In an effort to jump-start development in three key areas in or near downtown Hartford, city officials want to establish various tax-fixing agreements they say will make it more attractive for developers to build mixed-use projects. Mayor Luke Bronin and the city council are considering tax-fixing agreements for future developments that occur at: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s former Hartford campus; existing buildings and empty parking lots near the Bushnell Theater; and a vacant parking lot in the Parkville neighborhood. Tax-fixing agreements are nothing new for the city of Hartford, which has one of the highest property tax rates in the state at 68.95 mills. Tax-fixing deals essentially give developers a temporary lower property-tax rate.

Hartford’s development strategy hinges on tax-fixing agreements

During a Board of Representatives meeting this week, Democratic city Rep. Megan Cottrell laid out a view of the development that has earned Stamford the moniker “fastest-growing city in Connecticut.” “The goal, for many, is to turn Stamford into a luxury place,” Cottrell said. “We are attracting affluent people from New York and surrounding areas, and pushing people out of Stamford. It’s a massive giveaway to the real estate industry, and we have to recognize that.” Development is at the core of a controversy that began last month, when Democratic Mayor Caroline Simmons, a former state representative, quietly launched a bill in Hartford to block Stamford from changing consequential zoning regulations in the city charter. The bill has been signed into law so, from now on, Stamford and all other Connecticut towns governed by charters, about 110 of them, cannot revise significant zoning regulations in their charters. They have to ask the state legislature to do it.

Stamford Democrats Question the Public Benefit of ‘Luxury’ Development

Director of Planning and Development David Corcoran said that the Economic Development Commission hired urban economics consulting firm Strategy 5 LLC to conduct an analysis of the town to explore the economic and fiscal impacts of additional multifamily housing after two multifamily projects were approved in recent years, the 83-unit College View Village behind Merrow Road and the 240-unit Fieldstone Ridge behind Big Y. The study found that Tolland businesses could expect to see between approximately $2.5 million and $5.8 million per year in expenditures from residents in new multifamily housing, with 15% of expenditure potential in the transportation sector and 50% in the food sector. It also found that the additional housing would make more construction jobs available, with wages between $47,000 to $62,000 per worker per year, based on the average construction wages in Connecticut from current data.

https://www.ctpost.com/journalinquirer/article/tolland-multifamily-housing-18185383.php#taboola-3

A plan to build a new air-traffic control tower for Hartford-Brainard Airport is up for review under a federal environmental report posted for public comment last week. The plan, drafted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), proposes replacing Hartford-Brainard’s 1973-vintage tower with a more modern design including all-electric building systems, recycled steel and harmful-chemical-free materials. Hartford-Brainard was named earlier this year as one of 31 small airports nationwide targeted for upgrades under a $25 billion airport package in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in 2021. Hundreds of small airports across the country operate with outdated air traffic control towers that don’t meet current safety and efficiency standards, the FAA said in its report.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/capitalregion/article/hartford-brainard-airport-new-tower-plan-review-18187012.php

The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved applications for a luxury apartment building on South Shore Drive and a housing project on Strong Street. The Strong Street development will include 69 detached single-family homes on about 17 acres on Strong Street, project officials said. The units will not have an age restriction or affordable component. Autumn View LLC, the project’s developer, also received approval for a five-lot subdivision on Strong Street, bringing the total number of homes to 74. Officials estimated the project would take about three years to complete, with construction on the homes expected to begin as soon as possible. Prices for the homes have not yet been determined. Much like the 55-plus housing complex approved on Sperry Lane before it, the Strong Street project has gone through several iterations and been the subject of intense scrutiny over the years.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/east-haven-housing-strong-street-apartments-18186647.php

Democrats plan to nominate a candidate for mayor later this month after Mayor Mike Walsh announced Monday that he would not run again this year. Meanwhile, Walsh insists he’s not being paid for his new gig. Walsh announced this week he will leave office in November, along with his $106,000 salary, to serve as the organizer and “champion” of Port Eastside, a plan to redevelop Founders Plaza alongside other projects in East Hartford. “It is not a paid position, it’s not a job I’m taking,” Walsh said, adding that he would “not receive a penny” from any parties involved. Moriarty said it is unclear if anyone else will step forward before the Democratic Town Committee makes its nominations on July 20. Walsh planned to run for re-election earlier in the year, having hosted campaign events as recently as June 22. Walsh will have served as mayor for a single two-year term when he steps down on Nov. 13. He succeeded former Mayor Marcia Leclerc, who took office in January 2011 after then-Mayor Melody Currey resigned to take a position with the state.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/east-hartford-mayor-election-founders-plaza-18186952.php

Residents may be on the hook for millions of dollars in school construction work because officials missed the deadline to apply for state aid. And while both the Central Middle School and Old Greenwich School projects will eventually be done, base costs are expected to skyrocket because of inflation, in one case swallowing up whatever fiscal advantage might be granted down the line. Board of Education Chair Joe Kelly said because the CMS committee did not apply for state reimbursement this year, the project could get delayed if the aid is necessary to complete the project. By waiting, the overall cost of the project is estimated to escalate by 6 percent, but he said, “the escalation arguably can cost the same as we can get in reimbursement.” Now that both projects missed this year’s state reimbursement deadline, the only way for financial approval to happen in next year’s budget is by special legislation. State legislators can ask that either project be added to the 2024 Priority List, but that can only be done after it is submitted by the state’s Department of Administrative Services.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/education/article/greenwich-school-projects-reimbursement-costs-18179093.php

The city hopes to power the proposed South Norwalk Elementary School entirely by solar energy, according to Adam Blank, attorney for the school district on the project. During the meeting, the commission also discussed the existing site plans for the proposed $76 million school, which will be South Norwalk’s first in over 40 years. Blank said the school, when construction is completed, can accommodate a maximum of 682 students, though the expected student population is closer to 85 percent, or 580 students. The 12-acre space, formerly home to the Hatch & Bailey Co., will contain the school, 127 parking spaces, an athletic field and a playground, according to the plans Blank discussed.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/education/article/norwalk-sono-elementary-school-solar-power-18189536.php

The project includes creating 18 new stops and four mini-hubs and the procurement of 15 new electric buses. There also will be a dedicated bus-only guideway and traffic signal priority buses, according to officials. Members of the city’s federal delegation and local officials announced a $25 million federal grant to help build a new BRT system in New Haven at the Dixwell Q House Thursday. The federal grant will be combined with other grants to complete the $115 million project, according to state Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. Eucalitto said the state DOT and the city are working closely on the design phase, hoping to start construction in 2026 with a plan to fully open the routes in 2029. The grant announced Thursday is a part of the Department of Transportation’s $2.2 billion Rebuilding America Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Discretionary Grant Program, which awarded 162 projects across the country in total.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/new-haven-creating-brt-system-18175901.php

The state is distributing $23.8 million in grants and loans to clean up and revive former industrial sites in Bristol, Bridgeport, New Haven, Fairfield and other towns. The brownfields remediation funding affects 480 acres on 22 properties in 15 communities, including Bridgeport, New Haven and Bristol, where a shuttered steel plant is targeted for renewal. Meant to boost economic development and job growth, the projects are expected to create about 915 jobs and 811 units of housing, including 223 affordable units, state officials said. In Bristol, a $3.8 million grant will go to clean up four buildings on a 23-acre site at 300 Broad St., formerly home to Theis Precision Steel Manufacturing, state officials said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/brownfields-cleanup-funding-18170638.php