Two 16-story towers containing 470 apartments and 28,000 square feet of retail and commercial space are now slated to be built next to Union Station, per the governor’s announcement Wednesday of a major new transit-oriented development. According to the governor’s press release, the $316.1 million project will be led by Gilbane Development Company and MURAL Real Estate Partners. Construction will unfold in two phases. The first, scheduled to begin in late 2026 and finish in early 2028, will include 280 units and 393,000 square feet of development. The second phase is slated to begin in August 2029 and wrap up by November 2031, delivering the remaining 190 units and 286,000 square feet. At Wednesday’s presser, Elicker said that 20 percent of the new apartments will be reserved for households making no more than 50 percent of the area median income (AMI), which currently is around $45,500 for a two-person household. Elicker said an additional 5 percent of the new apartments will be reserved for those earning up to 80 percent AMI, which currently translates to $72,800 for a family of two.

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/316m_union_station_tod_revealed

The renovation and expansion project will enable to magnet school to expand its unique language immersion program through grade 8 as originally planned. The deadline to apply for state grant that is expected to pay nearly 80% of the $37 million cost is June 30. The Clemente project must make the annual school construction priority list that will be forwarded to the state legislature in late December for consideration in the 2026 legislative session. The redesigned plan proposes to renovate and build additions to the existing school building and rehabilitate a vacant convent building abutting the rear of the school building and connect the two buildings through a corridor. School officials said state reimbursements could cover up to 80% of the revised $37 million project cost based on initial consultations with state officials. The cost to the city would be $7.8 million.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/waterbury/article/waterbury-ct-roberto-clemente-dual-language-school-20391143.php

“A lot of the congestion on Mill Plain Road is bypass traffic,” said Neil Patel, principal engineer for the costly and long-term I-84 improvement project. “With the improvements of the dynamic lane, we’ll see a (reduction) of that (bypass) traffic.” By “dynamic lane” Patel is referring to a $200 million plan that could begin construction in early 2028 to allow driving on the inside shoulder of I-84 between exits 3 and 7 during highway backups. The shoulder lane, which would revert to a shoulder once the congestion cleared up, is among a handful of short-term projects to ease highway backups and related traffic jams at city exits that will be discussed during a meeting on Thursday in Danbury. The DOT’s overall plan to straighten and widen I-84 is still a decade away from beginning construction and is expected to cost between $3 billion and $4 billion. The expected completion date is in the 2040s.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/danbury-i84-shoulder-lane-mill-plain-road-traffic-20389415.php

The state has selected developers to create a new transit-oriented, mixed-use community adjacent to New Haven’s Union Station, and says it’s actively pursuing another project in Stamford. The $316.1 million New Haven project will convert underused state-owned land at Union Station into a development anchored by two, 16-story towers housing 470 new apartments, including 118 affordable units. Gilbane Development Company and MURAL Real Estate Partners have been selected to lead the project. The first phase of construction is scheduled to begin in late 2026 and be completed by early 2028. The second phase will start in August 2029, and wrap up by November 2031. In addition to the New Haven site, the Connecticut Department of Transportation will issue a request for proposals this summer for another transit-oriented development project in Stamford.

Developers chosen for $316.1M mixed-use redevelopment at New Haven’s Union Station

A Connecticut salvage yard with a connection to Nascar racing has proposed building a two-story recycling center on its property. The building’s first floor will house an area for receiving, processing and shipping metal materials, a garage and welding area for business maintenance, offices and restrooms. It will also include a “museum” space to display the LaJoie family’s racing collection and memorabilia. LaJoie’s, doing business as D&R Inc. of Norwalk and DLJ Associates, recycles vehicles and other metal products for reuse by the building trades and other industries. Plans also call for demolishing a metal building along the southern boundary of the property. The property currently has a 5,800-square-foot commercial/industrial building and other structures, including storage bays for recycled projects and an automobile crusher.

CT salvage yard with ties to Nascar proposes 36,000-sq-ft recycling center

Earlier this month, Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration announced the area Metropolitan Council of Governments (MetroCOG), in collaboration with the city and Trust for Public Land, is receiving those funds to design a continuous pathway with more spots providing direct access to the channel. The route would run from Waterview Park, situated at Crescent and Waterview avenues, down to where Waterview and Stratford avenues intersect at the Steelpointe harbor front redevelopment. “The waterfront pathway is no pipe dream,” said Vincent Mobilio, senior economic development associate for Bridgeport, who helped obtain the $200,000 in state aid. The city is also promoting its “Waterfront Wednesdays” initiative, encouraging participation in several outdoor events like birding, skating and painting at shoreline venues, including Waterview Park.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/bridgeport-waterfront-access-grant-yellow-mill-20383713.php

The federal government on Monday released a “record of decision” for construction of a new courthouse on Allyn Street in downtown Hartford, which marks the final step in a two-year environmental review process. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has selected the 2.2-acre site at 154 Allyn St., now a surface parking lot, situated between Union Station and the XL Center. GSA will begin soliciting bids for design and construction this summer, according to Monday’s announcement. The new courthouse on Allyn Street will span 281,000 square feet and contain 11 courtrooms and 18 judges’ chambers. It will have offices for other federal agencies and a secure two-level underground parking garage.

New federal courthouse in Hartford gets green light, enters design phase

The wind turbine installation vessel Wind Scylla, hoisted out of the water on towering structures downriver from New London Union Station, is undergoing repairs at State Pier, according to Paul Whitescarver, executive director for the Southeastern CT Enterprise Region and chairman of the CT Port Authority Board of Directors. Whitescarver said the repairs are minor. It’s the second time the ship has docked at the pier for repairs. It is unclear how long the ship will be here. The vessel is being used to help construct three offshore wind farms, South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind. Scylla is owned by Cadeler, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based company that has a contract with energy company Ørsted. The Revolution Wind project is a joint venture of Ørsted and Eversource.

https://theday.com/news/757998/massive-offshore-wind-ship-getting-repaired-in-new-london/

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday that he is vetoing two controversial bills, including one that would pay unemployment benefits to striking workers and the omnibus housing bill. The veto of the housing bill, House Bill 5002, became a possibility after opposition dramatically increased in the final days of the 2025 legislative session and after the bill was approved in both chambers following negotiations between the governor’s office and legislative leaders. The 41-section bill attempts to address a critical housing shortage by requiring municipalities to set goals for affordable housing, prioritizing state aid to communities that build housing and streamlining approval for so-called “middle housing,” defined as a building with two to nine units. “We can do better and we will do better,” he said. “I would like to see that bill back on my desk after a special session this fall.”

Lamont vetoes controversial housing, striking workers bills