The discovery of indigenous peoples’ artifacts will not significantly delay the start of construction of the Constitution Boulevard extension planned for next month, according to Mayor Mark Lauretti. Lauretti confirmed the discovery of the artifacts on what is known as the Churma property — the site at 55 Blacks Hill Road which was recently condemned by the city. “Archaeologists are dealing with this now,” Lauretti said. “It is causing a little bit of a delay, but I still believe we will be starting next month. The Constitution Boulevard work — on the drawing board for some three decades — is expected to be completed within a year from groundbreaking, Ron Nault of DeCarlo and Doll Architects and Engineers told residents of Cotts Street and Blacks Hill Road, all impacted by the extension of the road into the city-owned Mas property, during an informational meeting Wednesday.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Lauretti-Artifacts-discovery-won-t-delay-start-17358913.php

Demolition company Stamford Wrecking on Monday started knocking down one of at least three buildings that will be removed from the property in the coming months. A future redeveloper will decide whether a fourth building is taken down, said Tommy Hyde, interim director of Waterbury Development Corp. The site will retain the final building that the city spent $2.3 million on to repair its roof last year, he said. His Board of Directors in July approved a $2.5 million contract with Stamford Wrecking for the demolition. O’Leary said he believes the site, once fully remediated, offers the city and future tenant “a beautiful piece of property,” with it abutting the Naugatuck River. The city’s second phase of the Naugatuck River Greenway project will run through the site upon construction, a city document states.

https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2022/08/08/out-with-the-old-demolition-begins-on-blighted-waterbury-buildings/

Three of the city’s public middle schools top the list to next take advantage of the new reimbursement rate for school construction, officials said. Alan Lo, Norwalk’s building and facilities manager, said the city and school district have identified Nathan Hale, Roton and West Rocks middle schools as the next buildings needing to be reconstructed or renovated. The 60 percent reimbursement rate for school construction, approved earlier this year, would benefit either option. To determine the feasibility of construction for two of the middle schools, the Land Use and Building Management committee approved $25,000 for Antinozzi Associates to provide conceptual designs and cost estimates for potential swing space at Roton or West Rocks so education can continue on-site while the existing schools are built new or renovated. Mike Faenza, project manager for Construction Solutions Group, reported to the committee that steel erection will begin in September.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Norwalk-middle-schools-top-list-for-new-17357371.php

City leaders propose to give four properties at the corner of Main and Ann Uccello Streets to a partnership of the nonprofit San Juan Center and apartments developer Carabetta Development LLC. Using these and four privately held properties, the partnership plans a $17.4 million project resulting in 43 apartments and 7,300 square feet of retail space in three buildings. The council is also being asked to grant the development a decade-long tax break. Under it, there would be no taxes for the first three years, with the tax burden rising from 5% of what otherwise would be owed to 12% in the following seven years. This “Arrowhead” project was awarded a $6.3 million state grant. The balance of funds would come from a Capital Region Development Authority loan, private-sector loan, historic tax credits, developer equity and funds allocated to the city from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Hartford City Council considers tax breaks/property giveaways for two developments

The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees Wednesday unanimously approved moving forward with the construction of a new South Campus Residence Hall, which comes with a $215 million price tag. The residence hall – which is expected to be open for occupancy in the fall of 2024 – will have 657 beds and a new 500-seat dining hall. The money to pay for the project will come from three separate bonding sources, the school said. The university said the new residence hall will create much-needed swing space for the university’s housing rehabilitation and replacement program and address a shortage in on-campus, suite-style housing. Each suite in the new residence hall will have two bedrooms and one bathroom. UConn Board of Trustees Chairperson Dan Toscano said this “is the beginning of an overhaul of our housing, which is probably decades overdue. It is actually threatening our competitiveness as a flagship university.”

UConn approves $215M for construction of new residence hall

Murphy told city officials Monday he will provide as much support as possible for an application the city submitted in April seeking $24 million in federal funds from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program. The RAISE application is pending approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation. If approved, the city has committed $6 million for a $30-million project that would fund the second phase of the Naugatuck River Greenway project, West Main Street renovations and repairs, creation of a riverfront park on Jackson Street and installation of electric vehicle charging stations at the Meadow Street train station parking lot.

https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2022/08/01/sen-murphy-makes-stop-in-waterbury-envisions-brighter-future-with-funds/

Centre Square Village, as By Carrier has called the structures, will extend north from the eastern corner of Hope Street and North Main Street, to border the nearby McDonald’s. Although recent plans were changed, city partnership with By Carrier has sought to add an additional floor and the redesigning of buildings to allow for more parking, more apartment space and a further streamlined approach to the proposed building plans in hopes of shortened build time. What was once slated to be a three-building project is now two. Between the two buildings, around 104 apartment units are planned, an increase from the original 88. Buildings will be four stories tall with one fifth story tower on each building as part of a penthouse space. Around 8,260 square feet of retail space will be in each building on the ground floor. Each building will have a total of around 80,400 square feet of space, including the retail spaces. Each building will have 22 one-bedroom units, 22 two-bedroom units and eight three-bedroom units. As part of the new By Carrier development, parking ports and garages are anticipated to be added for resident use.

http://www.bristolpress.com/BP-Bristol+News/407579/centre-square-village-bringing-retail-apartments-along-north-main-street-in-bristol-set-to-break-ground-next-spring

Town Council Chair Kathy Pugliese said that the town has put out RFPs (request for proposals) for remediation work to the former White Oak Construction building at 1& 63 W. Main St., next to the Municipal Center. The town also plans to utilize $100,000 of the $200,000 allocated to the police department from ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding for building enhancements at the police station. Robertson Airport, the public use airport at 62 Johnson Ave., will also see the installation of new weather-related equipment to assist pilots in a $1.465 million project. Pugliese said that $1.3 million, about 90% of this project, will be covered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), $40,000 will be covered by state funding and the town will pay for the remaining $106,000.

http://www.bristolpress.com/BP-Plainville+News/407399/plainville-moving-ahead-with-several-projects

Gov. Ned Lamont, on Monday, announced plans to pump $75 million into the small business program. he State Bond Commission is set Friday to borrow $25 million to fund the state’s brownfield remediation grant program, and another $25 million for a rebooted version of the Small Business Express program. These are among a laundry list of economic development initiatives poised to receive tens-of-millions of dollars in funding on the state’s credit card. The brownfield program allows communities to apply for grants of up to $2 million each to clean up polluted sites for reuse. The new version of Small Business Express, called the Small Business Boost Program, will have a revolving loan fund, a separate revolving fund dedicated to minority business, as well as input from Connecticut-based bankers and Connecticut Innovations Inc. Loans from the minority revolving fund can range from $10,000 to $500,000 with a maximum interest of 4%, with terms of no more than 10 years.

State Bond Commission to inject millions into brownfields, small business and other development priorities

“Just over 13 months after city and state officials joined developer Carter Winstanley to break ground on the 10-story, 500,000-square-foot 101 College Street bioscience lab building, part of the city’s Downtown Crossing project, it’s on time and on budget, with four stories of steel up so far, officials said Tuesday. Downtown Crossing is a city infrastructure project that will create a system of urban boulevards on the former Route 34, aka Oak Street Connector right-of-way. 101 College Street is one of the new buildings being built within that area, and will be home to Arvinas Pharmaceuticals, the Alexion division of AstraZeneca, BioLabs and Yale University, among others.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/New-Haven-s-101-College-Street-On-time-on-17330517.php