Image courtesy of Brockton Redevelopment Authority

A developer is proposing more than 1,000 market-rate and affordable housing units on a long-vacant 45-acre site in downtown Brockton.

Charter Development LLC and the Brockton Redevelopment Authority signed a development agreement for a mixed-use project after the agency designated the firm in July 2023 for the Trout Brook Redevelopment District, which includes a former CSX freight rail yard that was deactivated in the 1980s. 

Charter Development is an affiliate of Boston-based Charter Contracting, which specializes in environmental cleanup projects. Its past projects include remediation of the former Monsanto property in Everett prior to construction of the Encore Boston Harbor casino.

A 2019 master plan study for the Brockton site examined three development scenarios, all of which would face financial obstacles because of gaps between anticipated costs and income.

Soils on the former Brockton Iron Works property at 45 Freight St. contain heavy metals and require remediation, the report said.

Brockton officials say the plan will leverage proximity to MBTA commuter rail, and add new recreation areas in the form of a town green and linear park along Trout Brook. A commuter rail station is located a quarter-mile from the center of the site.

Charter Development is now in the due diligence phase of the project, according to an announcement by the BRA. The project team includes Langan Engineering and Environmental Services and landscape architects Brown, Richardson & Rowe.

“I am excited about this project’s new residential units that will revitalize the tax base and create commercial space that will attract shoppers from throughout the region. It is in a transportation node, which corresponds with the MBTA Communities law’s requirements — that cities and towns zone a district for multi-family housing,” BRA Executive Director Nathalie Jean said in a statement.