ANSONIA — Mayor David Cassetti’s plans for the former SHW Casting plant site came under scrutiny after a trash burning plant was mentioned as an option to be developed on the property.
The idea received condemnation from the Democratic challengers and residents, who protested the thought of a ‘clean burn’ plant in the heart of downtown, which they argued posed a health concern due to the proximity to churches and low income housing areas.
In a response on Facebook, Cassetti clarified that the trash plant was only one idea mentioned for the property over the years and there were no concrete plans to put a facility on the site, and that his intentions were misunderstood by readers.
Cassetti said he is proposing a deed restriction for the property preventing trash burning or the handling or processing of any hazardous material.
“There is absolutely no plan to build a burning facility in Ansonia. My words in a recent article were misunderstood," Cassetti said. "I was simply repeating ideas I’ve heard over the years."
Cassetti said he will ask the Board of Aldermen to pass a binding deed restriction that will ban any trash-burning plant or other hazardous use on the property, and to also prohibit high density housing there unless the voters themselves approve it by referendum.
"This site will once again become the economic engine of Ansonia, bringing jobs, lowering taxes, and recharging our community,” he said.
Officials from the mayor’s office said the plans for the SHW Casting site, as well as the remaining factory structures on the 60-acre parcel along the Naugatuck River, were to keep it industrial so as to potentially create a large economic base and job creator to the city.
“This site is absolutely paramount for the future of Ansonia, and we'll say it again and again. It's revenue. It's revenue to lower taxes. It's revenue for the school system,” said John Marini, the city’s corporation counsel. He said that as the largest contiguous heavy industrial zone in the city, it was best to utilize that potential for more development.
“So here you have pre-made use that was totally industrial at one time. And we think it's begging for redevelopment,” Marini said.
The nearby spur of the railroad which goes into the site also has potential for redevelopment and reuse, he added. If there was manufacturing on the site, trains could again be brought directly into the parcel to deliver and ship materials.
Democratic challenger to Cassetti, Frank Tyszka, offered a slightly different vision for the site. He saw the potential to use the plant to generate more clean energy opportunities, as well as utilizing the nearby line to handle freight, in collaboration with Naugatuck.
While Cassetti seems poised to ban housing development from the parcel, should his deed restriction pass the Board of Alderman next month, Tyszka also said that he was looking at affordable housing opportunities, saying that the city was in need of more dense housing for working families. While Ansonia has 14.8% affordable housing, according to numbers reported by the state in 2024, above the required 10% expected by the state, Tyszka said there remained a high demand.
“I'm going to look at the big picture. I'm already looking at affordable housing. Not low income housing, not Title IX housing, but housing. Because we need housing in Ansonia,” he said, stating he also wanted to create a small grocery store, so people could have access to food downtown.
The current city administration doesn’t have an interest in new housing, wishing to instead solely focus on manufacturing potential to bring in more revenue. The city’s credit rating was recently downgraded due to the perceived over reliance on one-time revenue from the sale of its water treatment facility. Because of the shaky perception of the city’s financial position, it was placed under state oversight this year to evaluate its current state.
Officials believe having industry, whether through energy, manufacturing, or data centers, would give a stable revenue stream that is needed to maintain operations.
“We have met our burden for affordable housing, and then some, and we're at about 15% affordable housing in the city. Many areas of the city are high density. You have residents who really cannot afford to put money back into their properties, their sidewalks. We need to make sure the city has their revenue to be able to kind of pick up the slack, and we're willing to do it so long as we have that reoccurring revenue,” said Marini.