NAUGATUCK — On the banks of the Naugatuck River, a vast parcel of land sits overgrown with trees and strewn with rubble. Little remains of what was once the beating heart of the town’s industry: the factory for the Uniroyal Chemical Company, a sprawling 86-acre complex that once prospered by producing both chemicals and rubber-based products. No evidence remains of it now, beyond heaps of old concrete and retaining walls. Yet the land may again become the heart of Naugatuck’s industry, as Mayor Warren “Pete” Hess has an ambitious plan to turn the disused property into a vast industrial park. Hess said the property was primed for large-scale development opportunities with the revitalization of the rail network, which is ongoing and would see freight moved onto the line for the first time since roughly the 1950s. He said the project could meet a growing demand in the region.
Naugatuck wants to turn an abandoned factory site into a massive industrial park
