In a news release, Ørsted and Eversource, the energy companies behind Revolution Wind, said the research will be funded by a $1.25 million grant they awarded to the aquarium last year. Through the partnership, aquarium scientists will investigate marine mammal strandings before and after construction and operation of offshore wind farms; develop technology to assess the physiological response to offshore wind power systems; and tag and track seals and sea turtles. Mystic Aquarium is ideally suited to investigate the relationship between marine life and offshore wind energy infrastructure, given its ability to compare animals under its care to those in the wild that become stranded and are rehabilitated by its Animal Rescue Program, the news release said.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20221129/orsted-eversource-to-partner-with-mystic-aquarium-to-study-offshore-winds-impact-on-marine-life/

With a small turnout and divided opinions at the town meeting Monday night, there was no clear signal of how Farmington will vote at next week’s referendum on budgeting another $9.4 million for the new high school. Either way, it became clear in October that Farmington cannot replace its high school for $135.6 million, the figure that was forecast in early 2021. Instead, building the 239,000-square-foot school will cost nearly $6 million more. The town is asking voters on Dec. 8 to appropriate another $9.7 million for the project. The new money wouldn’t come from Farmington’s budget. The state awarded an unexpected $14 million in additional aid since the 2021 referendum. Project planners said the October construction bids will lock in the price of actually building the 239,000-square-foot school. Buying furniture, equipment, and plumbing and electrical fixtures will be done later, but there’s a contingency to cover cost increases for that, they said.

https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-connecticut-farmington-town-meeting-20221130-3scw7uwqebf2pkl4llci34vwxi-story.html

The first in a series of new committee assignments at the General Assembly will come Wednesday when House Speaker Matt Ritter names Rep. Maria Horn, D-Salisbury, as co-chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. At least seven legislative committees will get new co-chairs in the term that begins Jan. 4, including one of the more challenging assignments, co-chair of the Energy and Technology Committee. Unlike Congress, all committees of the Connecticut General Assembly are joint committees with House and Senate co-chairs and rank-and-file members. Ritter and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, the choices of the House Democratic majority to continue as leaders, announced two returning co-chairs Tuesday: Rep. Roland Lemar of New Haven at Transportation and Rep. Steve Stafstrom of Bridgeport at Judiciary.

At least 7 CT General Assembly committees to get new leadership

The press conference formalized what has been set for months: Giulietti will step down as commissioner in December, and Lamont intends to nominate his well-regarded deputy, Eucalitto, to run ConnDOT at a crucial juncture for the rebuilding of highways and mass transit in America. Federal transportation funding is at an all-time high, available to Connecticut under formula and competitive grants. Virtually all of the state’s rail improvement priorities were included in the $24 billion in funding approved for the Northeast rail corridor. But the DOT’s engineering ranks are understaffed, the state must provide matching funds, and the construction industry long has complained that Connecticut moves too slowly on infrastructure. Historically, hiring has been slowed by the involvement of two other agencies, the Department of Administrative Services and the Office of Policy and Management. Eucalitto said the process has improved, with DAS quickly posting job openings.

CT Department of Transportation to get a new leader

The city has acquired a 24-acre hilltop on the west side, moving forward its ambitious plans to open the first career academy of its kind in Connecticut by 2024, and provide badly needed classrooms for a student enrollment that has outpaced projections. Danbury closed on the Apple Ridge Road property formerly used by Cartus Corp. on Tuesday afternoon and rezoned the light industrial campus into residential zoning on Tuesday night, clearing the way for the city to take the next step for the $164 million project. The state has agreed to reimburse Danbury for 80 percent of its classroom construction costs. The new career academy would overlook a west side that continues to lead Danbury’s economy with large-scale residential development and new business activity. To get the academy plans off the ground, the city needed to revert to the zoning that was in place 40 years ago when the biggest thing on the west side was the Danbury Fair.

https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Danbury-moves-ahead-with-very-exciting-17606829.php

The Zoning Commission on Nov. 16 approved text changes to the land use regulations that creates a special development district for a “combined working, service, shopping, retial, restaurant/dining, entertainment, recreation, residential, hotel, medical, technology, industry, educational, energy creation, office and other compatible uses in a coordinated environment.” The text change has an effective date of Dec. 5. The commission also accepted a special permit application and set a hearing for Dec. 14 at Town Hall for the proposed mixed use residential and commercial development for Parcel B. While those two projects begin to move ahead, the borough is spending its American Rescue Plan Act money to redo the infrastructure by bringing in all new sanitary sewers and storm water systems and the complete rebuild of Maple and Church streets, Hess said. Pennrose Developer and Project Manager Karmen Cheung said the Parcel B development will be divided into three phases with 60 units for each. Developers plan for in the range of high 70s of parking spaces per 60 units. The parking lot will be located between the proposed building and the train station.

https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2022/11/27/zone-change-spurs-progress/

Architect Frank Prial Jr. walked the Planning & Zoning Commission through the proposed reconstruction of Greenwich Plaza at Railroad Avenue and spelled out the new look planned for the key gateway to Greenwich. A major redesign of the exterior and interior of the Greenwich train station would be carried out, including new and improved pedestrian access, as part of the project, he said. The train station itself, Prial said, would be given a new glass facade with a large clock in the center and an extended canopy over the sidewalk, a design reminiscent of railway stations in Europe, the architect said. The Ashforth Co. owns the site and is seeking approval for the new construction at the complex in the center of downtown. A vote on whether to approve the plan could come at a later meeting after another session with the architecture committee.

https://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/New-look-planned-for-Greenwich-Plaza-and-train-17606425.php

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