The City Council on Tuesday agreed to terms of a $1 million federal grant to study upgrades to the East Ditch’s 100-year-old infrastructure and stop the flooding that damages properties, closes roads and traps people in buildings. The East Ditch upgrade, which could cost as much as $80 million, is not to be confused with another federally funded flood control study of the city’s so-called upper Still River corridor – from Rose Street to Lake Kenosia on the west side. That upper Still River corridor study, funded by the Army Corps of Engineers, will look at ways to align snarls in the Still River to improve its hydraulics, because impediments in the river’s flow causes water to flood over its banks. In the downtown’s East Ditch, a drainage area from south Main Street to South Street, and from Main Street to Town Hill Avenue, including Keeler Street, Center Street, State Street and Park Place, the hope is to document a concrete plan to upgrade a drainage system that Iadarola called “substantially undersized.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/danbury-undersized-drain-system-flood-1m-19446920.php

Beginning next month, work will begin to remove the remains of the former Waterbury Button factory, moving one step closer to remediating the brownfield site at 835 South Main St. that was destroyed in a fire last year. The Board of Aldermen on Monday unanimously approved a contract with Manafort Bros. for $4.7 million to remove the debris. This includes the approval of a transfer from the Capital Improvement Fund for $1.3 million to cover a shortfall in the contract with the cost of the project increasing after the fire at the abandoned site. Officials had estimated the cost of the project at $3.6 million before the fire occurred on May 27, 2023. Hyde said the project is funded from $3.1 million from the state Department of Economic and Community Development, roughly $210,000 from the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments and $1.3 million from the city’s Capital Improvement Fund.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/05/08/cleanup-to-begin-at-former-waterbury-button-factory/

Efforts to revitalize Hartford’s XL Center are set to receive another potential boost after the state legislature’s passage late Tuesday night of a $370 million budget stabilization plan. The bill, which has been greenlit by the House and Senate, increases the maximum amount of funding from $80 million to $125 million that the state and Capital Region Development Authority can contribute to an XL Center renovation. That potential $45 million increase in funding comes just weeks after bids for a $107 million XL Center renovation plan came in nearly $40 million over budget. Gov. Ned Lamont and state lawmakers last year agreed to pump $80 million into an XL Center renovation project, provided venue operator and promoter Oak View Group invest an additional $20 million. Planned renovations include upgrades needed to pull off shows, such as rigging, increased power capacity, new lighting, a new sound system and staging improvements.

Budget stabilization plan boosts state’s potential XL Center renovation investment to $125M

Connecticut lawmakers passed a measure in the final hours of the 2024 legislative session that would roll back a reform that Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration pushed for after the state’s school construction program became the subject of a federal criminal investigation. A single sentence change in a 254-page bond bill will, if signed by the governor, allow construction managers — the companies that oversee most state building projects — to also bid on the subcontracts for school construction. That type of contracting, which is frequently referred to as “self-performance,” was advocated for by Kosta Diamantis, the former director of the state’s school construction office who resigned in the wake of the federal grand jury investigation. The vast majority of school building projects in Connecticut are managed by a small group of construction companies. State lawmakers passed the contracting changes that DAS requested in 2022 as part of an annual budget bill.

https://ctmirror.org/2024/05/08/ct-school-construction-manager-contracts/

One month after the Town Council approved the construction of 322 housing units at one half of the former University of Connecticut campus, developers have restarted the approval process that would allow them to build over 200 more homes across the street. Over the winter, the development group of West Hartford 1 LLC withdrew its plans to redevelop the western portion of the parcel, allowing West Hartford’s various boards, commissions, and Town Council to just focus on the eastern side of the property at 1700 Asylum Ave., which was formerly used as the school’s parking lot. This week, the developers refiled those plans with West Hartford’s Planning and Zoning Commission, where it will first seek a wetlands approval after a future public hearing. Should the project get its wetlands approval, the development would then need to be approved by the Town Council, which would have to vote to rezone the area from single-family to multifamily, while also approving of the commercial aspect of the proposal.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/westhartford/article/west-hartford-ct-uconn-campus-housing-retail-homes-19443596.php

Prominent developer Gary Flocco has a few months’ reprieve to get his Cherry Street Lofts project back on track before the city moves to demolish the handful of recently-condemned buildings he needs for more housing. In late April, Director Thomas Gill and Deputy Director William Coleman informed council budget committee members that four blighted buildings making up the next phase of Flocco’s Cherry Street Lofts endeavor — 62, 72 and 80 Cherry St. and 1325 Railroad Ave — had been deemed hazardous and ordered demolished. “From the council perspective, we’re not excited about issuing (borrowing) $10 million of bonds to demolish buildings that may yet be restored, rebuilt,” Burns said. “My feeling is that the developer will still be able to pull things together and end up with a result I think we all want.” Burns acknowledged that the fact that an emergency condemnation order has been issued for Flocco’s properties opens Bridgeport to legal exposure as long as the structures remain standing and in disrepair should a member of the public be injured there.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/bridgeport-cherry-street-lofts-19443900.php

Five months after withdrawing its application, WeHa Development Group LLC has submitted a new application to develop property at 1800 Asylum Ave. in West Hartford, the former site of UConn’s Greater Hartford campus. The 1800 Asylum Ave. site across Trout Brook Drive from the parking lot is approximately 33.5 acres and currently holds vacant, dilapidated buildings, including the former location of the UConn Law School. WeHa Development proposes demolishing the buildings to create a mixed-use “village” called Heritage Park that would include residential housing, an assisted living facility, retail shops, restaurants, and more. The letter states the site will “undergo significant redevelopment to accommodate the proposed mixed-use village envisioned.” The council approved the project over the objections of a majority of residents who attended a five-hour public hearing right before the vote, including one resident who threatened a lawsuit if the proposal was approved.

New application submitted to redevelop former UConn campus in West Hartford

Aquarion Water Co., a public water supply company, will be replacing approximately 12,450 feet of water main in town. The project began on Monday and is expected to be completed in October, according to town officials. The replacement will be happening on six Simsbury roadways, including Red Stone Drive, Andrew Drive, Harriet Lane, Top View Drive, Hilltop Drive, and Butternut Lane in town. The town has warned that residents should expect minor traffic delays and possible detours during the working hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. due to the construction. But Aquarion representatives have indicated that they will work closely with residents and businesses to minimize any disruptions, according to the town’s announcement. Final paving will be scheduled in coordination with the town, according to the Aquarion announcement. Simsbury also recently announced the roads that will tentatively be paved in the 2024 construction season, based on the proposed budget.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/farmingtonvalley/article/simsbury-construction-water-main-replacement-19441667.php

During a news conference nestled in Norwalk’s Cedar Street Bridge overlooking I-95, Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling commended the combined efforts of federal, state and local governments in reopening I-95 within days of the three-vehicle crash. Blumenthal called the 80-hour process that brought down the charred Fairfield Avenue bridge over I-95 a “symphony of teamwork” — a collaboration that cleared the way for rebuilding efforts that will be complete within a year and likely cost over $20 million, according to state Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. “We think the total cost will be upwards around $20 million, clean up and rebuild,” Eucalitto said. On Monday evening, Lamont’s office announced that U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has approved $3 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief funds to help offset the costs of the reconstruction of the bridge.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/i-95-ct-reopens-norwalk-tanker-fire-19441192.php

The building was opened to a group of tourgoers Saturday. “They’re doing a lot of finishing touches,” said Board of Education Co- Chair Sue DePretis, noting that the $179.5 million project is on-time and within budget. In addition to the lighting being put in since the last tours in March, the heating ventilation and air conditioning system has been installed with five units placed on the roof, Arum said. Shortly after school closes for summer break, part of the music wing at the old high school will be knocked down so workers can work in that area of the site, he said. Over the summer they will construct a new roadway into the school. While that effort is being done -from June 15 to August 27- Major Besse Drive will be closed and only accessible for construction traffic, he said. Public can get into the property via Daley Drive behind the school near the athletic fields. Depretis lauded the Building Committee for the job they’ve done to date and gave a “shout-out” to O&G Industries for “fantastic” project management.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/05/06/lights-are-on-at-torrington-high/