Department of Resilience and Environmental Stewardship Announces Public Comment Period for Capitol Theater Cleanup

Public Meeting Scheduled for Thursday, May 4

New Bedford, MA – the City’s Office of Resilience and Environmental Stewardship is announcing a public hearing and 30-day public comment period is being held for all interested persons relative to the draft Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) for property known as the Capitol Theater, located at 1418-1440 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford, Massachusetts (the Site).

The project and future site work are expected to be supported by a subgrant to the Community Economic Development Center (CEDC), the owner of the property, provided through the City of New Bedford’s (the City) Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), which is funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Once cleanup is completed, CEDC’s vision is to become a Resilience Hub in the community, renting storefronts for local businesses including a community credit union and local market space, creating six (6) affordable housing units on the second floor, and using the larger former theater space to house CEDC’s current community services office, as well as classroom space for English learning, job training, and life skills.  CEDC is also hoping to develop a commercial kitchen that will serve several purposes.

The draft ABCA summarizes the findings of previous investigations conducted at the Site and presents a description of potential remediation options with respect to the hazardous building materials present in the building. In addition, the draft ABCA compares the remediation options and presents a proposed remediation plan for the Site. Copies of the draft ABCA and related documents are available for public review online at the City’s website (https://www.newbedford-ma.gov/environmental-stewardship/capitol-theater-abatement-information-repository) and at the following locations:

The 30-day comment period begins with the publishing of this announcement and will end on May 31, 2023. The public is encouraged to review and comment on the draft ABCA during the public comment period.  To conduct a review of the ABCA, please contact Ms. Courtney Cohen, Environmental Project Manager, at the City’s Department of Resilience and Environmental Stewardship Office at (508) 991-6188 or brownfields@newbedford-ma.gov during normal business hours:

Monday – Friday: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

A public meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, May 4, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. at the Community Economic Development Center, 1501 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, MA 02746. If you have any questions, please contact the spokesperson for this project, Ms. Corinn Williams, Executive Director at CEDC (508) 979-4684, or corinncedc@gmail.com.

Comments concerning the draft ABCA may be presented at the public meeting or forwarded to Ms. Cohen at brownfields@newbedford-ma.gov.

Interpreters for non-English speaking or hearing-impaired persons will be provided upon request prior to the meeting.