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New Haven approves 462 apartments in two buildings off State St. between Chapel & Fair streets
NEW HAVEN — The City Plan Commission has given a revised plan for 462 mixed-income apartments in two buildings on what are now parking lots off State Street between Chapel and Fair streets the final approval the developer needs in order to proceed. One seven-story building, “The Frontier,” to be built first, abutting Chapel Street as Phase 1, will have 151 units. A second, 12-story building, “The Iron,” to be built abutting Fair Street in Phase 2, will have 311 units. Those numbers are up from at least 145 units and at least 300 units the last time the transit-oriented development was aired publicly. The 462 total number of units on 3.25-acres of property between State Street and the railroad tracks is up from 450 proposed units a few months ago.
Old Lyme Pitches December Date for Sewer Referendum
OLD LYME — After a number of postponements, the Board of Selectmen is expected on Monday to call a Dec. 16 referendum to approve additional borrowing to fund the construction of sewers on the shoreline. The new price tag, $19,321,565, more than doubles the amount originally approved in a 2019 referendum but the state is expected to cover 47% of the cost through grants and forgivable loans from the Clean Water Fund. Old Lyme Water Pollution Control Authority Chair Steve Cinami told CT Examiner on Friday that he estimated the cost at about $3,100 per year per EDU, a calculation used to assign each sewered property a share of the total project cost. That’s about $300 more expensive than the last estimate by an outside accountant hired by the town.
https://ctexaminer.com/2025/11/22/old-lyme-pitches-december-date-for-sewer-referendum/
CT rebuild of an I-95 bridge in Norwalk after fiery crash wins national award
Connecticut officials have been able to boast that the state Department of Transportation and its contractor rebuilt a fire-damaged bridge over Interstate 95 five months earlier than expected and about $3 million under budget. And now, they can say the project is a national award winner. A panel of industry experts picked the project — which involved tearing down and reconstructing the Fairfield Avenue overpass in Norwalk after a flatbed tractor-trailer, fuel truck and passenger car crashed in May 2024, resulting in a massive fire but no deaths — to receive the Grand Prize in an annual contest founded by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
CT DOT says I-84 ‘Flex Lane’ could ease Danbury traffic — here’s what worked in other states
While rolling out plans to bring a “Flex Lane” to a 4-mile stretch of Interstate 84 in Danbury, the Connecticut Department of Transportation has highlighted similar projects in three other states. “Flex Lanes have already shown their success in states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, improving traffic flow, commute times and safety,” says a voiceover in a video released by the Connecticut DOT last month. The video and a DOT website explain how such a lane between Exits 3 and 7 on I-84 would work: When traffic is heavy, cars — but no trucks — would be able to use the left-side shoulder as a travel lane. When traffic dies down, the lane would return to being a shoulder. Signs above the highway would tell drivers when the lane is open, closed or closing soon.
No construction on major CT highways during Thanksgiving weekend except for emergencies, DOT says
There is no planned construction on major highways in Connecticut during the Thanksgiving weekend, according to the state Department of Transportation. The state agency said there would be no inspection, maintenance or construction activities on major highways from 6 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, to 6 a.m. Monday, Dec. 1. “Only work of an emergency nature will be considered,” according to the agency.” Work on the Interstate 91, Interstate 691 and Route 15 interchange project in Meriden also will be halted during the holiday schedule, but will resume the morning of Dec. 1. Work will take place during weekdays from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and some closures are possible throughout the week, including weekends, at nighttime, according to the DOT. Other projects will begin on that day, including bridge repairs on Christian Lane over Route 9 north and south in Berlin. Repairs on bridge joints will also begin on Interstate 95 north and south, between exits 89 and 90 in the Groton and Mystic area, on Dec. 1, according to the DOT.
Construction to begin on 57-unit apartment complex in Montville.
Montville — Construction is set to begin this week on Horizon View, a 57-unit, mixed-income apartment development on Route 32, after developers closed on financing and received their permits. The developers of the $24 million project, Honeycomb Real Estate Partners, said work will begin immediately following Tuesday’s closing. The building is expected to be finished in February 2027, with leasing beginning about three months prior. The four-story building will include 25 one-bedroom units and 32 two-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 690 to 960 square feet. Developers said 80% of the units will be affordable to households earning 60% of the area median income or below. The remaining 20% will rent at market rate.
https://theday.com/news/813542/construction-to-begin-on-57-unit-apartment-complex-in-montville/
Electric Boat buys old Sears store, final piece of Crystal Mall site
General Dynamics Electric Boat has acquired the former Sears store at Waterford’s Crystal Mall, the final portion of the mall that it did not already own. The purchase price for the property was not immediately available, either from Electric Boat officials or municipal real estate records. Over a period from June to the end of October, the submarine maker spent $31.42 million dollars to by two other parts of the mall from it’s owner, Great Neck N.Y.-based Namdar Realty Group. Mark Rayha, Electric Boat’s president said owning the entire mall property “will facilitate Electric Boat’s ability to accelerate submarine production.” The mall is located on Hartford Turnpike and is adjacent to Interstate 95.
Climate activists protest gas expansion projects in Lamont’s office
Around 30 activists in neon pink T-shirts gathered around Gov. Ned Lamont’s office on Monday afternoon, singing “This Little Light of Mine,” to protest his support for new methane gas construction in Connecticut. The protest was organized by a new coalition calling themselves Don’t Destroy Our Future, a group organized for the sake of this protest by members of climate justice groups including Sunrise Movement Connecticut, Third Act and Interreligious Eco-Justice Network. Activists called for Lamont to deny permits for new projects expanding natural gas usage in Connecticut. They argued that these buildouts contradict the state’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, a target Lamont signed into law earlier this year.
https://ctmirror.org/2025/11/17/ct-climate-natural-gas-expansion-protest/
Connecticut regulators pass on revisiting UI power line upgrades in Fairfield and Bridgeport
The Connecticut Siting Council Thursday briefly weighed tackling United Illuminating’s request to reconsider the regulatory body’s October denial of the company’s overhead power line upgrade through Fairfield and Bridgeport. But after some confusing back and forth and consultation with their executive director and attorney, Melanie Bachman, members instead adjourned the teleconference, leaving action on UI’s Nov. 3 appeal in doubt. It was the group’s last regular meeting within the 25 day window it has to act. The deadline is Nov. 28. The utility can try to challenge that decision in state superior court, but first filed the Nov. 3 request with the Siting Council for reconsideration. One of UI’s main arguments is council members erred in not outlining their rationale for rejecting the line upgrade. Fliotsos reiterated that stance Friday.
Enfield Square Mall redevelopment plan could begin site work in the spring after major win
ENFIELD — Site work on the planned $250 million overhaul of Enfield Square Mall could begin in the spring, after the developer secured a major town approval Thursday. Nebraska-based Woodsonia Acquisitions hopes to bring “Enfield Marketplace” to the struggling mall property, proposing a combination of commercial space and 465 residential units with the potential to accommodate a hotel as well. Under current plans, the company would serve as a master developer of the project, seeking other developers for the various lots that will make up the project site but expecting to build and own the residential component itself. The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved unanimously Thursday night a zone change to help the project move forward, though Woodsonia and its eventual partners will need additional approvals to get a shovel in the ground.
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