New York developer Vessel Technologies is eyeing a site along Tolland Turnpike in town for a new 42-unit apartment complex. Vessel officials discussed the proposal with the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission at a meeting on Dec. 4, though they have yet to file any applications. The project would require a zone change to allow higher unit density and increased unit size for multifamily residential developments within the Planned Residential Development Zone. Levy said Vessel was founded to help expand housing options and opportunities to make a more equitable and affordable market. The Planning and Zoning Commission did not make any decision on the project at the meeting, but some members discussed possible issues that could arise if and when Vessel moves forward with an application.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/manchester-ct-vessel-technologies-apartment-18548793.php

The State Bond Commission, meeting Friday, is poised to approve hundreds-of-millions of dollars to aid housing initiatives, clean brownfields, upgrade cultural facilities and support private development projects. Housing is a big focus of Friday’s session, with the Department of Housing in-line for $59 million to be used for grants for development projects and housing programs. Another $35 million is proposed for first-time homebuyer assistance. Another $35 million is earmarked for the state’s brownfield remediation fund, which is used to underwrite polluted-site cleanup for redevelopment. The program has been a key component in the teardown and redevelopment of abandoned and polluted industrial sites that would otherwise continue to rot away without attention due to the extreme expense of remediation.

https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/brownfields-commercial-development-projects-and-more-slated-to-get-hundreds-of-millions-of

In Stamford’s more densely populated neighborhoods around downtown, multiple new apartment complexes are expected to open next summer. Several of the projects will also house new retail businesses too. Most of the new apartment buildings are being marketed as luxury developments — though they will include around 100 total affordable units thanks to the city’s Below Market Rate program. Meanwhile, the city’s housing authority, Charter Oak Communities, continues to renovate its existing subsidized housing. The first of those projects, The Asher, at 150 Broad St., will open up “a certain number of floors” to tenants at the start of the year, developer Randy Salvatore said. Wellbuilt Company, a Greenwich-based developer, has been growing its presence in Stamford the past few years. The firm has high hopes for its latest project, a 130-unit apartment complex on the East Side. The Lafayette could open to tenants “towards the end of the summer,” Wellbuilt co-founder Mitch Kidd said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/stamford-ct-apartments-2024-housing-18549387.php

Gregory Vaca, of Grava Properties, ceremoniously broke ground along with Gov. Ned Lamont and other state and local officials on the $30 million Founders Square project that will bring 106 apartments and 12,000 square feet of new retail space to the center of Windsor near the train station. Phase one calls for 40 apartments in the three-story South building, including 12 studios and 28 one-bedrooms; and 5,800 square feet of new retail space divided into four or five storefronts, forming a new street wall on Poquonock Avenue. The project won a $3.2 million Communities Challenge grant from the state Department of Economic and Community Development, and a $250,000 town grant helped fund a TOD planning study.

$30M Windsor Center mixed-use TOD project launched

In a $29 million project slated for 2028, the historically dangerous southbound stretch of I-95 between exits 71 and 72 will be combined to include a frontage road and stoplight, creating safer driving conditions according to state officials. Sam Gold, executive director of RiverCOG, which includes Old Lyme, said the project “will reduce the friction and the hazards in between the exits of 71 and 72, and will reduce accidents.” Gold said project funding was approved as an amendment to the FY 21-24 Transportation Improvement Program at Wednesday morning’s meeting of RiverCOG and Lower Connecticut River Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization. The Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, is an ongoing list of projects scheduled to receive federal funding within a four-year period. Planning and engineering of the project are expected to begin in 2024 and completed in 2027.

I-95 Exits 71 and 72 Southbound Will Be Combined in 2028 Plan

Almost a quarter of the way into a four year, $148 million reconstruction of the Interstate 95 Exit 74 interchange, crews on Wednesday were preparing to meet the project’s first major milestone. While the existing northbound off-ramp continued to spit drivers out at the convoluted intersection with Route 161 in front of Starbucks, subcontractors working for general contractor Manafort Brothers of Plainville were readying a new off-ramp 500 feet down the state road. State Department of Transportation (DOT) project engineer Andrew Millovitsch said the new off ramp is scheduled to open at 6 a.m. Friday, if all goes according to plan. The old, shuttered off-ramp will eventually be swallowed up by the new commuter lot to be constructed as one of the last major improvements before the project’s expected completion in the spring of 2027. Crews on the unopened off-ramp Wednesday were installing guard rails, cycling through a new signalized intersection to make sure it was detecting vehicles, and installing wrong-way signs in anticipation of the expected opening.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20231213/exit-74-reconstruction-project-meets-its-first-major-milestone/

Grava Properties, founded by Windsor resident Greg Vaca, will be spearheading the project, which will replace the existing Windsor Center Plaza. Vaca, alongside state and local leaders, broke ground on the development Wednesday. The project, known as Founders Square, will be funded with the help of Community Investment Funding, which is also funding the Wilson Park on the south side of town. Currently, Windsor Center Plaza is separated from the sidewalk by a sprawling parking lot. In the new plans, the retail and housing spaces will be brought up to the curb with parking behind. Gov. Ned Lamont attended the groundbreaking, along with dozens of residents gathered in the parking lot of the plaza. He said the $3.2 million grant for the project was “easy for us.” The project will take place in two phases expected to take four years total, Vaca said. The construction will be led by Torrington-based PAC Group LLC.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/capitalregion/article/windsor-ct-housing-retail-founders-square-18552235.php

Dozens of residents who live near the former Dow Chemical plant on the Thames River are expected to attend a continued public hearing on a proposed rock quarry Thursday and say the project threatens their health, safety and quality of life. The quarry at historic Mount Decatur requires a special permit that the group Citizens Alliance for Land Use said in a release would “adversely impact the quality of life” in the area, creating “noise, vibrations, and air pollution especially carcinogenic fugitive dust known to be produced by quarrying granite such as that found in Mount Decatur.” Fugitive dust, small particles emitted during the quarrying process, is known to cause respiratory problems, according to online sources. The special permit request to essentially flatten Mount Decatur, submitted by Gales Ferry Intermodal, was originally scheduled to be heard Nov. 16, but “so many opponents jammed the Town Council chambers that the date was postponed and the venue changed,” according to the Citizens Alliance release. GFI is owned by Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting, a company based in Quincy, Mass.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20231213/residents-to-oppose-ledyard-quarry-operation-at-former-chemical-plant/

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that the agency is replacing traditional hard hats used by its employees with more modern safety helmets to protect them better when they are on inspection sites. In 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported head injuries accounted for nearly 6 percent of non-fatal occupational injuries involving days away from work. Almost half of those injuries occurred when workers came in contact with an object or equipment while about 20 percent were caused by slips, trips and falls. On Nov. 22, 2023, OSHA published a Safety and Health Information Bulletin detailing key differences between traditional hard hats and more modern safety helmets and the advancements in design, materials and other features that help protect workers’ entire heads better. Today’s safety helmets also may offer face shields or goggles to protect against projectiles, dust and chemical splashes. Others offer built-in hearing protection and/or communication systems to enable clear communication in noisy environments.

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/osha-announces-switch-from-traditional-hard-hats-to-safety-helmets/63323

In late 2022, Winsted extended its portion of the Sue Grossman Still River Greenway farther north along Winsted Road, adding more recreational space on the already popular trail. Selectmen were reminded recently to stay with the project, which is funded by grants from the state Department of Economic and Community Development. The Winsted portion of the greenway trail extends from Winsted Road at Lanson Drive, near the town line, and now ends at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The extension’s construction was completed in December 2022. The town’s plan is to continue the trail, which is paved and suitable for walking running, cycling and roller-blading, to Willow and Rowley streets, where athletic fields, a recreation area and playground are located.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/winsted-sue-grossman-greenway-project-18537300.php