattleboro property did not require cleanup. The
downtown property, consisting of the Bradley Lot (the
brownfields property) and the Bushnell Block (an adjoining
lot), came to life again as a 120,000 square foot multimodal
transit facility including over 300 parking spaces, a
passenger waiting area, public restrooms, a small parking
enforcement office and commercial space. The much needed
transportation center helps maintain a vibrant downtown
Brattleboro. This project has helped create almost
150 construction and redevelopment jobs.
Funding came from a variety of local, state and federal
sources, including a $3.5 million congressional award
from the Federal Transit Administration, a local bond, the
State Downtown Program in which the town receives a
$100,000 grant each year for 10 years, and $316,000 in
state transportation enhancement funds.
The Bellows Falls Waypoint Interpretive Center bridges
two communities separated by the Connecticut River. Part
of the Connecticut River Byway project, the BFWIC is
one of 10 centers alongside the river from Massachusetts
to Canada. “The purpose of the Byway is to get people off
the interstate and exploring the Valley’s back roads,” says
Susan McMahon, WRC’s Senior Planner.
Additional benefits include the creation of 70 new construction
jobs. Funding for facility construction came from
the Federal Highways Scenic Byway Program, Housing
Vermont, Vermont Agency of Transportation Enhancement
Grants, the Windham Foundation, the Connecticut River
Joint Commissions Partnership program and the Southern Vermont Regional
Marketing Organization.
Another large site on the Connecticut River is the International Paper mill. The
project is complicated because the land is owned by the historical society, and the
building is owned by the town. Access to the site is limited, complicating end use
potential. The project centers on community open space needs and provision of
much needed access to the river.
Other redevelopment sites in the region include:
A former garage (to become a mixed use site with youth
services, retail, residential)
A dairy transfer/oil company storage site (to become an
Italian deli and grocery)
A pipe organ factory (to become a pipe organ museum,
housing and office space)
A gas station/former paper mill (now senior housing)
A former grist mill/warehouse (to become
housing/retail)
These sites are typically small and need little cleanup.
Engineering controls (such as soil removal and paving),
land use controls and regulatory controls will be used.
When testing is almost finished, the state allows construction
to begin by using institutional controls.
These projects share a focus on downtown and village
revitalization, one of WRC’s priorities. According to
McMahon, “Secondary development around the
sites is extremely important. Bellows Falls had
seen hard times in the past. More secondary
development has resulted from the interpretive
center. These projects have allowed WRC to work
effectively with private developers. In rural
America, small developers make a difference.”
Project results range from job creation and transportation
infrastructure to historic preservation at
and redevelopment in village areas.
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