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New Haven weighs eminent domain to acquire English Station for waterfront park
NEW HAVEN — City officials are weighing the use of eminent domain to acquire the 8.6-acre island that houses the long-idle English Station power plant if negotiations with the owners fail, a move aimed at transforming the contaminated industrial site into a public park and outdoor pool. The option is spelled out in a Jan. 9 letter and proposed order sent by Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli to Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers. The administration is seeking alder approval to pursue the acquisition of Ball Island, a property the state has indicated it is willing to remediate. The order would authorize the city to negotiate with the property’s owners — Paramount View Millennium LLC and Haven River Properties LLC — to purchase the site, which the city hopes to rename the “Park at Mill River.” It also includes language allowing the city to initiate eminent domain proceedings if a voluntary sale cannot be reached. “Be it further ordered that if it is not possible to negotiate the terms and conditions of a mutually acceptable conveyance … then the mayor is hereby authorized to direct the filing of eminent domain proceedings,” the order states, citing authority under the city charter and state law.
Blumenthal introduces bill to help prevent roadside deaths of police, construction workers
After a series of deaths on Connecticut highways in recent months, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is introducing legislation aimed at minimizing roadside accidents involving construction workers, state police and good Samaritans. The legislation would provide federal funding to states for creating more awareness, as well as providing tools to collect data on where and when these accidents tend to occur. That would give law enforcement more information when determining where to patrol. State Department of Transportation workers and State Police joined Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Thursday at the Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial in Meriden to announce the proposed legislation. Blumenthal spoke of Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier, who was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver during a traffic stop in May 2024. Blumenthal’s legislation is not designed to protect just construction workers and first responders, but also members of the public who can be killed in work zone accidents, too, he said.
These are the major school construction projects that made Connecticut’s priority list
Six major school construction projects across Connecticut have secured spots on the state’s building priority list for 2026. The projects in Milford, Norwich, Seymour, Stamford, Waterbury and Westport — including two new elementary schools, one new middle school and other upgrades — are expected to cost more than $300 million altogether. Each year, school districts can apply for state grants for major construction projects, like building a new school, renovating an existing building or adding onto it. After the state Department of Administrative Services reviews these applications, it compiles the priority list and presents it to the governor’s office and legislature’s School Construction Project Priority List Review Committee. The committee unanimously approved the 2026 priority list on Jan. 14, and it’s now up to the state legislature to give the green light for funding. For 2026, the Department of Administrative Services is recommending $141.7 million in new grant funding to support the six school building projects. Local funds pay the rest. Just how much the state will cover for each project is dependent on the reimbursement rate, which the Department of Administrative Services calculates using a formula based on a town’s wealth.
Study: Nuclear, natural gas would save New England hundreds of billions over renewable mandates
A coalition of free-market think tanks, including Connecticut’s Yankee Institute, released a study Tuesday arguing that New England would save between $400 billion and $700 billion by 2050 if states replaced planned wind and solar projects with nuclear power plants and natural gas facilities. The study, “Alternatives to New England’s Affordability Crisis,” estimated meeting the region’s 2050 energy needs with nuclear power would cost $415.3 billion and achieve 92% carbon-free power, while natural gas would cost $106.9 billion with a 24.5% emissions reduction. A combination of nuclear and natural gas plants — called the “Happy Medium” scenario — would cost $195.8 billion and cut emissions by 50%, according to the analysis conducted by Always On Energy Research. The coalition compared these projections to findings from their 2024 study, which estimated meeting regional energy demand under current renewable energy mandates would cost $815 billion by 2050. The renewable scenario would cause New England families’ electricity bills to increase from $175 per month in 2024 to $384 per month by 2050, the study found.
The Trump administration favors natural gas. What does that mean for CT?
Doug Burgum, the U.S. Department of Interior secretary, said the quiet part out loud. It was a few days before Christmas, an hour or two after he had announced that five offshore wind projects under construction — including Connecticut’s Revolution Wind — was being halted “due to national security risks identified by the Department of War in recently completed classified reports.” Burgum told Fox News another story: “We have a solution in New England right there, which is natural gas from Pennsylvania, which would generate power five to 10 times more than all these … five projects put together.” Natural gas. In some circles it’s viewed as the holy grail of power supply. In others it is one of the worst climate change nightmares imaginable. And then there’s pretty much everything in between. The U.S. produces more natural gas than any other nation. It also exports more. The Trump administration has clearly said it wants to do more of both. That was a pillar of President Donald Trump’s day one executive order, Unleashing American Energy, which put renewables like wind and solar on notice while creating a glide path for extracting and marketing more fossil fuels.
CT plans $90 million project to improve a busy highway ramp. What to know.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation plans a big change in a highway ramp and the project is intended to improve safety, according to the agency. The planned changes are for improvements at Exit 46 on Route 15, according to the agency. The exit is close to the Hero’s Tunnel that takes traffic under West Rock between New Haven and Hamden. The estimated construction cost for the project is $90 million, according to the agency. The project is anticipated to be done with 80% federal funds and 20% state funds. “The installation of acceleration and deceleration lanes on Exit 46 will improve safety, mobility, and connectivity on Route 15, and the immediate connections with Route 69 and Route 63,” Connecticut Department of Transportation Project Manager Jeffrey Pfaffinger said, in a statement. “The project also proposes to relocate the existing Route 15 northbound on-ramp to a new loop ramp,” he said. “We encourage the public to attend this (Feb. 3) meeting to share their feedback with the CTDOT project team to incorporate into the design.”
Spinnaker pivots from office space to hotel in Norwalk waterfront mixed-use project
A prominent developer is seeking to revise plans for an approved waterfront mixed-use project in Norwalk, proposing to replace one of two planned office buildings with a 130-room hotel. Norwalk-based Spinnaker Real Estate Partners received city approval in early September for a development on a 2.72-acre property that includes a 59-unit, five-story apartment building, two 4.5-story office buildings totaling 83,000 square feet, boat slips, a boardwalk and a ground-floor restaurant. In an updated application filed Thursday, Spinnaker is asking for permission to build a four-story, 130-room hotel with a ground-floor restaurant in place of the planned roughly 54,000-square-foot office building on the south side of the site. A smaller, 28,800-square-foot office building on the north side would remain. Spinnaker said it changed course because it is unlikely it can lease 83,000 square feet of office space “in a commercially reasonable period,” and lenders are hesitant to provide financing due to vacancy risks.
Meriden highway construction progresses into second phase. Here’s what’s next
MERIDEN — Officials announced a recent update where the project stands for Meriden’s congested interchange, where state Route 15 and Interstates 91 and 691 meet. “We’re continuing to make progress on this important safety improvement project in Meriden,” said Eva Zymaris, spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation. The on-ramps for northbound Route 15 and Interstate-91 and eastbound I-691 from East Main Street will be closed as part of the ongoing construction in phase two, which began last year with some components starting in 2024. Paddock Avenue will have one-way alternating traffic controlled by a temporary signal, and be closed entirely during nighttime hours between Barr and Overlook Roads, though those hours were not posted. Roadwork will take place 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with lane and shoulder closures on all three roadways during these times. The $500 million project is designed, when completed, to reduce congestion along one of the state’s busiest corridors, seeing around 260,000 vehicles pass through the interchange daily.
Developers proposes more than 430 apartments in upscale CT suburb town center
The developer building Heritage Park at the former UConn campus in West Hartford is proposing a project in another town. It’s 266 apartments just off Glastonbury’s Main Street, with nearly a third of them to be priced at state-designated “affordable” rents. Domenic Carpionato of Rhode Island wants to put up a series of three- to four-story buildings near Main Street at Griswold Street in what would become one of the largest residential complexes in town. It’s one of two major developments envisioned for Glastonbury’s Main Street: The Greenwich-based HB Nitkin Group is proposing about 170 apartments in a mixed-use project that would entail demolishing a pair of existing commercial buildings. The projects aren’t linked, but if both are built, they’d significantly change the appearance of the town center. Both developers are going before town environmental boards on Thursday to discuss their plans.
New Orleans developer buys Trumbull office building once approved for self-storage redevelopment
A New Orleans-based commercial real estate development firm plans to demolish a three-story office building in Trumbull that it purchased for $2 million, according to property records. Trumbull CT Development Company LLC, controlled by Gordon H. Kolb Jr. of New Orleans, purchased the 62,464-square-foot building, at 6 Cambridge Drive, in late December. Kolb is president of GHK Developments, a commercial real estate development firm that focuses on acquiring and developing commercial properties. GHK is working with the town on getting permits to redevelop the 4.54-acre property, but would not disclose what it plans to build there. “This is something that will be helpful to the community,” said William Henderson, co-founder of Texas-based commercial real estate firm AIE Partners who is partnering with GHK on the redevelopment. “Getting rid of this blighted property is very beneficial for the area.”
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