The Town of Vernon on Tuesday was awarded a $2.5 million state Community Investment Fund grant that will allow the town to complete the environmental cleanup of the Daniels Mill, a key part of the Vernon Mills redevelopment project that will transform downtown Rockville. The grant now goes to the state Bond Commission for final approval.
“We are grateful to Governor Lamont and our entire legislative delegation for their advocacy for this grant and the transformational project it will allow us to complete,” Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne said. “Since I became mayor, I have been focused on redeveloping the Amerbelle, Daniels and Anocoil mills. We are now close to completing the work necessary to move this project to the next phase with our developer, Camden Management Partners.”
The Vernon Mills redevelopment project encompasses six parcels and when completed will have about 215 workforce and affordable apartments, some commercial space and site enhancements that will benefit all of Rockville. The project will also remove hazardous materials from the site, benefiting the project and surrounding neighborhoods.
“I appreciate the hard work of our state representatives, Kevin Brown, Jaime Foster and Tammy Nuccio, and state Sen. Jeff Gordon, Congressman Joe Courtney and state Department of Revenue Services Commissioner Mark Boughton, who visited the mill complex and took a special interest in this project,” Mayor Champagne said. “I also want to thank Deputy Mayor Maryann Levesque and the town council for their support as well.”
Mayor Champagne’s vision to transform an eyesore at the gateway to Rockville into a housing and commercial space will provide homes for working people, create an economic spark in Rockville and be the catalyst to transform the surrounding area, benefitting all of Vernon and the region.
“This grant is the final step forward in achieving Mayor Champagne’s vision for the mills and Rockville,” Town Administrator John W. Kleinhans said. “We now have the money we need to complete the cleanup of Daniels Mill. Thanks to this grant, and the federal, state and local support we have received, the future of downtown Rockville looks bright. I also want to thank Shaun Gately, Vernon’s director of development services, and our local partners for their hard work.”
“These mills are the gateway to Rockville and this project will transform and further enhance our downtown,” Mayor Champagne said. “They represent an important part of Vernon’s history and my goal is to make them an important part of our future too. In the meantime, we continue to work with the state and federal government to help move this project forward.”