Construction on the new $22 million, 52,000-square-foot Big Y World Class Market in the south end of Middletown \officially kicked off this week with a ceremonial groundbreaking. The 7.31-acre site has been cleared and soon will be graded to fill the large depression on the land at 850 S. Main St., the location of the former Frontier Communications fleet maintenance facility. The national grocery chain is expected to create about 150 new jobs (50 full-time and 100 part-time), according to the application. This will be the largest commercial project the city has seen in a number of years, according to Land Use Director Marek Kozikowski. The grocery store is expected to open by late next summer, Matt D’Amour said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/big-y-breaks-ground-middletown-get-registers-17876432.php

The Stamford Board of Representatives took an unusual action Monday, voting to reject a nearly $1 million state grant for environmental remediation on the South End’s old contaminated Blickensderfer typewriter site. The coalition cited a mix of concerns, including spending, corporate subsidies and animosity toward the city’s largest developer, Building and Land Technology. Though the city was the grant’s official recipient, the $950,000 was to be transferred to the city’s largest developer, Building and Land Technology, which has plans to clean up toxic chemicals on the property and build there.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/stamford-s-board-reps-blocks-state-grant-toxic-17878598.php

New London has secured $2 million in federal funding for its future community center, officials announced on a sunny day at the Fort Trumbull site Tuesday. Mayor Michael Passero said the $2 million addresses a funding gap for the project. While the City Council approved $30 million in bonding for the project, which Passero initially said would cover the cost of the work, the price tag has increased to to $40 million. Last month, the project was also awarded $7.2 million from the state’s Community Investment Fund, and the state Department of Economic and Community Development allocated $1.8 million for environmental remediation. Carlin Construction Company is working on the Innovation Center building, which chamber President and CEO Tony Sheridan expects to be open in June or July.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230404/new-london-celebrates-future-community-center-and-2-million-in-federal-funding/

Brian Carey, 45, the town’s former interim public works director and town conservation director, turned down a plea bargain of eight years, suspended after he served four years in prison and followed by probation. The judge then continued the case to April 10 when jury selection is scheduled to begin for the trial of both Carey and Scott Bartlett, former public works superintendent. Carey and Bartlett are both charged in this case with numerous counts of illegally disposing solid waste and violating the regulations on the disposal of solid waste. They are accused of allowing contaminated soil dredged from Owen Fish Pond to be used to build a berm around the town’s public works site and then trying to cover up that fact. Over 40 truckloads of debris and dirt were removed from the Stratfield Road pond during a three-week period in 2018.

https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/brian-carey-rejects-fill-pile-plea-bargain-17876136.php?src=rdctplocal

Construction is set to continue soon on the expansion of the Trout Brook Trail. Ahead of the construction, which is set to begin around April 10 according to a presentation from the town, local officials will hold a meeting on April 4 at the intersection of Trout Brook Drive and Fern Street for neighbors and members of the public who’d like to know more about the project from the town’s engineering staff. The town predicts the new segment of the trail will be substantially completed and available for public use sometime in July. The town’s economic development coordinator, Kristen Gorski, recently said the town’s investment in the trail can be seen as a way to bring more activity to local businesses by moving people on foot to different parts of town. The final completion of the trail, which consists of tree planting, turf restoration and more, could be done by August.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/west-hartford-ct-trout-brook-trail-expansion-grant-17866628.php

In industries like construction, where safety risks are present daily, taking steps to provide resources and support for individuals to take their mental health seriously is critical. According to a 2021 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 94% of workers in the construction and extraction professions have outdoor exposure, and 62.2% of workers in the industry are exposed to heights more than five feet off the ground. The study found 15% of workers in the construction industry are impacted by substance abuse with 8.6% of people as the national average. The construction industry, in many ways, is still stuck with the mindset that talking about stress, anxiety and other mental health issues is a weakness. When this conversation shifts to recognizing and supporting individuals suffering from mental illness, the industry starts to become a safer environment for everyone.

https://www.constructiondive.com/spons/mental-health-in-the-construction-industry/646290/

Capital Community College (CCC) is considering a new downtown Hartford campus, school officials confirmed to the Hartford Business Journal, as its existing space in the former G. Fox department store building at 960 Main St. becomes increasingly outdated and in need of significant repairs. Terrence Cheng, president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system, which includes CCC, said all options are on the table, but the preference would be to buy a building downtown and renovate it for a new campus. The ability to do that, however, hinges on the availability of state funding. A building purchase and redevelopment would come with a hefty price tag — approximately $350 million — that may get pushback from policymakers, including Gov. Ned Lamont, as the state college system faces budget deficits and declining enrollment. The plan — known as CSCU 2030 — was unveiled in January and outlines $2.1 billion in capital projects over a seven-year period, in addition to higher annual block grant funding to support new academic programs, student services and a free community college program.

Amid funding uncertainty, CSCU eyes new $350M Hartford campus for Capital Community College

As part of the Walk Bridge replacement, the Planning & Zoning Commission voted to move forward with the sale of a piece of city-owned land to the Connecticut Department of Transportation that will be used for the $772 million project. The project — which has been in the planning stages since 2017 — is scheduled to begin later this spring, DOT spokesperson Josh Morgan said. The 127-year-old bridge has far exceeded its 100-year life span. In recent years, the swing bridge has failed on many occasions, interrupting train traffic. The first construction phase of the project will start this spring, Morgan said, once the department gets a permit from the U.S. Coast Guard. The project — which is expected to take about six years to complete once construction starts — will be a sweeping revitalization of the Walk Bridge. The structure, which is not a pedestrian bridge, is called the Walk Bridge after the city of Norwalk.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/norwalk-p-z-commission-approves-sale-land-walk-17872099.php

NorthPoint hasn’t publicly identified any prospective tenant or tenants for the facility, which would be built along West Dudley Town Road. But the Kansas City-based development company has a history of successfully leasing large distribution centers around the country, and currently controls nearly 150 million square feet of warehouse space in 15 states. NorthPoint is looking for Bloomfield planners’ permission to erect a 521,886-square-foot building with 118 loading docks. The plan goes to a hearing by the planning and zoning commission April 4 at 7 p.m. NorthPoint’s plan was approved by the wetlands commission earlier this year. Anticipating questions about traffic, NorthPoint has commissioned a report by F.A. Hesketh & Associates, a consultant that is frequently hired on behalf of developers. The traffic study is expected to be part of NorthPoint’s presentation at the hearing.

Developer eyes Bloomfield for a 522,000-square-foot warehouse

The office tower was a symbol of Stamford taking flight – from its manufacturing past and downtown blight toward urban renewal. The developers will keep the iconic tower, but they want to knock down a six-story Landmark Square building, known as No. 3, and replace it with a luxury apartment high-rise. If the project is approved, the new building will stand 31 stories – 10 stories taller than Landmark Tower – with 400 rental units facing Atlantic Street. Members of the Planning Board unanimously approved the proposal. The proposal is to demolish Landmark Square’s building No. 3, which has 134,000 square feet of office space, and replace it with 400 apartments, accompanying amenities, 420 parking spaces, and 5,200 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor. If the Zoning Board approves the plans, the developers hope to begin construction by the end of the year and complete it by 2026.

A Reimagined Landmark Square with 400 High-end Apartments Heads to Zoning for Approval