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

WATERBURY — The city plans to remove a dam that officials said should benefit the redevelopment of a South Main Street property. Waterbury was awarded a $339,000 grant from the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to support the project. Jim Nardozzi, the executive director of the Waterbury Development Corporation, said the removal of the Risdon Dam “will contribute to the economic redevelopment of the property” at 2100 South Main St., which is the former site of Risdon Manufacturing. “(Waterbury Development Corporation) supports the removal of the dam and thus were happy to learn of the recent grant award for the study and planning of the dam’s eventual removal,” Nardozzi said. The city said the funding will be used for the “environmental investigation, engineering design and permitting” needed to remove the dam. That process could take a year to unfold before the city contracts a construction company to remove the dam. “This grant represents another important investment in Waterbury’s infrastructure and environmental stewardship,” Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski Jr. said in a statement. “Removing the Risdon Dam will improve the health of Hopeville Pond Brook, reduce flood risks, and help restore a more resilient ecosystem for future generations. We appreciate DEEP’s partnership and support in helping us move this important project forward.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/waterbury/article/waterbury-ct-risdon-dam-removal-22334296.php

The conversion of the former Crystal Mall in Waterford into a satellite corporate campus for General Dynamics Electric Boat is underway and company officials say that some workers could begin moving into the former retail center as soon as the end of September this year. Construction of some portions of the mall that will be used as training space is ongoing, according to a company spokesman. But Scott Ritter of Electric Boat said the conversion of the mall into office space is being done in phases, with the renovation of the former mall’s first empty anchor store space, which housed Macy’s, to begin in the fourth quarter of this year. It wasn’t clear on Thursday how many Electric Boat employees will be making the initial move into the renovated former mall space this September. The renovated mall space won’t be fully occupied until the middle of next year, when between 4,000 and 5,000 workers will begin working there. Electric Boat bought the mall in phases last year, completing the purchase in October 2025. The mall’s last tenants moved out this spring.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/crystal-mall-converion-electric-boat-ct-waterford-22330464.php

ANSONIA — Social media erupted Wednesday with fears of a data center coming to a formerly contaminated industrial property on North Main Street. But city officials quickly quelled concerns, saying the former SHW Casting Co. site could soon be home to fuel cells from multiple companies. Mayor Frank Tyszka said the city is exploring the possibility of two fuel cell projects: one with Johnson Controls International, the other with HyAxiom, Inc. Both companies have been in talks with the city about leasing space at the former SHW Casting Co. site at 35 N. Main St. Tyszka said there are no lease agreements at this time as the city awaits Connecticut Siting Council approval on a Non-Residential Renewable Energy Solutions proposal to allow the two projects to proceed. “We are coordinating interconnection and permitting to get these projects underway as soon as possible,” Tyszka said in an email. A posted but then deleted Reddit post, which sparked more than 150 responses in the first hour, voiced concerns about data centers coming to Ansonia without mentioning a specific property location but implying the North Main Street site. City leaders in the past had floated the idea of data centers on the former SHW property, but that has not been a discussion point for the latest administration.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/ansonia-ct-shw-site-fuel-cells-22329248.php

The warning-only period for the state’s highway work zone speed camera program has come to an end. Starting Monday, if speed camera systems in some work zones across the state catch any vehicle traveling 10 or more mph over the posted speed limit, the registered owner will receive either a written warning or a $75 fine in the mail. “Our Know the Zone work zone speed camera program exists for one purpose: to save lives,” said DOT spokesperson Eva Zymaris. “The goal is not to issue fines and citations. In fact, our sincere hope is that no one receives a citation at all. By slowing down, moving over, ditching the distractions, and driving sober, we can prevent crashes and ensure safer roads for everyone.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/speed-cameras-construction-zones-ct-highways-22326765.php

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/

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.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/connecticut-data-center-moratoriums-towns-ai-22319115.php

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.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/ct-waterbury-branch-metro-north-bus-fare-train-22319062.php

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.

https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/draft-ruling-clears-way-for-7462-panel-solar-project-near-glastonbury-school/

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.

https://www.courant.com/2026/06/29/years-long-ct-gas-pipeline-stalled-at-the-finish-line-why-the-200m-project-faces-a-permit-dispute/