The city wants to sell 17.3 acres to Amazon as the e-commerce giant moves ahead with its plan to build a massive distribution center in the South End. The city will hold an April 21 hearing on its proposal to sell the undeveloped property at 305 Great Hill Road and 0 Sheridan Drive to Amazon.com Services LLC for $325,000. Most residents who spoke at a hearing last fall were against Amazon’s plan to build a 650,000-square-foot distribution center in the industrial park on land straddling the Waterbury-Naugatuck town line. Project developer Bluewater Property Group has proposed a 650,000-square-foot, 106-foot tall, multi-floor retail distribution center on the Naugatuck -Waterbury line in the area of 0 Great Hill Road and 0 Sheridan Drive on about 183 acres. It’s divided up to about 114 acres in the city and roughly 69 acres in the borough. Bluewater Property Group Vice President Christina Bernard told residents at that fall hearing the distribution center will operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year and would create 500 to 1,000 permanent jobs. She said the project would create 300 jobs during the construction, estimated to take about 24 to 30 months.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/waterbury/article/amazon-distribution-center-waterbury-naugatuck-ct-20250735.php

A multinational electrical equipment manufacturer that made headlines in February with $10 million plans to expand its westside headquarters has withdrawn its application to a city land use commission in order to redesign the blueprints. The 200,000-square-foot Danbury plant, which Belimo built on 34 hilltop acres in 2014, serves as the headquarters for its operations in Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States. Whether the Switzerland-based company comes back with an expansion plan similar to the 33,000-square-foot warehouse addition Belimo proposed in February remains to be seen. As far as Danbury City Hall is concerned, leaders say they “fully expect” Belimo to reapply for expansion permission. “Belimo is committed to ensuring that their expansion here in Danbury lays the foundation for long-term success and accommodates all their needs,” said Farly Santos, Mayor Roberto Alves’ economic and community development adviser. “Mayor Alves and his administration stand ready to support their growth, fostering continued prosperity for both Belimo and our community.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/belimo-drops-10m-expansion-danbury-alternative-20254525.php

In East Lyme, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has undertaken a major construction project at Exit 74 where the interstate travels over Route 161. The project will improve sightlines, make the road safer for travelers and ease congestion. CTDOT plans to have the project completed by 2027 at the cost of nearly $150 million. By the completion of the project, I-95 northbound and southbound will have a new look. The northbound and southbound lanes will be raised approximately 14 ft. from their original position on the west side of Route 161 and cut approximately 10 ft. on the east side. Contractors are achieving these changes through the construction of temporary earth retaining systems (TERS). Manafort Brothers was the general contractor for the project and worked closely with additional contractors on the job. As the 2025 construction season opens, workers will shift traffic onto the recently constructed travel lanes and over Route 161. An additional TERS will be constructed closer to the southbound traffic.

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/retaining-walls-earthwork-enable-dot-to-raise-section-of-i-95-in-conn/67671

Legislators renewed an effort in the current session to require reports on the impact of large data centers on local power grids, following a company’s proposal to build a large center next to the Millstone Power Station in Waterford. Rhode Island-based NE Edge proposes to build a pair of data centers totaling 1.2 million square feet on the Millstone property, a location that lets them buy power directly from the nuclear power plant and reducing the center’s energy costs. Requiring impact studies, state Rep. Nick Menapace, D-East Lyme, said Monday, is the first step to more effective legislation regulating the amount of energy and water large data centers consume. Menapace introduced the bill along with state Sen. Martha Marx, D-New London, and state Rep. Nick Gauthier, D-Waterford. Last year, a similar bill drafted in response to the Millstone plan failed to gain approval. Susan Adams, state policy director for Millstone, said Tuesday that there is continued interest in data centers.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/legislature-makes-another-effort-study-003500649.html

The budget to build a new Westhill High School has been reduced by $15 million, but school and local officials now need the state General Assembly to give the project the green light. Director of Operations Matthew Quinones said savings were found by reducing the size of the proposed building by roughly 10,000 gross square feet, among other adjustments. The plan to rebuild the city’s largest high school had previously received state approval in 2022 for an 80% reimbursement rate for eligible costs, meaning the city would be on the hook for the rest. The estimated budget at the time, however, was $301 million. That amount ballooned to $461 million by 2024, mostly due to inflation. The most recent estimate for the work — which would tear down the 1971 building and construct a brand new building — is $446 million. The figure was presented at a School Construction Planning Committee meeting on March 25. Assuming all goes well, the project could go out to bid between November and January of 2026, at which point the city will receive a “guaranteed maximum price,” which will need to be approved by both the Board of Finance and Board of Representatives.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/stamford-westhill-high-school-20244129.php

The West Hartford project is expected to “create a more efficient, pedestrian-friendly, and visually appealing environment,” according to the town. “The work will include roadway resurfacing, new granite curbing, widened concrete sidewalks, decorative street lighting, traffic signal modifications, landscaping with engineered tree pits, raised crosswalks, and site furniture/amenities.” Additionally, trees in poor condition will be replaced by native species using eco-friendly soil cell technology, and shrubbery will be planted to improve the cityscape, according to the town. Businesses will remain open through construction, according to a statement. The project is expected to maintain pedestrian access and keep traffic moving smoothly.

CT town begins ‘major infrastructure project’ in center. Here’s what to expect

The town’s harbor managers are welcoming a private developer’s $40 million dredging project to remove decades-old toxins from the Housatonic River —- but they want to know what comes next once the cleanup is complete. As part of a $100 million-plus plan to revitalize the historic former Stratford Army Engine Plant site, dredging will begin in May to remove 233,000 tons of PCB-contaminated sediment and restore tidal flats near the plant’s 550 Main St. site, developer Jim Cabrera of Point Stratford Renewal LLC said during a presentation at Baldwin Center on Monday. Point Stratford, a group of developers selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2012 to redevelop the 77-acre property, purchased the site for $1 last year. Raymond Frigon, director of the Remediation Division of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the restoration of the tidal flats, located on the former plant’s east and west bays, is “a massive undertaking.” Point Stratford is allowing the U.S. Department of Defense and the Army to use the plant site for remediation work and is helping the Army manage the project. Both selected Entact, an Illinois-based site-remediation specialist, through a competitive bidding process.

Major Cleanup at Stratford Army Plant Site Raises Questions About Future Use

Construction on the railroad bridge over Strawberry Hill Avenue in Norwalk is set to begin Saturday, closing a portion of the road until later this year, state Department of Transportation officials said. The bridge, which supports four tracks used by Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak trains, was built in 1890, and the improvement project is meant to reduce commuter travel times, according to the DOT. “The Strawberry Hill Avenue Railroad Bridge project replaces the existing bridge superstructure and updates the supporting structure underneath while maintaining the current vertical and horizontal clearances,” a news release from the DOT said. The construction will start with the demolition of the superstructure, according to the DOT, and work on the south side of the bridge is expected to start in 2026.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/norwalk-ct-strawberry-hill-roads-closed-bridge-20238810.php

Just four weeks ago, Granby filed suit against the council for authorizing Key Capture Energy’s plan for a 5-megawatt battery energy storage facility not far from the Salmon Brook; the town contends the council didn’t give enough weight to evidence of environmental and safety hazards. So far, court appeals against the Siting Council have a poor record of success. The courts have mostly ruled upheld the council’s decisions, noting that state law deliberately designed it to make decisions in the best interest of all Connecticut power customers and utility users — with freedom from obeying preferences of neighbors or the local community. But state lawmakers have been looking for ways to give citizens and communities more of a voice in the decisions, and are focusing efforts this spring on Senate Bill 78. It would require the Siting Council to include a representative from the community where a proposed facility would be located; the mayor or first selectman would be responsible for appointing that person. The local representative wouldn’t get a vote, but could deliberate with the council’s voting members. Currently the council is made up of a representative from the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, a designee from the state House speaker and another from the Senate president, and five public members appointed by the governor.

Big solar array in small CT town illustrates contention over Siting Council

Norwich Public Utilities is upgrading its natural gas infrastructure with a $20.9 million project, according to a community announcement. The initiative aims to replace over nine miles of aging cast iron gas mains with high-density polyethylene ones. NPU was awarded $10 million from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in 2023, followed by an additional $10.9 million in April 2024. These grants will accelerate 25 years of capital improvements into a five-year plan. Work for 2025 has started on Franklin Street and McKinley Avenue. Main installation will continue on these streets until early April, after which NPU will work along North Main Street and 4th Street. Once this phase is complete, crews will move to the area near Norwich Free Academy, including Rockwell and Crescent streets. This work is scheduled for the summer to minimize traffic disruptions.

https://www.norwichbulletin.com/story/news/local/2025/03/27/norwich-public-utilities-ct-kicks-off-upgrade-of-natural-gas-infrastructure-roads-affected/82672351007/?tbref=hp