As large solar arrays have proliferated across Connecticut in the last decade, so have questions about how much tax revenue local governments can draw from the fields of panels. For years, state law gave municipalities and their tax assessors the leeway to determine the value of solar panels and other equipment subject to personal property taxes. At the same time, developers could seek a variety of tax exemptions on their projects allowing them to drastically reduce — or in some cases eliminate — their local tax obligations. Towns have faced challenges even with projects that don’t qualify for tax exemptions, because the value of solar panels tends to depreciate quickly. In some cases that’s left towns with budgetary holes to fill in the years following a project’s initial installation. As a result, litigation has erupted in some towns over tax bills for solar projects. Fearing financial uncertainty, both developers and municipal leaders have negotiated deals to stabilize their tax payments and provide more predictability to both parties. They’ve also appealed to lawmakers for a long-term solution.

https://ctmirror.org/2026/07/15/ct-new-law-solar-array-property-taxes/

Hartford officials are seeking a long-term tax abatement agreement to support a proposed 125-unit affordable housing development on land that formerly served the Apple Xtreme Cinema in the city’s Parkville neighborhood. The City Council on Monday referred the proposal to its Planning, Economic Development and Housing Committee after Mayor Arunan Arulampalam introduced the measure. The committee is expected to review the proposal later this month or in early August before sending it back to the full council for a final vote. Specific financial terms of the deal were not immediately available, but the proposal would authorize the city to enter into a 15-year tax-fixing agreement, with two optional five-year renewals, for a $18.75 million development at 332 and 344 New Park Ave. The project, known as Edge 400, would include two mixed-use buildings with 125 affordable apartments, resident amenity space and ground-floor retail. A 65,311-square-foot building at 332 New Park Ave. will contain 61 apartments affordable to households earning between 50% and 80% of the area median income, while the 70,678-square-foot building at 344 New Park Ave. will include 64 apartments affordable to households earning between 30% and 80% of AMI.

https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/hartford-seeks-tax-break-for-125-unit-affordable-housing-project-near-cinema-site/?nocache=1784131832847

Stonington — READCO has unveiled preliminary renderings for a proposed technology park on Route 2 just off Exit 92 of Interstate 95. The first phase of the Stonington Technology Park calls for an 80,000-square-foot office building and 125,000-square-foot light manufacturing building. The Old Lyme-based developer went before the Architectural Design Review Board on Monday and will incorporate the board’s feedback into the renderings. READCO plans to return to the board in September to seek final approval. The proposed four-story office building features a large conference area on the ground floor that allows for collaboration and presentation of ideas, Christen M. Robbins, the architect for the project and senior project manager at BL Companies, said Tuesday. The idea is that it is not just an office space, but a place to solve problems and research and develop in the technology realm. A cafeteria within the building opens out into an outdoor patio and green space.

https://theday.com/news/908084/renderings-unveiled-for-stonington-technology-park/

NEW HAVEN — City officials are preparing to move forward with a 200,000-square-foot laboratory and office building that would become the centerpiece of New Haven’s growing life sciences and quantum technology hub while completing the final phase of the Downtown Crossing redevelopment project. The proposed development at 2 Church St. would become the home of the previously announced Unilever Global Innovation Center. Backed by millions of dollars in state funding, the project is the third and final phase of Downtown Crossing, the city’s long-running effort to replace the former Route 34 highway and reconnect downtown with the Hill neighborhood and medical district. The project’s development and land disposition agreements will go before the Board of Alders’ Community Development Committee during a public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Board of Alders chamber at City Hall. If approved, the agreements will advance to the full Board of Alders for a vote. “New Haven is one of fastest-growing hubs in the nation for the life sciences and quantum science, and the developments of 100 College Street, 101 College Street and 2 Church Street all demonstrate the growth of these industries in our city and underscore how New Haven is a center for cutting-edge research, development and innovation in these fields,” said Mayor Justin Elicker.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/new-haven-unilever-lab-downtown-crossing-22345262.php

MIDDLETOWN — The state’s planned rehabilitation of the railroad bridge over the Connecticut River spanning Middletown and Portland will be the subject of a hybrid public information session set for next month. The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at Middletown High School, 200 La Rosa Lane. The session will explain the project, gather feedback and answer questions, according to the state Department of Transportation. “This rehabilitation will increase the bridge’s load capacity, and modernize its mechanical and electric systems to provide reliable operation,” the DOT said in the meeting announcement. The estimated cost is $87 million, funded by state and federal funds, the agency said. Public feedback is encouraged, and may be incorporated into the design, DOT Project Manager Nicholas Martin said in a press release. Right-of-way impacts are not anticipated, the agency said. Construction is expected to start in fall 2028, depending on funding and permits.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/middletown/article/connecticut-river-railroad-bridge-public-meeting-22337474.php

When traveling on Connecticut’s highways at night, some drivers may think their path will surely be clear because rush hour has come and gone. But then they see signs, cones and taillights. It’s a nighttime work zone. Construction season is well underway, and the recent activation of speed cameras in highway work zones has focused attention on safety in those areas where crews are building, repairing or cleaning. Here is what drivers may want to know as they navigate work zones at night this summer. Eva Zymaris, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation, said all of the agency’s construction contracts include what are known as “limitations of operations,” which lay out when work and what kind of lane closures can occur. Among the factors DOT considers when setting those limitations is traffic volumes because it wants to” minimize impact to the traveling public – while ensuring crews can work safely and efficiently,” she said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/ct-night-road-work-highway-construction-22335872.php

A proposed bridge from Connecticut to New York across the Long Island Sound would be the state’s first major new crossing, connecting two places for the first time, since the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. That bridge is not likely to be built, according to Gov. Ned Lamont, who said last year that “they’ve been talking about that ever since I was a kid in Long Island.” Transit development experts say new bridges — not replacement bridges — are not being built because that’s not the sort of development Connecticut needs. Instead smaller bridges focused on pedestrians or cyclists are usually taking priority. “The big regional scale investments are set,” said David Kooris, executive director at the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority. “Now we’re kind of looking back inward at the fine grain connections that stitch together our communities.” Connecticut’s last major new crossing was the Mohegan-Pequot Bridge, constructed in 1967, carrying Route 2A over the Thames River, according to Eva Zymaris, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Transportation. She also mentioned the Frog Bridge, opened in 2000, which carries state road 661 over the Willimantic River.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/connecticut-major-new-bridge-last-built-1967-why-22337061.php

Waterford — Electric Boat said Thursday that it expects to open its training centers in the former Crystal Mall by September and reach “significant employee occupancy” by mid-2027. The company also said renovations of anchor stores will begin later this year. It expects the various offices and training centers that will be in the main part of the building to be done in September. The move of support staff to the mall building will allow the main plant in Groton to focus on actual construction of submarines. “We are working closely with the State of Connecticut and the Town of Waterford on permitting and approvals,” the company said. The company is awaiting state traffic approval tied to its renovation project and is seeking town approval to approve conversions of the old anchor stores into the training centers. Waterford officials meet with Electric Boat representatives weekly, town Planning Director Mark Wujtewicz has said.

https://theday.com/news/907083/eb-gives-more-detail-on-plans-for-former-crystal-mall/

WALLINGFORD — The state’s transportation agency recently added a fourth bridge to the list of structures to be replaced on Interstate 91 in Wallingford. The scope of the project, administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, encompasses bridges that carry the highway over East Center Street, Durham Road and New Rock Hill road, and now, Carpenter Lane. Construction is projected to start in spring 2028 and be completed by the end of 2030, according to the DOT. The estimated cost is between $60 million and $90 million. It is expected to receive 80% of that cost in federal funds and 20% in state funds. The DOT held an informational meeting in September 2025 to discuss the first three bridges, and another in late June for the fourth one. Beth LaPlante, the task lead and senior project engineer at the HNTB design consultant firm, said during the June 24 session at Town Hall that the Carpenter Lane bridge is at the northern limits of the project area. The work will address “structural deficiencies” to achieve a design life of at least 75 years, she continued.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/recordjournal/article/wallingford-i91-fourth-bridge-replacement-22336111.php

BRIDGEPORT — If you live near or happen to be passing by the former Remington Woods ammunition testing grounds this month and mild explosions again ring out, do not be alarmed — it is supposed to be the sound of progress. Mayor Joe Ganim’s administration has warned residents of possible “open destruction of munitions and explosives of concern” within the fenced-in 400-plus-acre urban forest, between July 6 and July 31. “The Bridgeport fire, police and health departments have been made aware of these plans and encourage all residents living near … to remain calm during periods of loud noises in the area,” concludes the announcement issued last week. But why exactly is it happening? Owner Sporting Goods Properties is making certain there are no dangerous remnants from the site’s old days as a playground for the military industrial complex as efforts proceed to transform the long-dormant property and its Lake Success into a clean energy park with a public nature preserve.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/bridgeport-ct-remington-woods-explosions-22330598.php