Old Lyme officials will decide in January on the controversial self-storage proposal, which if approved would be the third such facility on a stretch of Shore Road near million-dollar homes and the town’s iconic Soundview Beach. But a range of other self-storage projects have been approved with little fanfare across the state in recent months, as towns seek low-impact development and Connecticut residents continue to acquire more stuff. Post-pandemic, towns and cities are looking for broader tax bases and most have pulled back on moratoriums on new self-storage projects. Self-storage developers have also made their projects more attractive to towns by limiting their footprint and upscaling design. The last holdouts against self-storage expansion are Connecticut’s larger cities, where officials often cite the need for more housing or development that creates more jobs in turning away developers. (A typical storage facility employs only a handful of people at most.)

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/ct-self-storage-developers-bet-on-design-18556629.php?src=sthpbusiness

As the cost to renovate three elementary schools crosses $100 million, Darien officials appear poised to grant them the extra money — but not without questioning if it’s worth starting over with new buildings instead. Because of additional work and unfavorable market conditions, the cost to renovate Hindley, Holmes and Royle elementary schools rose to $101.5 million, requiring the building committee to request an additional $19 million on top of the $82.25 million appropriated from the town. The three elementary schools are slated for extensive renovations including adding new building wings, removing portable classrooms and redesigning the libraries, among other updates. Construction was set to begin this past summer but was delayed nearly a year so the building committee could rebid the project following higher-than-anticipated bids from the first attempt.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/darien-hindley-holmes-royle-renovations-100m-18553828.php?src=sthpdesecp

The last five years have seen relatively steady numbers of new housing permits issued in Connecticut — hovering between about 5,000 and 6,500 each year — but experts say this is only a fraction of what’s needed to meet the growing need. Still, officials and experts say there’s more housing needed across the market, especially in buildings that can be home to up to four families and lower-cost starter homes. During the last legislative session, lawmakers passed a bonding package that included about $1 billion toward housing, and some of those programs are in the process of rolling out. Residential construction in Connecticut didn’t bounce back completely after the 2008 housing crisis, experts said. And now the state faces a shortage of construction workers as well as rising costs of land and materials. Many construction projects are also slowed or halted by what experts say are restrictive local zoning ordinances. These types of zoning ordinances have been a politically contentious issue for many years in Connecticut. State and local leaders across the country are in the midst of heated debates about the best ways to increase housing stock as rising rents push many out of their homes.

https://www.theday.com/state/20231225/conn-added-more-housing-in-2023-but-experts-say-its-not-enough/

On Bridgeport’s harbor on the East Side is Steelpointe where 2024 should be when construction finally begins on the 1,500 luxury apartments the development team there have been planning. Anthony Stewart’s Honey Locust Square aims to revitalize Bridgeport’s East End with a mix of residential and retail, including a supermarket. Mayor Joe Ganim’s administration tapped Stewart’s firm Ashlar in 2018 to redevelop a dilapidated stretch of Stratford Avenue between Newfield and Central avenues. Commuters using Interstate 95 and the Stamford train station have probably seen the city’s largest development opening in 2024 inching upward recently. The Signet at 18 Dock Street, a 395-unit apartment building, is expected to open during the summer with street-level retail and residential amenities like sports simulators, co-working spaces, a home theater, a makers’ room, a library, a test kitchen, an outdoor pool, a jacuzzi and spa, a wellness center, and open space for varying uses possibly to include food trucks and a farmers market.

https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/ct-stamford-bridgeport-hartford-haven-norwalk-18560849.php

Federal regulators have ruled that Tweed New Haven Airport may move forward with plans to extend its runway and construct a larger terminal, which is a project the airport is undertaking with the goal of increasing airplane traffic. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) handed down that 25-page ​“Finding of No Significant Impact and Record of Decision” Friday afternoon about Tweed’s $165 million runway extension and airport expansion plan. The draft assessment published by the airport found that a larger terminal, to be built on the East Haven side of the property, and a longer runway would reduce noise and air pollution caused by an airport that plans to expand its operations no matter what. “The release of this assessment today is a big step forward to ensuring that south-central Connecticut has the reliable transportation opportunities this region needs to grow economically,” Gov. Ned Lamont is quoted as saying. ​“Additionally, it will ensure that there are commonsense noise and traffic mitigation measures in place that will retain the neighborhood’s quality of life.” In a separate press release, East Haven Mayor Joe Carfora, who has criticized the airport expansion plans after initially embracing them, lamented the ruling. “It is certainly an understatement to say that I am disappointed,” he wrote. ​“The substantial impact that the proposed action will have on our community is monumental. Our experts, and my staff will fully evaluate the FAA’s findings before announcing our next steps.”

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/tweed_environmental

The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a rule Dec. 14 that seeks to modernize the registered apprenticeship program. The rule intends to strengthen labor standards and worker protections as well as better promote apprenticeship pathways, among other things. “Equity and job quality have marked the most successful Registered Apprenticeship programs for workers and employers alike. This proposed rule codifies the Department of Labor’s strong commitment to these principles,” Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said in a statement. Apprenticeships have received much attention of late as a way to funnel badly needed talent into key industries. The Biden administration has pointedly proposed investments in sectoral training and apprenticeship as part of its wider jobs platform; part of the fiscal year 2024 budget proposal from President Joe Biden included $335 million for the RA program to build pathways to in-need industries, such as construction, clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/dol-apprenticeship-proposed-regulation/703023/

Town leaders are close to approving expansion plans for the library following a redesign made possible with state money. A state grant approved this fall provided $5 million more to the $17 million library project, which allowed an increase to the square footage as well as design improvements and other upgrades. Additional money will also allow an upgrade to the exterior aesthetics of the proposed library, which had been criticized by some town officials and residents. State money also funded an expansion of the building. A change to the original plan goes back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for approval on Tuesday. Town leaders had initially pitched the idea of a 30,000-square-foot library to voters prior to last year’s $17 million referendum. When costs of such a building came in high, the plan was reduced to about 24,000 square feet. The addition of $5 million allows the construction of a library closer to the initial size. Town officials hope to open the new library in the fall of next year.

https://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Southington/Southington-News/New-look-of-Southington-library-unveiled.html

The developer of the 300-unit apartment complex currently under construction in Cheshire’s Stone Bridge Crossing mixed use development is telling prospective tenants that the retail anchor of the project is a Whole Foods Market grocery store. Fairfield-based Eastpointe LLC is building an apartment complex that will be know as Riverpointe and has created a web page to market the 10-building complex. The page refers to the Stone Bridge Crossing retail component describing it as “adjacent to a Whole Foods-anchored retail center.” Dan Zelson, a founding principal of Faifield-Couinty-based Charter Realty, which is overseeing the procurement of retail tenants for the complex, said the company is not identifying the anchor grocery store. Stone Bridge Crossing is being developed near the intersection of Interstates 84 and 691 in Cheshire. The main entrance to the development is off Route 10, near the town’s border with Southington.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/whole-foods-anchoring-cheshire-development-18566274.php

As the proposition of a 580-unit development looms over Simsbury, multiple residents passionately expressed their opposition to its construction, saying that it could destroy the rural character of the town they call home. Located at the site of The Hartford’s former campus on Hopmeadow Street, the development will comprise 580 units, ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom houses, an uptick from the 540 units depicted in an earlier proposal. Citing concerns over overcrowding local schools and damaging the rural character of the town, more than 15 residents spoke out against The Silverman Group’s, a New Jersey-based developer, plans for a residential development at a Zoning Commission public hearing Monday night. But resident Pete Harrison, who is the director of Desegregate Connecticut, also spoke at the public hearing, saying that the need for affordable housing should take precedent.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/farmingtonvalley/article/simsbury-ct-affordable-housing-the-hartford-18561209.php

A group of 10 burgeoning engineers from the city’s high school spent part of their Wednesday morning in an outdoor classroom that featured towering wind turbine components, a massive off-loading barge and the kinds of activity expected at a major manufacturing site. The students toured the turbine pre-assembly site in the company of several chaperones from the campus’ college career and workforce readiness program, which aids students in exploring post-high-school careers. “We are bringing a new industry to America and it’s happening right here in New London,” Hammond said, rattling off the length of each turbine blade (330 feet), the weight of the nacelle generators (520 metric tons) and the height of the finished towers (more than 800 feet). The State Pier visit was just one of several on-the-job field trips planned by local schools taking advantage of major construction projects in their backyards. New London officials plan to take students to Fort Trumbull where a new $40 million community center is under construction. City Councilor Akil Peck said the center project offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity for students interested in the building trades.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20231220/nl-students-get-a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-state-pier-wind-power-work/