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Waterford again rejects housing plan for former airport site
Waterford — A developer whose controversial plan to allow up to 1,500 housing units to be built on the former Waterford Airport site was rejected in March, has now seen the town reject its scaled-back request. Mathon Funding, a firm that owns and wants to develop 188 acres at 140 Parkway South, recently proposed a zone change that would have allowed up to about 790 housing units. The firm’s application called for 600. The Planning and Zoning Commission last week again denied Mathon’s application. Had it passed, Mathon was expected to submit a site plan with more information, like the state’s report on if the road and traffic signals need improvement and further reports on potential impact on wildlife, which was a chief concern for residents back in March. Project documents called for preserving the remaining 128 acres of Mathon’s property, which is off the Cross Road commercial and industrial area, mostly along Jordan Brook and Nevins Brook. Units would’ve been split between 12 apartment buildings and 23 townhouses, and project engineer Brandon Handfield had said the development would have created an opportunity for more housing in the area and meet the needs of future residents. Commission Chairman Greg Massad, who publicly disclosed that he has unrelated business dealings with Handfield and later voted to approve the zone change, said he thought it was a “good, reasonable plan” for the property.
https://theday.com/news/904743/waterford-again-rejects-housing-plan-for-former-airport-site/
More Connecticut towns are banning data centers before they even get proposed
Three Connecticut towns so far have passed moratoriums on the construction of data centers — and they likely won’t be the last. Many municipalities around the state have considered similar bans, whether or not a project has been proposed. Proposals to build data centers are often met with significant local opposition, with concerns ranging from environmental issues to energy usage to noise. But experts say a ban on data centers is often a town’s attempt to maintain a measure of control over large development projects within its borders. “Relatively few proposals for data center development have been submitted in our communities,” said Betsy Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns. But towns and cities are considering temporary bans “to allow time to establish appropriate regulations,” Gara said. Groton was the first Connecticut municipality to institute a temporary moratorium on the construction of data centers, back in 2022. That temporary ban became a permanent restriction a year later, with Groton adopting zoning regulations to allow data centers only under 12,500 square feet in size.
Waterbury Branch trains to be replaced by buses for nearly a year starting July 20
This Wednesday, fares will go up 5% for customers taking CTrail and Metro-North Railroad trains in Connecticut. On top of that, riders on the Waterbury Branch will switch entirely to bus service starting July 20 because of construction at four of its six stations. Rail service is expected to return in June 2027. Waterbury branch riders have experienced such switches previously. Buses replaced trains for about two months in 2024 after extreme rainfall resulted in washouts along the rail line. In 2021, trains were unavailable for four months because of infrastructure upgrades. Last Thursday afternoon at the Bridgeport train station, where the Waterbury Branch connects to the New Haven Line, Abrina Geyer was about to board a bus that already runs on the line between trains. She said she thinks the full switch to buses, which are a bit slower than trains, will “be inconvenient for a lot of working people and people traveling, period,” and so will the fare hike. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has said the fare increase and a previous 5% hike that took place in September 2025 were necessary to maintain rail service levels amid rising costs.
Draft ruling clears way for 7,462-panel solar project near Glastonbury school
A proposed 4-megawatt solar facility spanning about 19 acres in Portland is on track for state approval after the Connecticut Siting Council issued a draft opinion endorsing the project. In its June 18 draft ruling, the council found that the project would provide a public benefit and cause no substantial environmental harm, and that it meets the legal threshold for approval under state energy policy. Those findings portend council approval of the project, which includes 7,462 solar panels on a 41.9-acre property owned by Walnut Hill Farms LLC. The site is accessed from Old Maids Lane in Glastonbury. The $9.5 million project would sell power to Eversource Energy under a 20-year tariff agreement. According to the draft findings of fact, North Haven-based Greenskies Clean Energy expects to begin construction in spring or summer 2027, with the facility fully commissioned by the end of 2027. If that schedule holds, the project would meet the federal deadline for the Investment Tax Credit, which requires solar projects receiving the benefit to begin commercial operation by Dec. 31, 2027. The Siting Council’s final decision deadline is Oct. 22.
Years-long CT gas pipeline stalled at the finish line. Why the $200M+ project faces a permit dispute
After seven years, $150 million and 31 of 34 miles already under ground, the state has halted a pipeline project designed to provide a more dependable natural gas supply to the booming southeastern Connecticut economy. The reason for what could become years of delay is a decision by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection requiring a comprehensive environmental review of parts of a mile or so of what remains to be completed of Eversource’s southeastern Connecticut gas resiliency project. The environmental impact evaluation is limited to a plan to install gas pipeline on a little more than a mile of Eversource electric rights of way that cross the rugged granite ledges of two state parks on either side of the river where the towns of Middletown, East Hampton and Haddam meet. To the west, the right of way crosses about 100 feet of a narrow strip of Penn Central rail line that is now Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park. On the east, about a mile of pipe would run across the south end of Hurd State Park, part of which was donated to the state by one of the companies that became Eversource, the Hartford Electric Eight Company. The central piece of the yet-to-be completed stretch of pipeline would be tunneled beneath the Connecticut River. The stretch beneath the river is excluded from the environmental impact evaluation because DEEP said it doesn’t have permitting authority over the submerged land.
$8.7M IN FUNDING FOR SENIOR HOUSING: Former Knights of Columbus building being renovated into ‘affordable housing’
BERLIN — Berlin’s former Knights of Columbus building will soon be renovated into two new buildings containing 70 affordable homes for residents 62 and older thanks in part to newly received state funding. The Connecticut Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority have finalized financial agreements for 10 housing developments across the state. Locations of these developments include Berlin, Enfield, Fairfield, Hamden, Morris, Salisbury, Simsbury, Suffield and Waterbury. In Berlin, 143 Percival Avenue will be transformed with the help from the DOH providing $8.75 million through the FLEX program, and the CHFA is allocating 4% LIHTCs expected to generate approximately $8.8 million in private investment, along with $7.9 million in tax-exempt bond financing and $1 million from the Opportunity Fund. The Berlin transformation will include a large common room, outdoor terrace and 90 parking spaces, which is adjacent to the town’s recreation property and walking trail. “Housing challenges look different from one community to the next, which is why flexible financing tools and strong partnerships are so important,” said Nandini Natarajan, CEO and Executive Director of CHFA. “These developments will create new opportunities across Connecticut while preserving existing housing, attracting private investment and strengthening neighborhoods for the long term.”
White Oak building set for demolition after grant
PLAINVILLE — Plainville will receive a $541,000 grant for the demolition of the former White Oak Construction building. The money was awarded through the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. It will help the town to demolish the long-vacant building at 1 W. Main St. as part of Phase 3 of the ongoing remediation and redevelopment project at the 15-acre site. “We are very pleased to receive the news of funding under this grant program, as this project converts a vacant building and lot into a vibrant mixed-use property,” Town Manager Michael Paulhus said. “The grant funds will allow for the demolition of the front-facing portion of the building along Main Street. The timing of this work has yet to be determined and will likely proceed after an application is reviewed and approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission. In addition to P&Z approval, the Town Council will need to review and approve the sales agreement and potentially demolition plans. At the same time, the town is awaiting approval from CT DEEP for the soil remediation plan for the rear of the property.”
Proposed $69.5M Branford rehab hospital at Hilltop Orchards site well-received at public hearing
BRANFORD — A Birmingham, Ala.-based company’s proposal to build what eventually could be an 80-bed, $69.5 million inpatient medical rehabilitation facility on the former Hilltop Orchard site off East Main Street received a generally favorable reception from the Planning and Zoning Commission this week, though members postponed a decision while seeking additional information. Following a public hearing Tuesday conducted via Zoom, the commission continued Encompass Health’s application until July 9 after asking for more details on several issues, including planned sidewalks and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The application seeks two special exceptions for three parcels totaling 20.63 acres. Among the questions raised was a request from Leslie Johnson of the Branford Bicycle Pedestrian Ad-Hoc Advisory Committee for additional details about sidewalks proposed as part of the project. Johnson also asked whether Encompass Health would comply with updated state requirements for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. John Knuff, the attorney representing Encompass Health, said he would review the applicable regulations. He said the company may have filed its special exception application before the new requirements took effect but would report back to the commission.
Port Authority Chair Leads Effort to Shift Traffic Off I-95
WESTPORT – The state’s Port Authority will help lead an effort to find opportunities to shift freight traffic off the busy I-95 corridor using the state’s ports and railroads. “The goal of the working group is to look at policy changes in the state of Connecticut or incentives that could be applied to improve the use of freight rail, the sea lanes, and our ports to move freight around Connecticut to alleviate some of the traffic on I-95 coming out of New York, and to make our roadways less impacted by freight traffic, and to manage municipal solid waste better,” Port Authority Executive Director Michael O’Connor explained at a board meeting held at the Westport Library on Tuesday. The effort was prompted by the transportation omnibus SB-416: An Act Concerning Transportation System Modernization. The group will include members of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Department of Economic and Community Development and Department of Transportation, said O’Connor. O’Connor said that he is looking for other agencies or organizations to invite into the group. “I’m interested in other working partners that have some ideas about what policy changes would be beneficial and where we can maximize the legislative actions that would need to take place in January to help out this part of the industry,” he said.
https://ctexaminer.com/2026/06/19/port-authority-chair-leads-effort-to-shift-traffic-off-i-95/
Connecticut’s solar expansion is colliding with concerns over forests and farmland
As Connecticut pushes for more solar power, the state is increasingly forced to balance renewable energy goals against the protection of forests, wetlands and farmland. Gov. Ned Lamont acknowledged the balancing act when touring East Windsor and Ellington, two towns where farmland has increasingly, and perhaps disproportionately, become solar farm sites. “I’m trying to figure out how we can preserve the open space,” he said during an April visit. “We’re taking open space, we’re taking fields and we’re commercializing them, in this case, with solar. I think that’s going the wrong direction.” But Connecticut’s clean-energy ambitions are forcing difficult land-use choices. Adam Gallaher, a land use researcher studying the effects of energy infrastructure development, said, “Deciding to prioritize one type of land use means shifting that amount of development pressure to land now being used for other purposes.” Connecticut has committed to a carbon-free electric grid by 2040. But the state’s clean-air ambitions force difficult land-use choices as developers search for places to build solar projects. Protecting forests often means placing greater development pressure on farmland, and vice versa.
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