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Developer wants to demolish Sports Haven horse-racing complex off I-95 in New Haven
A Queens, N.Y. developer has submitted a 90-day demolition application with the city of New Haven to knock down the former Sports Haven betting parlor on Long Wharf Drive, according to the city’s economic development administrator. Mike Piscitelli told Hearst Connecticut Media on Friday that a limited liability company affiliated with Queens, N.Y.-based Criterion Development submitted a the application to city planning officials. The demolition plan must be approved by multiple city agencies and the demolition can not begin for at least 90-days, Piscitelli said. It was submitted on Feb. 4. “The building is nearing the end of its useful life,” Piscitelli said. “The developer has always been transparent about the intention to tear the building down.” What Criterion hasn’t been clear about is what they plan to do with the property. Sports Haven closed for good at the end of November, having been purchased by Criterion in March 2021. Piscitelli said Friday that Criterion officials have not indicated their plans for the property and company officials have not responded to inquiries from Hearst Connecticut Media about the future of the 9.65 acre site. Piscitelli said a responsible growth plan released in 2019 for the city’s Long Wharf section calls for a mixed use of residential and large format commercial uses. An example of large format commercial use, according to Piscitelli, could include a grocery store or other type of large format retail store.
Southbury, Middlebury voters to decide on $224M bond to build two new elementary schools
SOUTHBURY — A plan to build two new elementary school buildings in Region 15 will go to a special referendum next month, where voters in Middlebury and Southbury will decide whether to approve a $224 million bond to pay for the projects. The Board of Education for the Pomperaug Regional School District 15 wants to replace its two oldest buildings, Gainfield and Pomperaug elementary schools, both in Southbury. The two new projects would be completed on the same sites as the existing schools. The board approved the language in the referendum question during a meeting in late March, after holding a public hearing on the projects. “This was an extremely thoughtful, collaborative process with both towns. The committee spent a lot of time and research to get here,” said Joshua Smith, Region 15’s superintendent of schools. “We understand it’s a big project for the community. We believe the state incentives available and the timing make doing the projects now more effective than delaying.” The new buildings would accommodate more students, with a capacity of about 550 students in each, and give the district additional preschool space, Smith said. District officials estimated Region 15 would be reimbursed up to 64% of the projects’ eligible expenses under the Connecticut’s School Construction Grant program. After deducting the reimbursements, the final costs for local taxpayers would be about $86 million, according to district estimates. The reimbursement includes a 15% state incentive for including preschool space in the project, Smith said. Without that incentive, the district’s reimbursement rate would be less than 50%, he said.
Enfield board advances plan that calls for building four new PreK-5 schools
ENFIELD — The Board of Education voted to approve the educational specifications for the PK-5 Master Plan for the Enfield Public Schools, advancing a proposal to consolidate the district into four elementary schools and to renovate Eagle Academy. The plan calls for building four new PreK-5 schools on the sites of Hazardville Memorial, Prudence Crandall, Henry Barnard and Edgar H. Parkman, as well as relocating and renovating Eagle Academy to Enfield Street School, which serves students with specialized academic and therapeutic needs. Pre-K programming would be included at each of the new elementary schools and moved from the Stowe Early Learning Center. The Enfield school board approved the plan Wednesday, and the district is expected to present it to the Town Council on April 20. There is also potential for adaptive reuse of several buildings, including the Stowe Early Learning Center, the Eagle Academy building, Enfield Street School and the Alcorn campus, officials said. Some facilities would no longer fall under the Board of Education, and the town would determine their future use, Superintendent Steven Moccio said. The proposal is driven by aging facilities, evolving educational demands and increasing enrollment, district officials say. School board Chair Amanda Pickett said the district cannot do temporary fixes on the old buildings. “I know this might seem like a high cost to some,” Pickett said. “But the reality is we are in a place with our schools that something needs to be done.”
First site plan for Enfield MassMutual redevelopment could come soon
ENFIELD — The planned revamp of the MassMutual site is picking up steam, as the developer behind it earned another approval and plans to file a site plan application soon. The office campus at 85 and 100 Bright Meadow Blvd., formerly home to insurance company MassMutual, could be redeveloped by Branford-based MB Financial Group into mixed-use, with 464 apartments and condominiums planned for the 65-acre site. MassMutual closed its Enfield offices in 2021, relocating over the border to Springfield, Mass. Prior to the multi-family proposal, a previous developer pursued a sports and entertainment complex in 2023, earning some approvals for “All Sports Village” in 2024 but never breaking ground. MB Financial Group purchased the properties for $4 million last year and kicked off a series of applications for the company’s planned development. The most recent, a subdivision application, was unanimously approved at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Thursday night. Carl Landolina, an attorney representing the applicant, said at the PZC meeting Thursday that the subdivision was part of the project from the beginning, and will help the developer with financing and splitting construction into “phases.”
Tweed New Haven Airport announces new agreement on expansion framework
Connecticut officials have reached a new framework for moving forward on a proposed east side terminal at Tweed New Haven Airport after years of conflict over the project, but the plan still faces major legal, legislative, and local hurdles. New Haven, East Haven, the airport authority, and the airport have agreed to a memorandum of understanding that lays out a path forward for the proposed terminal on the east side of the airport. The agreement includes proposed state funding for both municipalities, stronger East Haven representation on the airport board and a higher approval threshold for major projects such as runway expansion and campus access changes. The proposed terminal has been at the center of a fight for nearly six years. The project would be built on East Haven land, and the town has pushed back on the project for years, including through an active appeal of the FAA’s finding of no significant impact. As part of the agreement, East Haven now says it will abide by what the court decides. In an interview, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker called the agreement a major step: “This is a big moment.”
Killingly warehouse proposals roll through approval process
Killingly — The developers behind a controversial plan to construct a pair of warehouses at 90 Putnam Pike have said they intend to resubmit their Planning and Zoning Commission application by Monday. The pending submission would place Killingly 1 LLC’s proposal for 178,750-square-foot and 297,500-square-foot warehouses back on the commission’s agenda. It would also ensure that the town receives the application before the commission weighs residents’ requests to impose a moratorium on large distribution centers. The developers withdrew their original application last month in order to avoid time limits in the application and public hearing process that are set by state law. On Monday, the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission voted 3-2 to approve the application, with members Chris McDonald and Corina Torrey opposed. The Planning and Zoning Commission needs Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission approval before considering the application. The proposed warehouses would be built on 58 acres of undeveloped land that is zoned general commercial and is bordered by woods and residential properties. According to town records, Killingly 1 LLC purchased the property, which overlaps an aquifer protection area, in September for $600,000. The developers have yet to identify what companies would operate out of the warehouse.
https://theday.com/news/874324/killingly-warehouse-proposals-roll-through-approval-process/
Lawmakers push Lamont to fund stalled Coast Guard museum bridge project
New London — U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Wednesday said that without a new funding commitment by the state for a promised — but seemingly stalled — pedestrian bridge project in downtown New London, the success of the incoming National Coast Guard Museum will be in jeopardy. “We cannot take no for an answer — everyone else has met their obligations,” Murphy said, referring to the federal and private funding sources that have brought the $220 million museum nearly to completion on the city’s waterfront. “We cannot open this museum without a way for people to get there.” Murphy’s comments came during an “urgent” virtual meeting attended by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., several state lawmakers, Mayor Michael Passero and Wes Pulver, president of the National Coast Guard Museum Association, which is overseeing both the museum and the planned pedestrian bridge portions of the project. The meeting largely centered around what several attendees called the “last piece” of the overall project: an elevated span proposed to connect the Water Street Garage to the museum with entrances and exits to the nearby train station and ferry docks. But a $20 million funding commitment by the state in 2014 to build what was envisioned as a 400-foot, glass-enclosed bridge is significantly less than what is now needed for the project. Only one firm, the Plainville-based Manafort Brothers Inc., in October submitted a bid for the bridge job. Pulver at the time said the bid was at a “range above what was planned,” due largely to escalating construction, manpower and material costs over the last decade. And, with the museum on track for a 2027 opening, Murphy said time is running out to get the bridge project funded and built. “The most urgent item at hand is getting a safe, pedestrian bridge that will allow hundreds of thousands of visitors to get to the museum,” he said. While Murphy said there is not yet a firm updated cost for the bridge work, it’s likely between $15 million and $25 million more than originally allotted, depending on the firm selected and how the project is indemnified.
Solar project near Heublein Tower sparks fight over Farmington Valley’s skyline
Lodestar Energy is seeking state approval to build a 4.65-megawatt solar array on the site of a former golf course in Simsbury, a proposal that has drawn concerns from the town’s chief elected official. The West Hartford-based developer filed a petition with the Connecticut Siting Council late last year to construct an 18.2-acre solar installation on a portion of 140 Nod Road, the 118-acre property that once housed Tower Ridge Golf Club. The site now hosts a mix of uses including a disc golf facility and the Talcott Mountain Collective event venue. Because the project exceeds 1 megawatt, it bypasses local zoning laws, going straight to the Siting Council for approval. A public hearing is scheduled for April 23, with an evidentiary session beginning at 2 p.m. and a public comment session at 6:30 p.m. Simsbury First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis wrote to the council in December raising a series of objections, primarily that the solar panels would be visible from the historic Heublein Tower on the Talcott Mountain ridgeline and from within the surrounding state park. Mackstutis also pointed out that a large portion of the array appears to fall within a Special Flood Hazard Area, with several wetland pockets nearby, and that the proposed landscaping plan falls short of adequately screening the project from the Nod Road corridor. The town also noted that the property owner — Simsbury Real Estate Holdings owes — $316,930 in delinquent taxes, and asked the council to require payment before any approval is granted, or to make it a condition of the decision. The Siting Council voted in January to hold a public hearing at Simsbury’s request, though the council noted that one is not legally required for a project of this type. The council’s deadline for a final decision is June 2.
North Crossing to begin leasing 237 new apartments near Dunkin’ Park in Hartford
HARTFORD — A new 237-unit apartment building is expected to open soon in the North End of Hartford, in the immediate vicinity of Dunkin’ Park. Stamford-based developer RMS Companies plans to open next month the Portrait at North Crossing at 1143 Main St., part of a project that began more than a decade ago alongside the Double-A baseball stadium across the street. The company’s end goal is to build as many as 2,500 apartments alongside commercial space and parking garages all located a stone’s throw from the home of the Hartford Yard Goats. Construction of the Dunkin’ Park stadium began in 2015, after the city reached an agreement with a previous developer. The project was initially delayed later that year due to a dispute over the stadium design. Hartford axed the developer and hired RMS to both finish Dunkin’ Park and build new mixed-use developments on properties near the stadium, and the previous developer responded soon after with a wrongful termination lawsuit seeking $90 million in damages. RMS began planning the North Crossing about five years ago and completed the Pennant, the first residential building in the project, in October 2022, but the litigation stopped further construction until a settlement was reached in October 2023. The terms dictated that Hartford would pay $9.9 million to Arch Insurance, the company that financed the stadium after the previous developer was ousted, and Arch would pay $1.8 million to the ousted developer. Development of North Crossing resumed shortly after the settlement, and construction of the Portrait and other project elements began in early 2024. That same year, RMS also opened the Revel, a 147-unit apartment complex built above the DoubleTree by Hilton at 315 Trumbull St.
Drivers are going to have to slow down to 45 mph during 4-year Gold Star Bridge project
Beginning Wednesday morning, the southbound Gold Star Memorial Bridge will be reduced to three lanes, with crews restriping lanes starting Tuesday evening. Due to weather, the new traffic configuration was delayed from the original start date of Monday. The new configuration will include two lanes of the Bridge Street on-ramp in Groton transitioning to one lane after a certain distance. Then, between May 9 and 15, the state Department of Transportation is aiming to implement a traffic crossover in which two northbound lanes will go over the southbound bridge, while three southbound lanes will continue on the southbound span. The northbound bridge will carry two northbound lanes. Project officials, who outlined details of the $900 million northbound bridge construction project to the media Monday, said drivers will need to shift their mindsets for the safety of workers and the public while traveling during the project, which will not be complete until December 2030.
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