Michael Freimuth, a champion of redevelopment efforts in Hartford and East Hartford, announced Thursday his will step down as executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority next June. The agency’s role has expanded to include work on housing developments across Hartford — not just in its center — as well as in East Hartford and, to a smaller degree, in Newington and Wethersfield, Freimuth noted. It manages the XL Center arena and Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford; the stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford; and 17,000 parking spaces. The CRDA Board of Directors, on Thursday, approved a nine-month extension of Freimuth’s contract, which was to expire Oct. 1. That is meant to allow enough time to find a successor and to bring them up to speed before Freimuth departs, said CRDA Board Chairman David Robinson, who is also executive vice president and general counsel for insurer The Hartford.

CRDA head Freimuth, key player in Hartford-area redevelopment, announces plans to step down

Lewis Brown and Gregory Vaca of HGRE Ventures, a partnership between Avon-based Honeycomb Real Estate Partners and GRAVA Properties of West Hartford, presented preliminary plans to the Enfield Town Council this week for the Enfield Station development – a $100 million, two-phase project that would bring more than 300 residential units to the riverfront section of Thompsonville. Key to the development, which is planned for a 3.24-acre brownfield site at 33 North River St., is its proximity to Enfield’s new multimodal transit hub where work on the future Amtrak Hartford Line station is expected to begin next year. While Vaca and Brown have not yet submitted a formal site plan application for the project, they have been meeting with town officials on the development.

$100M mixed-use development eyed for Enfield’s riverfront

It will take until the end of October – and about $1.2 million dollars – for the state Department of Transportation and its emergency contractors to build a temporary bridge to replace the 100-year-old span that was destroyed in the fatal Aug. 18 storms and flooding, and finally get traffic moving again along one of Connecticut’s major traffic corridors. “In my 30 year career I have never seen devastation this bad from a storm event,” said John Lee, the DOT’s district engineer. There is currently no time estimate for the eventual construction of a permanent span with steel beams setting on the new concrete abutments. Designs are being handled by agency workers in the DOT’s Newington headquarters. Lee said the DOT was lucky that Manafort Brothers is a big enough company to come in on short notice. Over the last month or so, the company has worked seven-day weeks under the state’s emergency contract.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/route-34-bridge-flooding-oxford-reopen-end-october-19771793.php

Bridgeport’s Congress Street power substation can now remain operational during heavy storms thanks to a new flood protection system completed this week. United Illuminating, which operates the facility, invested $55 million to build a wall to protect the substation from flooding from the nearby Pequonnock River, a gate system to seal the perimeter and two high-power pumps. The concrete wall is 10 feet high and drives 40 feet underground, according to the utility company. “These substations are designed with lifespans of 50 to 60 years, so we need to figure in sea level rise,” he said. “By 2050, we will not only have the normal high tide, but it will be 20 inches higher.” Berman explained that the site’s geology — being a salt marsh — complicated the construction of the foundations. Additionally, building the heavy gates and calculating the wall’s tolerance to bending under the pressure of rising water contributed to the challenge. Berman also highlighted the pumping system, which can clear rainwater collected inside the walls during a storm in just minutes.

UI Completes $55M Flood Protection Project in Bridgeport

New Haven developer Choni “Johnny” Grunblatt wants to build 69 apartment units as part of a $10 million remake of Colony Street. Grunblatt is seeking to build studio apartments in five buildings alongside Railroad Avenue in what officials hope will spark more investment for the city’s transit-oriented district. The construction value of the project is $10 million. The project was discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of the City Council’s Economic Development Housing and Zoning Committee. Partner Jonathan Perlich and Grunblatt also purchased the 19th-century, mostly vacant, four-story commercial and residential building near the corner of East Main and Pratt streets for $1.75 million in November. The partnership is doing business as Seventies on Main LLC on that project. Grunblatt is the founder of Upside Construction LLC, Clarity Management LLC, Malbec Enterprises LLC and owner of Fin and Scale —Sushi and Bar.

https://www.ctinsider.com/recordjournal/article/meriden-grunblatt-colony-street-permits-19773831.php

Starved for space as annual visitors increase, the New England Air Museum plans a $25 million expansion meant to widen exhibits, boost educational offerings and add immersive experience in a digital dome, museum officials said Wednesday. The expansion depends on approval of $15 million from the state Bond Commission, which is pending. Plans call for construction of a 40,000-square-foot hangar, with aircraft and other exhibits telling the story of aviation from balloon flights through modern times and into the future, museum President and CEO Stephanie Abrams said. Once state bond money is approved, the nonprofit museum will pursue fundraising from corporations and individuals for the remaining $10 million, Abrams said. The plan is to break ground for the new hangar next year and open in 2026.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/new-england-air-museum-expansion-windsor-locks-19773442.php

Construction is underway at Calf Pasture Beach Road to provide easements to a family-owned property on the northern and western portions of the peninsula. When complete, the road will be realigned with new entrances to Cove Marina and the businesses along a property owned by the Gardella family. A sidewalk will also be installed around the new skate park, along with a seat wall for skaters to enjoy. The project broke ground after Labor Day and is expected to be completed by mid-December. Altogether, the cost of the project is about $1 million for the contractors to realign the road and add the sidewalks and seat walls by the skate park.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/construction-begins-calf-pasture-beach-road-19773595.php

Residents of the Coachlight Circle neighborhood will be getting relief for long-standing water supply issues with nearly $1 million in federal funds. U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3rd District, visited Prospect Town Hall on Friday where she presented Mayor Robert J. Chatfield with $959,757 in Community Project Funding for a water main installation. The newly allocated funds for the town marks the fourth time DeLauro was able to secure funding for this section of town which includes Putting Green Lane, Straitsville Road and Cambridge Drive. This grant is the biggest one yet for the town.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/09/16/delauro-delivers-fed-funds-for-prospect-water-mains/#google_vignette

The City Council late Monday approved nearly $6.5 million in tax breaks over 20 years to a developer planning to construct 500 new apartments on two sections of the Fort Trumbull peninsula that have sat vacant for more than two decades. The fixed tax agreement with RJ Development + Advisors, LLC, approved by a 5-2 vote, would offset about half the $13 million in estimated pre-construction costs needed to meet flood plain requirments and address remaining remediation and other sub-surface issues at the two sites. The two complexes will consist of market-rate units with none set aside as “affordable” apartments. Construction is slated to begin early next year.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240916/new-london-council-approves-6-5-million-in-tax-breaks-for-fort-trumbull-developer/#

The City Council on Monday agreed to start the process to permanently close and discontinue use of a 1,500-foot section of Lawler Lane to foster future development in the new Occum Industrial Center. The portion of the road extends from 185 Lawler Lane to 256 Lawler Lane. It has no development on either side, and the land on both sides already is part of the Occum Industrial Center. An unidentified developer has expressed interest in the larger development lot to be created at the eastern end of the 384-acre industrial center. NCDC has received an $11.3 million state grant to build a 7,700-foot-long industrial park access road from Route 97 through the property, ending at the Lawler Lane end.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240916/norwich-agrees-to-close-lawler-lane-to-assist-occum-industrial-center/#