A new trail connecting Bloomfield to Simsbury marks one step closer to establishing a trail network throughout the Hartford region and connectivity along the East Coast. Bridging about a 1-mile gap from Bloomfield to the village of Tariffville in Simsbury, the recently completed multi-use trail is part of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile walking and biking route spanning Maine to Florida. Connecticut is home to 200 miles of the trail, with the route currently 54 percent completed in the state. The new section’s opening will allow the East Coast Greenway Alliance to re-sign the Greenway’s travel route through Simsbury Center once again, continuing south through the center of Bloomfield and eventually into Hartford.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/farmingtonvalley/article/bloomfield-east-coast-greenway-trail-tariffville-18546501.php

Norwalk is on track to add over 2,400 units over the next few years. From North Seven’s over 1,300 units to 1 Cemetery St. 77-units, here is a look at some of the development coming in 2024 and beyond. With a brand new station and heated platform, the Merritt 7 neighborhood is poised for an influx of development in the coming years. The North Seven development from Stamford developers Building and Land Technology plans to add 1,303 units across seven apartment buildings, according to the Planning and Zoning website. After years of delay due to legal issues, plans to finally finish the half-constructed building on Wall Street are underway. Developers presented refinements to their plan to the commission in June, and in November, the project was granted a one-year extension.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/norwalk-housing-development-projects-2024-18546994.php

Demolition of the vacant, severely blighted former Red Lion Inn at the intersection of Berlin Road and the northbound entrance ramp to Interstate 91 should begin “roughly” in the spring — possibly earlier if weather and financial markets permit. That’s what Chris Riley, the president of Lexington Partners LLC, the development company for the project, has told town officials about its timing. The goal is to replace the dilapidated hotel building with at least 274 housing units, related amenities and some 30,000 square feet of commercial space, in an attractive new complex. When construction of the new complex finally starts, it is expected to take 24 to 28 months, depending on the severity of winter weather during that period, Alter told the council. Those figures would put the expected completion date of the project sometime in 2027.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/cromwell-hotel-blight-apartments-condos-commercial-18549424.php

Partners rehabbing a former Hartford firehouse and shuttered municipal building into apartments are moving to launch an estimated $32.47 million construction of a new 126-unit residential building on surface parking lots near Hartford City Hall. Daniel Klaynberg, president of Spectra Construction & Development, said Tuesday his group recently applied to the city to build an eight-story, reinforced concrete building on a parking lot at 17 and 21 Wells St. The lot slopes sharply and plans call for 58 spaces to be incorporated on the first two levels of the new building. Klaynberg is seeking $9.4 million in low-interest financing from the Capital Region Development Authority for the proposed 100,467-square-foot ground-up development. He said he hopes to begin in “early” 2024 on a project that will take about two years to complete.

Developers moving forward with $32.47M ground-up apartment development near Hartford City Hall

In a phone call on Thursday, Rep. Joe Courtney told CT Examiner that he had met with Amtrak officials for a briefing that focused on on-corridor investments and a “clean sheet” for the agency’s reboot of high-speed rail planning between New Haven and Providence. Six years ago, the Federal Railroad Administration’s preferred alternative for high-speed rail included a “Kenyon to Old Saybrook Bypass” that would have significantly impacted the towns of Old Lyme, Stonington and Charlestown, Rhode Island, but was dropped in the face of widespread public opposition. But in early November it was announced that Biden administration would be giving $4 million of the $5 million cost for completing the study to Amtrak as part of $16.4 billion of spending along the Northeast Corridor including significant spending toward replacing lift bridges across the Mianus, Housatonic and Connecticut Rivers. Courtney told CT Examiner that, given his Wednesday briefing by Amtrak, it appeared that one alternative, a direct route between Hartford and Providence, was already off the table, based on a market study of the region completed in the spring.

Amtrak Promises ‘Clean Sheet,’ But Seeks Viable Off-Corridor Route From New Haven to Providence

Stamford has received about $2.52 million to build a new transportation program which officials say could help some residents reach places not covered by bus and train routes. With money from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Stamford is is looking to develop a “microtransit service” — an on-demand transportation service similar to ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft — allowing residents to request and schedule rides to specific locations in a five-mile boundary within the city. Once the pilot program is fleshed out, though, city officials said they believe it could be a major help for residents in the targeted neighborhoods. About 64,200 residents live in the proposed five-mile service area, Buttenwieser said. Of those people, 15 percent are living in poverty, 9 percent are disabled and 65 percent have access to one car or no motor vehicle at all. About 69 percent of the residents are people of color or identify as Hispanic.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/stamford-microtransit-buses-trains-18524724.php

Following a second round of construction bids, renovations for the Hindley, Holmes and Royle elementary schools are now expected to cost closer to $100 million, up from the $82,250,000 originally allocated for the project. The renovations call for an overhaul of the three schools that would remove all portable classrooms and bring in new classroom wings, libraries and playgrounds. Based on the latest construction estimates, revealed in a Dec. 6 meeting, the HHR Building Committee will have to go before the town to request additional funds for all three schools. The committee is expected to vote on final appropriations for the three schools on Wednesday night. The project has been delayed twice, first by a month to include additional design work and then nearly a full year following a round of construction bids that came back at higher-than-anticipated costs. Under the current timeline, the project would be underway in June 2024 and be completed in August 2026.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/darien-hindley-holmes-royle-elementary-schools-18540411.php?src=sthpdesecp

The town is looking to acquire state funding to revitalize parcels of land on a major connector road, Rubber Avenue. The borough held a hybrid public informational meeting on Dec. 5 for the Rubber Avenue Corridor Community Investment Fund application through the state Department of Economic and Community Development. The Board of Mayor and Burgesses unanimously approved to submit the application to obtain an $8 million CIF grant where the borough would match it with $400,000 from Tax Increment Financing funds. The borough is near the process of redoing about two-thirds of a mile on Rubber Avenue from the intersection of Melbourne and Hoadley streets to Elm Street through the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program project. That plan will include a new modern roundabout, drainage improvements, new sidewalks and landscaping along the road.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2023/12/10/naugatuck-applies-for-8m-state-grant-to-revitalize-rubber-avenue-parcels/#login

The pattern is known as transit-oriented development, and it’s both the manifestation of Fairfield’s population growth over the past decade and a sign of where the town could be headed over the next 10 years as part of a long-term planning document that local leaders are debating. The advisory document — known as the Plan of Conservation and Development, or the POCD for short — is the 10-year development blueprint that will largely influence how Fairfield balances construction projects that boost the tax base with the space it preserves amid a growing population. Fairfield’s population rose about 3.5 percent over a 10-year period from 59,400 in 2010 to roughly 61,500 in 2020, according to census data. Zoning commissioners seem to be in agreement that the town needs more housing options, but “how much is too much” has been a sentiment of concern when it comes to adding density to the neighborhoods with Fairfield’s largest complexes.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/fairfield/article/fairfield-apartments-population-development-plan-18524579.php

Opposition is mounting in town to stop the planned expansion of a natural gas compressor station located near homes and just 1,900 feet from Whisconier Middle School. Two steel pipelines enter and exit the compressor station: The Algonquin pipepline, which was built in 2008, comes in from the southwest, and the Iroquois pipeline, which was built in 2009, comes down from the north. The point at which they meet is a compressor station on an 80-acre property at 78 High Meadow Lane. The compressor station is owned by Iroquois Gas Transmission System, L.P. While no new pipeline is proposed as part of this project, Iroquois wants to more than double the capacity of the compressor station — to receive an additional 125 million cubic feet per day of natural gas, according to an operating permit filed with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/brookfield-compressor-station-expansion-pipeline-18506774.php