[NEW HAVEN, CT] — Today, Mayor Justin Elicker announced the City of New Haven’s proposal to acquire the site of the former English Station power plant and to create a new waterfront park, outdoor public pool, and recreation destination in its place for Elm City residents: Mill River Park.
The 8.6-acre site sits on Ball Island in the middle of the Mill River in New Haven’s Mill River district, with its entry point along Grand Avenue between the Fair Haven and Wooster Square neighborhoods. The site is currently home to the former United Illuminating English Station power plant, which first opened in 1929 and has been deactivated since 1992. For over 30 years, the building with an approximate 100,000 square foot footprint and surrounding site have been left abandoned and contaminated with known carcinogens, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals. A Partial Consent Order, dating back to 2015, has not been fully implemented and remains the subject of ongoing litigation, as the building falls into further disrepair and the adjacent property remains blighted and littered with debris.
The City’s proposal would transform the long abandoned, dilapidated, and contaminated industrial site that has been chained off from the community for decades into a new, safe, clean, and accessible public park and community asset that includes public outdoor pools, playgrounds, sports courts, walking and biking trails, and native plant gardens along the 3,000-foot waterfront property that will help drive inclusive economic growth, new housing and development, and chart a new future for the Mill River district. (Project concepts for the park and the surrounding area are attached.)
"After bearing the costs of industrial pollution and blight from the English Station power plant for decades, our community deserves a true treasure in its place. By replacing it with a new waterfront public park and recreation area, we will transform this site into an amazing public asset that will benefit our residents, improve our environment, and strengthen our community for generations to come," said Mayor Elicker. "This proposal represents a commitment to environmental justice for our residents and city that is long overdue — and it has the ability to help catalyze new investment, new housing and development, and a new future for the entire Mill River district. The time has come to write a new chapter for Ball Island, and I believe that new chapter is Mill River Park.”
The “Mill River: Imagine Next” initiative has four overarching goals for the Mill River Park:
- Accelerate the site cleanup;
- Build a new public park and expand the city’s recreational and waterfront assets;
- Enhance pedestrian and multi-modal connectivity in and around the Mill River district;
- Create a strong sense of place that drives new investment and responsible development, including new housing, new businesses, and inclusive growth in the surrounding neighborhoods.
This future public asset will ensure that current and future residents enjoy the benefits of New Haven’s beautiful coastline, young people have more opportunities to learn how to swim, and residents from all walks of live have a place to gather and recreate.
In addition, with the creation of a new premier waterfront park, the proposal aims to help propel new investment and development around the site, with several properties surrounding and nearby Ball Island poised for new housing, businesses, and mixed-used development. The proposal reflects the Elicker Administration’s ongoing efforts to dramatically increase the number of housing units for residents at all levels of income across the City, including several significant ongoing and future housing and affordable housing developments in Fair Haven, as the Elm City continues to take the lead in addressing Connecticut’s housing crisis.
The City of New Haven began the formal process today to advance the Mill River Park proposal and sent a letter of interest to each of the current property owners — Paramount View Millennium, LLC and Haven River Properties, LLC – as the City looks to enter into good faith negotiations to acquire the property.
Importantly, this proposal would not be possible without the extraordinary efforts by the community, environmental justice advocates, and local and state leaders — and builds upon years of ongoing advocacy and action.
The creation of Mill River Park is predicated upon the timely and responsible cleanup and remediation of the site by United Illuminating (UI), which is actively being enforced by the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP). In March, the State Superior Court upheld the $2 million annual penalty levied by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) against UI for the company’s ongoing failure to remediate contamination at the site.
CT DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes joined Mayor Elicker at the announcement to highlight the Department’s ongoing efforts to hold UI accountable for the legacy of pollution it left behind at English Station and to ensure UI fulfills its long-overdue promises to the people of the City of New Haven and the State of Connecticut.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong stated, "We are pleased to hear the City of New Haven is taking an active role toward turning the English Station property to productive use for the community. This cleanup is long overdue, and my office will continue to pursue all appropriate action to hold United Illuminating accountable."
The proposal also enjoys widespread support among local elected officials and community leaders with State Senator Martin Looney, Alder Sarah Miller, Alder Frank Redente, Alder Caroline Tanbee Smith and many other local leaders attending today’s announcement.
Senator Looney said, “The longstanding, outrageous blight at English Station has been a detriment to potential development at the site for decades. United Illuminating/Avangrid agreed to a cleanup with former Attorney General George Jepsen ten years ago. More recently, Attorney General William Tong has resumed litigation to compel action. The City of New Haven’s plan to acquire the property in an important step in renewed advocacy. Nine acres of waterfront property, right between Wooster Square and Fair Haven, is too valuable to continue to be wasted in a densely populated city that is smaller than some eastern Connecticut agricultural communities. This is a major opportunity for local development to enhance our quality of life by providing more riverfront open space in our city. “
Alder Ellen Cupo shared, “I have lived in New Haven for 37 years, and in my lifetime the English Station property has been an environmental hazard and a daily reminder of United Illuminating’s lack of respect for our neighborhood and New Haven at large. Fair Haven families and children have grown up with a defunct eyesore in their backyard. I am thrilled that the City of New Haven is taking bold steps to remedy these issues and revitalize the neighborhood by purchasing the property. The City’s plan to create a brand new green space will transform Grand Avenue. This is a generational investment that has the power to knit the Mill River district, downtown, and Fair Haven together. As the Alder of Ward 8, I am in strong support of this effort, and look forward to realizing a vision of Grand Avenue that reflects the true beauty of Fair Haven and the Mill River district.”
In addition, New Haven Youth and Recreation Director Gwendolyn B. Williams, LEAP lifeguard Samara Reid, and LEAP Swim Instructor Ale Cruz all shared about the importance of outdoor recreation and swimming opportunities like those that would be afforded through the creation of Mill River Park.
Residents can learn more about the proposal and see concept designs of the Mill River Park at newhavenct.gov/millriver.
Community members can also learn more about the initiative and share their thoughts at the City’s upcoming Family Fun Day at Clinton Avenue Park, which will be this Wednesday, July 30th from 2:30 - 5:30 PM, with future community meetings and engagement opportunities to be scheduled in the future.
Mill River Park Project Concept Park | Mill River Park Project Neighborhood
PRESS CONTACT:
Lenny Speiller | (203) 725-4249 ; Lspeiller@newhavenct.gov
