Architect and developer Marc Andre said he hopes to build a four-story, mixed-use building that would incorporate affordable housing, first-floor businesses and a public plaza on a series of properties surrounding Fairfield Cigars near the corner of Post Road and Fairfield Place. Fairfield’s Plan of Conservation and Development, which the zoning commission is reviewing, recommends unlocking more potential housing options by furthering the western boundary of the Center Designed Business District, a zoning district that allows taller buildings, more floor area and less distance from the street than other parts of Post Road.

https://www.ctpost.com/fairfield/article/post-road-fairfield-mixed-use-development-18599145.php?src=rdctpdensecp

Connecticut will only attract new business and residents if the state has the workforce housing it “desperately” needs, Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday while in the city to help break ground on the on the long promised — and long delayed — 420 apartments at Steelpointe. Ground was finally broken there by the Christophs under Mayor Joe Ganim’s predecessor, Bill Finch, who was in attendance Tuesday, with the Bass Pro Shops retailer being the first building to open in 2015 shortly after Ganim ousted Finch in that year’s Democratic mayoral primary. The nearly $200 million development was partially financed through the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority via a program designed to support housing for middle income residents who wouldn’t qualify for affordable housing as defined by law.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/bridgeport-steelpointe-apartments-groundbreaking-18609333.php

The natural gas pipeline that runs a street down from Wazer’s family home in Mansfield is part of a proposed 1,131-mile expansion of the Algonquin Gas Transmission line. The proposal, known as Project Maple, would raise the natural gas-carrying capacity of the pipeline, which bisects Connecticut and extends into New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Enbridge, the Canadian-based energy company behind the project, said in documents that the expansion will increase the reliability of the Northeast’s power grid, stabilize gas prices, and support “New England’s continued journey to Net Zero.” According to documents from Enbridge, the company anticipates that Project Maple, which could process an extra 249 to 499 million cubic feet of natural gas per day in some locations, could go online “as early as November 2029.” Currently, Connecticut consumes more natural gas than any other energy source. In 2023 natural gas-fired power plants accounted for 60% of all electricity generated in the state, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

A proposal for a massive expansion to a gas pipeline that goes through CT is drawing opposition

After years of debate, delays, and changes in plans, the much-beloved Prosser Library is finally coming down to make way for a new, modern facility. Demolition began the first week of January, after delays caused by permitting issues. It was originally approved for $29.3 million in bonded funds by voters at a November 2021 referendum. But when the construction bids came in to Downs Construction in summer 2023, they were $8 million over budget, which resulted in plans for the Wintonbury-McMahon branch being scaled back and value engineering being implemented. The current total budget is now is now $35.28 million, which Haynes said will not be exceeded. “The project is now a renovation project consisting of an interior refresh and improvements,” she said. “There is a total project budget of $2.7 million for McMahon, which will be funded through the referendum and state CIF budgets.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/capitalregion/article/prosser-library-bloomfield-demolition-18602214.php

Voters will decide Tuesday whether to allow the town to borrow up to $4.8 million to fully fund a new police headquarters and senior center on Spring Street. Back in March 2022, voters approved two referendum questions — both by more than 2-1 margins — to borrow $15.1 million for the police station project and $13.5 million for the senior center. The money was intended to cover construction costs and acquisition of two parcels at 491 and 519 Spring St. Now, voters will choose whether to allow for up to $780,000 in additional bonds for the senior center, and just under $4 million for the police headquarters. Voting will occur from noon to 8 p.m. at the town office building, located at 50 Church St., and Windsor Locks High School on South Elm Street. Harrington said both building projects are ready to go if the additional funds are approved, and are planned to occur simultaneously to further reduce costs. He said construction is expected to take 14 to 16 months, with the senior center anticipated to open shortly before the police station.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-windsor-locks-police-senior-center-referendum-18604666.php

The Board of Selectmen have approved the demolition of an unused municipal building, creating space for a new police station that’s years in the making, the first selectwoman said. Known as the Grey House, the building is expected to be torn down to make room for the new station, which is being built in front of the old one on Danbury Road. Wilton’s police station is outdated and the town has outgrown it in a number of ways, officials said of the building that hasn’t been updated since its initial construction. At the Jan. 8 Board of Selectmen meeting, Boucher said the board approved Complete Dismantling Service’s $15,755 bid for the demolition. She said this bid worked best for the city, as it was the lowest price; the highest was over $29,000. The demolition will comprise pumping and removing any above-ground oil tanks and gas, if present, removal of electric, removal and disposal of the foundation, footings and slab in their entirety.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/wilton-new-police-station-grey-house-demolition-18598739.php

The planned Veterans and First Responders Center, first proposed in 2020, appears on track for a groundbreaking in the spring. The former veterans building was condemned in 2017 due to a failed foundation. The planned new center will take its place on 1 Veterans Circle at Kaatz Pond. The project was initially estimated to cost around $2.5 million, but now has an estimated cost of about $4 million, officials said. According to the project’s website, the center will be 5,500-square-feet and will serve over 30,000 veterans regionally. According to Baldwin, the committee has received $2.7 million in funding so far including: $1.5 million in state bonding, $750,000 in federal grant funding, a $250,000 grant from Democratic State Rep. Sarah Keitt and $200,000 from the town.

https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/trumbull-veterans-first-responders-center-bid-18602517.php?src=rdctpdensecp

Starting next week, Darien commuters looking to take the Metro-North Railroad may want to park early and bring along an umbrella while they wait for their train. Construction is set to begin at the Darien train station on Jan. 15 to replace the station’s existing platforms. The construction is being done in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The first phase of work will begin on the New Haven-bound side of the station. According to a town press release, several parking spaces will be blocked off on the southern half of the station’s parking lot. According to Ed Gentile, the town’s Director of Public Works, the current arrangement was a compromise between the town and state, with the town originally requesting to extend the existing canopies. The station will have a total of four shelters, three on the New York-bound side and one on the New Haven-bound side. The shelters will be 20 feet long and 10 feet wide, similar to existing structures at the Noroton Heights station.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/darien-train-station-construction-metro-north-18604658.php?src=sthpdesecp

After years of delay, a Connecticut town’s biggest new mixed-use project in recent memory is taking shape in its center with nearly 100 apartments expected to be finished this year and about 140 more to follow. Contractors started clearing the long-empty Elmcrest Psychiatric Hospital grounds last year, and are now putting up the first of several buildings on the site. “It’s one of the biggest development projects in Portland in many years, and it’s going to create a huge economic spike,” he said. Danbury-based Bright Ravens Development Group and The DiMarco Group from Rochester, N.Y. are jointly developing Brainerd Place, a project they envision having retail and commercial businesses including a restaurant, a Starbucks outlet and medical offices along with 240 apartments. Contractors are putting in the foundation for a second apartment building, which will be the next phase. That will probably have its first tenants moving in by mid-2025, Bertram said. The third phase is a large commercial building, and the specifics of that are still being revised.

Large mixed-use project with 100 apartments and retail to replace CT vacant hospital

Over and over again, municipal leaders and school construction teams said they were instructed by state officials to hire one of two contractors: AAIS Corp. of West Haven or Bestech Inc. of Ellington. The actions of Diamantis and Sanders have been under a microscope since early 2022, when news broke that a federal grand jury was investigating the school construction office. The CT Mirror reviewed more than four years’ of emails that were sent to and from Sanders, a veteran state employee who died of a drug overdose in December 2021 shortly after the state received the first subpoena from federal authorities. Those communications outline repeated efforts within the school construction office to assign contracts for local schools directly to AAIS or Bestech, both of which were on a short list of state approved hazmat companies. The documents show Sanders’ influence on school projects began in the second half of 2019, and by early 2020, he was personally selecting which company was paid to perform the demolition and abatement work on multiple schools. The records also indicate that Diamantis, who stepped down from his government office shortly after the state was subpoenaed by federal investigators, allowed Sanders to take the lead when it came to the hazmat contracts for local schools.

Emails show extent of influence on school construction projects