Nashua, NH (November 21, 2025) – Blaylock Holdings, LLC (a Thorndike Development and Wincrest Properties joint venture) joined federal, state and local leaders on Friday, Nov. 21 to celebrate the start of remediation and redevelopment at the former Mohawk Tannery Superfund site in Nashua, New Hampshire. The groundbreaking ceremony marks a pivotal moment for Nashua, launching a long-awaited cleanup of one of New Hampshire’s most challenging environmental hazards and initiating work that will make way for the development of 546 new homes along with many other public amenities. Ultimately, the project will create hundreds of jobs, address critical housing needs and generate substantial new tax revenue for the community.

New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte, U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 Administrator Mark Sanborn and Mayor of Nashua Jim Donchess gave remarks at the event, along with Blaylock Holdings, LLC project leaders Bernie Plante, president of Wincrest Properties, and Lloyd Geisinger, founder and president of Thorndike Development.

“This project is the result of collaboration between the State, federal partners, local officials, and the private sector — that’s exactly how we get things done in New Hampshire,” said Gov. Kelly Ayotte. “I’m excited to see a long-abandoned site in my hometown of Nashua cleaned up and turned into much-needed housing. I thank everyone involved for the work they did to get us to this exciting groundbreaking.” 

The product of a constructive collaboration with all levels of government, this project serves as a model for public-private partnerships everywhere. With $9.5 million in EPA funds leveraged by $21.5 million in private, state and local investment, this project will transform a property defined by hazardous contamination for 40 years into a safe, productive and vibrant neighborhood. The work will include the construction of massive concrete secant walls extending down to bedrock—creating a containment system that will securely encapsulate more than 90,000 cubic yards of contaminated sludge and soil before being capped and prepared for a $350 million housing development.

“By working hand-in-hand with our state, local, and private partners to clean up contaminated sites and create redevelopment opportunities, we can deliver great results,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator Mark Sanborn. “EPA is proud to be supporting the first steps in the redevelopment of the Mohawk Tannery through an innovative approach grounded in cooperative federalism that will provide a cleaner environment for the communities in Nashua.”
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The Mohawk Tannery cleanup has been a long-standing EPA priority because the site’s waste pits—located directly beside the Nashua River and within the 100-year floodplain—posed a persistent threat to regional water resources. For decades, unlined disposal areas containing sludge contaminated with chromium, phenols, pentachlorophenol and other hazardous substances risked being washed into the Nashua River during major storm events, with the potential to impact wetlands along both the Nashua and Merrimack Rivers. The Merrimack, located just 3.5 miles downstream, is extensively fished and serves as a critical waterway for surrounding communities underscoring the importance of securing the contaminated material and preventing further migration into soil and water systems.

The vertical walls of the new sludge containment cell will withstand a 500-year flood. In addition to sealing existing contaminants in the large containment cell, located at the site of the tannery’s former disposal lagoons, the project team will also spend the better part of 2026 excavating and relocating various contaminated soils from throughout the site  as well as undertaking the removal of  underground storage tanks and demolishing the former tannery infrastructure.

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“We are thrilled to break ground on this transformative project that will benefit generations of Nashuans,” said Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess. “Thanks to decades of work by numerous community partners and neighbors, this contaminated land will soon be home to over 500 residential units, public green space, and recreational amenities for our community. This development marks a new chapter for Nashua, revitalizing and remediating this former industrial site into a vibrant, active space for residents and visitors alike.”

Plans to construct a 230-rental unit apartment complex, of which 20% of the units are dedicated to affordable housing, as well as a 316-unit condominium development, have already been approved by the City of Nashua.  

“This multigenerational community will turn the long-blighted site into a significant tax revenue generator producing millions of dollars in unrealized taxes in a location that has only caused problems since the site was shut down by the EPA in 1984” said Lloyd Geisinger, managing partner, Blaylock Holdings.

The project will create several additional benefits and amenities. Approximately 10 acres of green space adjacent to the new community will remain as conservation land. Another four acres of open space along the Nashua River will be available for public use, with a new kayak launch, a riverwalk and walking trails that will connect via a new pedestrian bridge over the river to the trails at Mine Falls Park—uniting two parts of the city that have never been directly connected. There are also plans to construct a playground and dog park in the area.

“We first met with Mohawk Tannery neighborhood groups and other stakeholders nine years ago and committed to give our level best effort to remedy the environmental issues that have plagued Fairmount Heights and Little Florida and indeed the entire Nashua community for decades,” said Bernie Plante, managing partner, Blaylock Holdings. “The redevelopment plans were embraced by those same neighbors, and we look forward to implementing our plans.”  

The project is expected to take approximately six to eight years to complete.
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About Thorndike Development: Based in Massachusetts, Thorndike Development has been building housing for more than 40 years. Thorndike has either completed or is currently developing more than 3,500 homes and apartments across multiple sites in New England. Along the way it has collected more than forty-five national and regional awards for excellence receiving “Best in the Nation” designations multiple times. Thorndike has also been included on multiple lists of top builders in the region and nation. In 1999 Lloyd Geisinger, founder of Thorndike Development, was named Builder of the Year by the Greater Boston Association of Homebuilders.

About Wincrest Properties: A Nashua, New Hampshire-based residential and commercial real estate developer, founded by Bernard Plante and the late Kevin Slattery, Wincrest has developed hundreds of housing units in Southern NH and Massachusetts over past decade.  Plante has also developed thousands of residential and senior housing units, skilled care and medical office facilities in greater than fourteen states.

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