The $16 million, 40-unit Brookside Commons affordable housing development is going up on 16 acres next to the Target store on Route 85 in Waterford. The commercial strip stands in stark contrast to the neighborhood around the former Cohanzie Elementary School where, several years ago, Foley made a failed bid to construct four new apartment buildings while saving the historic school from demolition. The Georgia-based developer has leveraged 20 years of experience in multiple states to emerge as a success story in obtaining federal tax credits to help solve the affordable housing shortage in Connecticut. The federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program was established under the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to engage private interests in solving the affordable housing problem after public efforts failed. Since then, a movement has emerged to address housing segregation with tax credits. Led here by the Open Communities Alliance and Connecticut Fair Housing Center, advocates are working to direct more financing for affordable housing to suburban areas so lower income earners have options outside cities. For Foley’s Brookside Commons development in Waterford, CHFA documents show 80% of the 40 one- and two-bedroom units will be set aside as affordable.

https://www.theday.com/housing-solutions-lab/20221126/on-nimbyism-and-opportunity-private-developer-tackles-public-problem-of-housing-affordability/

Questions raised by the Sound View Sewer Coalition, and their efforts to get answers, have put them at odds with Old Lyme’s WPCA and with the surrounding municipal associations’ independent WPCAs. Now, the coalition feels they are being ignored by town officials hellbent on seeing this project through, no matter what. Until recently, Old Lyme had a sewer avoidance policy, meaning the houses in Sound View and other coastline neighborhoods in Old Lyme have septic systems. The cost of installing a sewer system in the Sound View neighborhood alone was estimated at $9.5 million and in 2019 Old Lyme held a town-wide referendum to authorize funds for the sewer project. The ballot measure put to Old Lyme passed 883 to 565, and there may be a good reason for that: only the residents of Sound View are on the hook to pay for it. The project will cost each property owner tens of thousands of dollars in up-front and long-term costs through property assessments.

https://insideinvestigator.org/everything-flows-downhill/

The warehouse proposal of UW Realty VII LLC – a company of Glastonbury developer Bradford Wainman and South Windsor broker/developer Robert A. Urso – passed site plan review and gained a special permit from Windsor’s Planning and Zoning Commission in September. UW Realty paid $1.57 million for five adjacent properties – totaling 21.5 acres – along Stone Road in transactions with three sellers. One was logged Oct. 18 and two more on Nov. 17. Windsor, earlier this year, changed its zoning to require that warehouses in excess of 200,000 square feet obtain a special permit. That process requires more public input and gives the Planning and Zoning Commission greater discretion to consider a broader array of concerns. The UW warehouse proposal was the first affected by the new special permit requirement. Wainman noted it received unanimous approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Developers pay $1.57M for Windsor properties for warehouse construction

The slightly dilapidated, unusable feature at Stanley Quarter Park, the infamous pond, will officially be dredged and returned to a new, beautiful useable state. Over time the quality of the water in the pond has declined significantly. The construction company for the project is Colossale Site Works and the architect engineers are GZA Geo Environmental Inc. “Colossale has started the permitting and some of the things that they need to do to address the wildlife,” Barbieri said. “We want to get started right away and hopefully get some things done during the winter and be able to come into spring and maybe into June with just some type of turf reestablishment.” This $956,000 project, which launched Monday, will restore the pond back to its former glory with some added perks and upgrades.

http://www.newbritainherald.com/NBH-New+Britain+News/410691/new-britains-stanley-quarter-park-pond-will-be-dredged-with-hopes-of-returning-it-to-its-iconic-former-state

The buyer is Amit Lakhotia, who has garnered significant attention for redevelopment projects in New Britain. John Guedes’ Bridgeport-based Primrose Companies has partnered with Lakhotia before and was hired to design and build the apartments. Lakhotia Tuesday credited Guedes for introducing him to the site and to Giacobbe. He plans to break ground early next year and have his building occupied by mid-to-late 2024. He said he was attracted to the property because of the proximity to St. Vincent’s Medical Center, the towns of Fairfield and Trumbull, Fairfield-based Sacred Heart University and the Westfield Trumbull mall. In late 2021 Giacobbe filed preliminary paperwork with the city for an apartment or condominium complex with underground parking on the property. He and his land use attorney, Raymond Rizio, in early January dismissed rumors of a pending sale. They instead argued the paperwork had to be submitted to get around height restrictions on new developments that took effect Jan. 1 as part of revised city-wide zoning regulations.

https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Bridgeport-s-Testo-s-sold-moving-operation-17592108.php?src=rdctpdensecp

A referendum on funding for the proposed Bergstrom Well and Water Treatment Plant is set for Dec. 1. Of the roughly $12.3 million needed for the project, nearly $10 million would be for construction, roughly $1.8 million for professional services, about $499,000 for contingency and $16,000 for legal fees. Not all Bethel taxpayers would bear the cost — only those who get town water, according to Acting First Selectman Rich Straiton, who said there are 3,500 town water users in Bethel. Straiton said their water rates will go up, but it’s not yet known how much as the town is “applying for over $3 million in grants, which will help lower the cost.” The project is part of a 30-year capital improvement plan that the town embarked on after voters rejected a proposal to sell Bethel’s water system to Aquarion in 2013. If approved, construction on the project is expected to start in spring 2023 and take about two years to complete.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Bethel-s-12-3-million-water-treatment-project-17603766.php

Total construction starts jumped 8% in October to a seasonally adjusted rate of $1.12 trillion following two consecutive months of decline, according to a Dodge Construction Network report. Year to date through October, total construction starts posted a 16% gain from 2021. Nonresidential building starts rose 37%, nonbuilding kickoffs jumped 17% and residential commencements remained flat, according to the report. The rebound in starts signals the construction industry “continues to weather the storm of higher inflation rates,” said Richard Branch, chief economist for Dodge, in the report. Nonbuilding construction starts rose 26% in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $277.7 billion. Nonresidential building starts rose 9% in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $480.5 billion.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/total-construction-starts-jump-8-percent-dodge-data/636884/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202022-11-21%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:46161%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive

With air travel gradually ramping up again following the COVID-19 pandemic, Bradley International Airport is turning its sights on another goal: establishing the Windsor Locks-based airfield as a Northeast cargo hub. According to data from the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) — the quasi-public state agency established in 2011 to manage and operate Bradley International Airport and the state’s five other general aviation airports — Bradley’s cargo-related revenues spiked from $6.8 million in fiscal year 2020 to almost $9.4 million in 2021. “We think Bradley is geographically located to serve all of the Northeast as a major distribution point for air cargo coming and going from the region,” said CAA Executive Director Kevin Dillon. “It’s not only an opportunity, but we feel we have a responsibility to try and exploit cargo opportunities at Bradley.” MetroHartford Alliance President and CEO David Griggs said he’s supportive of Bradley ramping up cargo efforts over the next several years. It’s all about increasing Connecticut’s ability to compete with other states and regions, he said.

Bradley International Airport aims to become a Northeast cargo hub

Duane Martin, West Hartford’s director of community development, said in updating the town’s Community Planning and Economic Development Committee on Wednesday that input is still being sought on the plan the town intends to use as a guide for reconstructing West Hartford Center. In August, the town launched the master plan study, which the consulting group Stantec is completing. The town is paying Stantec $400,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to complete the study and plan. Martin said Stantec has provided the town with a variety of ideas for the two roads and requested a specific “technical memorandum” for LaSalle Road, which has been the focus of a variety of opinions from stakeholders. Martin said a second public workshop would likely be held Jan. 9 at the town hall. He anticipates two sessions that day, one in the morning and one in the evening.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/west-hartford-center-master-plan-lasalle-road-17589761.php

The Capital Region Development Authority chose the Camden, N.J.-based firm Michaels Organization over three other bidders, the CRDA has announced. The firm estimates the project would cost $130 million and is asking for $27 million in gap financing and a tax abatement from the city. Michaels was tapped as the developer for the first phase of the plan, which calls for a mixed-use development on a 3-acre parcel of the broader area, near The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts on Capitol Avenue. According to the proposal, Michaels plans more than 300 apartments and 15 townhouses across several buildings. Having been chosen as the preferred developer, Michaels can now move into the planning phase of the project. Michaels proposal indicates it could begin a two-year construction project in about 18 months.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Hartford-Bushnell-south-developer-Michaels-17593287.php