A New York-based developer has won approval to build affordable housing on State Street, bringing much-needed assistance to renters amid a statewide shortage of low-cost units. The $26 million project, submitted by Regan Development Corp. and approved at the Hamden Planning and Zoning Commission’s Sept. 20 meeting, includes the construction of 64 units divided among three buildings at 2980 State St. and the addition of infrastructure improvements aimed at making the roadway more pedestrian-friendly. To help offset the cost of the project for the developer, town officials applied for $8 million from the state Community Investment Fund, Garrett said. Gov. Ned Lamont launched the CIF last year to foster economic development in historically underserved communities across the state.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/hamden-affordable-housing-state-street-18389475.php

State officials are committing themselves to a massive $22.5 million investment in the economic development of Bridgeport’s waterfront — the razing of an industrial landmark, the closed coal-fired power plant. On Tuesday members of the board of the Community Investment Fund voted without debate to spend over $101.3 million on nearly two-dozen projects around Connecticut. By far the largest amount on the list is the $22.5 million to demolish the PSEG-owned plant. One of the details is the true cost of demolition. He said the $22.5 million figure was based on a “rough estimate” provided by an unidentified company with experience razing coal-fired power plants. However, Gaudett noted, that company did not have access to the actual property.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/ct-bridgeport-pseg-power-plant-demolition-18388093.php

The state Community Investment Fund Board approved $101 million in funding Tuesday for projects that would allow Bloomfield to draft plans for its downtown, create a new park in Windsor, a public housing development in Enfield, and a range of other projects across the region and state. In Bloomfield, a grant for $250,000 will allow the town to create a plan for redeveloping the town center. “It’s a great day for Bloomfield,” said Town Councilman Kenneth McClary. “Our state partners, they see the vision and they want to make sure that we’re successful. And so I appreciate everybody who had a hand in it.” The Town of Windsor received $4 million to create Wilson Park in what is a currently vacant plot of land next to the on-ramp for I-291. The CIF application describes the park as “multi-dimensional” and it is expected to provide a variety of amenities to people in the Wilson and Deerfield neighborhoods of Windsor.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/capitalregion/article/ct-community-investment-fund-hartford-18387904.php

The renovation and relocation of the New Canaan Police Department is expected to begin around Thanksgiving, members of the Police Department Building Committee told the Town Council during a Sept. 20 meeting. Last month, the committee approved a guaranteed maximum price for the project of $29 million, which was then approved by the Board of Selectmen. For the renovation, the town has a contract with architecture group SLAM Collaborative and Turner Construction Company. “As far as timing…we’ve been saying 18 months, (but) you should be aware that Turner’s schedule is 13 months,” said Bill Walbert, chairman of the building committee. “Things happen in this business, as you all know, so we’ve been saying 18 (months).”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/police-fire/article/new-canaan-police-station-18389667.php

The Board of Mayor and Burgesses earlier this month approved an agreement for the Rubber Avenue reconstruction with Kleinfelder Northeast for $1.2 million. The project will be paid for through the state’s Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP). The project will reconstruct about two-thirds of a mile of Rubber Avenue from the intersection of Melbourne and Hoadley streets to Elm Street. The project will include drainage improvements, and new sidewalks and landscaping along the road. The borough board also awarded the Rubber Avenue reconstruction project to B&W Paving and Landscaping in the amount of $8.5 million. The award has been endorsed by the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments and has received state DOT authorization.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2023/09/25/rubber-avenue-reconstruction-clears-hurdles/

The long-awaited grand opening of Hartford’s new sports betting venue last week was cause for celebration but talk at the event also turned to something more sobering: the sudden death two days earlier of prominent downtown developer Martin J. Kenny. The real estate company founded by Kenny, Hartford-based Lexington Partners, quickly reassured Hartford and other towns and cities where it has active projects that it would not only continue with those developments but it expected new ones in the future. “We will be moving full steam ahead with all the projects we have in the works,” Alan Lazowski, chief executive of Hartford-based LAZ Parking and a longtime business partner and friend of Kenny’s, said. Those include the $70 million conversion of a former convent in West Hartford into nearly 300 apartments, a project that is now nearing completion. To the east of the Connecticut River, there is an massive $850 million redevelopment of Founders Plaza in East Hartford — now in its early stages — that could include as many as 1,000 new apartments, restaurants, entertainment venues, medical offices and a new pedestrian bridge across the Connecticut River.

A prominent CT developer’s legacy and how his company now sees the future. ‘He never pulled a punch’

Beginning Oct. 2, the north parking lot at Darien’s Noroton Heights Metro-North Railroad station will be under construction for drainage improvements, the town announced in a press release. As part of the construction work, the lot will be excavated to install an underground drainage system intended to reduce flooding on Heights Road by directing the flow of water runoff underground from the parking lot. Construction is slated to last until Dec. 1. During the construction, the number of parking spaces will be reduced. However, work will be done in phases, so only portions of the lot will be closed at a time. Prices for commuter parking across Darien will be increasing beginning Jan. 1, which the Board of Selectmen approved earlier this month.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/darien-noroton-heights-metro-north-railroad-18382526.php

Dubbed “Project Maple,” the proposal from Enbridge — a large Canadian energy company with fossil fuel infrastructure throughout the U.S. — would involve substantial upgrades on the Algonquin Gas Transmission line. This pipeline runs from northern New Jersey through parts of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and into Massachusetts, where it feeds into the Weymouth Natural Gas Compressor Station and then connects to another pipeline north of Boston. Details about the proposed project remain vague, but according to documents from Enbridge, the upgrades would include replacing existing underground pipes with larger ones, running secondary pipelines alongside existing ones and expanding some compressor stations along the route. Without a local source of natural gas, New England relies entirely on fuel from other parts of the country. Most of the gas the region uses comes through underground pipelines like the Algonquin Gas Transmission line — if you live in Eastern Massachusetts, you likely rely on the Algonquin pipeline for heating or electricity.

https://www.ctpublic.org/2023-09-25/fossil-fuel-company-wants-to-expand-gas-pipeline-in-northeast

More than three decades after workers doused the last of the boilers supplying power from English Station, a simmering debate over what to do with the rusting carcass of the old power plant is threatening to once again delay a long-awaited redevelopment of the property. The island is riddled with contaminants such as asbestos and PCBs, which are left over from the years when it was used to store and burn coal — later oil — in order to generate power for United Illuminating, which is now on the hook for $30 million to clean up the property. Ownership of the site is currently split between two New York-based limited liability companies, Haven River Properties and Paramount View Millennium, which do not appear to have any relevant experience in large-scale redevelopment projects. The mayor added that it was his “preference,” that the site be used for something other than an industrial purpose, noting its location along the river and adjacent to a planned bus rapid-transit system the city hopes to launch by 2029.

https://www.sfgate.com/connecticut/article/new-haven-ct-english-station-power-plant-future-18373084.php

Plans to convert the long-vacant former Strong School building at 69 Grand Ave. in New Haven into residential apartments secured key approvals Wednesday night. Pennrose LLC and The Cloud Company LLC plan to create 58 mixed-income residential apartments and a community amenity space by renovating the school building and constructing a 50,225-square-foot addition. The building was used as an elementary school for about a century before closing in 2010. In the fall of 2022, the city announced it had selected Pennrose as its preferred developer for the site. City officials estimated the project would cost $25 million, with a completion date in 2025. The developer plans to preserve the school’s auditorium space. It will be available for community use, such as for health and wellness programs, community art shows, and New Haven Pride Center events.

New Haven panel approves $25M plan to convert school to apartments