South Meadows Dike, Toe Drain, Toe Ditch and Embankment Repairs Project. DEEP General Permit for the Discharge of Stormwater from Construction Activities.
The Homestead Avenue Redevelopment Plan was drafted between Summer 2024 and Fall 2025 by the City of Hartford, Colliers Engineering consultants, and a planning committee of neighborhood stakeholders, with critical input from the community throughout. The goal of the Homestead Avenue Redevelopment Plan was to identify a mix of land use strategies to transform this key thoroughfare in the Upper Albany neighborhood. The vision for the corridor developed with stakeholders and the community will be used in guiding actions to accelerate brownfield cleanup, revive vacant properties, facilitate new housing opportunities, and implement placemaking strategies that showcase Homestead Avenue and Upper Albany's distinctive character.
City staff are now working on implementing a number of the recommendations from the Homestead Avenue Redevelopment Plan, including: acquiring and marketing key parcels, using grant funding to assess and address the brownfields along the corridor, talking to developers interested in realizing the vision of the plan, evaluating the rezoning of parcels to facilitate new construction, and pursuing improvements to the streetscape and public areas. Following the plan, staff also partnered with students from UMass Amherst to further envision the redevelopment of some of the key parcels between Sigourney and Garden Street (described below).
The project area for the Homestead Avenue Redevelopment initiative is one of the major corridors of Hartford, CT's Upper Albany neighborhood.
Homestead Avenue runs parallel to a segment of Albany Avenue with a predominant urban commercial/mixed use character. The portion of Walnut Avenue, between its western intersection with Homestead Avenue and Chestnut Street, acts as a secondary study area and is a continuation of Homestead Avenue’s character. It provides a vital linkage between the primary study area and Downtown.
Homestead Avenue's rich history as an economic powerhouse for the Hartford region began with the 1886 expansion of the Albany Avenue trolley line. This development transformed the area into a thriving industrial district, with major manufacturers like Hartford Special Machinery Company and Smith Worthington Saddlery Company. Much of the original architecture from 1900-1920 still stands today, offering a glimpse into the area's industrial heyday. While the specialty machinery production has since departed, the historic factory buildings remain, ready to host new industries and potentially bring jobs back to Hartford. This blend of preserved history and future potential makes Homestead Avenue a unique corridor poised for revitalization.
A brownfield is a previously developed site, often industrial or commercial, that is no longer in use and may be contaminated. These sites present both challenges and opportunities for redevelopment, as they require environmental assessment and potentially cleanup before they can be repurposed for new uses.
In partnership with the UMass Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, the Planning and Zoning Division studied new design and adaptive reuse possibilities for lower Homestead Avenue. Centered on a key 1,700-foot corridor—including the former Veeder-Root building—these proposals built on the Homestead Avenue Redevelopment Plan and Upper Albany Neighborhood Plan with concrete concepts for safer streetscapes, green infrastructure, and vibrant public spaces. Together, these strategies established a practical framework to encourage investment across the corridor. The resulting designs honor local neighborhood character through tailored public spaces and multi-modal connections. Ultimately, this work serves to advance long-term, equitable growth across the valuable communities of Upper Albany, Clay Arsenal, and Asylum Hill.