State Supreme Court dismisses an environmental challenge and upholds certificate of operation for a natural gas power plant in Killingly

The state Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the approval of a new gas-fired electric generating plant in the town of Killingly, dismissing a complaint by opponents that the decision to certify the plant failed to consider potential environmental damage from expanding a pipeline needed to deliver fuel. The decision by a divided court — there […]

Share This Article:

read more

Corporate investment in Hartford redevelopment projects a sign of growing confidence in city projects

Two major companies — Bloomfield-based health insurer Cigna and New Britain-based tool and storage giant Stanley Black & Decker — are making loans totaling $1.7 million through the Capital Region Development Authority. Bronin said the city and CRDA, which helps finance projects with state taxpayer-backed loans and equity investments, have had conversations with corporate leaders […]

Share This Article:

read more

Work resumes on Shelton’s Fountain Square development

The site’s developers, Fountain Square, LLC, recently announced that construction of the 710 Bridgeport Ave. property has resumed. The site, at the intersection with Parrott Drive, was formerly occupied by the United Illuminating Co. “The developers of Fountain Square have secured all necessary funding and investors needed to complete the project,” the company said in […]

Share This Article:

read more

New Britain seeking state funding to revitalize Arch Street, ‘Barrio Latino’ section of city

Mayor Erin Stewart announced Tuesday the city will submit a grant application for the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP). The program provides funding for transportation projects for urbanized area municipal governments. If approved, the $1.5 million grant would allow the city to make changes to Arch Street that include narrowing the road, paving sidewalks […]

Share This Article:

read more

CT highway, local roadways to get $175 million facelift

With sounds of traffic whizzing by on the Merritt Parkway, the district’s chairman of the General Assembly Transportation Committee, state Sen. Will Haskell, highlighted $175 million on infrastructure spending that would soon improve the area. According to two easels with charts outlining where the money goes, $61 million would be for resurfacing the parkway; $98 […]

Share This Article:

read more

Rentschler Field, CT Convention Center need $3.5M of work

Rentschler Field opened in 2003 and the Convention Center in 2005. And like anything that’s aging, they need work. The Capital Region Development Authority’s board of directors recently voted to authorize their executive director to apply to the state Bond Commission for $3.5 million to replace cooling towers and install a new elevator at the […]

Share This Article:

read more

West Haven residents: Amid development, what will be done about flooding?

Lipsett was among about a dozen people who attended an Inland Wetlands Agency public hearing this week to ask how the city plans to address flooding concerns as applicants for a proposed mixed-use development in the area obtain the necessary approvals to start building. Commissioner Of Public Works Tom McCarthy affirmed there are issues for […]

Share This Article:

read more

43-Year Tweed Deal Amendment Detailed

City officials close to the process expect local legislators to take up and debate this proposed two-page amendment, which is still in draft form, as part of the larger discussion Thursday night. However the alders vote on Thursday will determine much of how the Morris Cove-based regional airport is governed and operated for the next […]

Share This Article:

read more

Developer seeks approval for a 245-car parking lot in Waterbury

A developer planning an “eCommerce” fulfillment and distribution facility in the city’s East End is seeking city permission for a 245-car overflow parking lot. Mayor Neil M. O’Leary, last year, said the center would be a $25 million investment, resulting in about 200 new jobs. Securing permission for that lot, city officials say, is the […]

Share This Article:

read more

Fairfield approves projects for its $24.8M American Rescue Plan money

New sidewalks, police technology, improvements at the senior center and playground upgrades will all go forward thanks to the recent allocation under the American Rescue Plan. Officials recently approved a list of projects as well as how the $24.8 million will be dispersed. “The town has approximately $300 million in capital and infrastructure needs over […]

Share This Article:

read more

Contractors react to upcoming federal vaccine mandates

Biden announced on Sept. 9 that private employers with more than 100 employees will be required to either mandate vaccines or conduct weekly COVID-19 testing, while government employees and employees of government contractors will be required to get vaccinated, with no option for regular testing in lieu of vaccination. Other contractor groups said Biden’s actions […]

Share This Article:

read more

Data centers target eastern Connecticut for development

A qualified data center is defined as a facility that houses networked computer servers in one location, centralizing the storage and dissemination of data. Gotspace Data Partners LLC, a company based in Groton, has entered into host agreements in Groton, Wallingford, Griswold and Bozrah. Griswold also has adopted the necessary zoning changes. Host agreements with […]

Share This Article:

read more

Norwich City Council approves $800,000 support for $8.8 million Main Street development

An $8.8 million proposed Main Street renovation project got a second chance at city support through the city’s federal American Rescue Plan grant Monday. The City Council voted 6-0 to approve $800,000 for the project, two weeks after stripping the funding by setting limits on amounts for single projects. Developer Norwich Luxury Apartments LLC has […]

Share This Article:

read more

Range of industries, from law to construction firms, see new business opportunities in CT’s recreational marijuana market

Companies that want to grow and sell cannabis in Connecticut’s newly legal recreational market are already jockeying for positions in what will almost certainly be a lucrative statewide industry. But those businesses will all require ancillary services from accountants and lawyers to contractors and consultants. Additionally, security companies have gained lucrative contracts guarding dispensaries and […]

Share This Article:

read more

Developers propose partially pre-fabricated housing complex in New Haven’s Quinnipiac Meadows

Vessel Technologies LLC, with headquarters in New York, is looking to build a three-story, 27-unit building at 136 Hemingway St. on 1.3 acres, only a portion of which is able to be developed because of a floodplain and wetlands, according to the developer and the city. Vessel Technologies LLC, owned by CEO Neil Rubler and […]

Share This Article:

read more

Connecticut Gov. Lamont Tours Merritt 7 Train Station Being Built in Norwalk

Connecticut’s governor was given an update on the major renovations of Norwalk’s Merritt 7 train station by the state’s Department of Transportation (CTDOT) on Sept. 10, a project set to be completed in fall 2022. The goal of the reconstructed Merritt 7 station, along with expediting travel to New York, is to create a more […]

Share This Article:

read more

Avangrid, Copenhagen joint wind venture reaches financial close

Avangrid officials said the project has closed on an aggregate of approximately $2.3 billion of construction and term loan financing with nine global lending banks. The company now expects to begin construction work on Vineyard Wind 1 this fall. Avangrid is joining forces with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, a Danish fund management and investment company, to […]

Share This Article:

read more

Engineering firms hired to design access to proposed Norwich business park in Occum

One week after the City Council approved bonding $740,000 to fund engineering designs for access roads into a proposed second business park, the Norwich Community Development Corp. on Tuesday approved the hiring of three contractors to do the work and one to seek federal funding for the project. The City Council approved the $740,000 funding […]

Share This Article:

read more

Century-old brownstone laboratory on Hartford Hospital campus, once hailed as center for medical research, would be demolished to make way for hospital power generating plant

The hospital has plans to demolish the structure, replacing it with an expanded electrical power plant, now in the basement of a neighboring building. Hospital officials say the power plant is sorely in need of an upgrade and needs to relocated above ground. The basement area, they said, is prone to flooding and where a […]

Share This Article:

read more

The price tag for a new Killingly community center has jumped $10 million. This is why.

After declining last year to move forward with a plan to shift recreational programming to the town’s former high school, the Town Council is expected this month to re-visit that option, though such a project will now carry a substantially higher – about $10 million – price tag. The council in March 2020 declined to […]

Share This Article:

read more

Floating hotel and market among ideas floated for New London waterfront

The group secured prime developer status from the City Council last week for the area encompassing Waterfront Park, a walking pier that Mayor Michael Passero said is underutilized and in need of a major boost of water-related activity. Advanced American will have exclusive right to negotiate a development agreement or lease with no promises yet […]

Share This Article:

read more

Wallingford PZC votes down Amazon facility on Research Parkway

Neighbors applauded the Planning and Zoning Commission’s denial of a special permit application to build an Amazon distribution center and warehouse at 5 Research Parkway. It was the conclusion of a five-month long process that resulted in the applicant, Montante Construction, being denied approval to redevelop the 180-acre site, formerly a Bristol-Myers Squibb medical research […]

Share This Article:

read more

Developer outlines $100 million second phase for Perkins Farm project in Mystic

Developer David Lattizori is proposing a $100 million expansion to his Perkins Farm development, which calls for a 72,000-square-foot medical building and a second 121-unit apartment complex. The first phase of the project, valued at $85 million, contains a 50,000-square foot Hartford Health Care medical building that opened in January 2020, as well as 121 […]

Share This Article:

read more

Key hurdles cleared to allow final cleanup of former Norwich Hospital property to restart

The Preston Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday approved a term sheet that outlines the complex contractual agreement between the state Department of Economic and Community Development, the town of Preston and the Mohegan tribe, which will take over ownership of the property for a major redevelopment once the cleanup is completed. The agreement must be approved […]

Share This Article:

read more

Conn. Senate Leader Says Emissions Initiative Will Not Come Up In Next Special Session

Health leaders across Connecticut are warning state legislators about the dangers of dirty air. But the head of the state Senate said Monday the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) will not be on the agenda during a special session expected to occur within the next two weeks. “I’m hoping we can do this in a […]

Share This Article:

read more

Industry Wants Fed Help to Tackle Labor Shortages

The massive infrastructure plan, approved by the Senate, is forecast to create nearly a million jobs in construction, engineering and accounting by the year 2030. Michael Pugliese, economist of Wells Fargo Securities, told the Associated Press the infrastructure deal would likely have a modest impact on job creation and unemployment. He believes it could help […]

Share This Article:

read more

‘They created a miracle’: North Haven’s former Upjohn site transformed from ‘chemical cesspool’ to nature preserve

First Selectman Michael Freda said Brody and Gattilia, who turns 97 next month, were part of a group of citizens that banded together roughly 40 years ago to call attention to environmental issues on the land, located at the end of Stiles Lane. Through years of work, the company has turned 57 of the site’s […]

Share This Article:

read more

New London names prime developer with hopes of future waterfront activity

The City Council emerged from a closed-door meeting on Tuesday to approve a one-year agreement with Advanced American Engineering that gives the company exclusive negotiating rights to work out a possible lease or development agreement with the city. In return, the city has agreed not to market the city’s waterfront with the exception of the […]

Share This Article:

read more

Lawmakers want to shield contracting watchdog from the Executive Branch

Given Gov. Ned Lamont’s reluctance to fund the State Contracting Standards Board, some lawmakers are exploring new legal options to insulate the watchdog agency from the governor’s control — including moving it from Executive Branch oversight to the Legislative Branch. The new two-year state budget legislators negotiated with Lamont included $450,000 to fund five additional […]

Share This Article:

read more

These Norwalk school projects are underway. Here’s where they stand.

A revamped driveway for Silvermine Dual Language Magnet School and several new school buildings remain in the design phase of development. Three driveway options are being considered for Silvermine, William Hodel, director of facilities and maintenance for Norwalk Public Schools, told the facilities committee during its recent meeting. The proposal is to enhance the parking […]

Share This Article:

read more

Ansonia ponders zoning change for rock crushing facility

The city is considering a zoning amendment that would add additional rules and clearly define what is allowed at the facility, which is owned by Burns Construction. The company lists headquarters in Ansonia and Stratford. The facility has long been a source of frustration to nearby residents who have complained about quality of life issues. […]

Share This Article:

read more

CT not on track to meet emissions reduction targets. Should lawmakers pass Transportation Climate Initiative?

The biggest culprits of dirty emissions: vehicle exhaust and emissions from building heating and cooling systems which environmental experts say release dangerous particulate matter. Dr. Rebecca French, the director of the Office of Climate Planning at the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) says, “Those things are what causes asthma, aggravates and impacts […]

Share This Article:

read more

UConn drops lawsuit against Storrs proposed apartment development

The University of Connecticut has withdrawn its opposition to a proposed 358-unit multifamily housing development in Storrs, following backlash from Mansfield town officials. The detente between the university and town came after Moran publicly blasted UConn in July for “blindsiding” the town by purchasing a parcel of land on which the town was expecting an […]

Share This Article:

read more

Developer, town officials debut Avon Village Center

Developers and town officials cut the ribbon on the first phase of the Avon Village Center, a sprawling office, retail and residential development in the heart of Avon. The Sept. 1 ceremony marked the opening of a 44,000-square-foot Whole Foods at 50 Climax Road plus four other buildings totaling 57,000 square feet. The Avon Village […]

Share This Article:

read more

Ridgefield selects Schlumberger site for joint police, fire facility

After an extensive scouting process, town officials have selected a location to erect a brand-new public safety building, which will house Ridgefield’s police and fire departments. While the topic has been discussed for years, interest for the project renewed when former state representative John Frey joined the Board of Police Commissioners. The Ridgefield Fire Department […]

Share This Article:

read more

Decision looms for Bridgeport fuel cell plant project facing opposition in South End

A previously rejected proposal to build a hydrogen fuel cell plant off Iranistan Avenue is back on the table and facing stiff neighborhood opposition. Easton-based NuPower is asking the Connecticut Siting Council for permission to build a 70 foot high, 9.6-megawatt power plant and thermal heating loop at 600 Iranistan Ave. on a triangular half […]

Share This Article:

read more

A restaurant and mini-mall are planned for Sandy Hook. They can’t be built before I-84 construction is complete.

A restaurant and mini-mall approved a year ago east of Newtown High School is waiting on the state to undertake major improvements at the Interstate 84 ramp intersections next door before undertaking construction. A DOT official familiar with the $25 million project said on Wednesday that the likely start date was early October. The project […]

Share This Article:

read more

East Haddam Swing Bridge will get $58M overhaul. Here’s what is planned.

The state will launch a two-year, $58.2 million project next spring to overhaul the 108-year-old East Haddam Swing Bridge, which carries Route 82 over the Connecticut River, connecting the town center to neighboring Haddam. Construction is estimated to take approximately two-and-a-half years — from spring 2022 through fall 2024. The project calls for floor beam […]

Share This Article:

read more

Deadline passes, Connecticut Port Authority remains confident in State Pier project

The Connecticut Port Authority has failed to meet an Aug. 31 deadline to obtain a federal permit for work on the $235.5 million State Pier construction project but appears confident its offshore wind partners will not decide to pull funding. The amendment allowed for the release of more than $50 million from Ørsted/ Eversource to […]

Share This Article:

read more

Alders Advance 43-Year Tweed Deal

After hours of debate about the length of the term and about who stands to profit, a committee of alders unanimously advanced a proposed 43-year agreement between the city and Tweed’s airport authority. The first legislative item would have the city sign a 43-year amended and restated lease and operating agreement with the Tweed New […]

Share This Article:

read more

New Haven intersection will be first of its kind in CT. Here’s what that means.

The target date for the reconnection from Martin Luther King Boulevard to South Frontage Road is Sept. 9, if the weather cooperates, according to Anna Mariotti of HTNB Corp., the city’s consultant on the Downtown Crossing project. Most of the work is complete. “When the finishing work is done, those will be in operation and […]

Share This Article:

read more

Torrington’s Pennrose apartment building project has begun on Franklin Street

The Philadelphia-based company, which owns the Franklin Street property, poured the foundation for the building in early August. Pennrose first presented its plans for a mixed-use, mixed-income development on the riverfront property in 2019, when it first was approved by the City Council. The aim of the project, according to Pennrose, is to help create […]

Share This Article:

read more