Members of the Central Middle School building committee are waiting for a revised cost estimate from the architects and construction manager team. The project’s start date has also been delayed by several months. Tony Turner, chairperson, said these are preliminary and may change once SLAM Collaborative, the project architects, and Turner Construction, the project construction manager, present revised cost estimates by July 31. Turner was one of those presenting at Wednesday’s meeting, with others including members of SLAM; a representative from Construction Solutions Group and someone from Turner Construction. Turner said that the project is entering the municipal improvement process, with the first step being that the project will be on the Planning and Zoning committee’s agenda on Tuesday and that this process “will go on for several months.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/education/article/greenwich-central-middle-school-18197001.php

Construction of a new boutique hotel has begun on the grounds of Mystic Seaport Museum on the site of the former Latitude 41 restaurant. Work began on the site of the future Delamar Mystic Hotel in March with the demolition of Latitude 41 and the Shipyard Tavern by Mystic Seaport, and construction began last month, after the site was handed over to Greenwich Hospitality Group. Delamar Hotels are owned and operated by the Greenwich Hospitality Group, and the project, being completed in conjunction with Clearview Investment Management, was approved by the Stonington Planning and Zoning Commission in 2020, however work was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230713/construction-begins-on-mystic-seaport-boutique-hotel/

The city’s Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission voted unanimously to issue a permit for the river crossing needed for a gas line and fuel cell project near Weaver High School. The Connecticut Natural Gas Co. project is intended to serve a University of Hartford fuel cell. While the plan had called for a gas line to run under the school, CNG officials said that they would tie into the pre-existing gas line on Weaver High School’s property, but would not run it underneath the building. According to information presented about the project, the Hartford City Council in September 2022 approved an easement to allow CNG to extend an existing pipeline on the Weaver High School property. The line also provides gas service to the school building. The existing pipeline also runs through the adjacent neighborhood to provide service to homes, according to the presentation. The pipe would convey gas to power a 1.84 MW fuel cell for electricity generation at the university, according to the presentation.

Hartford commission OKs river crossing permit for controversial fuel cell project

As the Carrier Companies kicked off construction of a 104-unit apartment complex downtown, contractors were erecting structural steel for Wheeler Health’s new headquarters across Hope Street and other crews were working on the $33 million city hall renovation on the other side of North Main Street. The family-owned Carrier Companies’ groundbreaking for Centre Square Village marks the third and final major redevelopment job at the long-blighted mall property. Caggiano said Centre Square Village, which will include more than 15,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, completes the goal of making Bristol a “work, live and play” city. Howard Schmelder, vice chair of the city’s economic development commission, said he wasn’t sure he’d live long enough to see the property become vibrant again.

Bristol mayor proclaims ‘hottest construction season ever in downtown’ with Wheeler Health, Carrier buildings under way

The more than $3.6 million grant will be used to fine-tune the existing infrastructure and to install a wide-range of new equipment, including solar power systems, heat pumps and energy-efficient lighting, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Officials have not yet announced which two schools will receive the upgrades, but could be an example for other schools. The release said they will “serve as demonstration sites for all 39 schools in the City of Bridgeport and for thousands nationwide.” The district is one of 24 school systems around the country that have been awarded a total of $178 million for energy improvements as part of the Renew America’s Schools Program’s first round of grant funding. Energy department officials said the investment will directly impact about 74,000 students and 5,000 teachers in nearly 100 schools.

https://www.ctpost.com/news/education/article/bridgeport-schools-aim-improve-air-quality-hvac-18194320.php

Construction is about 25% complete at Linden Place, a 44-unit, mixed-income housing complex in the historic Hillside neighborhood. The $13 million project, run by nonprofit affordable housing developer NeighborWorks New Horizons, is expected to be complete by June 2024, said Tom Cruess, the organization’s CEO. Linden Place will be for individuals and families earning between 25% and 100% of area median income, and will be deed-restricted as affordable housing for 40 years. He said before construction could begin, contaminated soils had to be remediated. Workers are still in the process of pouring a foundation on the west side of the property, while framing is expected to begin Monday on the east side, Cruess said. The city has funded past projects, but it did not directly fund Linden Place.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2023/07/07/construction-advances-at-waterburys-hillside-neighborhood/

The Zoning Commission on June 21 approved a special permit for International Framers to develop two steel and metal one-story buildings, a 25,600-square-foot structure and a 10,200-square-foot building at 280 Elm St. The applicant will be required to provide the borough with a sediment and erosion control landscaping bond and present a landscaping plan and final architectural drawings. The business has a location at 258 Rubber Ave., the former Parks and Recreation Department office. International Framers is a commercial framing company. International Framers President Anthony Gallagher said one building would be for office space and the other for cold storage. Construction time is about three to four months and the plan is to build the bigger building first. The estimated cost of the development is $3 million, according to the site plan application.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2023/07/09/construction-company-looks-to-expand-naugatuck-industrial-parks-neighbors-concerned-with-all-day-noise-level/

Whether it’s road construction on Interstate 95, Route 9, the Haddam swing bridge over the Connecticut River or a new railroad station in Windsor Locks, the state Department of Transportation has been out working on improvement projects — and holding up road and river traffic at times. Projects are largely financed with 80% federal funds unless otherwise noted, including money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed in 2021. The latest rail station to be rebuilt is in Windsor Locks, serving Amtrak and the Hartford Line, and encouraging economic development in the area. “There’s a lot of redevelopment happening in Windsor Locks,” Morgan said. “They call it transit-oriented development or TOD, turning a lot of these old mills and factories along the river … into apartments, retail on the bottom floor, apartments on the upper floors. There is a new development right near this station.” The station is among a number being rehabilitated or built along the line between New Haven and Springfield, Mass.

CT DOT is working on roads, bridges, more. What you need to know about projects and highway closures

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