A handful of subcontractors on a high-profile, partially publicly subsidized upper-scale apartment project along the city’s harbor have been fined a total of $160,500 and given stop-work orders for breaking state labor laws. The long-awaited development is the first phase of a proposed 1,500 units funded in part with a 12-year municipal tax break. State government also provided a $20 million low interest loan in exchange for 160 of the initial 420-units being designated as lower-cost “workforce housing” as well as nearly $1 million for the complicated environmental cleanup of the property. In late November, Connecticut’s Wage and Workplace Standards Division ordered five of the companies on-site — all but one from New York or New Jersey — to halt construction for misclassifying laborers and failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/steelpointe-bridgeport-labor-20011027.php

A $115 million development project to transform the former Showcase Cinemas property nestled between Silver Lane and Interstate 84 has been delayed by more than a year. Developer Brian Zelman, who has partnered with developer Avner Krohn on the project, said Monday that the last hurdle was the East Hartford Town Council’s approval last month of a long-term agreement that will allow them to close on the property. The other major challenge, Zelman said, was the complicated nature of conditions tied to the use of public funds. The town and state have invested a combined $10 million into the development of the project so far, not counting the $6 million the town spent to acquire the property. Ultimately, the conduit for addressing those burdens was having the Connecticut Regional Development Authority oversee the expenditure of $7 million in state grants. Marissa Baum, spokeswoman for the town, confirmed that a groundbreaking is on track to happen when construction season begins.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/east-hartford-concourse-park-showcase-cinemas-20020698.php

The Land Use Department has received a letter from Lodestar Energy stating its intent to submit an application for a 3-megawatt solar farm on West Hill Road to the Connecticut Siting Council this month. The Planning and Zoning Commission will briefly discuss the matter at its meeting Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. but will likely not get too deeply into the topic as there is no application yet, City Planner Jeremy Leifert said. He expects the solar farm will come up for a more lengthy discussion on Feb. 12. According to the letter, 19.6 acres of trees would be cleared for the solar array. Carbone has stated the three solar farms in varying stages in Torrington are plenty for the city. Save for a minor site plan approval, most of the other matters on the PZC’s agenda are scheduling public hearings for the two meetings next month, Leifert said.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2025/01/13/solar-farm-may-be-headed-to-torrington/

Grants announced Monday include $11.6 million to increase weekday round-trip service to and from Union Station in downtown Hartford, including more stops in a renovated Windsor Locks station and $2.4 million to study street-level train crossings along the Danbury Branch line that links Norwalk to Danbury. Eucalitto said the added trains will make it easier for commuters to plan, particularly on the Hartford line, which had record ridership in 2024. “We are a rail state, probably more than any other state in the country and we continue to rely on passenger rail to make our economy move,” he said. Mark Boughton, the state commissioner of Revenue Services who has been designated by Lamont as a transportation czar, said that when the federal infrastructure law was first enacted, the state estimated about $6 billion in federal support. As Biden leaves next week, Connecticut has received $9.6 billion in support in a variety of areas, including public health, he said. Under Eucalitto, 200 state bridges have been replaced under the program.

https://www-thehour-com.translate.goog/politics/article/ct-railroad-grants-new-trains-safer-crossings-20031347.php?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=TheHourNews&utm_campaign=twsocialflow&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_hist=true

Some of the last federal transportation dollars to be distributed by the administration of President Joe Biden are going to Connecticut to expand rail service in the corridor from New Haven to Hartford and Springfield. State and federal officials announced the $11.6 million in funding Monday at Union Station in Hartford, one of the stops on the CTrail Hartford Line service that launched in 2018 and has grown to 750,000 annual passenger trips. The federal grant will be matched by about $13.4 million in state funding. One of the busiest commuter lines in the U.S. is Metro-North, which connects Fairfield County to New York City. Maintenance backlogs and outdated bridges have forced lower speeds on rails used by Metro-North and Amtrak. “We are a rail state, probably more than any other state in the country, and we continue to rely on passenger rail to make our economy move,” said Garrett Eucalitto, the state commissioner of transportation.

The last money train out of D.C. under Biden has $11.6M for CT

Democratic lawmakers proclaimed housing one of their top priorities Monday, though they offered few details on what specific policies they intend to propose. Lawmakers cited an array of stats underlining Connecticut’s housing crisis: The state is short an estimated 86,000 units, its vacancy rate is among the lowest in the country, housing prices continue to rise, and the average tenants pay nearly a third of their income on rent. Leaders in both chambers have introduced legislation aimed broadly at increasing housing options but have yet to fill in details of what exactly the bills will do. Pressed for specifics Monday, they emphasized that the session has just begun and said they’ve been meeting with housing advocates to decide where to focus. At the news conference Monday, Democratic lawmakers also discussed priorities around education, including proposals to increase funding for special education statewide.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/politics/article/connecticut-housing-democrats-zoning-renters-20031113.php

General Dynamics Electric Boat has acquired land for a big new warehouse in eastern Connecticut to support submarine construction at its Groton shipyard, as the U.S. Navy continues to signal plans for a major expansion of the fleet. On Jan. 2, Electric Boat completed the $5.5 million purchase of a 55-acre commercial property just off Interstate 95 in North Stonington from a real estate affiliate of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which operates the nearby Foxwoods Resort Casino, according to town records. Electric Boat plans to build a 480,000-square-foot warehouse at the 45 Frontage Road property, equating to about eight football fields in total space. Columbia hull sections are being fabricated at an auxiliary Electric Boat shipyard in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, then barged to Groton for final assembly in a new building for Columbia subs on the Thames River.

https://www.nhregister.com/business/article/ct-electric-boat-groton-stonington-warehouse-20031330.php

After falling short twice in recent years, the redevelopment of Halls Road took a significant – and likely decisive – step forward after winning the approval of the town’s Planning Commission on Thursday. Members of the Planning Commission voted unanimously that the proposed zoning overlay was consistent with Old Lyme’s Plan of Conservation and Development. The proposal passed on Thursday, would allow – but not require – housing developments to be built along Halls Road, as long as they adhere to guidelines that include limited setbacks, first-floor commercial space and colonial-style design. A public hearing of the Zoning Commission will be held next Monday, and will consider the latest proposal, which includes some, but not all, of the changes that members of the commission agreed on before voting 3-2 in favor of the proposal – one vote short of the needed supermajority.

Halls Road Redevelopment in Old Lyme Takes a Big Step Forward

The lot at West Park Place, facing Columbus Park, is a remnant of 1960s urban renewal. The diner won a court battle over government attempts to take its property by eminent domain. Now ringed by tall buildings, it soon may have another one next door. The Stamford Zoning Board is considering a proposal from Tullamore LLC, an affiliate of Wellbuilt, a Greenwich company, to build a 10-story, 99-room extended-stay hotel at 0 West Park Place. A hotel can be built there only because the city recently eased parking requirements for downtown lots smaller than 25,000 square feet, as long as the lot is within 1,200 feet of a parking facility that is open 24 hours a day.

Stamford Considers Hotel for 0 West Park Place

For Mayor Roberto Alves, a multimillion-dollar project to improve downtown’s walkability is just one small piece of the puzzle to creating a revitalized city center. The city’s ongoing streetscape project could be that injection. It will enter its second phase, installing redesigned sidewalks, new landscaping and other features along the intersection of Main, West and Liberty streets, in particular. The project gets a reboot after it was delayed by state permitting. And it comes with an increased price tag. Leaders now expect the second phase previously estimated to cost $13.2 million to cost more than $17 million. The project, whose official title is the Downtown Danbury TOD Streetscape Renaissance Project, “is a key part of revitalizing the city’s urban core,” Albakry said.

https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/danbury-downtown-streetscape-cost-phase-two-19986613.php