ThayerMahan, a Groton-based marine robotics and maritime surveillance company, has been selected to receive funding as part of a national initiative to bolster the growth of the offshore wind projects. The company was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium as one of 15 projects to share a […]
President Biden will unveil an infrastructure plan on Wednesday whose $2 trillion price tag would translate into 20,000 miles of rebuilt roads, repairs to the 10 most economically important bridges in the country, the elimination of lead pipes and service lines from the nation’s water supplies and a long list of other projects intended to […]
The plan would designate an area between Long Island and New Jersey as a priority offshore wind zone and sets a goal of installing 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind turbines in coastal waters nationwide by 2030, generating enough clean electricity to power 10 million homes. To help meet that target, the administration said it would […]
The recent landmark gaming deal between the governor’s office and the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribal nations included a provision to halt construction of the proposed Tribal Winds Casino in East Windsor. The Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans formed a partnership a few years back to build a $300 million casino in East Windsor that was […]
Walsh’s comments came as President Joe Biden’s administration vowed to focus on its $3 trillion Build Back Better infrastructure push, fresh off passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan earlier in March. As an appointee of Biden, who has pledged himself to be “the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen,” Walsh, a former labor […]
The $159.6 million building, approved last November, could also bring the city “good paying jobs, secure benefits and family-sustaining wages” if the project’s building committee decides to enter a project labor agreement. That’s the message residents shared with the building committee last week. “It’s the only way to ensure resident requirements, resident participation and career […]
Residents want to be sure the Torrington School Building Committee is using every advantage it has to hire local workers for the $159 million construction project, which is in the early stages since voters approved it in November 2020. During the Board of Education’s recent building committee meeting, people concerned with using out-of-state contractors and […]
On Friday Mappa, who manages Bridgeport’s outdated wastewater treatment system, led a handful of City Council members on a tour of the West Side plant. She will also participate Saturday morning in an online “workshop” to answer outstanding questions that legislative body has about a proposed $395 million facilities upgrade. A divided council earlier this […]
Connecticut has the highest total energy prices in the Lower 48 followed by Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Rates are always going to be higher in New England because we’re at the back end of energy supplies. So while our energy costs are the second highest in the nation, our total consumption due to […]
The long-discussed work on the Derby-Shelton bridge over the Housatonic River will begin this week. The state Department of Transportation announced last week that the repair and reconfiguration of the bridge — primarily intended to improve access for both cyclists and pedestrians — will start April 1. The parapets will be built to meet new […]
Gov. Ned Lamont is anticipating raising $90 million annually from taxing trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds for the number of miles driven in the state once the proposed tax fully takes effect. The proposed highway user tax was a focus of a legislative hearing Wednesday on the nearly $3.4 billion revenue package supporting the […]
School officials are looking to hire a capital program manager to help oversee the $100 million maintenance plan over the next decade and provide more oversight to the district’s facilities. Board members generally supported the idea, saying the cost is still less than adding someone to the staff once salary and benefits are factored in. […]
Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday tied plans for major rail improvements in the Naugatuck Valley with his proposals to reduce carbon emissions and create a mileage tax on trucks. He asked lawmakers and local officials to help him push for his regional Transportation Climate Initiaitive as well as the proposed mileage tax for heavy trucks. […]
The president will travel to Pittsburgh to make the announcement on March 31. Details of President Joe Biden’s long-awaited infrastructure package emerged this week as the administration ramps up for its second major legislative push after passing the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan earlier this month. The plan, which is expected to total between $3 […]
The city planned to start this spring on a 2.2-mile stretch of the pathway, which will eventually be part of a 7.5-mile greenway that will run from the city’s border with Naugatuck through to the line with Thomaston. Now, Mayor Neil M. O’Leary said he expects to begin work in mid-June. On Nov. 19, the […]
The Memorial Boulevard Intradistrict Arts Magnet School Building Committee will host a community forum webinar on Thursday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m. via the Zoom meeting platform. The city and the Board of Education are collaborating on the project, which will be open for grades six through 12. The total cost of the project is […]
But the project applicant, Slate School, which already has one North Haven location, contends the project would have no negative wetlands impact, and claims calculations used to inform the concerns are “erroneous.” With a vote set for Wednesday evening on whether to forward the project to the Planning & Zoning Commission, members of the North […]
The city’s zoning board approved changes unanimously on Monday to a waterfront property owned currently by oil company Sprague Resources. Sprague hopes to sell the lot, which was zoned for industrial uses tied to Stamford’s port. But instead of another industrial site, high rise development is set to take its place. The city’s Master Plan […]
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a Democrat, was confirmed Monday by the Senate to be the secretary of labor, set to take the reins of an agency that is central to President Joe Biden’s worker-friendly agenda. He rose to prominence in Boston through the building trades unions after dropping out of college to work in construction. […]
After completing the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package this month, Biden administration officials are piecing together the next major legislative priority. Although no final announcement has been made, the White House is expected to push a multitrillion jobs and infrastructure plan as the centerpiece of the president’s “Build Back Better” agenda. The infrastructure and jobs […]
State environmental officials will conduct a virtual public hearing Tuesday afternoon on a permit application for work at State Pier, the proposed site of an estimated $200 million project that will initially accommodate the offshore wind industry. Tuesday’s public hearing is another step in the process that continues March 30 with an evidentiary hearing. A […]
A public-private partnership is a sort of mega-contract under which the government and one or more business entities can build something and/or join in a project that serves the public, such as a road or bridge or a system of health services. The relationship is much deeper and longer term than under a normal state […]
But as the city plots a post-COVID comeback, Lazowski is among a small but dedicated group of local and out-of-state investors who will play an outsized role dictating Hartford’s future. That’s because Lazowski — a longtime real estate investor and Hartford booster — has been much more active in downtown development in recent years, buying […]
Officials are considering an affordable housing project near the Merritt Parkway and Hotel Hi-Ho that has residents concerned about factors like parking and the Merritt Parkway Conservancy raising issue with the potential loss of that section of the roadway’s scenic nature. The project, at 4185 Black Rock Turnpike, would include 94 units, with 65 at […]
Under that bridge, the scenery transitions from the strip malls and traffic signs omnipresent on sections of High Ridge into something softer: residential properties, hedges, and trees. A state Department of Transportation project plans to rebuild a 90-year-old road bridge. The project comes with a hefty price tag: about $4.6 million, most if it funded […]
New Haven Harbor watchers take note: the waterway is about to become home to two more large oil tanks. The new tanks also mean the storage capacity of Safety-Kleen, an oil recycling and environmental cleanup company, will increase to more than 6 million gallons. It brings the total number of tanks on the harbor and […]
If approved by the General Assembly, the 10-year deal would open Connecticut to its greatest expansion of gambling since the opening of the two tribal casinos, Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun, by making every smartphone and computer a portal to casino games and CT Lottery sales. One of the sticking points two weeks ago was […]
The Capital Region Development Authority on Thursday approved funding for the redevelopment of the historic 55 Elm St. office building in downtown Hartford into apartments. Norwalk-based Spinnaker Real Estate Partners has submitted plans with the CRDA to redevelop the 205,000-square-foot office building into 164 residential units as well as co-working space and a restaurant. Up […]
A developer is proposing a mixed-use building for the city’s Five Corners area, within walking distance of Electric Boat, in a move the developer’s representatives say will help the city achieve its goal of creating a “sense of place” for the area. During a city Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing on Tuesday evening, representatives […]
The project is part of Aquarion’s long range plan to meet water needs in southwestern Fairfield County. If approved, it would divert up to 14.2 million gallons a day from the Greater Bridgeport System, which includes the Mill River watershed to the Southwest Regional Pipeline to serve Greenwich, New Canaan, Stamford and Darien. Aquarion spokesman […]
The placement of the highways has been criticized almost since they were built. In the past decade, two strategies emerged to remediate the damage. One, developed by state transportation officials, proposed taking I-84 through the North Meadows and over a new bridge. The other, put forward by U.S. Rep. John Larson, would put both highways […]
The spending proposals were among five ballot questions with a total price tag of about $19 million. Voters approved road reconstruction and roofing projects for several public buildings and renovation and expansion of the women’s locker room at police headquarters, according to unofficial results. The proposed athletics complex, across Nevers Road from South Windsor High […]
The proposed wastewater plant for West Cornwall is moving closer to a town vote. The Wastewater Study Committee has been working for several years on the project along with engineer Steve McDonnell of WMC. Though no site has been designated yet, the committee heard from First Selectman Gordon M. Ridgway last week that a town […]
Avon’s tax base grew by more than 1% last year, and town officials are looking for the Avon Village Center mixed-use project along Route 44 to fuel further growth in the years ahead The Avon Village Center’s first phase alone has propelled it to become one of the town’s biggest taxpayers in the course of […]
The project, which cleared the Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this month, is expected to bring in a fresh workforce, both for the project’s construction and operational phases, along with dozens of new families who will live and shop in town, First Selectman Kevin Cunningham said. Planning and Zoning Supervisor Mary Anne Chinatti said developers […]
A Tennessee company is seeking approval from the Connecticut Siting Council to install 28,971 solar panels on one-third of the 157 acres of forested land it owns off Route 184 west of Boombridge Road. A subsidiary of Silicon Ranch Corp., which is based in Nashville and operates 135 solar facilities in 15 states, plans to […]
The City Council on Monday gave final approval to the construction of a 60-unit apartment complex along the Naugatuck River that city leaders believe will “change the landscape of Torrington.” The two 5-1 votes by the council authorizes Mayor Elinor C. Carbone to sign a 95-year lease with developer Pennrose, which seeks to construct a […]
The city will sponsor a building trades apprenticeship program next year as part of the planned renovation of City Hall. Building Pathways is an apprenticeship training program “which takes people who are typically underrepresented in the building trades and exposes them to various aspects,” said Katherine Mamed, executive director of the United Labor Agency, of […]
The great difficulty of infrastructure projects isn’t just getting the politics right. It’s that the technical design details matter enormously, and tradeoffs are difficult to avoid. Highways pose fewer technical challenges of network design, and the U.S. is consequently better at building them. But America has been building highways for a long time, which means […]
Mystic River Bluffs, as the mega project is called, is the offering of Long Island developer Jeff Respler, whose website has featured mostly modular housing. Planners today recognize that a community benefits far more by bringing mixed-use development into already developed areas in downtown settings than by sprawling out into undeveloped areas. However, the Respler […]
The state Supreme Court is the latest to weigh in, upholding Nichole Jefferson’s Board of Mediation and Arbitration award that reinstates her as chief executive at the Commission on Equal Opportunities, with back wages and benefits from August 2017. But where the case might go from here remains a question as the city seeks a […]
The Gravel Pit Solar will sit on 485 acres of land that includes former sand and gravel pits and tobacco fields, according to Meaghan Wims, a spokeswoman for D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, the New York-based company behind the project. The project was approved on March 1. Construction of the solar farm, which is adjacent to […]
Mayor David Martin has pitched a $53.1 million capital budget to leaders of the city’s Board of Representatives and Board of Finance. Just over a month ago, the planning board recommended its own vision for projects in the city, but priorities have since shifted. The heart of the budget remains unchanged, despite the almost $9 […]
Giacomini and other area residents and officials offered opinions during a presentation on the soon-to-be final version of the airport’s 20-year master plan update — with proposals to move the airport’s main entrance and terminal to the East Haven side and extend the main runway from 5,600 feet to 6,635 feet. The master plan is […]
Enfield-based USA Hauling and Recycling plans to invest $30 million to build what it says will be one of the largest and most technologically advanced recycling facilities in New England. The company announced that its Murphy Road Recycling subsidiary has partnered with Norwalk-based Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, the largest equipment supplier materials for recovery facilities […]
Discussions on whether the city’s School Building Committee should have the final authority on school construction project spending will continue through a subcommittee. The Common Council approved Wednesday to refer the item to the Consolidated Subcommittee for further review on the resolution’s language and make potential amendments. The SBC is a non-paid 7-member organization appointed […]
The Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the application for a joint stone excavation plan following a hearing that included criticism from the previous quarry owner, Holly Blinkoff. The ultimate plan is to merge the two properties over the next two to five years with a single owner, according to comments by Ken […]
The newly redesigned parking lot at the Waterbury Train Station, which opened last spring, is one of many upgrades to the Meadow Street area during 2020. The project involved reconfiguring and repaving the parking lot, installing new drainage and lighting, and adding landscaping. A bus pick-up and drop-off zone and passenger waiting shelter were built. […]
During Lamont’s first full fiscal year in office, 2019-20, the state used $125.7 million in bond premiums to support the budget, according to the treasurer’s office. And another $117.8 million is projected to go for that purpose this fiscal year. With about $27 billion in bonded indebtedness, Connecticut is one of the most indebted states, […]
The Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a site plan for a planned Amazon distribution facility after lingering questions concerning sidewalks, traffic and sight lines were addressed. The commission’s vote marked the last major town-level hurdle for the project and clears the way for permitting and eventual construction by BL Companies for the […]
Six Connecticut firms responded to the request for qualifications Wednesday, including JCJ Architects of Hartford, part of a partnership of three firms that designed a $144 million Norwich schools restructuring plan in 2016 that was rejected by the City Council. But that plan was used extensively by a school facilities review committee that put together […]
Architects and project leaders for the new Torrington Middle/High School are taking a “smart” approach in designing the $159.6 million building, which city residents passed last November. Construction of the school is expected to begin in spring of 2022 and be completed by summer of 2024. The overall size of the facility, which will separate […]
With the goal of attracting a new industry into Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont has signed legislation providing long-term tax breaks to data centers, the 21st century warehouses of countless bits of information stored by users as varied as medical researchers, academics and financial services companies. Opponents call it corporate welfare that provides overly-generous tax breaks. […]
The U.S. House of Representatives was poised to adopt the “American Rescue Plan” bill Wednesday, which was expected to be signed by President Joe Biden. In addition to aid for cities and towns, the bill includes stimulus checks for many across the country and includes funds for unemployment. Bethel officials expect to get $9.89 million […]
Fairfield and Westport are working to replace a bridge over Sasco Brook on the town line. Officials say there isn’t any danger to the public using the structure, but they are starting the preliminaries to replace it now because the project will take years to complete. Projected cost is about $3.2 million, with the majority […]
Orange-based Avangrid, the co-developer of Vineyard Wind, indicated Monday it expects the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to issue a final “record of decision” within a month, at which point it will be ready to begin preparations for construction of wind turbines 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. The company projects it will support […]
Stamford-based developer RMS Cos. broke ground on DoNo’s first phase last October, and has already completed construction of the 330-space parking garage. In an interview with Hartford Business Journal Monday, RMS CEO and President Randy Salvatore said foundation work has now begun on the $50-million project’s 270 apartment units, which should be completed about a […]
The second busiest Metro-North Railroad station, behind only Grand Central, could see new improvements, according to Gov. Ned Lamont’s 2022-2023 budget. Despite promises of modernization for the problematic train station, details on the initiative remain sparse. If the legislature moves to implement, Lamont’s budget predicts that a highway use tax could collect $45 million in […]
A 149-unit complex under construction on Main Street could begin renting apartments with a downtown view by the winter holiday season. “The pandemic is definitely making construction across the country difficult, but our partners at DiMarco Group are doing a great job dealing with the challenges,” said Dan Bertram, the Danbury-based developer of the city’s […]
A long-awaited road project that was held up by a criminal probe of city government is being rebid. The economic development department is accepting contractors proposals until 2 p.m. March 25 for streetscape improvements along Fairfield Avenue in Black Rock, a commercial strip on the Fairfield border with restaurants, bars and other small businesses. Work […]
Waterbury officials are asking state lawmakers to give millions of dollars to a new quasi-governmental development agency devoted to partnering Waterbury and other area towns on large-scale economic development projects. The proposal was forwarded by Thomas Hyde, the CEO of the newly formed Naugatuck Valley Regional Development Agency. Mayor Neil M. O’Leary and others formed […]
It’s been just over a year since Spinnaker Real Estate Partners acquired the historic 55 Elm St. office building — and nearby parking lots — across from downtown Hartford’s Bushnell Park for $6.8 million. Now the Norwalk-based developer is moving forward with plans to redevelop the property, formerly home to the Attorney General’s office and […]
The federal government has provided $2 million, Lauretti said, to clean up the property, once home to a 145-year-old structure but now sequestered from the area by a fence restricting access to the gutted, contaminated site. The fire destroyed the six-story vacant brick building on the banks of the Housatonic River in a blaze that […]
A firing range is one amenity the Police Building Committee discussed before they landed on a design agreement with Brian Humes of Jacunski Humes Architects, LLC. The committee voted unanimously to hire the Berlin, Conn. based architectural firm on Wednesday, Feb. 24 to determine the site needs and options for the department presently housed in […]
The City Council has rejected the $39.3 million price tag for construction costs associated with the renovation of Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School because of a possible increase in costs to taxpayers, threatening to further delay the project on the eve of the start of construction. The council voted 5-2 against the so-called guaranteed maximum […]
During a presentation of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ infrastructure report card, which gave the U.S. an overall C- for the condition of its roads, bridges, ports, drinking water systems and electricity grids and identified a $2.59 trillion spending gap, Buttigieg said it was time to get to work rebuilding the country. Echoing President […]
Paredim Partners, the developer, is planning to buy the hotel at 191 Spencer St. to convert it into a market-rate, multifamily units. Paredim Partners Managing Director David Parisier and the business’s lawyer, Dory Famiglietti, met with the Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday for a pre-application discussion about the plans and to receive feedback about […]
On Monday, Lehman said that, beyond job creation, the two main benefits of developing data centers are growth in a town’s grand list and income tax revenue. Groton Town Manager John Burt said there are no imminent plans for a data center but “I am very supportive of the bill that cleared the Senate and […]
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week that the city is restarting $17 billion of capital construction projects as part of its pandemic recovery effort. During a press conference, De Blasio’s recently appointed Senior Advisor for Recovery Lorraine Grillo said 1,700 construction projects will be given the green light by the end […]
NRG Energy, a New Jersey-based energy company, announced on Monday that it was selling 4.8 gigawatts worth of “non-core fossil assets” to a subsidiary of Boston-based ArcLight Capital Partners for $760 million. Schrader said NRG needs to have more discussions with ArcLight about their plans for the Middletown plant, where NRG has been working to […]
The public school district is planning a community forum for city residents and families on Thursday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m. to provide updates on the progress of the Memorial Boulevard Intradistrict Arts Magnet School. The city and the Board of Education are collaborating on the project, which will be open for grades six through […]
The approval marks the final significant hurdle for the project’s developers, D.E Shaw Renewable Investments, or DESRI, and North Light Energy. They anticipate construction to begin this summer with the bulk of it occurring in 2022, Aaron Svedlow, director of development for Gravel Pit Solar, said. Developers said the project would generate enough clean energy […]
The Senate overwhelmingly gave final approval Monday to the data center incentives measure, as well as a second bill that pledges roughly $110 million to $120 million in new general government aid to cities and towns — but doesn’t commit the funds right now. Negotiations between the Senate Democratic caucus and the Lamont administration over […]
Karen Johnson, vice president of development for Charter Realty, the new management company for the Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk, asked the PZC Tuesday to remove restrictions and allow a second 40,000-square-foot grocery store in the area. Zoning regulations don’t allow two grocery stores within 1,500 feet of each other in the Gateway Zone. The […]
The House voted 133-13 to send the data center legislation to the state Senate, which is expected to take up the measure next week. Governor Ned Lamont said the data center legislation, if passed, will encourage increased economic development for the state. Under the terms of the legislation, data centers will be required to be […]
The recently proposed bill from state Sen. Alex Kasser, D-Greenwich, and state Rep. Stephen Meskers, D-Greenwich, suggests forming guidelines that would conserve urban forests and examine how the Connecticut Department of Transportation manages trees along highways and railroads. Many residents and groups including the Greenwich Tree Conservancy have lamented the tree-cutting along the Metro-North Railroad […]
New Milford is looking for a new affordable housing plan, with the hopes of increasing the town’s affordable housing from its current share of roughly 4.7 percent. The purchasing department is accepting applications from professional planners and consulting firms ready to develop the plan. The proposal must outline a plan to evaluate demographics, resources, and […]
State officials announced today the signing of a Host City Agreement between New London and a joint venture of Ørsted and Eversource that includes a 10-year commitment paying the city an average of at least $1 million each year during offshore wind operations at State Pier. The long-awaited agreement includes the potential for $250,000 to […]
