Recent U.S. Census Bureau data shows that 18% of Norwalk’s residents identify solely as Black; recent data from the city shows that over a fifth of the residents of District B, comprising South Norwalk, identify as Black. The voting district has the highest proportion of Black residents in the city, according to the data. Restoring a sense of community to South Norwalk with the $15.5 million renovation project funded by federal, state and city dollars is crucial, officials said — especially with the rapid development that bolsters South Norwalk. The new community center will reinvigorate the generational community in South Norwalk, officials said. It is slated to open in the early spring of 2026, according to Robert Stowers, recreation and parks director.The project is funded by about $2 million from the U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development; $1.2 million in state economic and community development funds; and about $12.3 million of Norwalk’s American Rescue Plan Act dollars, according to the city’s Building and Facilities Manager Alan Lo.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/south-norwalk-recreation-center-gentrification-20185210.php

Although phase one of the plans for the senior center is in motion, the city is still looking for funding to start phase two once phase one is completed, said Meriden City Manager Brian Daniels. Recently, the committee designated 116 Cook Ave. as the site for the new senior center. However, before construction can begin, the existing structures on the property must be demolished, and necessary site preparations must be completed to prevent flooding. Phase one of the project involves the removal and reconstruction of the Hanover Street Bridge and Butler Street Bridge, with completion expected by spring 2027. The project is backed by $16.8 million in funding, and LaRosa Construction began working in October.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/recordjournal/article/meriden-cook-avenue-flood-senior-center-funding-20185066.php

The state Department of Transportation is developing plans to improve the Wilbur Cross Parkway and Whitney Avenue interchange at exit 61, it announced in a press release. The project, designed to reduce crashes on the parkway and improve accessibility on Whitney Avenue in Hamden, is the extension of a plan set in motion more than 15 years ago to modernize the scenic highway, also called Route 15, and prevent rear-end crashes. The DOT said in the press release that the project would reduce crashes, provide “operational improvements” to the Route 15 interchange and “improve mobility” for everyone who travels on Whitney Avenue.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/hamden-wilbur-cross-route-15-project-stop-signs-20189657.php

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is up for another busy year repairing state roads and bridges. And that means motorists need to know: There are 532 active capital projects planned for this year to be aware of while traveling on state highways, bridges and roads. There are currently 181 in construction, 185 in planning, 110 in final design, 40 in predesign and 16 in contract processing, according to DOT. Among the multi-year projects are the largest in the state continuing this year: the East Lyme Interstate-95 Interchange 74 Improvements at Route 161, the I-91/I-691/Route 15 Interchange Project that spans Meriden and Middletown as well as the Norwalk Bridge Transmission Relocation Project in Norwalk.

Get ready for traffic jams: CT DOT has 532 active capital projects this year. See where they are.

Gov. Ned Lamont and legislative leaders reached a compromise Wednesday that returns his embattled nominee Marissa Gillett to chairmanship of a restructured Public Utility Regulatory Authority that will expand to five commissioners and move out of the executive branch. Under the deal, which could cool off what was expected to be a fiery Gillett confirmation hearing Thursday, Lamont gets a PURA chairman whose chances of clearing the legislature looked unlikely Wednesday morning. Legislative leaders get a redesigned state regulatory agency with more diversity of perspectives and on which the chairman’s power is diluted. Under the compromise deal, the two additional PURA appointees are expected to be John Fonfara and Holly Cheeseman, veteran lawmakers with long experience on the Legislature’s Energy and Technology Committee, which has oversight over energy and utility regulation.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ct-legislature-lamont-reach-11th-hour-compromise-to-expand-restructure-pura/ar-AA1zoYz5?ocid=BingNewsVerp&cvid=99bf6d9b85804484d502544b6116c46b&ei=15

A Vernon builder is proposing an age-restricted housing development in South Windsor that would include 44 single-family houses and three duplexes. Kenneth J. Boynton, president of Boynton Construction, in January applied to the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission for a zoning exemption and site plan approval for his “Orchard Pointe” senior residence development at 186 Foster St. The development would be restricted to owners ages 55 and above. The town’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission signed off on the plan on Feb. 5. It is tentatively scheduled to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission on Feb. 25. The development would be a planned community with underlying land, roadways, common areas and a community building owned by a homeowners association, according to Boynton’s application. It would also be served by public sewer and water.

‘55-and-older’ community proposed in South Windsor

About $30.5 million in already approved funds has been locked by the Trump administration’s freeze on grants and programs related to climate change and diversity, officials said. That money is set to update heating systems, facilitate public housing development and provide job training for some of the city’s neediest residents, officials said. But the city received the first sign of relief when funds for a $9.5 million geothermal project beneath Union Square, including both Union Station and a proposed apartment complex the Housing Authority of New Haven wants to build on the former site of the demolished Church Street South apartments, were released around 3 p.m. Tuesday, a key official said.

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/new-haven-grants-locked-trump-climate-change-dei-20173821.php

A Florida-based company is proposing a new 200,000-square-foot warehouse in South Windsor. Vero Beach, Florida-based Altatwo Realty Co. LLC is proposing to build the warehouse, along with associated parking, trailer spaces and a new freight rail spur on a 16-acre wooded property at 250 Rye St. An application was filed with South Windsor’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission in January. The location of the proposed warehouse is a short distance from Route 5, in an area heavily developed with existing warehouses and logistics buildings. The warehouse at 300 Rye St. is owned by Alta Realty Co., a company that, according to state records, shares its address with the limited liability company that owns 250 Rye St. Alta Realty’s principal is The Tenny Group.

200,000-square-foot warehouse proposed in South Windsor

The Board of Mayor and Burgesses has voted to discontinue a portion of Water Street to make way for the proposed new train station. Water Street is divided mainly by Maple Street. The section of Water Street from Trinity Health of New England Urgent Care to the Post Office recently was converted to a one-way to help with traffic. The rest of that portion of Water Street that runs past The Station Restaurant all the way to Millville Avenue and Church Street is one-way. The state Department of Transportation was expected to open bids in the beginning of February for the construction of the train station and platform. The current train station is next to The Station Restaurant down the street at 195 Water St.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/waterbury/article/naugatuck-parcelb-trainstation-20174013.php

A new rehab hospital that planned to open this spring on the city’s west side has requested a six-month extension due to what it called “extenuating circumstances not entirely within” its control that pushed back the project’s expected construction completion date. Encompass Health is building the 40-bed, $39 million facility, the greater Danbury region’s first rehabilitation hospital, on a 13-acre site located in the Reserve, near the New York border. The hospital stated in a Jan. 28 application to the state Office of Health Strategy that the extension of time was needed because the project required “extensive sitework” before construction could begin on the building itself. OHS originally approved Encompass’s Certificate of Need application in April 2023, nearly three years after the hospital submitted its application. Encompass purchased the 13-acre Reserve property in March 2023. The city gave the project a local approval in 2021.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/danbury-rehab-ct-hospital-encompass-ohs-20167896.php