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Developer readies to build 176 mixed-income apartments at old CT office park
As a Boston-based developer prepares to start building 100 mixed-income apartments in an affluent Farmington Valley suburb, the state is kicking in $3 million to help with the second phase that will add another 76 affordable units. Beacon Communities LLC, one of the country’s biggest affordable housing builders, has been planning a major residential development at the former Security-Connecticut Life Insurance building in Avon since 2021. After years of arranging financing and securing permits, Beacon is poised to break ground next year on 100 new apartments that it will build on the grounds of the former office building on Security Drive in Avon. That project is called The Homes at Avon Park, and about 85 of the units are expected to be priced at state-designated affordable rates. Earlier this year the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority awarded $2.1 million in federal housing tax credits for the second phase, Avon Village. That $39 million initiative involves remodeling the four-story office headquarters itself. The Connecticut Bond Commission on Thursday approved a low-interest $3 million loan to advance it.
Connecticut Races to Lock in Solar Energy Projects Before Federal Credits Expire
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced the selection of three solar projects on Thursday that will expand grid capacity, racing to lock in federal clean energy tax credits before they expire. The agency said the projects would secure affordable, reliable and clean energy sources — but declined to disclose the bid prices. “The price is kept confidential while negotiations are ongoing,” a department spokesperson responded to queries from CT Examiner. The selected projects will total approximately 67 megawatts of capacity, enough to supply 12,000 homes in the state, according to DEEP. The agency expects them to be online before the end of 2030. In its press release, DEEP explained the selection was launched on September 10 and conducted expeditiously to choose advanced-stage projects that could capitalize on federal incentives while they’re still available.
Work on offshore wind project off CT coast resumes after federal shutdown
The region’s Revolution Wind project is moving forward and should start supplying power to homeowners next year, following a months-long shutdown and recent legal battle, officials said. Construction of the offshore wind farm was halted in August after the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a stop-work order. The project, located 15 miles south of Rhode Island and 32 miles southeast of Connecticut, resumed about a month later when a federal judge overturned the order. The bureau’s 60-day deadline to appeal the ruling passed Nov. 21. As of early last month, the project was about 85 percent complete, with 52 of 65 turbines, all 65 turbine foundations and two offshore substations installed, according to a spokesperson for Orsted, a Danish energy company and one of the wind farm’s developers. “Revolution Wind remains on track to reach completion in the second half of 2026,” the spokesperson said.
Construction of new Roxbury School wins key approval in Stamford
STAMFORD — After lengthy delays, plans for a new Roxbury School building and the demolition of the old school are moving forward. The Stamford Planning Board reviewed and approved plans for the new school construction, as part of the process to acquire state funding. The Stamford school administration is going to a bid-authorization meeting with state officials in coming weeks, and approval from the city Planning Board is required. The board affirmed the project meets the goals of the city’s comprehensive plan. Kelly Nelli, a senior project manager working on the school replacement project with the Arcadis construction group, told the board that the preliminary work would begin in July of 2026. The first phase of the project would be the construction of geothermal wells at the site. Nelli said portions of the old building on West Hill Road, including some portable structures and four classrooms in the rear of current building, would have to be demolished before work on the new structure could commence. The demolition, part of the preliminary phase, is required to allow access to the building site of the planned new structure. Major construction would commence in November of 2026, Nelli told the board, and wrap up in 2028.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/ct-stamford-roxbury-school-construction-21250262.php
North Haven could have four new elementary school buildings by 2033, experts say
NORTH HAVEN — With four public elementary schools in North Haven due for an upgrade, building planning experts and engineers have recommended a scenario that would include rebuilding them all. At the Board of Education’s recent meeting, officials from MP Planning Group and Colliers Project Leaders, a construction project firm, said the best way to modernize all four elementary schools would be by rebuilding them, starting with Ridge Road Elementary and Montowese Elementary. Then, Green Acres Elementary and Clintonville Elementary would follow. “I just think it’s important for everyone to know that the new construction is necessary at this point. … These schools are falling apart, and they really need to be addressed,” Mike Zuba from MP Planning Group said at the Dec. 11 meeting. School board Chair Ronald Bathrick brought up the idea of upgrading the town’s elementary schools in October, saying that financially, rebuilding would make more sense than renovating due to the state’s reimbursement rate. According the Connecticut Department of Administrative Service’s updated reimbursement rates, North Haven’s new construction reimbursement rate went up from 27.5% in 2025 to 31.3% in 2026.
Waterbury water main break prompts city officials to fast-track system upgrades
WATERBURY — As work to fully restore water service in Waterbury continued Tuesday, city officials outlined plans to step up a capital project that they said could prevent a repeat of widespread disruptions following any future water main breaks. During a news conference on the ongoing restoration efforts, Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski Jr. and Water Superintendent Bradley Malay said city officials had been preparing to include a project to install additional bypass valves in the water system in the city’s capital improvement plan for the next fiscal year, but will now expedite the schedule. Large parts of the state’s fifth largest city and sections of surrounding towns receiving water service from Waterbury lost water following a water main break on Thomaston Avenue last Wednesday afternoon. At the outage’s peak, nearly 100,000 customers lost water, and city officials said 100% of Waterbury lost water at some point Friday night.
A year in, Kooris’ CMDA sets stage for wave of transit-oriented projects
When 2025 began, David Kooris was expected to play a major role in reshaping how some Connecticut communities approve and finance dense housing. A year later, he has built a new state agency from the ground up, secured buy-in from dozens of municipalities, and begun laying the groundwork for major transit-oriented development projects across the state — efforts backed by $90 million in bonding approved by lawmakers to boost high-density housing in downtowns and near rapid bus and rail stations. Kooris was tapped by Gov. Ned Lamont in July 2024 to launch and lead the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority (CMDA), a new quasi-public agency tasked with helping cities and towns advance large-scale redevelopment. He brings extensive experience in economic development, including nearly two years as a deputy commissioner with the state Department of Economic and Community Development. As of late November, 32 communities had agreed to join CMDA, with 11 completing all steps to establish development districts eligible for funding. Kooris said he eventually expects about 50 municipalities to participate.
Old Lyme Residents Overwhelmingly Reject Beach Area Sewer Project
OLD LYME — Town residents rejected a budget increase for a Sound View area sewer project Tuesday, with 72% voting against to proposal in a referendum that closed one chapter in a years-long local debate. Of the 1,288 residents who turned out to vote, 925 voted against expanding the budget to $20.5 million and 363 voted in favor. The rejection marks the end of a contentious process that pitted the town’s Water Pollution Control Authority leadership against residents of Sound View and Area B, who opposed the project over concerns about the costs they would bear. First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker said she would not comment on next steps until speaking with the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. She also noted that Miami Beach would vote on the project next Saturday. The beach area sewer project, pushed forward by DEEP, was intended to address the high density of houses and septic systems along the shoreline. The state agency had offered to cover nearly half the cost through grants and forgivable loans, which would have reduced the burden on homeowners in the beach area.
https://ctexaminer.com/2025/12/16/old-lyme-residents-overwhelmingly-reject-beach-area-sewer-project/
Waterbury to spend $5.44M advancing cleanup, redevelopment of former Anaconda Brass site
Waterbury officials are preparing to spend another $5.44 million on a long-running cleanup of the former Anaconda American Brass site near the city center, preparing for its redevelopment. The roughly 20.5-acre site along Freight Street had, until recent years, hosted a massive industrial complex that had serviced the city’s once-prosperous brass industry for well over a century. As the brass industry faded, portions of a building at 170 Freight St. were leased out to various companies. The neighboring building at 130 Freight St. hosted a handler of environmental waste products. City officials have used millions of state and federal grant dollars in recent years to acquire and demolish buildings in the complex that were aging or entirely decrepit and failing.
State Begins Public Debate on Nuclear Energy, With Little Opposition So Far
HARTFORD — State officials launched a public debate this week about the advantages of expanding nuclear energy in Connecticut as a first step toward encouraging towns to host new capacity, in what could mark a reversal after decades of stagnation in the sector nationwide. Wednesday’s workshop drew a largely receptive audience, with only one critical voice among the participants. State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Karie Dykes noted that Connecticut has recently adopted regulatory changes that will enable expanded capacity. “We have a long and proud history of supporting nuclear generation with the operation of the Millstone facility and strong fundamentals in terms of our nuclear workforce,” Dykes said. “This is not a new topic for us, but it’s a new moment.” The workshop was intended to engage residents in discussions about nuclear benefits and concerns, with the goal of implementing next year a program of grants and loans for towns interested in welcoming new advanced reactors.
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