Cleanup has begun at Nashua’s former Mohawk Tannery site, clearing the way for 546 new homes. The 31 million dollar remediation will take about a year before construction starts on a 350 million dollar housing project with many affordable units.
A long contaminated industrial property in Nashua is moving toward redevelopment after decades of environmental concern, according to reporting from WMUR. The former Mohawk Tannery site, which operated from the 1920s through the 1980s, is slated to become a large residential community once a yearlong cleanup effort is completed. Officials and developers held a groundbreaking ceremony at the property on Friday to mark the beginning of the remediation phase.
During its operational years, the tannery produced hides for leather and disposed of waste in nearby lagoons. Over time, sludge and surrounding soil became contaminated with heavy metals and other harmful compounds. The Environmental Protection Agency identified the site in 2017 as needing urgent remediation after assessing the extent of hazardous materials on the property. Cleanup activities are estimated to cost about 31 million dollars and will include soil removal, stabilization, and other mitigation strategies required before construction can safely begin.
The planned redevelopment includes 546 new homes constructed over the cleaned land. The housing project carries an estimated price tag of 350 million dollars and is designed to bring new residential capacity to Nashua. Local leaders said the development represents a significant opportunity to repurpose a long blighted area of the city.
New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte described the project as an important connection point within Nashua and noted the collaboration among agencies and developers required to advance it. Her remarks at the ceremony emphasized the role of partnerships in moving large scale projects forward and expressed optimism that this redevelopment could serve as a model for future initiatives.
Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess stated that a majority of the planned homes will be designated as affordable units. Local officials said that the combination of environmental cleanup and new housing aligns with broader community goals related to public health, land use, and access to housing. They noted that transforming the site requires coordinated work between federal agencies, the city, developers, and environmental specialists.
Construction of the housing units will begin once the remediation efforts are complete. Officials anticipate that the cleanup timeline will extend roughly one year, after which development teams will begin work on the residential structures and associated infrastructure. The project marks a major step in converting a contaminated industrial parcel into a new housing district intended to serve a range of residents.