Today, Mayor Roberto Alves announced that the City of Danbury is set to acquire the historic Fairfield County Courthouse at71 Main Street from the State of Connecticut, pending final approval from Governor Ned Lamont. This transfer marks a major step forward in preserving a landmark property in the heart of downtown Danbury.
Mayor Alves has been eyeing the Courthouse since taking office and has collaborated with our state delegation on a conveyance of the property from the State of CT.
The property is expected to be transferred to the Citywith the understanding it will be repurposed for public and local services.
In anticipation of this decision from the State of CT, Mayor Alves and the City of Danbury applied for Brownfield money through WestCOG to begin an environmental assessment. Today, WestCOG confirmed that the City of Danbury will receive $200,000 for this assessment, the first step in redeveloping the property for community benefit. Mayor Alves expects to complete the environmental study and then apply for remediation funding from WestCOG as part of the Brownfield grant program.
Danbury also received $200,000 in Brownfield funding for environmental assessment work at 13 Barnum Court, a former hat manufacturing site. The assessment will help identify potential end uses and the necessary clean-up work to return the site to productive use.