The Middletown Planning & Zoning Commission is hearing a proposal Wednesday for modified site plans which will allow for a “more luxurious and efficient” layout for an apartment building to be built on Newfield Street. The project was originally approved over a decade ago, with planning done by Middletown developer Glenn Russo. He then teamed up with Bob Dale, a principal at Newfield Residential. According to Dale, he and his company recently took over the principal planning. The modification proposal was originally supposed to go in front of the commission Jan. 11, but the applicants requested a postponement to address the city’s concerns about the plans. Director of Land Use Marek Kozikowski reiterated Dale’s sentiments, adding that the commission will likely approve the plans once the applicants can show it meets zoning code standards.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Middletown-Planning-and-Zoning-prepares-to-hear-17730970.php

Local water authority officials were able to give North Stamford residents more details on sewer improvements expected to break ground before the end of this year including the cost of phase one: $8.15 million, much of it financed by homeowners long term. The city’s Water Pollution Control Authority and the project’s structural engineers Tighe and Bond provided the information during an online meeting last week, discussing the first of three potential construction phases bringing sewer service to the area. The first phase, which includes properties mostly east of High Ridge Road from the Merritt Parkway to Perna Lane, is estimated to cost about $8.15 million. City boards previously authorized the WPCA to spend more than $6 million on the project. Officials are working on revising the project design to reflect raised sewer lines and obtaining the proper permits. Then, they will open a bidding process for the project, they said.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Sewer-meeting-17730684.php?src=sthpdesecp

Facing rising challenges in the economy, developers Brian Zelman and Avner Krohn are seeking an option to significantly trim an approved 477-apartment development at the former Showcase Cinema site in East Hartford. Zelman is principal of Zelman Real Estate. Krohn is principal of Jasko Development. The town has agreed to sell the 25-acre Showcase Cinema site for $1 to the joint venture of Jasko Zelman 1 LLC. Zelman said he hopes to achieve necessary modifications to prior town approvals in the next 60 to 90 days. East Hartford Mayor Michael Walsh has expressed tentative support but said town staff are still vetting proposed changes. Under the initial development agreement approved last year, East Hartford is to supply $10 million in grant funding to offset development costs, which are currently estimated in excess of $100 million.

Citing economic headwinds, developers want option to scale back 477-apartment development in East Hartford

Construction on the city’s long-awaited community center is months away from becoming a reality. The City Council Tuesday voted to approve a $30 million construction contract and $2.9 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the first phase of what now is a $40 million project. The project totals three phases. Reyes said there have been many approvals before Tuesday for architects, bonding, engineers and construction managers, but the council vote was to build the center. He projects construction to start in the next two months and for the building to be finished Nov. 2024. For the past two years, the city worked to keep the budget for the building at $30 million. Reyes said he didn’t want to put blame on the COVID-19 pandemic, but cost factors today are just not the same. Downes Construction Company, LLC, the firm managing the construction of the center, sought bids for the project in the fall of 2022. Reyes said the city averaged five to seven bids per vendor, which he said shows the city maximized its ability to get the best price from the most qualified vendor.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230119/new-london-approves-contract-to-build-40-million-community-center/

For a project that has had its ups and downs over the past 15 years, serious progress was made this week with more residences, retail and now bioscience labs getting approvals for the former Veterans Memorial Coliseum site. That $76 million plan, labeled phase 1A, was tweaked Wednesday at the City Plan Commission meeting, but its major features of 200 housing units, some 25,000 square feet of public open space and a plaza along a retail laneway remain. For phase 1B, the commissioners approved 120 apartments that will wrap a 657-space garage on two sides. A separate life-science building, which originally had a later timeline, was approved in phase 1C. A consortium of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, the Fieber Group and KDP, which got city approval in 2019, is building phases 1A and 1B.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/More-housing-retail-approved-for-New-Haven-17728533.php

As of this week, all the properties on the Fort Trumbull peninsula are slated for development. Parcels on the peninsula, which also is home to Fort Trumbull State Park, have been vacant for almost 20 years. The land was cleared for development in a move by the city that led to the landmark 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. New London, about the use of eminent domain. The City Council Tuesday approved the sale of the remaining 6.28 acres of property to RJ Development + Advisors LLC, the same developer building 203 apartments on Howard Street. The land is owned and marketed by the city’s development arm, the Renaissance City Development Association. The agreement states the projects on the property will primarily consist of, but will not be limited to, “the construction of residential units to be offered for market rate sale or rent/lease,” with the associated parking and other improvements.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230119/new-london-to-sell-remainder-of-fort-trumbull-properties/

While a key legislative panel unanimously endorsed the nomination of Garrett Eucalitto of New Haven, the state’s construction industry also threw its support behind the transportation policy veteran, arguing he is best suited to accelerate long-overdue capital projects. The new commissioner added that the private industries that support Connecticut’s transportation capital program also need more skilled tradespeople. Labor leaders also say the department needs more engineers and other professionals if it hopes to rebuild Connecticut’s aging infrastructure at a faster pace. Adding staff, getting more projects underway and accelerating the capital program will become even more crucial in the near future if Connecticut hopes to maximize increased transportation aid from Washington.

CT construction industries, legislators back nominee for DOT chief

Avon-based Lodestar Energy LLC is seeking approval from the Connecticut Siting Council to build the energy-generating facility on three parcels on the east side of Raddia Road. Although the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission does not have jurisdiction, it was notified of the project during a meeting earlier this month. The project includes an electrical service connection from an existing Eversource distribution system along the west side of Raffia Road, and six new utility poles. Construction is expected to take six to nine months once permits are obtained, and the developer hopes to begin construction this spring. The council has until March 7 to take action, and a deadline of July 5 to make a decision.

Renewable energy company proposes 13.6-acre solar farm in Enfield

Two structurally deficient bridges that have either limited or prohibited through traffic on local roads over the past several years are slated to be replaced this year. First Selectman David Lahm said the town last week awarded the $889,202 contract for replacement of the 14.5-foot-long Birch Road bridge over Falls Brook to Suchocki & Son, Inc. of Old Lyme. Lahm said he expects construction on the bridge to begin sometime around May, targeting late summer for completion. Licensing documents from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Projection said the project will replace the bridge with a 21-foot-long, precast concrete box culvert.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230117/construction-bids-bring-lyme-bridge-projects-closer-to-completion/#

During an upbeat State of the City address Tuesday, Mayor Peter Nystrom touted several major economic development projects completed or underway and thanked voters for their strong support of the $385 million school construction project that is designed to overhaul the public school system. But Nystrom did give the council and the audience Tuesday an update on the state Department of Transportation’s controversial plan to reconstruct West Main Street-Route 82. The DOT initially had planned to install six roundabouts and a median divider on a 1.3-mile stretch of the commercial strip, but that plan was paused in fall to be “reassessed,” DOT officials said. Nystrom said Tuesday he, City Manager John Salomone, Public Works Director Patrick McLaughlin and City Engineer Brian Long met recently via Zoom with state officials to discuss the project. Nystrom said a revised design is expected in April.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20230117/norwich-mayor-nystrom-highlights-development-successes-new-school-project/#