Take Stonington and Old Lyme, for instance. On the surface, they are similarly wealthy towns with a rich maritime history. But when it comes to development, Old Lyme is much more restrictive and Stonington a bit more commercial. So perhaps it should be no surprise that one of the most extensive projects in the region just got underway off Route 2 in Pawcatuck, where Old Lyme developer Michael Lech is helping oversee a $50 million-plus plan to build about 500,000 square feet of apartments, retail, offices and commercial spaces expected to make a significant addition to Stonington’s tax base while providing a good amount of affordable housing in a village atmosphere. Lech’s company has combined forces with Trio Properties LLC of Glastonbury to complete Stonington Village, the first phase of which should be ready in a little over a year. They held a ribbon cutting last month with development partners Colliers Engineering & Design, KBE Building Corporation and Liberty Bank to celebrate the project’s beginning phase with dignitaries including U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

https://theday.com/news/728722/whats-going-on-big-project-underway-in-stonington/

Work is beginning on a project to replace an Interstate 95 bridge in West Haven, due to be completed by the end of 2027. In a parking lot beside the bridge at Exit 43, a 0.8-mile stretch of highway in West Haven that travels over 1st Avenue and Metro-North railroad tracks, a coalition of public officials welcomed the start of the $136.5 million construction project on Thursday. In addition to replacing the bridges, the project includes extending the southbound lane from Exit 44 to create a continuous travel lane, which will ultimately serve as an exit-only lane for Exit 43. There will also be drainage improvements, officials said. The improvements aim to reduce congestion, help traffic flow better and make the road safer, officials said. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said 90% of the project is from federal funding and the federal government must maintain its commitment.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/west-haven-i-95-bridge-replacement-project-begin-20281052.php

The Connecticut-born company Tilcon is organizing a clothing drive for veterans, accepting donations at a few of their different locations. “Throughout the state of Connecticut and also at Tilcon, we have a lot of veterans that work for us in the construction industry,” said Janet Scalise, office manager at Tilcon. “We always try to give back to the veterans.” When they came across the opportunity to collect professional clothes for veterans, they decided to work with others and be part of the drive.Scalise said although the drive ends April 21, if someone can’t make it in by that time, they could wait until April 25. On April 26, all donations will be gathered in one place and brought to a suit company in Manchester to be cleaned and then given. “Tilcon has over a 100 years in the state of Connecticut and we’re so big, I wanted to create partnerships with our community, be it the veterans, be it Klingberg Family Centers, be it Prudence Crandall Center, which is domestic violence,” Scalise said. “And create a presence in Connecticut, saying ‘all right, not only are we here taking up space and providing roadways and material for that, but we’re also an organization that wants to create partnerships and give back to the community.’”

https://www.bristolpress.com/news/tilcon-construction-industry-holding-clothing-drive-for-veterans/article_58b460d0-0c1f-4498-bbe9-9b6d0f56cd44.html

The replacement of a tiny, but critical, bridge on North Street has been delayed until next year, the Department of Public Works announced Friday. DPW was expecting to demolish the bridge — and trigger traffic jams — over the summer, but the state hasn’t yet given Greenwich the green light to move ahead with the project. “In a recent coordination meeting with representatives from the grant program, DPW gained greater clarity on the anticipated construction timeline and next steps,” the announcement read. “Based on the latest schedule, construction is projected to begin in Spring 2026.” Greenwich has secured more than $3 million in grant funding from the state Department of Transportation, but the town has not been cleared to start bidding on the project yet. The town has authorized $3.7 million to replace the North Street bridge, most of which will be reimbursed by the state. The delay means the bridge replacement work may overlap with another major road project in the vicinity.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/greenwich-north-street-bridge-20274596.php

Tweed New Haven Regional Airport’s governing body got a good look Tuesday at the latest version of plans for the proposed new 81,568-square-foot terminal the airport wants to build on the East Haven side of Tweed, but it took place in a closed-door meeting. “I’m told it will be a week or two” before the plans a ready to share, said Tweed Authority Vice Chairman John Picard, who presided over what a staff member said was a 60 percent design review. It took place entirely in an executive session. The project, the cost for which has been estimated at between $70 million and $100 million, is on about 40 acres that formerly was used for Tweed’s now decommissioned cross-wind runway. The federal government approved a $4 million grant toward design costs for the new terminal in November. Tweed officials said in September — when the City Plan Commission granted a 36-month extension on a 2021 variance to the city’s flood prevention ordinance to allow Tweed to continue using temporary trailers — that construction is expected to be completed by the summer of 2027.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/new-haven-tweed-airport-plans-new-terminal-20277397.php

Within a decade, enrollment at the University of New Haven’s Pompea College of Business has roughly tripled from about 700 students to 2,000, according to Dean Brian Kench. This month, university officials announced a $10 million gift from alumnus Dennis Martin, chairman of the board of Federal Signal Corporation, to support the estimated $45 million cost to build a new 80,000 square-foot building for the Pompea College of Business on the university’s main campus in West Haven. The exact location of the building has yet to be decided, but Kench said it would be near the intersection of Campbell Avenue and Ruden Street. Although the university has plans for the new building on campus, it’s roughly a third of its three-year $150 million fundraising goal for campus construction, renovations and improvements. UNH President Jens Frederiksen said the university is also seeking capital to refurbish its acquisition at the current Railroad Salvage site across the street at 1131 Campbell Ave., into a research and development center for the campus.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/university-new-haven-expands-campbell-ave-campus-20270593.php

The Board of Selectmen voted 2-1 Wednesday to give proposed data center developer NE Edge LLC permission to assign the host fee agreement it signed with the town in 2023 to a subsidiary company. Belmont, Mass.-based NE Edge has sought to build a data center consisting of two two-story buildings and a switchyard on 55 acres of the Millstone Power Station property. But so far it’s had trouble getting approval to do so. In order for the project to proceed through town boards and commissions for approval, Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut has to petition the Connecticut Siting Council, which oversees power-generating facilities in the state, to host the data center on its property. The host fee agreement opened the door for the town to host NE Edge data center at Millstone and called for NE Edge to pay the town $231 million over 30 years. McCoy said under the agreement, NE Edge has until March 2026 to obtain building permits or the project.

https://theday.com/news/731121/ne-edge-transfers-waterford-data-center-rights-to-new-company/

East Hartford officials are considering an eight-year tax break worth an estimated $5.2 million to incentivize a 150-unit apartment development on a long-vacant property near the Connecticut River. Konover’s development site sits just behind East Hartford’s Great River Park along the Connecticut River. It is immediately west of the Academy of Computer Science and Engineering Middle School, a magnet school run by CREC. Konover’s site is also just south of the Founders Plaza office park, which a group of prominent developers is trying to redevelop into a mix of roughly 1,000 apartments, along with restaurants, retail and other commercial uses. East Hartford’s Town Council is expected to discuss the proposed tax abatement at its Tuesday night meeting. The Capital Region Development Authority last year approved a $6.5 million, low-interest bridge loan to help finance Simon Konover’s plan for an estimated $47.5 million apartment development on a 35-acre property at 341 East River Drive.

East Hartford considers 8-year, $5.2M tax break for 150-unit apartment development

Ticlon is proposing to re-zone its property on Long Swamp Road and Nike Road from residential to quarry zone so it can add the 83 acres to its existing basalt quarry operation. At the town Planning and Zoning Commission last week, Tom Daly of SLR Consulting – presenting the proposal for Tilcon – said the change would increase Plainville’s tax base. But residents at the meeting overwhelmingly opposed the change, saying they already endure the disruption and silica dust from Tilcon blasting at its existing site on the town line with New Britain. While many opposed the expansion, the Manafort Brothers wrote a letter in support of the change that was read in the meeting for the record.

https://www.bristolpress.com/news/residents-worry-about-proposed-tilcon-quarry-expansion/article_ffff48ed-8a20-4f55-ad33-b166bcd3a030.html

State legislators are considering a bill that would transfer Hartford’s 80-acre South Meadows property and $5 million to the Capital Region Development Authority. The site along the Connecticut River formerly was home to a garbage-to-energy plant operated by the quasi-public Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority. MIRA shut down the faltering plant in 2022 and local officials have been pushing to prep the site in Hartford’s industrial South Meadows neighborhood for redevelopment. House Bill 1559 has been raised by the state legislature’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee and will be discussed during a public hearing Monday.

CT bill would transfer Hartford’s South Meadows site, $5M to CRDA to oversee development