industry news
Stay updated with the latest developments and insights from across the industry
Climate activists protest gas expansion projects in Lamont’s office
Around 30 activists in neon pink T-shirts gathered around Gov. Ned Lamont’s office on Monday afternoon, singing “This Little Light of Mine,” to protest his support for new methane gas construction in Connecticut. The protest was organized by a new coalition calling themselves Don’t Destroy Our Future, a group organized for the sake of this protest by members of climate justice groups including Sunrise Movement Connecticut, Third Act and Interreligious Eco-Justice Network. Activists called for Lamont to deny permits for new projects expanding natural gas usage in Connecticut. They argued that these buildouts contradict the state’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, a target Lamont signed into law earlier this year.
https://ctmirror.org/2025/11/17/ct-climate-natural-gas-expansion-protest/
Connecticut regulators pass on revisiting UI power line upgrades in Fairfield and Bridgeport
The Connecticut Siting Council Thursday briefly weighed tackling United Illuminating’s request to reconsider the regulatory body’s October denial of the company’s overhead power line upgrade through Fairfield and Bridgeport. But after some confusing back and forth and consultation with their executive director and attorney, Melanie Bachman, members instead adjourned the teleconference, leaving action on UI’s Nov. 3 appeal in doubt. It was the group’s last regular meeting within the 25 day window it has to act. The deadline is Nov. 28. The utility can try to challenge that decision in state superior court, but first filed the Nov. 3 request with the Siting Council for reconsideration. One of UI’s main arguments is council members erred in not outlining their rationale for rejecting the line upgrade. Fliotsos reiterated that stance Friday.
Enfield Square Mall redevelopment plan could begin site work in the spring after major win
ENFIELD — Site work on the planned $250 million overhaul of Enfield Square Mall could begin in the spring, after the developer secured a major town approval Thursday. Nebraska-based Woodsonia Acquisitions hopes to bring “Enfield Marketplace” to the struggling mall property, proposing a combination of commercial space and 465 residential units with the potential to accommodate a hotel as well. Under current plans, the company would serve as a master developer of the project, seeking other developers for the various lots that will make up the project site but expecting to build and own the residential component itself. The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved unanimously Thursday night a zone change to help the project move forward, though Woodsonia and its eventual partners will need additional approvals to get a shovel in the ground.
18-hole Bristol golf course hits market for $5M, pitched as housing development site
The Chippanee Country Club in Bristol is being offered for sale as a potential housing development site. The 18-hole club property is owned by a limited liability company headed by prominent businessman Frederick W. “Fritz” Blasius Jr., owner of Waterbury-headquartered car dealership Loehmann-Blasius Chevrolet. City records show the Blasius-affiliated LLC bought the three abutting properties — totaling roughly 140 acres between Marsh Road and Hill Street — for $1.27 million in 2015. A 133-acre portion of the properties went on the market this week with a $5 million asking price. The seller is represented by Middlebury-based Drubner Commercial Real Estate Services.
Construction of National Coast Guard Museum reaches milestone
New London — Construction of the National Coast Guard Museum reached another milestone this week with completion of the six-story building’s steel frame. Stakeholders in the $150 million project gathered at the perimeter of the museum’s construction site at City Pier on Monday to watch a crane hoist a beam topped with a small tree and an American flag to the roof of the structure. It was part of a traditional topping off ceremony that National Coast Guard Museum Association President Wes Pulver said was another step forward for a project that was first pitched as an idea more than 25 years ago. The museum, whose location in New London was secured in 2004, is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors a year and, according to New London Mayor Michael Passero, help to solidify the city as a tourist destination.
https://theday.com/news/810700/construction-of-national-coast-guard-museum-reaches-milestone/
Two-phase, 461-unit residential redevelopment proposed for downtown New Haven
A pair of national and regional developers plan to build more than 450 apartments in two mixed-use buildings at State and George streets in New Haven, according to a proposal submitted to the City Plan Commission. Gilbane Development Co. and Xenolith Partners are proposing a two-phase project on the city-owned parcel, describing it as a major transit-oriented investment designed to bring mixed-income housing and new economic activity to a key downtown site. The Board of Alders unanimously approved a development and land disposition agreement for the project on Sept. 4, 2025. The City Plan Commission will consider the proposal at its Nov. 19 meeting.
Replacing Whiting Forensic Hospital could cost $700M
Patients at Whiting Forensic Hospital in Middletown have a long list of complaints about their living quarters: unhygienic conditions and mice, the closure of the woodworking shop and vegetable garden, frustrations about staff behavior and a lack of privacy. State leaders are working to address some of those shortcomings. But it’s been a deliberate process. But efforts to replace the old facility — a cramped, aging building from the 1970s that was planned by an architect who designed prisons — appear to have hit a roadblock. An architectural firm hired by the state to study the best option for a new hospital has recommended a design that would cost the state $700 million.
https://theday.com/news/809552/replacing-whiting-forensic-hospital-could-cost-700m/#
Rural CT town faces choice on former farmland. It’s a controversial mega-warehouse plan
East Granby’s planning and zoning commission will soon be deciding whether to let a large New Jersey-based commercial real estate developer build 700,000 square feet of warehouse space on former farmland near Bradley International Airport. The Silverman Group’s proposal to develop part of its 134-acre parcel on Rainbow Road has drawn enough public opposition that a lengthy hearing last month had to be extended to Nov. 17 so more residents could speak. So far, emails and letters to the zoning board have run almost exclusively against the plan. Public discontent with recent industrial buildup has been brewing for years, with residents complaining that large corporations are getting too much latitude to change the rural nature of their town. At issue is whether Silverman can construct two mega-warehouses on its property, one of 400,000 square feet and the other of 300,000.
Groton Voters Approve $14.3 million bond referendum for Athletic Stadium Improvement
Voters overwhelmingly approved the bond referendum for a $14.3 million upgrade of the athletic stadium at Fitch High School. The measure drew 3916 yes votes and 1758 voted no, according to Groton’s registrar of voters. The stadium is part of a $56 million multiphase project that would also upgrade the town’s athletic fields at Sutton Park and the property that holds Claude Chester Elementary School, which closed in 2021. The project “Athletic Field Improvements” is touted by Groton School District and many residents as critical as existing facilities have been degrading due to age, and the need for facilities including playing fields, public bathrooms and bleachers, has grown with an increased number of athletic programs and teams over the years. Voters interviewed at the polling sites on Election Day said the project strikes a chord. Some are parents with children in the school district involved in school athletics. Others are community members who say the athletic fields are a shared space that the entire community uses.
Developer buys 164-acre Simsbury site for $6.25M, plans mixed-use ‘Olympic village’-style development
A 164-acre cluster of properties along Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury has sold for $6.25 million to a local developer planning a 120-room Holiday Inn Express as part of a broader mixed-use “Olympic village”-type development. According to deeds recorded Nov. 4, Adam Westhaver of Simsbury purchased five parcels from a limited liability company affiliated with industrial real estate firm Indus Realty. The parcels include 54.2 acres at 1503 Hopmeadow St., where Westhaver recently received town approval to build the hotel, which will be located just north of the International Skating Center of Connecticut. Westhaver also partially owns the roughly 95,000-square-foot skating complex, which hosts public skating and competitive events and serves as home ice for numerous youth and high school hockey teams. In addition to the hotel, Westhaver plans to develop the 1503 Hopmeadow St. property with athletics-oriented businesses, restaurants, retail and other uses that complement the neighboring skating center. He envisions a network of trails connecting “New England village”-style buildings.
Connect with us
Contact us
If you believe you have been the victim of wage theft on a public works construction project, please feel free to contact our office. You can also visit the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Wage & Workplace Division’s website to file a complaint here.