industry news
Stay updated with the latest developments and insights from across the industry
Southington’s safety and streetscape project expected to be completed by June 2025
The $5.4 million project intended to improve pedestrian and motorist safety in the area of Route 10 and West Main Street is expected to be completed in late spring after a couple of hurdles have caused a three-month timeline to become nearly a year. Funded through the Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program, the project includes roadway redesign at the intersection, new concrete pavement, drainage work, new sidewalks, decorative crosswalks, the installation of benches, and modified traffic lights. The Plantsville Safety & Streetscape Project also added rapid flashing beacons at the crossing at the Linear Trail. Paramount Construction began work in March on West Main Street westbound, from the firehouse to the Hyde Away Café, followed by work on South Main Street near the post office and Main Street from Grove Street to West Main Street.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/recordjournal/article/southington-plantsville-construction-safety-19844476.php
Connecticut Siting Council approves controversial Enfield solar facility plan after revisions
The Connecticut Siting Council has approved a contentious $3.75 million solar facility planned for Town Farm Road after months of resistance from both residents and local officials. Avon-based Lodestar Energy filed a petition in February for a 4,702-panel, 1.93-megawatt solar photovoltaic electric-generating facility on 12.1 acres of unused farmland at 141 Town Farm Road in Enfield. The proposed facility lands exclusively in the Siting Council’s jurisdiction per state statute, a sticking point among elected officials in Enfield and beyond. Members of the Siting Council voted 5-1 on Oct. 24 to accept a decision and order to issue a declaratory ruling on Lodestar Energy’s petition, allowing the project to move forward. Bill Syme, the lone dissenter, said that he still took issue with the loss of “prime farmland” from the construction and how close the facility would sit to residential properties.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-enfield-lodestar-energy-solar-town-farm-road-19879824.php
Sale of the last city-owned Fort Trumbull parcels to developer finalized
The Renaissance City Development Association (RCDA) the city’s development arm, brokered an agreement in 2023 that included selling 6.28 acres split among three parcels to RJ Development + Advisors, LLC for $500,000. RJ Development, which built The Beam, a 203-unit apartment complex on Howard Street, pitched building two 250-unit apartment complexes on Nameaug and Walbach streets, and constructing a 1,200-space parking garage at 26 East St. Wednesday’s deal was finalized less than two months after the City Council on Sept. 16 approved nearly $6.5 million in tax breaks over 20 years to RJ Development, which would cover about half the $13 million in estimated pre-construction costs. In exchange, the city will receive approximately $18 million in tax revenue over the life of the agreement. Felix Reyes, the city’s director of planning and economic development, said Friday large-scale development projects move in cycles tied to larger market and real estate forces.
https://www.theday.com/local-news/20241103/sale-of-the-last-city-owned-fort-trumbull-parcels-to-developer-finalized/
XL Center construction bumps some seating at the Hartford arena as UConn games begin to ramp up
“We’re rocking and rolling … from a construction standpoint,” said XL Center General Manager Ben Weiss. “The construction is everywhere, and we’re dealing with it.” Weiss and construction manager Robert Houlihan updated the Capital Regional Development Authority on Friday with the latest in the $145 million revamp of the aging arena. Between 30 and 40 construction workers are now on the job at the XL Center, getting ready to demolish the current bowl and make way for a revamped arena with upgraded seating, locker rooms, an elite club and a new commercial kitchen. Construction hasn’t impacted attendance so far at the arena, which drew 12,300 people for pop singer Sabrina Carpenter’s sold-out concert on Oct. 2, according to CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth. Work is also under way for a new commercial kitchen at the XL Center, with plans to upgrade the food offerings for premium areas as well as the arena as a whole, Freimuth said. Better food has the potential to boost the arena’s per-attendee spending and overall revenue.
https://www.nhregister.com/business/article/ct-hartford-xl-center-renovations-uconn-games-19879966.php
Torrington voters face referendum question on spending $6M for school turf fields; most of the funds would be reimbursed by state
The city wants voter input on spending $6 million, 85% of which will be reimbursed by the state, for turf fields at the new high school and middle school complex. A referendum question on the appropriation is included on the ballot for Tuesday’s election. The expense would increase the cost of the school construction project from $179.575 million to $185.575 million. Originally the high school construction project included the fields but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the cost of goods increased, the Building Committee decided to scale back on some things, including the fields. Building Committee Co-Chair Edward Arum said the athletic complex will consist of two baseball fields, two softball fields and a multipurpose field. If they are grass, which is the plan as of now, Arum said maintenance would be more expensive. Lining, watering and mowing would run about $90 000 a year, he said. The quote the committee got to maintain the turf is $22,000.
https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/11/02/torrington-voters-face-referendum-question-on-spending-6m-for-school-turf-fields-most-of-the-funds-would-be-reimbursed-by-state/#login
West Hartford’s Park Road rehabilitation project would add raised crosswalks and bike lanes
The town is moving forward with its plans to reconstruct the busy commercial and residential Park Road corridor that will reduce car travel lanes, add bike lanes, and increase pedestrian safety. Construction is expected to begin next summer on the $2.25 million plan to upgrade the roadway from Quaker Lane South to Prospect Avenue, which will include roadway resurfacing, sidewalk repairs, improved street lighting, and other added amenities such as benches, landscaping, and better wayfinding signage. To do that, the town is proposing to raise all crosswalks on the roadway that aren’t controlled by signals, like the one directly in front of Playhouse and Park. Added bump outs will also help shorten the distance that pedestrians will have to cross in certain places along the roadway as well. Sidewalk ramps will also be replaced and made accessible, with improvements to crossing signals also being recommended. Part of the project will be funded by $1.5 million in state grant funding that the town received two years ago. Sommer said they hope to finish the design by the spring, with a goal of construction starting next summer and finishing in the winter.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/westhartford/article/west-hartford-ct-park-road-crosswalk-bike-lanes-19877367.php
Empty parcel near Stamford CT rail station being shopped as site for high-rise apartment building
Under a design attributed to the Stamford architectural firm Marsh + Woods Architects, one potential iteration of the building would include a residential tower rising nearly 40 stories with 484 units, with a wide base or a run of ground-level storefronts fronting Dock Street and a larger parking garage on the lower levels. That would top the Park Tower Stamford condominium building as the tallest in Stamford — but any new developer would bring their own vision to the property at 560 Atlantic St., according to Don Carbo, a commercial real estate broker with New England Properties Real Estate who is representing the property owners. Stamford is in the midst of an ongoing apartment boom that has seen the addition of thousands of units in the past several years, with as many as 4,500 units or more in the pipeline according to the most recent count by the city of Stamford’s economic development office. That number does not including the hundreds more that could be built at 560 Atlantic St.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/ct-stamford-560-atlantic-development-apartments-hq-19876818.php
Here’s how stormwater drainage is impacting a major Hartford development plan
For more than a year, staff at the Capital Region Development Authority and Metropolitan District (MDC) have been negotiating an agreement that would require the CRDA to help pay for the installation of a large stormwater drainage pipe, which would accept water flowing from parking lots and off buildings planned for the “Bushnell South” development area. Hartford, like many older cities in the Northeast, has a sewer system with pipes that carry both sanitary sewage — from toilets, kitchen sinks and shower drains — and stormwater. All this gets sent downstream to sewage treatment plants. That’s usually not a problem. But large rainstorms, which have increased in frequency in recent years, create sudden spikes in flow that can overwhelm sewage treatment plants, spilling millions of gallons of stormwater mixed with raw sewage into the Connecticut River. Jellison said he envisions a mile-long pipe of about 24 to 36 inches in diameter that could cost around $4 million.
Here’s how stormwater drainage is impacting a major Hartford development plan
Tweed New Haven Airport receives $4 million grant for terminal expansion
Tweed New Haven Airport announced they were awarded $4 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to support the airport’s terminal expansion Thursday. The anticipated 81,568 square-foot terminal will feature four gates, expanded security screening, new baggage handling systems, and concessions space. This is part of continued work to modernize the airport’s infrastructure by replacing an outdated terminal built in 1931. The new terminal is expected to improve passenger experience, improve climate resilience and safety. This comes after Tweed New Haven announced the launch of an online tracking platform, WebTrak, for travelers to stay informed on flight information.
https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/new-haven/tweed-new-haven-airport-receives-4-million-grant-for-terminal-expansion/
Following property sale, new 42-bed rehabilitation hospital planned in Waterbury
A 42-bed, 55,000-square-foot inpatient rehabilitation hospital should soon be under construction in Waterbury following the sale Monday of a roughly 4.5-acre building site to a Florida-based developer. Catalyst Healthcare Real Estate, a Florida-based national development and investment firm, bought a building site at the intersection of Reidville Drive and Harpers Ferry Road in Waterbury’s East End, city officials confirmed Monday. In December 2021, PAM Health and Waterbury Hospital filed a joint application with the state Office of Health Strategy seeking regulatory approval for the facility. The goal, according to the application, is to provide rehabilitative services to patients leaving acute care hospitals in western Connecticut. At the time, the project was estimated to cost $33 million.
Following property sale, new 42-bed rehabilitation hospital planned in Waterbury
Connect with us
Contact us
If you believe you have been the victim of wage theft on a public works construction project, please feel free to contact our office. You can also visit the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Wage & Workplace Division’s website to file a complaint here.
