Officials with the Danish renewable energy company Ørsted said Wednesday they have signed an agreement to acquire the 50 percent ownership stake that Eversource Energy has in Sunrise Wind, an offshore wind farm designed to provide electricity to New York State. Ørsted officials said the deal is contingent on New York State’s ongoing solicitation of offshore wind capacity and the signing of a contract with state officials. If that does not occur, the Eversource-Ørsted joint venture for Sunrise Wind will remain in place and the two partners will reassess their position. If Sunrise Wind is awarded the wind power supply contract under New York State’s current bid, the project is expected to be finished in 2026. Ørsted operates the first wind farm built in the United States, which started operating off the coast of Block Island at the end of 2016. Eversource is Connecticut’s largest electric distribution company, and also has customers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/ct-eversource-sunrise-wind-orstede-18626415.php

In the face of climate change impacts and rising sea levels accompanying nearly every rainstorm, Mayor Harry Rilling declared his intention to make Norwalk the greenest city in Connecticut. “We are working on the city’s first sustainability and resilience plan to help address climate change,” Rilling said. “I’m also happy to announce that we will be creating the city’s first Office of Sustainability to help guide and manage these efforts.” Flooding is a prevalent issue in South Norwalk. The city has invested in plans to mitigate flooding, but more will need to be done to keep South Norwalk dry as the sea level continues to rise, experts say. A department created under Rilling, Norwalk’s Transportation, Mobility, and Parking, has been focused on enhancing pedestrian connectivity within the city. From 2021 to 2022, Norwalk doubled its amount of sidewalks.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/mayor-rilling-harry-transform-norwalk-green-18615245.php

The Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved construction of a 122-room hotel on Boston Post Road despite concerns by some commissioners and residents about the project’s effect on the neighborhood. Project attorney William Sweeney had originally proposed the four-story, extended-stay Woodspring Suites hotel to the commission last November on behalf of New Jersey-based Seven Hills Hospitality Group. It will be built on four parcels of land ― 16 and 18 Boston Post Road, owned by Silverman Realty Group, and 295 and 313 Willetts Ave., owned by the Londregan Commercial Real Estate Group. Combined, the parcels total 4.5 acres on the New London city line. Engineer Shaun Kelly, who conducted the traffic study for the project, said traffic delays would be hardly noticeable to drivers. He said during peak morning and afternoon hours, the hotel would generate an estimated 41 to 44 additional cars, and that based on existing traffic patterns, most traffic would funnel onto Boston Post Road.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240124/waterford-approves-plan-for-122-room-extended-stay-hotel/

Ben Barnes said he had a presentation, put together in response to a request from the Zoning Board, quantifying “major areas in which real estate development and, in particular, development of multifamily housing, impacts city finances.” It’s not surprising that Barnes, Stamford’s director of administration, was asked to explain the link between development and the city’s fiscal condition. The Zoning Board, which rarely rejects projects, has been getting pushback from residents who’ve been reacting to 15 years of intense development. City data shows that Stamford built more than 13,000 apartments in the last 13 years. The problem is that they are nearly all high-rent and drawing people from outside Stamford who can afford to pay, said David Adams, a Stamford resident who listened to Barnes’ presentation.

Barnes Pitches Benefits of New Housing and Development to Stamford Zoning Board

Nearly $700,000 in state funds would allow the Town of Wallingford to build a pedestrian bridge as part of it Linear Trail improvement project. The funding – $690,000 – comes from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for the purpose of expanding a portion of the Quinnipiac River Linear Trail. The span pedestrian bridge would be built at the trailhead of Fireworks Island on the Quinnipiac River, adjacent to Main Street. Currently, the trailhead is accessible only via a privately-owned vehicle bridge. The money from DEEP was provided via the Urban Act Grant Program, which allocates funds to eligible municipalities that are considered economically distressed, and uses money for a range of economic development, transportation, recreation, and other social services projects.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/recordjournal/article/wallingford-pedestrian-bridge-linear-trail-18623772.php

Representatives for Hartford-based Lexington Partners and officials with the outlet center went before the town’s Zoning commission on Monday night to do a pre-application presentation of their plans. The $425 million project that is being proposed would include 595 apartments, 100 town homes, a 100-room hotel and 75,000 square feet of retail space and restaurants on the 49.7 acre property on Flat Rock Place, Town Planner Peter Gillespie said Tuesday. Right now, the biggest hurdle for the project, according to Gillespie, is whether the developers will be able to get permission from state officials to build a community septic system to service the massive mixed-use development. Records filed with the Connecticut Secretary of State’s office at the time identified the principal of T Westbrook Center LLC as Hoche Partners Real Estate, which is a U.S. affiliate of a French company. Reilly said he envisions a broad mix of people living in the Westbrook mixed-use complex.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/westbrook-tanger-outlets-redevelopment-18623827.php

Route 161 in the area of Interstate 95 was a flurry of activity on a recent weekday morning as the four-and-a-half-year reconstruction project that began last March entered its second stage. By the end of 2024, the project’s senior management team said drivers can expect to see extensive overpass work, the creation of a new Exit 74 northbound on-ramp and jarring elevation changes as the roadway is leveled out in phases. Obey emphasized the interconnected nature of the $148 million project planned in multiple phases through 2027. Utility work must happen to allow for replacement of the overpass as well as the widening and leveling of the northbound side of the highway by the end of this year. That, in turn, must be finished before the southbound side and Route 161 underneath it can be addressed. The new northbound off-ramp was unveiled as what Obey called an “early Christmas gift” in December. This year, work will continue to focus on the northbound side.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240121/i-95-project-continues-to-transform-east-lyme-two-lanes-at-a-time/

A Hartford-based construction company is under investigation for an “excessive” buildup of poisonous fumes inside a downtown building that sent 14 people to the hospital Wednesday, officials say. Alberca Construction Co. LLC is being probed in connection with a buildup of carbon monoxide that emergency crews detected at a commercial building at 73 Howe St., according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Yale University owns the Howe Street property, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said. Officials said the construction workers who were renovating the building did not properly vent the fumes wafting from a propane-powered saw they were using to cut concrete, causing a buildup of carbon monoxide that was 10 times the safe amount. The workers also were not using carbon monoxide detectors, officials added. Alberca said his company was hired by Babbidge Construction Co. on Chapel Street in New Haven for the renovation work. Rick Fontana, the city’s director of emergency operations, confirmed that Babbidge was the general contractor overseeing the project. However, only Alberca Construction was being investigated, according to Fitzgerald.

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/new-haven-gas-leak-yale-alberca-osha-18614946.php#photo-24636024

The Municipal Redevelopment Authority, or MRDA, was established in 2019 to mirror CRDA’s efforts statewide. However, the initiative never took hold, after MRDA failed to receive funding and state and local officials became distracted by the pandemic. Last year, lawmakers quietly tried to address those issues by approving funding for MRDA — $600,000 in fiscal years 2024 and 2025 — to hire staff, and eliminating membership mandates and restrictions, opening up the program more broadly. Last year’s state budget also allows the Bond Commission to authorize up to $60 million to capitalize MRDA. The funds would allow the quasi-public agency to help finance development projects, likely through low-interest loans. “Connecticut is gaining population and I have to make sure that keeps going, and we can’t do that without housing. And we need all types of housing, single-family, workforce, affordable…,” Lamont said. MRDA’s main purpose is to assist in local development and redevelopment efforts, with a particular focus on new housing.

Lamont looks to replicate CRDA’s success with statewide development agency tasked with financing transit-oriented housing

Local Republicans took aim at the tactics used by recently-elected First Selectman Bill Gerber, a Democrat, to fight a plan by United Illuminating to string transmission lines through private property off the existing Metro-North right of way through Bridgeport and Fairfield. In a Jan. 12 email to Fairfield residents, Gerber told residents that the company’s standard easement form would give United Illuminating the right to install equipment, fill, excavate and clear the land of any structures at any time– claims that Republicans are not disputing. Gerber said that United Illuminating had tried to discredit the rendering during Siting Council hearings, and he was disappointed that Iacono would do same. Local officials and residents from both political parties have largely come together to oppose the planned $225 million transmission line project, which would require 19.25 acres of easements, 7 acres of clearing, and the installation of 102 new monopoles. UI is awaiting a decision by the Connecticut Siting Council determining whether the project can continue.

Fairfield Fights Transmission Lines, Splits Over Messaging