Former Stratford Army Engine Plant Remediation
Public Information Site
Introduction
In April 2024, Point Stratford Renewal, LLC acquired the Former Stratford Army Engine Plant property from the United States Government. The 76.7-acre property is a well-documented and environmentally characterized Brownfield site that will be remediated over a thirty-six (36) month period. The three main components of the remediation project consist of 1) abatement of regulated building materials 2) demolition of structures and 3) re-grading the site to support coastal resiliency and bring the site out of the floodplain.
This site has been developed to keep the community informed on the progress of the remediation project. Questions and comments can be made at the link below
Project Updates
Background Information
Under the ownership of the Army, the Site was operated for decades by military contractors for the manufacture of amphibious planes, World War II fighter planes, helicopters and tank engines.
In October 1995, the Site was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list, known as BRAC 95. The Site is a brownfield with approximately 1.5 million square feet of vacant industrial buildings situated along the Housatonic River with almost a mile of water frontage.
In 2012, after a competitive public process conducted by the United States General Services Administration (GSA), Point Stratford Renewal was selected by the Army to acquire, remediate and redevelop the long-vacant Site.
Property Overview
The majority of the approximately 76.7-acre Site, a 52.60-acre portion of which, is located north of Sniffens Lane and east of Main Street (Highway 113). A large Causeway–Dike measuring approximately 90 feet wide extends from the 52.60-acre portion of the Site, east approximately 800 feet towards the Housatonic River. A 20.52-acre portion of the Site is located south of Sniffens Lane and east of Main Street, and a 3.56-acre portion is located west of Main Street.
The Site is bounded to the east by tidal mud flats adjacent to the Housatonic River, to the south by an area of undeveloped wetlands owned by the city of Bridgeport, to the west by Sikorsky Memorial Airport, to the northwest by Frash Pond, and to the north by a partially developed parcel owned by the Town of Stratford.
The Site is relatively flat with no major topographic features, and is at an elevation of approximately 5 to 8 feet in reference to National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1988. The 52.60-acre portion of the Site, located north of Sniffens Lane and east of Main Street is completely developed, including a mix of hardscaped surfaces and vacant buildings historically used for manufacturing purposes.
The portion of the Site located west of Main Street, the portion of the Site located south of Sniffens Lane and the portion north of Building B-2 consist primarily of large, paved, parking areas. These areas are identified as the Western Parking Lot, Southern Parking Lot, and Northern Parking Lot, respectively.
Regulatory Background
The Army was required to obtain approval for Early Transfer Authority (ETA) in accordance with Section 120(h)(3)(C) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to allow for the transfer of the Site before all necessary cleanup actions have been taken. The environmental review process for non-National Priority List (NPL) property, such as this Site, is documented in a Finding of Suitability for Early Transfer (FOSET). The Army finalized the Site FOSET on October 2, 2008.
The Army retains the responsibility for managing and completing any necessary investigation and remediation of:
the riparian area (“Tidal Flats”) located east of the Site;
Discharge Outfall 008, located south of the Site;
previously unknown hazardous substance or contaminant if it was either not identified in the FOSET, or is discovered after PSR received response action completion letters and the release or disposal occurred as a result of Army activities.
Point Stratford Renewal is responsible for the remediation of the upland 76.7 acres of the Site. The Remedial Action Plan for the site was approved on June 15, 2022 and is available on the DEEP Document Center. The property has been accepted into the Targeted Brownfield Remedy Program as well as the Abandoned Brownfield Cleanup Program.
Past Uses of the Site
1929 - 1939
Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation developed and manufactured seaplanes.
1939 - 1948
Chance Vought Aircraft located its operations at the Site in 1939, and the company became known as Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division.
Sikorsky developed the helicopter and left the plant in 1943 because of overcrowding. Chance Vought developed the "Corsair" for the Navy, and mass-produced Corsairs during World War II. Chance Vought vacated the Site in 1948.
1948-1951
Site was idle.
1951 - 1976
The United States Department of the Air Force (Air Force) procured the Site in 1951 and named it Air Force Plant No. 43.
The Avco Corporation (Avco) was contracted by the Air Force to operate the Site.
Avco manufactured radial engines for aircraft in the 1950s and developed and manufactured turbine engines, primarily for aircraft, in the 1960s and 1970s.
1976 - Present
The Site was transferred from the Air Force to the Army in 1976. At that time, the Site was re-named the Stratford Army Engine Plant, and continued manufacturing through Avco’s operations.
Avco was contracted by the Army to develop the AGT-1500 engine to power the Abrams tank. Avco also developed and manufactured marine and industrial engines. Avco merged with Textron in December 1985, and subsequently formed the Textron Lycoming Stratford Division.
The contract for operation of Site was transferred from Textron Lycoming to Allied Signal in 1994. Allied Signal continued to develop, manufacture and test turbine engines for both military and commercial aircraft and land vehicles at the Site until 1997. Since the cessation of Allied Signal operations in 1997, the focus of activities at the Site has been the completion of an environmental assessment and the evaluation of the potential redevelopment.
