Connecticut is trying to up the ante on its brownfield-cleanup efforts by putting an extra $10 million in the pot over the next two years and inviting more private money to help convert these sites to apartments, cultural attractions, retail stores and commercial uses.

Tim Sullivan, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development, said a bipartisan legislature during its most recent budget session voted to approve Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's plan for $40 million on brownfield remediation and development vs. $30 million that had been earmarked over the previous two years.

"This means we can take on more projects," said Sullivan, who oversees the state's brownfield programs.

According to the latest brownfield inventory completed last November, Connecticut has 281 properties that will require extensive remediation before development. Slightly more than 30 are in New London County, including the most extensive site at the former Norwich State Hospital covering 470 acres.

Sullivan said he considers the brownfield program, which includes grants to economic-development agencies and municipalities and low-cost loans to private developers and nonprofits, to be a driver of economic development in Connecticut.

What's more, he said, new legislation is making it easier for cities to put together comprehensive brownfield-development plans that could help them deal with the significant challenges improsed by multiple legacy industrial sites.

"Under Gov. Malloy, Connecticut has one of the most active brownfield programs in New England if not the whole country," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said development plans are graded on a variety of criteria, prioritizing cities with high unemployment rates and low median income. Projects along transit corridors also gain a leg up, he said.

"We look for projects that are ready to go," he said, especially those that have gained significant traction within a community.

Every dollar the state has spent on brownfields over the past four-plus years, he said, has brought in nearly $4 in outside investments.

"We see this really as an investment program, not a spending program," he said.

The state has spent about $125 million on brownfields over the past few years under the Malloy administration, bringing more than 100 projects to fruition. Sullivan estimated the next two years of funding would create an additional 30 to 40 projects.

Local projects that have received priority from the state over the past few years include the Norwich Hospital site, the Pawcatuck Threadmill project and the Cohanzie School remediation in Waterford. Funding is also in place for the 8-acre Shipping Street corridor in Norwich.

"We think there's great potential in southeastern Connecticut, particularly in and around New London and Norwich and other urban centers," Sullivan said.

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow