Hartford on track for over 2,200 new apartments as housing boom continues

A key player in financing the housing boom, the Capital Region Development Authority, approved deals on more projects Tuesday that would create hundreds of new units, many in converted office space. The CRDA approved a $1.1 million low-interest loan to developer Simon Konover to convert office space on the building’s upper floors into 37 apartments, […]

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Diverse mix of small business owners partner to build industrial rental properties north of Hartford

Three businessmen from Massachusetts with longstanding ties have joined with a pair of Connecticut builders for an ambitious push to develop small industrial rental properties north of Hartford. The partners broke ground this year on a 19,800-square-foot industrial building on nearly 4.5 acres at 29 Moody Road, in Enfield. The $2.8 million project will offer […]

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CT Port Authority may merge with Airport Authority, chair says

David Kooris, the chairman of the Connecticut Port Authority, announced Tuesday that state officials are discussing whether to fold the maritime agency into the Connecticut Airport Authority. The announcement means there could be a potential merger between the Port Authority, which manages Connecticut’s harbors and deep water ports, and the Airport Authority, which oversees operations […]

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CT city could see $34 million conversion of 2 office buildings into high-profile apartments

Two prominently-located downtown Hartford office buildings — one, a historic, former bank on Pratt Street and the other, directly across from Bushnell Park — could be converted and add another 120 apartments — and ease the stockpile of lower-grade, older office space that has gotten even tougher to lease after the pandemic. The Simon Konover […]

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LEARN votes to purchase vacant Waterford school and build new $95M early childhood facility

Regional educational service center LEARN is moving forward with its plans to acquire the vacant Southwest School building from the town. LEARN’s Board of Directors voted Friday to authorize Executive Director Kate Ericson to buy the 15.3-acre property and school building at 51 Daniels Ave. for $1. LEARN will use the site to construct a […]

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Work underway to boost safety at dangerous Route 9 ramp in Middletown

In an attempt to reduce motor vehicle crashes on one of the most dangerous highway on-ramps in the state, the state Department of Transportation is conducting a $50.4 million project to remove the stop sign-controlled on-ramp from Route 17 to Route 9 north in Middletown. The on-ramp’s current configuration resulted in 319 crashes and 27 […]

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CT adds estimated 2,100 jobs in August, moves closer to recovering jobs lost early in pandemic

Connecticut’s private sector has finally recovered all of the jobs that it lost at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to preliminary data released Monday by the state Department of Labor — but headwinds including a persistent labor shortage continue to hinder job growth. The state’s private sector had an estimated total of about […]

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Milford developer starts $16M luxury housing complex on River Street

Having finished a $22 million, three-building apartment center on Broad Street this summer, city developer Robert Smith’s Metro Star Properties is starting construction of a $16 million two-building complex slated for nearby River Street this fall, he said Monday. Asbestos abatement continues and demolition will begin of an old downtown shopping center in October at […]

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Developer Randy Salvatore eyes major apartment conversion of RPI’s former Hartford campus

With efforts to build blocks of apartments around Hartford’s Dunkin’ Park stymied by ongoing litigation, developer Randy Salvatore hopes to redirect millions in public financing to a 369-unit apartment redevelopment of the former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus on Windsor Street. The 12.7-acre site was put on the market earlier this year. The campus sits just […]

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Local Developer Plans 189-Unit Apartment Complex With Affordable Units in Old Lyme

The state’s affordable housing statute allows developers to largely bypass local zoning approvals in towns where less than 10 percent of the housing stock qualifies as affordable. According to the 2022 Housing Appeals List, 1.57 percent of Old Lyme’s housing stock meets state rules of affordability. Diebolt, engineer Seamus Moran and investors from Port One […]

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Crystal Mall seen as suitable for mix of commercial, residential development

“Given the demographics, the location ― it’s an incredible location ― near public transportation, I-95, I-395,” Brule said early last week. “If we can have a vision of what we want there, I think the Planning and Zoning Commission would entertain quite a few things.” A deed filed Thursday with the town clerk’s office revealed […]

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Bridgeport schools to merge as part of $80M renovation plan

City school officials plan to merge Skane School with the nearby John Winthrop School as part of a multi-million dollar effort that will also include renovations to the aging Winthrop building. The construction project, which could begin as soon as 2025, is expected to cost around $80 million, according to city finance officials. The City […]

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Siting council will not hold public hearing on Waterford data center

The Connecticut Siting Council decided Thursday not to hold a public hearing on a controversial petition from Millstone owner Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut that would modify the boundaries of the Millstone property for use by proposed data center. Approval of the construction of the data center would instead be up to the town, he said. […]

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Middletown mayor reveals where new City Hall would be on Main Street

Officials have been looking at the former Citizens Bank corporate offices at 225-243 Main St. on the corner of College Street for some years. That location has at least 45,000 square feet available, as opposed to the 65-year-old deKoven Drive municipal building, which is some 35,000 square feet in size. However, the move wouldn’t happen […]

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Danbury renews hookup for power plant that’s become a ‘sensitive issue for thousands of residents’

Approved plans for an unbuilt 250-megawatt power plant on the west side that were in jeopardy because hookup permission to the city’s sewer and water system would expire came under criticism again by leaders who said residents are increasingly concerned about the project. “The residents are not sure whether this fits into their neighborhood,” said […]

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$1B cost, century-old bridge among obstacles in plan to expand CT rail service to RI, report finds

Efforts to expand rail service in eastern Connecticut are likely to be constrained by towering costs and the limitations of a century-old rail bridge over the Thames River, according to a new assessment from the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The startup costs for two new commuter routes — which the report pegged at around $1 […]

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Hartford’s latest effort to dismiss fired ballpark developer’s lawsuit fails

Superior Court Judge Cesar Noble has shot down Hartford’s latest attempt to end Middletown developer Centerplan Co.’s long-running legal challenge to its 2016 firing from the development of Dunkin’ Park. After dropping DoNo Hartford LLC as the developer of the ballpark and surrounding development, the city moved forward with Stamford-based RMS Cos., which opened its […]

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New London approves Fort Trumbull apartment, garage projects

The Planning & Zoning Commission gave a New Haven development company the go-ahead on Wednesday to transform three parcels of Fort Trumbull land into two apartment complexes with a total of 500 units and a six-story parking garage. The commission granted special permit and site plan approvals to RJ Development + Advisors, LLC, doing business […]

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Developer looks to build 500 apartments, six-story garage at Fort Trumbull

The Planning & Zoning Commission on Wednesday is expected to discuss and possibly approve a New Haven-based real estate developer’s plans to build 500 new apartments and a six-story parking garage on the Fort Trumbull peninsula. RJ Development + Advisors, LLC, doing business as RJDA Fort Trumbull AA, LCC, is proposing to build two five-story […]

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Medical office building, 51 condos planned for River Road site in Shelton

River Road has become a focus for housing development projects — the latest proposal calling for more than four dozen condo units and a medical office building along the Housatonic River. Developers have submitted two applications, one to create a Planned Development District designation on property listed as 740 River Road, the other to modify […]

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Purchase of Norwalk properties near SoNo school clears latest funding hurdle

The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved $2.9 million in special appropriations funds for the purchase of six properties adjoining the proposed South Norwalk School. This Planning and Zoning approval comes after the estimate and taxation board’s approval last month. Alan Lo, the project manager for the city, said both are required. Set to open […]

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New London Launches $36M Lead Pipe Replacement Project

The city is embarking on a $36 million project to replace lead service water pipes with new copper lines for about 3,300 residences. While a number of municipalities are planning to replace their lead service pipes, New London appears to be first in the state to reach the construction phase, according to a state project […]

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Wind industry comes to New London

The activity at the pier on this late summer Wednesday is related to the remaining construction projects needed to complete the $309 million in upgrades to the 40-acre site. But the wind industry has moved in, dominating the grounds of the pier with massive wind turbine components being prepped for shipment to the waters 35 […]

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NPU’s $200 million wastewater plant replacement to improve technology and service

Before the city council meeting Tuesday, NPU gave a presentation on their Wastewater Treatment Plant replacement. The project, expected to cost $200 million, will largely replace the facility on Hollyhock Island. The current treatment plant was built in 1955, far beyond its intended lifespan, said Craig Wagner, engineer for CDM Smith. Construction work is expected […]

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U.S. offshore wind slammed by runaway costs

More than 10 gigawatts of offshore wind projects along the U.S. East Coast — the equivalent of roughly 10 nuclear power reactors — are at serious risk as higher costs force developers to re-crunch the numbers for proposals originally modeled years ago, before a runup in interest rates and material costs. Orsted A/S, the Danish […]

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Former Stratford Dictaphone site off Broadbridge Ave. could become 234-unit housing complex

The owners of the old Dictaphone Corporation property off Broadbridge Avenue want to transform the vacant office park into a 234-unit housing complex, the latest in a flurry of newly proposed local apartment projects. The project is a part of a larger push by developers to convert unused office space into more profitable residential rentals, […]

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From glass to concrete, CT company offers construction industry environmentally conscious cement alternative

Urban Mining CT has developed a concrete additive made of recycled glass. The company — based out of its Beacon Falls waste-gloss processing facility — breaks down, cleans and then transforms glass into a product called Pozzotive, which can be added to concrete mix in place of other compounds like cement, which is more costly, […]

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$50M apartment development taking shape near New Haven’s Science Park

Developers and city officials this week marked the progress of The Residences at Canal Place, a new $50 million, mixed-income project that will bring 176 apartments to New Haven’s Science Park area. The project, at 222 Canal St., borders the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods, and is a prime location across from the Farmington Canal Trail, […]

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New London ready to replace more than 3,000 residential water lines

The city is poised to begin a multi-million project to eventually replace more than 3,000 lead-lined residential drinking water lines with copper versions. The nearly $32 million project, anticipated to be paid with a combination of state subsidies and low-interest loans, represents a “monumental” step toward providing residents with better quality water, Barry Weiner, Water […]

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Construction to begin soon on $200M Norwich sewage treatment plant

The biggest single construction project in Norwich Public Utilities’ history is expected to begin this fall, and like building a new school, the utility will need to ensure the existing obsolete sewage treatment plant stays open while building its $200 million replacement on the same site. NPU General Manager Chris LaRose said the upgrade project […]

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Orsted ready to abandon U.S. wind projects as it asks for help

While the Biden administration has touted its landmark clean-energy subsidy program to kick-start projects, developers must ensure a large chunk of components are U.S. made to take full advantage of the incentives, and that’s proving hard to achieve. “We are still upholding a real option to walk away,” Orsted Chief Executive Officer Mads Nipper said […]

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Eight workers have died on the job in CT since 2022. Here is what happened and what OSHA found

Since 2022, OSHA reported eight workplace fatalities in Connecticut, one this year, seven in 2022. They include including workers being crushed, pinned, falling on their heads and being buried in a collapsed trench. There were 10 workplace deaths in 2021 and seven in 2020, OSHA reports. According to a labor law expert at Eastern Connecticut […]

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Speed cameras doing their job on I-95 in East Lyme

State Department of Transportation project engineer Andrew Millovitsch estimated most drivers were going 75 or 80 miles per hour through a dangerous expanse of Interstate 95 between exits 74 and 75 before construction began this spring on a four-and-a-half year project to make the roadway safer and less congested. Now, he said speeds have dropped […]

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After lengthy delays, work begins on linear trail extension in Southington

Construction to extend the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail north from Lazy Lane to Aircraft Road is underway after years of planning and delays. The project, the third and final phase needed to complete most of the town’s segment of the popular linear trail, is scheduled for completion in 2024. State and local officials cited the […]

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All-star development team plans $841M housing, commercial project along CT River in East Hartford

A partnership including some of the most prominent businessmen in Greater Hartford is planning an $841 million development along the Connecticut River in East Hartford, including 1,000 apartments, 300,000 square feet of commercial space and new transport links. Port Eastside plans to demolish this building, along with the former Red Thread property and a crumbling […]

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UPDATED: Latest plan for former West Hartford UConn campus reduces apartments, adds assisted living and townhouses

West Hartford 1 LLC – which paid $2.75 million for the 57-acre campus along Asylum Avenue in 2021 – shared a plan in February mixing 492 apartments with retail, restaurants, a large medical office building and a grocery store. A new plan, which is scheduled for review by West Hartford’s Design Review Advisory Committee on […]

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OPINION: Connecticut’s wind partners are in a tailspin

Ørsted, the Danish utility that Gov. Ned Lamont has lavishly accommodated with more than $300 million in renovations to New London’s State Pier, made a bombshell disclosure Tuesday that its U.S. offshore wind projects are in peril, facing a $2.3 billion loss in value. The company said it would continue to build the six new […]

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CT town nixes massive mega-warehouse plan with residents favoring conservation

Despite the addition of massive distribution centers near Bradley International Airport in recent years, Windsor Locks rejected a developer’s proposal to create a mega-warehouse along Route 20. Scannell Properties had forecast creating 200 temporary construction jobs and 144 full-time warehouse jobs after the building was completed, and estimated Windsor Locks could get as much as […]

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Nearly 7% of US bridges in poor condition

Thirty-six percent of all U.S. bridges, more than 222,000 spans, require major repair work or replacement, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s 2023 analysis of the U.S. DOT’s National Bridge Inventory database. Based on average cost data that states submitted to the DOT, ARTBA estimates it would cost over $319 billion to […]

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Southington planners approve large warehouse on Spring Street

Town planners approved a 283,000-square-foot warehouse off Spring Street, although it’s not known what company will coming to Southington. Johnson Development Associates received special permit approval last week for the project, which will take place at 99 Smoron Drive, a small street in an industrial area off Spring Street. The $45 million project will be […]

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Fairfield applies to intervene in United Illuminating power line project

The town has applied to intervene in a United Illuminating petition to replace railroad power lines with monopoles that could be 95 to 145 feet tall and remove private acreage from local property owners. UI plans to rebuild 8.1 miles of transmission lines from the Eversource-UI demarcation point in Fairfield to the Congress Street substation […]

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New gas pipeline rules floated following 2018 blasts in Massachusetts

Federal regulators are proposing a series of rules changes aimed at toughening safety requirements for millions of miles of gas distribution pipelines nationwide following a string of gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018. These proposed changes are designed to improve safety and ease risk through the improvement of emergency response plans, integrity management plans, operation […]

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Waterford residents criticize lack of information about data center

Within the last two weeks, a group of residents met twice to share concerns over a proposed data center to be constructed on the Millstone Power Station property. Additionally, a petition from Millstone owner Dominion to carve out space for the data center, is currently before the Connecticut Siting Council. Worried meeting attendees successfully petitioned […]

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New London community center site an opportunity for budding builders

Besides the promise of new recreational offerings, the community center construction project will offer a rare chance to connect with young residents even before the facility’s doors open, city officials said. With up to two years of work ahead on the city’s largest project, there’s plenty of time to use the Fort Trumbull-area building site […]

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Annual Penalty OK’d For English Station Mess

United Illuminating will have to pay up for breaking a promise to remediate a Fair Haven power plant after state utility regulators formally accused the company of mismanaging English Station — and of failing to prioritize New Haven residents over profit. In a nearly 300-page decision filed on Friday rejecting a proposed rate hike by the regional […]

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Designs take shape for two new Norwich elementary schools

Designs for the first two new elementary schools approved by voters last fall are starting to take shape, with approval this week of the educational components for the new John B. Stanton and Greeneville elementary schools. No architectural renderings have been created yet, project officials told the Board of Education at a special meeting Wednesday. […]

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‘Fire in the hole’

Originally estimated as a six- to eight-week project, the blasting effort represents one of the first critical phases of the four-year, $148 million reconstruction of the highway. Resident Engineer Robert Obey of Glastonbury-based GM2 said crews could be looking at an extra month of blasting because an especially challenging section of ledge has resulted in […]

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New Milford weighs former Century Brass site as site for schools’ Central Office: ‘huge undertaking’

The town is weighing the possibility of building a new home for the school district’s Central Office at the former Century Brass property at 12 Scovill St. The school district’s Central Office had been operating out of the town’s historic building at 50 East St. since 1982, according to Faulenbach. But last November, the Central […]

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$3.2M noise, lead abatement measures at Middletown, FBI firearms facility a success, officials say

Decades in the making, $3.2 million worth of lead mitigation and sound moderation measures are moving along at the Dingwall-Horan Firearms Training Facility, used by both city police and the FBI. Noise complaints from neighboring homeowners concerning the gunfire at 260 Meriden Road over the past 20 years have largely abated at the center, located […]

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Turf field planned in Wethersfield: Sports boosters cheer, preservationists lament

Pleasing athletics program supporters but frustrating conservationists, Wethersfield’s council this week endorsed the controversial plan to build a sports field on town-owned Kycia Farm. In a 6-2 vote after more than three hours of sometimes heated discussion, the council decided to move ahead with what it called a “conceptual plan” to build an artificial turf […]

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$1.7M Shortfall Remains After Cuts to Madison Elementary Construction

The authorized project cost for the new elementary school is $61.15 million and is part of a larger Madison School Renewal Plan totalling $89.2 million, which includes improvements to Polson Middle School and Brown Intermediate School. The shortfall for funding the new elementary school initially totaled $5.9 million. Because the costs toward Polson Middle School […]

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Latest Vessel ‘attainable’ housing project approved in Rocky Hill

Vessel Technologies has won approval for its planned multi-unit apartment development in Rocky Hill. The proposed two-building complex on a vacant site at 125 Henkel Way will contain 96 “attainably priced” homes. The town Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the application. Vessel is under contract to purchase the land from Corpridge Land Co. LLC, […]

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Path cleared for construction of Revolution Wind farm

The federal government on Tuesday cleared a path for the start of construction of Revolution Wind, the first offshore wind farm that will bring electricity to Connecticut. The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has approved the construction of up to 65 wind turbines and two offshore wind stations in federal waters […]

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West Hartford developer plans 70 housing units on New Park Avenue: ‘Creating a neighborhood’

In May, the development group The Hexagon Group submitted plans to the town that includes demolishing the Gozzo Design & Remodel building at 579 New Park Ave. to make way for a 70-unit mixed-use housing development called The Jayden. The development would include 14 affordable housing units. The Hexagon Group proposal is the second of […]

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Enfield’s All Sports Village to have 10-year fixed tax assessment once complex site plan is approved

Fast Track Realty, the company that is proposing to build a sports and entertainment complex near the Massachusetts border, is set to pay a fixed tax assessment for 10 years, providing the project’s site plan is approved. All Sports Village, as the project is called, is expected to have outdoor athletic fields and a new […]

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Offshore wind project Revolution Wind gets federal approval

The federal government on Tuesday signed off on Revolution Wind, the first large-scale offshore wind power project that would bring its electricity directly to Rhode Island. Revolution Wind, a joint venture of Danish developer Ørsted and the Massachusetts utility Eversource, would be in federal waters more than 15 miles south of Rhode Island and 12 […]

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Developer looks to revamp Stamford office park, put 508 apartments at 900 Long Ridge Road

Monday Properties — which has offices in Manhattan and Arlington, Va., — is looking to construct a four-building residential complex with 508 apartments at 900 Long Ridge Road, just south of the Merritt Parkway exit. The office park falls in a C-D zoning district, defined as a “Designed Commercial District” by city regulations. The Zoning […]

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See St. Aloysius School’s demolition in New Canaan as construction continues on the church’s campus

Construction at Saint Aloysius’ New Canaan campus is underway, despite the school closing in this past year. The 65-year-old Catholic school was temporarily operating out of the church’s Holy Spirit campus in Stamford. It was supposed to move to the New Canaan this fall but closed its doors due to low enrollment numbers. The plan […]

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Killingly gets funds for brownfield remediation, seeks to build apartments

Killingly has received $800,000 for a brownfield multipurpose grant from the EPA to help remediate the 17-acre Ballouville Mill site, the 12-acre Danielson-Putnam Twin Drive-in site, and the one-acre Old Borough Wastewater Treatment Plant. This is part of a large increase in brownfield remediation funding nationwide, from around $100 million to $1.5 billion divided over […]

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ARTBA Reports 222,000 U.S. Bridges Need Repair

More than 222,000 U.S. bridges need major repair work or should be replaced, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) analysis of the recently released U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) 2023 National Bridge Inventory (NBI) database. That figure represents 36 percent of all U.S. structures. States currently have access to $10.6 […]

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Housing Authority To Buy Clock Shop For $4.5M

The city’s public housing authority plans to purchase the New Haven Clock Company building on Hamilton Street and convert it into 100 mixed-income, mostly-affordable apartments — but only after the abandoned factory’s current owners rid the property of all remaining toxins. The Housing Authority of New Haven’s Board of Commissioners authorized the public housing agency to purchase […]

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EPA plans $11.2M Raymark waste cleanup near Shakespeare Theater, boat club property in Stratford

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to dig up hundreds of truckloads of toxic waste buried along Shore Road as part of a new remediation project that is expected to take up to two years to complete. The agency is now seeking public comments on a newly announced $11.2 million plan to remove the soil, […]

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CT’s plan to improve Route 7 & Merritt interchange in Norwalk sparks safety, connectivity concerns

Community members are skeptical of the state’s latest plans to improve the Route 7 and Merritt Parkway interchange, citing concerns about pedestrian safety and the risk of collisions. A public hearing on the proposal drew the spotlight onto the Norwalk River Valley Trail and the effect the changes could have on the multiuse trail, which […]

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Frustration in CT building trades: Where are the jobs?

The bill Biden signed with great fanfare in November 2021 offers a windfall to the state Department of Transportation — a 40% increase in the federal funding that generally comes in five-year commitments, a jump from $3.8 billion to $5.4 billion. But Connecticut is one of seven states that have lost construction jobs since passage, […]

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49-unit apartment development proposed at site of shuttered West Hartford synagogue

Trout Brook Realty Advisors, the no-profit development arm of the West Hartford Housing Authority, plans to retain the front façade, including stained glass, of the existing 1969-vintage Agudas Achim Synagogue at 1244 North Main St., attaching it to a new 20,750-square-foot building on the 1.8-acre property. Tentative plans for the development will go before West […]

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Greenwich’s Glenville section scheduled for long-delayed road redesign in spring 2024

The work will stretch from Glenville Street, at the entrance of the former home of Stop & Shop, past the Glenville Fire Station and Glenville Pizza, to the intersection of Glenville Road and Weaver Street, according to the Department of Public Works’ project website. Crews will upgrade the traffic signals, add a new signal at […]

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Wilton seeks $500K CT grant to offset cost of new, $16.4M police headquarters

The town is applying to the state for a $500,000 grant from the Small Town Economic Assistance Program to offset part of the construction cost of the new police headquarters, First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice said. The town is still reviewing bids for the construction of the station, and Wilton has been applying for multiple state […]

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Developer plans $25 million apartment complex with $4 million in CT state aid

The state is committing $4 million toward building The Strand, a movie theater-themed mid-rise tower that Jasko Development LLC intends to open in mid-2025. Avner Krohn, president of Jasko, said a $500,000 grant from the city along with the state’s $4 million will make it feasible to build The Strand with an affordable housing component. […]

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Middletown developer makes $20 million investment in downtown; plans to open eatery, wine bar, speakeasy

he historic former Shlien’s Furniture Co. building, located at 584 Main St. in the city’s North End, was razed Saturday to make way for living and retail spaces, all part of $20 million in projects underway by developer Dominick DeMartino. DeMartino, who is using funds provided by the city, the American Rescue Plan Act and […]

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Developer appeals Bridgeport’s revoked approval for 177-unit project at former Testo’s location

As expected, the new owner of the former Testo’s restaurant has formally asked the city’s zoning board of appeals to restore a permit for a controversial 177-unit apartment complex with underground parking issued last fall and cancelled in late July. At issue is the July 27 decision by Paul Boucher, head of the municipal zoning […]

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East Hartford approves first cannabis cultivator facility

Park Avenue will be home to a new location for a budding Connecticut industry. Michigan-based C3 Industries had its plans for a $12 million facility approved by the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday, paving the way for East Hartford’s first approved cannabis facility. The PZC approved cannabis facility regulations in November and revised […]

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This CT plaza could become a future model for shopping centers

“It’s a micro community… it’s an ecosystem within itself,” said Kathy Ekstrom, development manager for Quarry Walk’s developer, Seymour-based Haynes Group. “It’s a simple formula: You build what people need and want. And that’s exactly what we did.” Quarry Walk’s last available apartments are expected to be leased up this month, even as its developer […]

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Greenwich Avenue water main replacement was originally set for spring. When will it actually start?

Aquarion Water Company was planning to start a major water main replacement project on Greenwich Avenue this spring, but work has yet to start. The company is now saying that the water main replacement work, which is expected to take about a year to complete, should start in September. Aquarion spokesperson Peter Fazekas said they […]

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Greenwich has a $1.6B backlog in building projects. Its financial processes are to blame, report says.

The LWV, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes civic engagement, recently published a Capital Projects Funding Study which reported that the town’s historic policies and norms have meant low taxes for residents, but a slow building process that delays needed work. These projects tend to get more expensive over time, so delaying work ends up […]

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DOL to update prevailing wage laws

The Department of Labor announced Tuesday that it will publish a rule updating the Davis-Bacon Act, which sets the prevailing wages contractors must pay workers on federal projects. The rule, first announced in March 2022, will restore the DOL’s definition of prevailing wage to make it equivalent to the wage paid to at least 30% […]

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Wallingford school officials consider options with delays to Sheehan track, field project

The Town Council approved bonding $2 million for the project in late April, and the school board estimated the work would be completed in early September. But the combination of a mandated 30-day waiting period before the purchase order could be issued to the contractor and continued supply distribution issues has pushed that completion date […]

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Middletown close to sealing deal with developer on housing, retail, public parking downtown

The city is close to crafting an agreement with a Hartford developer to build a housing and retail development off Main Street in a public-private collaboration that would include municipal parking spots to replace those lost when the arcade was razed in 2018. The project is a partnership with Spectra Construction & Development Corp., which […]

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Many Greenwich residents oppose teardown and rebuild of Old Greenwich School, prefer $42M renovation

The proposal to renovate the school and make it handicap accessible was reviewed at the Planning & Zoning Commission’s Tuesday meeting, where the upgrades and preservation of the 1902 structure were endorsed by a number of community members. The expected cost of the renovations is in the $42 million range. The Board of Estimate and […]

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Torrington Co. building to be demolished, site remediated

According to Mayor Elinor Carbone, the city is working with the building’s property owner, Torrington Standard, which in 2022 received funding for demolition and remediation. The City Council discussed the $2 million Brownfield Remediation Grant, allocated by the state Department of Economic and Community Development, which will be used to tear down areas of the […]

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White House unveils wage rule for federal projects, in win for unions

The measure aims to restore an old definition of the “prevailing wage,” scrapped by President Ronald Reagan, that the Biden administration says would change pay standards on federal construction projects. Under the new rule, employers would be required to pay construction workers the equivalent of wages made by at least 30 percent of workers in […]

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Developers cut hotel, offices from Shelton’s Fountain Square plan, seek up to 145 apartments instead

Highview Commercial, the project’s developer, has filed an application with the Planning and Zoning Commission seeking to amend the already approved Planned Development District for the site located at 801 Bridgeport Ave. The revised application calls for removal of the already approved hotel and an office building planned for the rear of the site and […]

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Will state’s plan to fix busy Southington intersection actually make traffic worse?

The state Department of Transportation has had reconfiguration plans for the Route 10/Route 322/Old Turnpike Road area just north of the Cheshire line since at least 2008. In addition to squaring off unusual intersection angles, the plans call for the removal of the bridge, regrading Route 10 to meet Route 322 and putting a traffic […]

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Opening of New London traffic circle set to mark end of construction traffic headaches

A massive road rebuilding and roundabout construction project on Jefferson Avenue aimed at improving deteriorating pavement conditions and alleviating traffic snarls is expected to be completed by next month. Director of Public Works Brian Sear said the impetus for the work, which has led to some frustration by drivers attempting to navigate alternating lanes and […]

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Michigan cannabis company proposes 72,366-sq.-ft. grow facility in East Hartford

A multi-state cannabis company headquartered in Michigan plans to build a 72,366-square-foot cultivation site in East Hartford. C3 is in the process of expanding to three new states, according to CEO Ankur Rungta. That includes the proposed facility along Park Road in East Hartford. A request for a special permit is scheduled to go before […]

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A developer wants to place over 2,500 solar panels in rural Bethany. Neighbors are fighting back

The proposal by the developer, California-based TRITEC Americas, to construct a solar photovoltaic facility in Bethany is one of dozens of similar projects under construction or in planning around Connecticut, part of the state’s efforts to rid itself of emissions from fossil-fuel burning power plants by 2040. As both governments and developers seek to ramp […]

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MidState Medical Center seeks permission for $8.4M expansion

MidState Medical Center is seeking to build a new $8.4 million, 16-bed adult medical and surgical unit to boost its inpatient space. The nonprofit Meriden-based hospital, which is part of the Hartford HealthCare system, has submitted a certificate of need application with the state Office of Health Strategy to increase its licensed bed capacity. Because […]

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Three Darien elementary schools have delayed their renovations by nearly a year. Why?

Renovations for three Darien elementary schools have been delayed by a year after a disappointing round of construction bids. Overhauls of Hindley, Holmes and Royle elementary schools, originally slated to begin this summer, will now begin construction closer to late spring and summer of 2024 and run through August 2026. The main cause of delay […]

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Supporters make case for keeping Hartford-Brainard Airport open amid calls to redevelop the land

Not just a playground for wealthy airplane owners, the airport plays an important role in Hartford’s economy as a base for corporate jets, said Teiger, president of the Hartford Brainard Airport Association. Keeping the airport open will also position Hartford for a future where advanced aerospace — be it drones, vertical takeoff and landing technology […]

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State Audit Finds Port Authority Failed to Bid Out $800K Contract

In its first report since a scathing 2019 audit led to then-Executive Director Evan Matthews being fired and the Office of Policy and Management gaining oversight of the quasi-public agency, auditors said the authority didn’t open bids before awarding a $794,790 contract to AECOM Technical Services in May 2019. The auditors’ office told CT Examiner […]

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