$4M Cleanup Clears the Way for 156 Riverfront Apartments in Thompsonville

A long-vacant, contaminated stretch of the Thompsonville riverfront is moving one big step closer to a second life. With the help of a $4 million state cleanup grant, developers are preparing to build Enfield Station — a 156-unit apartment community at 33 North River Street, on land that once held the power plant for the historic Bigelow-Sanford carpet mill.^[1][4]

For a neighborhood that has waited decades to see this parcel put back to use, it is a notable milestone — and one that fits squarely into the larger Thompsonville revival story we have been following at Enfield Marketplace.

Why the Cleanup Comes First

The roughly 3.8-acre site sits between the Connecticut River and the rail corridor — prime location, but complicated ground. The Bigelow-Sanford power plant that once stood here was demolished back in the 1970s, and the land was left with contaminated soil and buried debris. That kind of environmental baggage is exactly why the property stayed empty for so long: cleanup is expensive, and few builders will take on the cost and risk without help.^[2][4]

That is where the state’s brownfield remediation program comes in. A “brownfield” is an abandoned or underused property where redevelopment is held back by real or suspected pollution. The $4 million grant — reported as the largest award in its funding round — is earmarked for clearing polluted soil, controlling water runoff into the river, and hauling away old debris so the ground is safe to build on.^[2][3]

What Enfield Station Would Include

Plans call for a four-story building with 156 apartments in a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom layouts. About 20% of the homes would be set aside as workforce housing for households earning up to 80% of the area median income — a nod to keeping the community mixed-income rather than luxury-only.^[1][2]

One of the most community-friendly pieces is the public riverwalk: a landscaped pedestrian and cycling path along the water that would be open to everyone, not just residents. It is the kind of amenity that connects the neighborhood back to the Connecticut River after generations of industrial fencing kept people out.^[2][3]

Who Is Building It — and How It’s Funded

The developers are Honeycomb Real Estate Partners and GRAVA Properties, working together as 33 North River Street LLC. Reporting indicates the partnership acquired the property for about $2.64 million, a figure separate from the cost of cleanup and construction.^[1]

Beyond the $4 million cleanup grant, the financing stack reflects how much public and private support it takes to make riverfront redevelopment pencil out: a reported $9.36 million low-interest loan from the Connecticut Municipal Redevelopment Authority — described as that agency’s first approved financing — plus FHA-backed mortgage financing and a 12.5-year tax-fixing agreement from the Town of Enfield.^[1][2]

The project cleared a key local hurdle when the Enfield Planning and Zoning Commission gave it unanimous approval. Some neighbors had raised early concerns about contamination being disturbed during cleanup; the developers addressed those questions during the review process. Completion has been targeted for around summer 2027, though timelines on projects like this can shift.^[2][4]

What It Could Mean for Local Businesses

More homes downtown means more neighbors — and more potential customers for the shops, restaurants, and services that make Thompsonville and greater Enfield special. A resident settling into a new apartment needs a morning coffee spot, a place for takeout, a barber or salon, a hardware store, and somewhere to grab a gift. Those everyday routines are exactly where local businesses earn loyal customers.^[5]

That said, the payoff depends on real occupancy and residents choosing to shop local rather than drive to a big-box corridor. We see it as a genuine opportunity for Enfield’s small businesses — not a guaranteed outcome. The more visible and connected our local shops are now, the better positioned they’ll be when new neighbors arrive.

It is also worth keeping current residents in the conversation. Big projects raise fair questions about traffic, parking, and housing costs, and good local coverage should help neighbors follow those discussions as the plans move ahead.