Owners of Stratford's former Army Engine Plant shift from industrial to mixed-use vision
Originally published by Connecticut Post via Yahoo News. Reporting by Andreas Yilma
STRATFORD - The owners of key waterfront real estate once destined for industrial use are shifting gears, now pursuing a more ambitious mixed-use redevelopment vision for the site.
Point Stratford Renewal announced it has selected New York-based architecture and design firm Corgan, which acquired the New York-based firm Cooper Robertson last year, as master planner and landscape architecture firm Field Operations to help transform the blighted 77-acre former Army Engine Plant site at 550 Main St. along the Housatonic River.
The shift marks a departure from PSR's earlier proposal for a 1.1 million-square-foot industrial warehouse development.
"Point Stratford carries a remarkable legacy, and our goal is to honor that history in a contemporary waterfront district," Mike Aziz, a principal at Corgan, said in a news release.
PSR officials said the company's primary focus is now creating a master plan for a mixed-use development while maintaining a secondary industrial-use option. The change follows new town leadership and growing interest in a more expansive waterfront destination.
Stratford Mayor David Chess, who campaigned last year on opposing a warehouse-focused project, praised the new direction.
"After being idle for nearly 30 years, the revitalization effort of this 77-acre waterfront site charts a new path forward for Stratford that will grow our commercial tax base, renew access to the town's waterfront, and increase quality of life for everyone and for generations to come," Chess said in a statement.
PSR purchased the property where World War II-era Corsair fighter-bombers were once manufactured from the federal government in April 2024 for $1, assuming responsibility for environmental remediation, demolition and flood mitigation work at the long-vacant site.
Cleanup work began in October 2024. According to Peter Cabrera, principal and executive vice president of PSR, the property once contained 1.7 million square feet of buildings spread across 82 structures. About 660,000 square feet had already been demolished by the Army, leaving roughly 900,000 square feet remaining.
"For the past two years, our priorities were remediation of the site and tidal flats, abatement and demolition of buildings on the property, and elevating the property to bring it out of the flood plain and into FEMA, state, and local compliance," Jim Cabrera, a principal at PSR, said in a news release. "With this work roughly two-thirds complete, we can finally shift our gaze to the potential future use of this property."
Demolition and abatement are expected to finish in February 2027. A coastal resiliency project designed to raise the site 7 to 10 feet above the flood plain using about 1 million tons of imported fill is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Cleanup and demolition costs are projected at about $50 million, Cabrera said.
PSR said a 20-acre parcel south of Sniffens Lane has already been remediated and elevated out of the flood plain, while tidal flat remediation is expected to be completed by the end of June.
The planning effort also includes support from engineering, environmental and economic consultants including Langan, Moffatt & Nichol and HR&A Advisors.
Community engagement will play a key role in shaping the project, Peter Cabrera said. PSR plans to release a public survey through PointStratford.com and host a town-wide meeting at Stratford High School on June 29. Two additional public meetings are planned for later this year.
"We're planning this for the next 100 years, and getting input from the Stratford community is of the utmost importance to us," Peter Cabrera said.
Field Operations founder and CEO James Corner said the site presents a rare opportunity to reconnect Stratford residents with the waterfront through new public spaces and parkland.
Peter Cabrera said, "One big opportunity we see is connecting the town's existing greenway with the waterfront so creating that linear waterfront park and opening up the site's waterfront to the public for the first time in probably 100 years or close to it."
PSR expects to submit a general development master plan to the town by the end of the year.
