An Indiana developer proposing to build Amazon’s second warehouse/distribution center in Windsor has received all local land use approvals for the $50-million project. Windsor’s planning and zoning commission on Tuesday approved a special use application and site plan for Scannell Properties to build a 823,000-square-foot distribution hub on former tobacco farmland at 1201 Kennedy Road […]
Construction broke ground in February and has for the most part remained on schedule. Roche said some supplies have been hard to come by because the coronavirus pandemic has shut down some factories. The renovations to the existing Emergency Center and a 12,500-square-foot addition are part of a four-phase, $15 million project. By late summer, […]
Towns that contract with the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) for trash removal and recycling are currently paying about $83 per ton, and that is projected to go up to about $91 in the next fiscal year. Over the past two years, MIRA officials have been trying to combine state bonding, a new power-purchase […]
Hartford’s city council has agreed to lease city property to a local developer proposing to build a $21.5-million mixed-use development in a key corner of the Upper Albany neighborhood. 7 Summits CEO Rohan Freeman in an interview said the deal gives his group control of the 2-acre property, and leverage to finalize more than $10 […]
The family-run business, which rebooted outdoor dining service May 20 amid the state’s phased economic reopening, recently invested more than $500,000 to acquire an adjoining 2-acre property on West Street to make room for an additional 200 parking spaces and a 6,000-square-foot addition to its main restaurant, Cava General Manager Tony Papahristou told HBJ in […]
New housing construction in Connecticut plummeted to a three-year low in April during what was the first full month of COVID-19-related shutdowns, new data shows. Prior to April’s report, new housing permits in Connecticut had increased year-over-year for eight consecutive months. For the year, there have been 1,368 housing permits issued, down 9.5% from 1,512 […]
Assuring all necessary parking is directly across from the museum is not critical. Arguably, it may not even be preferable. One reason the editorial board has consistently supported the planned museum site on the water, behind the historic train station, is the increased pedestrian activity it would create for the downtown. That would not be […]
After receiving unanimous approval from the town’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission on Tuesday evening, it appears a proposed $2.28 million synthetic turf field project the Region 18 Board of Education is considering building is moving forward. The 143,000-square-foot, all-weather, multipurpose field, if eventually approved by the Board of Education, will be located behind the […]
Treasurer Shawn T. Wooden launched an $850 million bond sale last week to bolster Connecticut’s transportation program, and this week plans to secure another $500 million in financing for various other capital projects and state initiatives. The transportation bonds will finance upgrades to the Gold Star Memorial Bridge on Interstate 95 in New London, the […]
The New York group that purchased two abutting historic downtown buildings once envisioned for a heritage museum received approval this past week to create 42 apartments in the upper stories and to renovate the Main and Water street storefront spaces in what city officials hope will bring new life to lower Main Street. The Rochelle, […]
After First Selectman Mark Nickerson said the town may not be required to hold a town meeting vote on an additional $2.1 million needed to complete the police building renovation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he told the selectmen last week that town officials are trying to find a way for residents to provide input. Besides having only […]
George Schrade wants to expand his Water Street business, A Quick Pick Crane Co., and build a 40,000-square-foot warehouse for large vehicle storage on 14.2 acres off Division Street. Schrade bought the land from the city for approximately $375,000. The proposal from Schrade Roosevelt LLC was presented at a virtual public hearing the Planning and […]
The city has moved one step closer to approval of a lab building, zoning text amendment and land deal that will bring a $100 million investment to fruition, something the developer says will make New Haven the leader in life sciences and biotech research in Connecticut. The text amendment and land disposition agreement will go […]
In most jurisdictions, projects are coming back on line, and construction managers are struggling to fill jobs. First of all, the enhanced unemployment benefit provided by the federal CARES Act is keeping many workers on the sidelines. The legislation, passed in March, supplements state coverage with an additional $600 a week, more than double the […]
Connecticut shed 266,300 jobs in April, a record single-month loss that highlighted the devastating toll of the coronavirus crisis, according to preliminary numbers released Thursday by the state Department of Labor. Since March 13, the labor department has received more than 535,000 unemployment insurance applications — about the same amount that it would typically receive […]
A $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill proposed on May 12, included $15 billion in funds for state departments of transportation, but that is lower than the almost $50 billion that the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) officials estimates DOTs will need. Some states have begun to suspend major road and bridge […]
The City Council will be voting on two major items that will determine whether the school board can go forward with its proposed high school renovation project. The option being put forward by the school board is for a $156.6 million project with 62.5% state reimbursement. The state’s estimated share would be $85 million and […]
Developer Jason Pazzaglia, owner of the custom homebuilding company Pazz & Construction LLC of East Lyme, submitted an application to the town’s Land Use Department late last year, proposing to build 108 multifamily units on about 12 of the 20 acres he owns at 90 North Bride Brook Road. Pazzaglia had told The Day earlier […]
The Town Council will be looking at improved safety and traffic flow along the Route 66 corrider, after being presented with a series of recommendations from the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Government. The long range study, if approved, would enable the COG to move ahead to seek grants and other funding sources to […]
As first reported by HBJ last month, Indiana developer Scannell Properties has proposed to build a $50-million, 823,000-square-foot distribution hub on former tobacco farmland at 1201 Kennedy Road and 1 Joseph Lane. Town officials and design professionals representing Scannell at the time did not name a potential tenant. Amazon, though, emerged as the prospective tenant […]
Nearly six years after first announcing a proposal to replace the more than century-old railroad bridge spanning the Connecticut River between Old Lyme and Old Saybrook, the estimated $400 million project appears to be moving forward. Obtaining the license from DEEP is one of many regulatory steps the rail service must take with both the […]
Winstanley has become a transformative figure in New Haven, responsible for the $200 million 100 College Street bioscience development (informally known as “the Alexion Building” although its anchor tenant relocated its corporate headquarters to Boston almost two years ago). It represents the first phase of the city’s multi-year Downtown Crossing redevelopment project that aims to […]
Total construction starts declined 25% from March to April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $572.2 billion as COVID-19 and economic recession hit the construction sector. In April, nonresidential building starts fell 37% from March, while residential dropped 25%. The decline in nonbuilding construction starts was more tepid, falling just 5% due to strong […]
Project and construction managers overseeing the $108 million reconstruction of New London High School are pushing for a May start date for major construction work. Diana McNeil, project manager for Capitol Region Education Council, said the value engineering work is still ongoing and some numbers remain fluid, but the construction manager for the project, Newfield […]
The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection rejected the stormwater management plan for Candlewood Solar’s project on Candlewood Mountain under the general permit. The department is also now requiring any new plan be submitted under the stricter individual permit, fulfilling the town’s request from earlier this year. The project calls for Candlewood Solar’s parent […]
“All our major infrastructure projects are still going on,” Town Engineer/Deputy Highway Superintendent Jon C. Harriman said. Work is essentially complete on the new 95-stall public parking lot off Community Field Road, and crews are pushing ahead with the reconstruction and repair of a portion of Coles Road. The construction is being done by D’Amato […]
Shawmut Design and Construction, a Boston-based construction firm with an operation in North Haven, created a technology platform meant to track possible transmission of the COVID-19 virus among employees and contractors. The platform allows employees and contractors to fill out a health survey each day to self report whether they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, […]
The Representative Town Meeting gave its approval Wednesday for the town to enter into an option to purchase agreement with DonMar Development for the 14-acre William Seely School property. The vote was 27-2, with three abstentions. The option agreement is for one year, but could be extended for another six months. The price for the […]
The Planning and Zoning Commission opposes granting a zone change that would allow construction of 272 apartments on the Bridgeport Avenue property that also houses PerkinElmer. The plan called for four buildings and 272 units with 10 percent of the units — 27 total — listed as affordable housing. The structure housing PerkinElmer would remain, […]
The PPP initiative, which has seen two rounds of funding totaling $659 billion and is being administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through traditional lenders, was intended to provide short-term financing to small businesses that would otherwise have to lay off employees as a result of stay-at-home orders and mandatory shutdowns. While this sounds […]
Dan Pesce, interim director of the Waterbury Development Corp., said he expects to begin work at some point this year. If that happens, he’s confident the field could be ready for use next spring. The state gave Waterbury $2 million to clean away the rubble, leaving behind a Brobdingnagian concrete foundation at the close of […]
After receiving construction bids and tallying additional costs in recent weeks, the committee overseeing renovations for the town’s new police building unanimously voted Tuesday to move forward with a $7.17 million plan to complete the project. The Board of Finance agreed in early 2019 to allot $5 million toward the current project, which voters later […]
As construction continues from the north end of the city to the downtown, at least one business owner is very displeased with relinquishing some of his property for traffic improvements. Construction began on two separate state projects in late February. In addition the roadwork in the center of the city, a repair project on the […]
The construction industry lost 975,000 jobs in April, according to the most recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as contractors experienced less demand for their services amid the pandemic. This drop represents approximately 13% of the country’s construction workforce, said Associated General Contractors of America. The dismal April numbers are proof, the […]
Massachusetts-based grocery chain Big Y is expanding its presence on the Shoreline, opening a store on Route 81 near Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets sometime next year. The construction of the supermarket will create job opportunities for local contractors, according to Big Y officials. When the store opens, it will employ more than 150 people in […]
People who are anxious about returning to work, particularly those who could be vulnerable to the coronavirus, might get some relief that could allow them to remain at home and receive unemployment benefits, Gov. Ned Lamont indicated on Monday. The state’s fatalities on Monday in the coronavirus pandemic rose above 3,000, prompting Lamont to wish […]
The town’s streetscape project to replace the sidewalks and install new crosswalks is moving forward with a Streetscape Building Committee. The Streetscape Building Committee agreed unanimously to support both of these crosswalks and will ask the selectmen Tuesday to endorse the changes. In addition, the committee wants the selectmen to direct surveyor Gary Hock to […]
Under a term sheet signed late last year with Sacyr Rooney, which would lead the $330 million-plus modernization of Hartford’s Mid-Connecticut plant, the quasi-public Materials Innovation Recycling Authority (MIRA) was responsible for securing commitments from municipalities by June 1 for at least 650,000 tons of annual waste shipments. MIRA surveyed the approximately 50 municipalities the […]
Public Works and Utility Commission staff are set to move into their new office building this week, part of a phased municipal complex building project almost two decades in the making. The Representative Town Meeting approved funding for the $15.8 million project in 2018. The town has appropriated $800,000 from its unassigned general fund balance […]
The city is applying for $24.8 million in federal funds to expand its Water Street parking garage, a third try at obtaining funding for a project that would complement a $100 million National Coast Guard Museum proposed to be built across the street. The proposed project is closely tied to the future construction of a […]
The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission last week approved a zone change, and master and site plans submitted by Pacifica Connect LLC to redevelop the existing nursing home building at 55 Tunxis Ave., which has been vacant since 2016, into a multi-family housing community. Pacifica, based in San Diego, Calif., received several other town approvals […]
Connecticut municipalities are among more than 100 across the country that have been awarded Environmental Protection Agency grants to clean up brownfields to make them desirable properties for redevelopment. The state received $2.3 million for six projects out of $85.6 million distributed across the country, many of them for use in Opportunity Zones that can […]
The nonprofit development arm of the West Hartford Housing Authority says it’s secured federal tax credits to build its second, $20-million transit-oriented development on New Park Avenue. Trout Brook Realty Advisors on Monday said the tax credits awarded by the Connecticut Finance Housing Authority (CHFA) and additional financing from the Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) […]
After three years of work, the state Department of Transportation has announced the final stage of construction for the ongoing Merritt Parkway improvement project in Fairfield and Westport. The five-mile stretch of the Merritt Parkway included in the $56.7 million project will transition to full final alignment progressing east to west (Fairfield to Westport) as […]
With Connecticut’s economy reeling from the coronavirus, legislators insist they won’t hike gasoline taxes or impose tolls this summer — even with new projections the transportation program is headed for collapse in just over one year. Gov. Ned Lamont outlined the urgency last week when he and the legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal analysts noted the STF […]
In the midst of refueling one of its two active nuclear reactors, a process that has brought in 750 temporary workers, 10 employees at Millstone Power Station have tested positive for COVID-19. Foley said Millstone began working with the union in developing its pandemic plan in March. One aspect of that plan was having security […]
While ridership on CTrail’s Hartford Line has slowed to a trickle in recent weeks, the town of Windsor Locks in April scored a major $45-million commitment from the state Bond Commission to fund construction of a new train station downtown on Main Street. With $62.4 million in state and federal funding now approved for the […]
North America’s Building Trades Unions and its affiliated research organization, The Center for Construction Research and Training, urged employers on Monday to develop a “comprehensive COVID-19 exposure control plan” with temperature checks and designated COVID-19 officers at job sites. NABTU, which is an alliance of 14 unions representing building and construction workers, said the national […]
Disappointments and delays continue for the New London public schools’ building project, an integral part of the plans to convert the district to the state’s first all-magnet-schools system. Way back in 2014, voters approved $168 million for new school construction. For the bulk of the project the state is reimbursing 80% of the costs. So, […]
A Hamden developer has started construction on a $50-million apartment home community on a long-vacant property near Cromwell’s well-traveled Route 372. Belfonti Companies LLC on Thursday said the 160-unit complex at the end of Country Squire Road will be constructed in multiple phases over a 22-month period. Property management firm Bozzuto Management has been selected […]
Coronavirus disruptions have slowed millions of construction sites across the U.S., making it difficult for material distributors in the industry to stay busy. Nationally, many states, including Connecticut, have ordered all essential workers wear face masks to curb the coronavirus outbreak. Grocery stores and airlines are also ordering workers, customers and passengers to wear masks. […]
As more people stay at home during the pandemic, traffic volumes on state highways have dropped significantly to an average of 50%, and even lower in areas of southeastern Connecticut. Fewer cars on the roads has led to a host of impacts for the state’s transportation system. Crews are able to work more efficiently on […]
The $3 million bid, which includes $743,000 to build out a sally port and holding cells, was submitted to the town last week by Noble Construction & Management of Centerbrook and was the lowest of nine bids for renovations in the 30,000-square-foot-building at 277 West Main St. Noble has completed projects for Yale University and […]
Connecticut, which currently has about $2.5 billion in its rainy day fund, expects to have $1.8 billion-to-$1.9 billion left by July 1 after closing another deficit this fiscal year. But Lamont and the General Assembly have an even bigger task facing them next spring when they must craft a new, two-year budget to cover the […]
Superintendents at Bridgewater, Massachusetts-based Callahan Construction Managers have implemented a variety of protocols to promote social distancing and employee health, including a ban on carpooling, a 100% mask and glove policy and well-stocked handwashing stations, according to president Pat Callahan. In addition, the company’s safety team made 200 gallons of sanitizing soap that has been […]
Construction will get underway this week on the third and final phase of a $7 million expansion of Eversource Energy’s natural gas distribution network between Wallingford and Middletown, company officials said Monday. The natural gas distribution network expansion is being allowed to continue because it is considered essential under the state’s coronavirus pandemic plan. Social […]
Though little is certain amidst unprecedented economic chaos and partisan feuding over federal relief for states, Connecticut’s fiscal leaders agree on one thing: The worst-case scenario — no fiscal cushion and a revenue base down $1 billion or more — could be facing Lamont and state lawmakers as early as February when they start crafting […]
