An 80-acre site in Hartford’s South Meadows received garbage from most of Connecticut for decades, processing it in a massive facility that burned trash for energy. The quasi-public Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority shut the faltering plant down in 2022, and local officials have been pushing to prep the large site in Hartford’s industrial South Meadows neighborhood for redevelopment. That preparation will take years and cost anywhere from $27.87 million to $333.87 million, depending on how many of the existing buildings are demolished, and what sort of future development is pursued, according to a recently completed study. Those cost estimates are also based on a 2026 start date, and rise sharply with delay. CRDA – a quasi-governmental agency responsible for economic development efforts in Greater Hartford – is a logical choice for the job, Freimuth said. But his 13-staff agency already has a hefty workload and would need additional manpower and money to take on the South Meadows site, he said. “We have been asked to assess whether CRDA can play a role,” Freimuth said. “It would be a major undertaking of our staff and resources. Hopefully, we would get more resources if that comes our way.”
https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/study-costs-to-prep-hartfords-80-acre-former-trash-burning-site-for-residential