Ryan M.
Google
John Guedes, through entities associated with Primrose Companies, developed the Birmingham on the River condominium at 145 Canal Street, Shelton, CT in the early 2000s by converting a historic 1890s industrial building into residential units.
As a unit owner, I later learned that asbestos-containing materials remain present in the building. This has resulted in ongoing concern, remediation discussions/issues, and massive financial exposure for residents years after the conversion. In my view, this reflects a failure to fully address known environmental risks at the time of redevelopment.
What is particularly troubling is that, despite these unresolved legacy issues, Mr. Guedes is now receiving substantial public support and state and city funds and incentives to pursue additional development projects along Canal Street. Residents living with the consequences of prior redevelopment decisions are left to absorb the costs and uncertainty.
Adaptive reuse of historic structures can benefit communities, but only when done responsibly, transparently, and with full remediation of known hazards. That standard was not met here, and current and prospective stakeholders deserve to be aware of this history before further public funds are committed.