There are 56 projects in Connecticut seeking a share in nearly $950 million. And an ambitious expansion plan for Hartford’s Real Art Ways that has been percolating for years could break ground later this year, with a key piece of financing all but assured to fall into place Friday when the commission that oversees state borrowing is expected to approve $4.5 million for the project. The State Bond Commission will convene Friday to consider funding RAW’s expansion, which is one of a half-dozen projects in Hartford backed by the Capital Region Development Authority. Once projects make it onto the bond commission agenda, they are virtually assured of approval. Will K. Wilkins, RAW’s executive director, said Wednesday the arts organization is in the final stages of raising the last $2 million for the project, which could start construction in the fall.

56 CT projects are vying for part of $950M. Major housing projects and an arts venue made the list.

The Mile Creek School renovation and addition is the major part of the Lyme/Old Lyme school district’s facilities project, a $57.5 million endeavor to improve heating, air conditioning and ventilation, handicapped accessibility, security at Center School, Mile Creek School and Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, and to make the buildings comply with fire and building codes. Project documents state the schools haven’t been renovated in at least 20 years; they will accommodate anticipated growth in the student population from 1,300 in 2022 to almost 1,600 by 2031. The work at Mile Creek “is a different story,” according to Superintendent of Schools Ian Neviaser. He said Tuesday classrooms are being added to the rear of the building and the parking lot redone to address traffic concerns on Mile Creek Road during pick-up and drop-off. The parking lot won’t be completely done until the summer of 2026, but will be accessible when school starts Aug. 27, he added.

https://theday.com/news/771936/neighbors-grit-teeth-as-old-lyme-school-construction-hammers-on/

Before they left for their August break, Zoning Board members OK’d a general development plan for tearing down the two remaining St. John’s Towers on Tresser Boulevard and replacing them with 305 affordable apartments. Board members approved lighting, landscaping and a street extension that will allow F.D. Rich Co. to get its building permit and begin constructing a 198-unit residential tower on Broad Street downtown. Board members approved a developer’s plan to convert an old office building on Seaview Avenue in Shippan into a high-end complex of 55 “best in class” condominiums with water views. The draft, released in mid-July, recommends that the city build more housing because of continuing demand. It says the city should encourage development of “accessory dwelling units” – apartments added to single-family properties – by loosening zoning requirements. It recommends that Stamford officials “reduce regulatory barriers” so developers can build more “multiplexes, townhomes, and cluster housing to increase housing choice and affordability.”

Stamford Officials to Vote on Master Plan as Zoning Hums Along

With the state awarding $517,000 to install new trailside amenities, the long-imagined effort to connect Hartford and Windsor along the Connecticut River has taken another step toward becoming a reality. When completed, the Joe Marfuggi Riverwalk will feature a 12-foot-wide, paved multi-modal trail with six scenic overlooks at the river’s edge, connecting the main paved walkway to an existing single-track trail running along the top of the riverbank. The grant, through the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program and the Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program, will be used to add plantings, signage, and benches along the Connecticut River. Zaleski said final permitting is likely to take eight to 12 months and construction is expected to take about six months, with completion within two years.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/riverfront-recapture-state-grant-windsor-hartford-20785836.php

The town is pursuing a proposal to renovate the athletic fields and facilities at Robert E. Fitch High School. The Town Council at its Committee of the Whole on Tuesday voted 7-1, with Councilor Juliette Parker opposed, to recommend the town bond $14.3 million for the design and construction of athletic fields to be voted on at the Aug. 5 Town Council meeting. It would then go the Representative Town Meeting on Aug. 13 and then to voters at a November referendum for final approval. The proposal would include the following Fitch High School facilities: track and field stadium renovation, including a synthetic multi-use field, eight-lane track with throwing and jumping facilities, grandstand with press box, lighting, public restrooms, concessions, ticketing, storage building, and parking and driveway, according to a town document. The $14.3 million in funding is the first of a four-phase, $60 million project to upgrade town and school fields.

https://theday.com/news/769339/groton-council-recommends-town-approve-143m-for-fitch-high-athletic-upgrades/

The Drawn Metal Tube factory at 219 Elm St. is closed and the property is for sale. According to a posting on the Crexi commercial real estate web site, the sale price for the 125-year-old brick structure is $2,250,000. Lewis Brass & Copper Co., based in Middle Village, N.Y., is the property owner and lists it as a warehouse on its website. Company President and Chief Executive Officer Luke Anderson declined to comment for this story. Economic Development Commission Chairman Lissa Jennings said the building has many advantages as it is right off the highway, is in the center town, and walkable to other destinations. In addition, construction is set to being on the town’s portion of the Naugatuck River Greenway on Elm Street. The entire 44-mile trail will extend from Derby to Torrington. Lewis Brass & Copper Co. is “responsible for site investigation and remediation” at the site, which is being conducted under the oversight of a licensed environmental professional, he said.

https://www.ctinsider.com/waterbury/article/thomaston-drawn-metal-tube-factory-for-sale-deep-20780713.php

A trucking company that filed for bankruptcy in 2023 has sold its Southington trucking terminal to a nearby construction company for $2.8 million. Allan R. Heinke, president of Mohawk Northeast, is also principal of a limited liability company that bought a trucking terminal property from Kansas-based New Penn Motor Express LLC through a deed recorded by the town on July 11. The trucking company filed for bankruptcy in 2023. Mohawk’s headquarters at 170 Canal St. include two warehouse buildings totaling 46,776 square feet on a 4.7-acre property. The property Heinke recently acquired includes a 19,972-square-foot, 1986-vintage truck terminal building with 14-foot wall heights on 5.3 acres.

https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/2-8m-property-buy-gives-southington-construction-company-room-to-grow/

Elissa Bass, a homeowner in Stonington, is raising the alarm over revised proposals by the Connecticut Department of Transportation to replace a major bridge into the borough. The bridge construction, which is in its early stages, proposes replacing a large portion of the bridge deemed structurally unsafe and increasing the clearance height for traffic and for trains to current height requirements. The bridge was built in 1940 and state transportation officials say it hasn’t had major work performed on it since 1991-1993. The cost of the project is estimated currently at $48 million, with 80% of that figure being funded federally, the town of Stonington covering $1.2 million and the balance covered by the state. Asked about the apparent discrepancy, Josh Morgan, a spokesperson for the department, said the changes were in response to a request by local officials. He said the project is still in the preliminary design phase with final design for the project expected in Spring 2027, saying the timeline allows for plenty of public comment and input.

https://ctexaminer.com/2025/07/23/change-in-plans-for-stonington-bridge-could-threaten-local-homes-and-businesses/

Speakers at a hearing on an application for a solar farm on West Hill Road say wildlife living in a core forest area may have to move for the solar, but the impact to the overall forest will be minimal. During Tuesday’s Siting Council hearing, City Council members and attorneys discussed the application by Lodestar Energy to develop a 3-megawatt ground-mounted solar photovoltaic electric generating facility on 41 acres on West Hill Road. The public was not invited to speak Tuesday. In February, the Siting Council granted approval for Lodestar to put in a 3-megawatt solar farm next door to Country Woods Condominiums on Lovers Lane. The city also objected to that application but did not become an intervener in the process. A solar farm is also going up at the former landfill and there are two other solar farms in the city, Carbone said.

https://www.registercitizen.com/waterbury/article/torrington-solar-farm-west-hill-lodestar-energy-20778483.php

With the addition of a $950,000 grant for brownfields remediation, a Fair Haven redevelopment project that will be called Oyster Harbor Village closer to having its floating market along the river and more housing. The funding, awarded last month by the state Department of Economic and Community Development, will be used for demolition and remediation of several long-blighted industrial buildings and contaminated soil at 185, 212 and 213 Front Street in the Fair Haven neighborhood on the banks of the Quinnipiac River. The $35 million multi-phase project will take about three years to complete, officials said. Bekhrad was joined at the property by city and state officials to celebrate the grant that will allow the city to continue remediation and other environmental work that has been going on since 2005.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/new-haven-oyster-harbor-village-river-project-20782080.php