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After Great Recession and pandemic setbacks, CT construction employment reaches highest level since 2008
Nearly two decades after the Great Recession devastated Connecticut’s construction industry, employment in the sector has climbed to its highest level since before the housing market collapse.
Connecticut’s construction workforce reached 65,200 workers in April, its highest level since 2008, according to seasonally adjusted state labor data. Industry leaders credit the milestone to years of workforce development efforts, infrastructure investment and a growing pipeline of public- and private-sector projects. “The volume of really nice projects — large, complex healthcare, higher ed, K-12, housing and whatnot — is far beyond what I’ve seen in my 20 years in this market,” said Eric Cushman, a vice president leading Gilbane Building Co.’s Connecticut operations. “The demand is coming across all market sectors at a collectively impressive scale.” The national construction and real estate development firm’s Connecticut revenue has grown by nearly 70% since 2021, Cushman said. As a result, Gilbane has expanded its Connecticut workforce by about 10% over the past year, to 130 employees, and continues to hire project managers, engineers and superintendents. Much of the hiring is aimed at meeting future demand. While Gilbane’s workload in Connecticut has remained consistently strong in 2025 and 2026, Cushman said the company expects even more activity over the next three years based on current inquiries and requests. He said the growing pipeline includes projects across a range of sectors, from publicly funded infrastructure and institutional work to private development, reflecting what he sees as continued economic growth in Connecticut.
Proposal for $69.5 million rehabilitation hospital heads to Branford planners
BRANFORD — A proposal for what could eventually become an 80-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility on the former Hilltop Orchard property off East Main Street is headed to the Planning and Zoning Commission, even as the developer awaits a state ruling on whether the project can move forward. Encompass Health, a Birmingham, Ala.-based for-profit company and the nation’s largest provider of inpatient rehabilitation services, is seeking approval to build the facility at 596, 612 and 616 E. Main St. The company operates more than 175 hospitals nationwide and served at least 225,000 patients in 2024. An Encompass spokeswoman declined to comment. The company filed an application last year with the state Office of Health Strategy for a required Certificate of Need, which must be approved before construction can proceed. The proposed one-story facility would total 54,765 square feet and be built on land owned by Wayne Cooke and entities associated with his family. Designed for patients recovering from serious illnesses and injuries, the facility would be constructed in two phases. The initial phase would include 50 beds, while a second phase would add 30 beds and a gymnasium, according to plans filed with the town.
Construction begins on 150 apartments along Connecticut River in East Hartford
EAST HARTFORD — Construction has begun on a 150-unit apartment project along the Connecticut River, with leasing expected to begin next year. West Hartford-based developer Simon Konover, in a partnership with Fairfield-based Eastpointe LLC, plans to build 150 apartments on a 35.3-acre property at 341 East River Drive. Previously billed as a $47.5 million project, the planned development would include 21 studio units, 36 one-bedrooms, 67 two-bedrooms, and 26 three-bedrooms, spread across three three-story buildings and one four-story building. Simon Konover has owned the property for more than 40 years, and company officials have previously said they explored an office development at the site but pivoted away as the region’s office-space market weakened. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a subdivision for the development in August 2025, and a special permit application in September 2025. The developers held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday to celebrate the beginning of construction, which is expected to take 15 months. Greg Konover, president of Simon Konover, said Thursday that each building will be constructed sequentially and leased out as they are completed, with the first scheduled to go online in about 12 months.
Deal appears to advance Costco mega-warehouses in CT. Traffic a worry: ‘Awful lot of trucks here’
Barely two months after Costco sued a town for blocking two proposed mega-warehouses, the town agreed to a negotiated settlement that will probably let plans for both buildings move ahead.
Plainfield’s planning and zoning commission in March turned down Costco’s plan for an accessway to its planned 1.1-million-square-foot freight depot in Canterbury, a decision that also stopped the company from building a second, relatively similar building on Plainfield land nearby. If a court approves the settlement, Costco would move much closer to being able to construct the Canterbury depot. But the second component, the 1.1-million-square-foot Plainfield distribution center, wouldn’t be guaranteed because Costco would still have to go through a special permit review. In the settlement, Costco agreed to some changes in landscaping and a long driveway from Route 12 to address complaints from neighbors. But there is still widespread public concern that several hundred trips a day by tractor trailers will severely worsen traffic on Route 12 and other nearby roads. Costco plans a 1.1 million-square-foot of warehouse space split between two separate buildings next to each other, with one in Canterbury and the other in Plainfield. Canterbury has already approved its half, which would receive wholesale deliveries from suppliers and warehouse them before they’re shipped to Costco’s stores. Costco describes the Plainfield building as a distribution center that would process online orders.
FuelCell plans up to $275M Torrington expansion as data center demand grows
Danbury-based FuelCell Energy announced it has increased the planned scale of its Torrington manufacturing expansion as it pursues growing demand from data center developers seeking on-site power generation. The company, which makes fuel cell power systems, said Monday it now aims to expand the facility to 500 megawatts of annualized production capacity, up from a previously announced target of 350 megawatts. The change comes as its pipeline of potential data center projects grew to 4 gigawatts during the second quarter, up from about 1.5 gigawatts earlier this year, the company said. The expanded project is expected to cost between $200 million and $275 million and take about 24 months to complete, according to an earnings release filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. FuelCell said it has already begun work at the Torrington plant, including installation of a high-volume tape caster and commissioning of a new conditioning room. The announcement accompanied second-quarter financial results that showed higher losses and lower revenue compared with a year ago. FuelCell reported revenue of $35.6 million, down about 5%, and a net loss of $77.6 million. The loss included a $42.6 million noncash impairment charge tied to planned equipment upgrades at the company’s 7.4-megawatt fuel cell installation at the U.S. Navy Submarine Base in Groton. FuelCell Energy began pivoting its business toward data centers earlier this year, with CEO Jason Few telling the Hartford Business Journal in March that more than 80% of the company’s proposal pipeline — then totaling roughly 1.5 gigawatts — came from data center customers. By the end of the second quarter, which closed April 30, the pipeline had grown to 4 gigawatts, a 267% increase from the first quarter. The Torrington facility was producing about 41 megawatts of power systems annually as of earlier this year, well below its existing 100-megawatt capacity. The original expansion plan, which FuelCell outlined in March, called for scaling within the existing footprint to 350 megawatts.
Stamford Health unveils $275M plan for new cancer center, behavioral health expansion
Stamford Health is looking to expand access and capacity with plans to build a dedicated cancer center and a behavioral health facility as part of a multiyear construction project aimed at addressing the increasing demand for those services in Fairfield County. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, though officials said planning and other preliminary work are already underway. The project is estimated to cost $275 million. “This is really a transformation of the Bennett Cancer Center to meet some of the most important future healthcare needs in Stamford and Fairfield County,” said Kathleen Silard, president and CEO of Stamford Health. “It is our aspirational goal, our vision, to be the most trusted healthcare partner for the communities that we serve, and I think to that end, this is just another example of ways in which we’re delivering on that promise.” Cancer diagnoses continue to rise nationwide, particularly among younger patients, as screening and testing improve. At the same time, advances in treatment are helping patients live longer and manage the disease more effectively, Silard said. Although Stamford Health’s Bennett Cancer Center has undergone several renovations over the years, Silard said the facility has effectively outgrown its space as demand for treatment continues to increase. Stamford Health provided more than 13,000 medical infusion treatments and 7,500 radiation treatment to patients in fiscal year 2025, which officials say represents overall growth in demand for services.
Officials break ground on new Moriarty Elementary School in Norwich
Norwich — State, local and school officials gathered at the site of the current Moriarty Elementary School on Monday afternoon to break ground on the school’s replacement, which will be constructed adjacent to the current building. “I’m excited for what the families, the students and the staff here will get to experience in the next of construction here, which I call phase two,” state Rep. Derell Wilson, D-46th District, said. Among the nearly 60 people who attended the ceremony were School Building Committee Chairman Mark Bettencourt and other committee members, Moriarty Principal Ashley Favello, Superintendent of Schools Susan Lessard, Mayor Swarnjit Singh and members of the Board of Education and City Council. Moriarty is the fourth elementary school to break ground as part of the $386 million school project, which calls for the construction of four new elementary schools and one new middle school, with another building to be renovated into central offices and an adult learning center. Last Friday, a groundbreaking was held for the new Uncas Elementary School at at 280 Elizabeth St. Ext. Plans call for the new Moriarty and Uncas schools to open for the start of the 2027-28 school year.
https://theday.com/news/899546/officials-break-ground-on-new-moriarty-elementary-school-in-norwich/
Quarry Walk developer looks to build village oasis in New Haven area with 400 units, shops, dining
After carving out a village oasis from scratch amid the Oxford woods, a developer is moving ahead with its next project alongside a historic ice pond outside New Haven — in the heart of an industrial district today, where it hopes to create a similar haven for people live and visit for shopping, dining and other leisure activities. Haynes Group is seeking a zoning change for a 30-acre property it owns at 300 Elm St. in North Haven, which under the town’s current IL-80 industrial zone designation does not qualify currently for housing. Haynes Group aims to change that as an initial step to moving ahead toward additional approvals it would need from zoning and wetlands boards before construction could begin on as many as 400 apartments and 150,000 square feet of retail and commercial space. On the residential front alone, that would rank the project among the 20 largest residential developments in Connecticut tracked currently by CT Insider. At a meeting this week, the North Haven Planning & Zoning Commission tabled further consideration of the proposal to its next session in early July. In an April presentation to the P&Z Commission, Haynes Group compared its goals for the site to Quarry Walk in Oxford, where it built a modern village including apartments, retailers, restaurants and commercial space filled both by chains and independent shops, including a Market 32 grocery store. As the case at Quarry Walk, the North Haven development would include a child daycare center. Haynes Group also plans to build a walking trail at the site and a “community green” for concerts and other activities during the warmer months, with a bandstand backed by the vista of Bruces Ice Pond according to firm principal Patrick Haynes, who led the P&Z Commission presentation in April.
City Council authorizes Norwich to seek grant to study massive Chestnut Street Mill housing project
Norwich — The City Council on Monday authorized the city to apply for a $250,000 state grant to fund a feasibility study of a developer’s plan to transform the former Chestnut Street Mill into as many as 170 workforce housing units. Councilors voted unanimously to authorize the city and Norwich Community Development Corp. to apply for the grant. During the meeting, NCDC President Kevin Brown explained that the owner of the downtown mill property and the developer are interested in studying the path to redeveloping the building and bringing it “back to life.” The 125-year-old mill, which has sat abandoned for around two decades, has been the subject of multiple blight violations, including for falling bricks. “There is a possibility that finally, this can be transformed,” Mayor Swarnjit Singh said Monday. The building, which opened in 1901, was originally home to gun manufacturer Hopkins & Allen, which supplied firearms to the British and Belgian governments during World War I. Most recently it was home to Norwich Textiles, which colored synthetic fabric for use in swimsuits and lingerie. It was purchased by Franklin St. LLC, based in New York, in 2006. Property owner Maurice Moezinia, who is in the textile business, said Tuesday he originally acquired the building in hopes of keeping textile manufacturing there alive. Moezinia mentioned that through the years it wasn’t easy to get things done with the building. Moezinia said that changed when Singh called him, gave him his cellphone number and made him feel he could trust the mayor. “We’ve been trying to do something for many years, but it was always hitting a brick wall, or the numbers never made sense,” Moezinia said. “And the atmosphere wasn’t proper for development with this property,” he said, adding that Singh “was basically able to put all the puzzle pieces together to help this project work.”
Killingly residents protest Amazon distribution center
Killingly — Opponents of Amazon’s plan to build a massive warehouse on Westcott Road turned out in full force on Monday for the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission’s final public hearing on the proposal. Nearly three dozen residents rallied outside Town Hall for a “Residents Against Distribution Centers Protest” before the IWWC’s meeting, carrying signs that called on commission members to “Save the Last Green Valley,” “Protect the water and land,” and say “No to more distribution centers.” The proposed 1.3 million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center would operate 24/7, employ 500 workers, bring in more than 400 trucks a day, and serve as the company’s “most advanced robotics facility” in the state, according to Amazon Economic Development Director Brad Griggs. Residents fear that the construction and operation of the warehouse will destroy ecosystems, pollute the groundwater that feeds local wells, decrease property values, and create new traffic, light and sound nuisances, among other concerns. After voting unanimously to close the public hearing Monday night, the IWWC is now required by law to make a decision on the application by July 15.
https://theday.com/news/898090/killingly-residents-protest-amazon-distribution-center/
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