A Residence Inn by Marriott is scheduled to commence construction in 2025, according to a news release issued by Bobby Christoph Jr. developer of the mixed-use Steelpointe Harbor which has started work on the first phase of housing including luxury and workforce apartments. True North Hotel Group Inc. and Bridgeport Landing Development have finalized a deal to bring a Residence Inn by Marriott to Steelpointe. The hotel will feature approximately 135 rooms and be located between East Main Street and Pembroke, bordering Stratford Avenue. Construction on the new hotel will commence in 2025. Mayor Joe Ganim of Bridgeport said, “I want to extend my gratitude to True North Hotel Group Inc. for choosing Bridgeport as its newest destination for a Marriott Residence hotel. Having a Marriott company plant a flag in Bridgeport is a huge validation of the progress and visible recognition that Bridgeport is ‘on the move’, attracting First Class international companies to invest here. This new development will be a great addition to Bridgeport and will complement the housing that is currently under construction at Steelpointe Harbor. Our waterfront is truly remarkable and we look forward to sharing a piece of Bridgeport’s cultural beauty with visitors.”

Steelpointe Harbor Developer Inks Deal To Build Residence Inn By Marriott

Gov. Ned Lamont appeared skeptical this week of a decision by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to halt the rollout of a congestion pricing plan that would have funded mass transit improvements throughout the tri-state area. The plan, which would have charged most drivers $15 a day to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, was expected to go into effect at the end of this month, until Hochul abruptly announced a “indefinite pause” last week, citing concerns about the cost on commuters. More than 22,000 Connecticut residents take public transportation into Manhattan’s congestion pricing zone every day, mostly via Metro-North Railroad. About 3,100 commuters make the drive there, according to the MTA. “Look, you’ve got to pay for transportation, we’ve all had debates in our respective states, I know what everybody’s opposed to, I’ve got to see what they’re for,” Lamont told reporters during an event in Meriden on Tuesday. “We’ve got resources, our special transportation fund’s in pretty good shape right now, if you want to upgrade Metro-North, you’re going to need some capital to do it.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/politics/article/ny-congestion-pricing-ct-gov-ned-lamont-response-19509371.php

A Great Wolf Resorts executive announced Wednesday the $300 million waterpark resort the company’s been developing next to Foxwoods Resort Casino will open June 15, 2025. The good-natured exchange, which took place during remarks that preceded a traditional “topping out” ceremony on the construction site opposite Foxwoods’ Grand Pequot Tower, spoke volumes about Great Wolf’s target audience: families with kids. The Mashantuckets and Great Wolf had partnered on a plan to develop a waterpark on tribe-owned, non-reservation land along Route 214 in Ledyard in the mid-2000s. Then the Great Recession struck, scuttling the plan. The would-be partners also discussed waterpark projects in 2010 and 2014, before Jacobsen joined Great Wolf.

https://www.theday.com/local-news/20240612/great-wolf-lodge-topped-out-opening-set-for-june-15-2025/

The Wallingford Planning & Zoning Commission this week unanimously approved a special permit and site plan for a privately developed facility devoted exclusively to charging electric vehicles that could be the first of its kind in the U.S. The plan submitted by Gem Property Group LLC will develop a 2.04-acre vacant lot at 1 Miles Dr., across the street from Wallingford KinderCare and close to two hotels — Fairfield Inn & Suites and Homewood Suites by Hilton. Elizabeth Verna, a principal with Verna Builders & Developers, said her family owns Gem Property and has owned the land on Miles Drive, less than a mile from Interstate 91, for more than a decade. She said the decision to seek approval for a large EV charging facility was made because demand for new office space is so low.

Wallingford OKs EV charging facility that might be a 1st in U.S.

After defeating an amendment and a motion to postpone the vote, the Hartford City Council passed a resolution Monday night granting air rights for a pedestrian bridge over Washington Street. The resolution, which was approved along party lines, allows Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) to construct a bridge connecting the $280 million, eight-story wing of the hospital currently under construction with a parking garage to be constructed across the street by LAZ Parking. Both projects were previously approved by the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission, but because the bridge would cross over Washington Street the city needed to grant air rights for it, as well as grant a sidewalk easement for a bus turn-in lane that will require relocating the existing public sidewalk onto property controlled by Hartford Hospital and CCMC.

It took 3 votes, but Hartford City Council OKs CCMC pedestrian bridge

Four major projects would bring a combination of housing, recreation and mass transit to the town of about 42,000 residents, while repurposing properties whose uses are becoming obsolete. The proposed $250 million Enfield Square Mall redevelopment is the largest planned project with the greatest potential economic impact, said Donald Poland, senior vice president of urban planning at East Hartford commercial real estate advisory firm Goman+York. Nebraska-based Woodsonia Real Estate Group Inc. recently announced plans to buy the 570,000-square-foot mall, which is 85% vacant, and turn it into a mixed-use development with retail, housing and recreation. The proposed “Enfield Marketplace” project would create 450 residential units, two hotels, and retail and restaurant space.

With major projects in the queue, Enfield could finally find its economic development ‘stride’

The state is giving Cheshire about 2.5 acres of a roughly seven-acre parcel at 1669 Highland Avenue, also called route 10, near the future home of Stone Bridge Crossing, according to a bill Gov. Ned Lamont recently signed. The 2.5 acres, which the state has not yet conveyed, will not be built upon, Martelli said. Rather, it will open up the the developable area of the bigger tract, which he said contains wetlands and has a “tricky topography.” Combining the two pieces of land also will make the property more attractive to developers, Town Manager Sean Kimball has said. With both parcels soon to be in Cheshire’s possession, the Town Council’s Planning Committee will begin drafting a request for proposals in the coming weeks, officials said. Martelli said he expects there will be “a lot of interest” in the property because of its highway access, proximity to Stone Bridge Crossing and the town’s central location in Connecticut.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/cheshireherald/article/cheshire-state-land-development-retail-center-19499264.php

As of Monday, the Connecticut Department of Transportation was engaged in 180 construction projects in all corners of the state, according to an online database that is updated regularly by the agency. Hundreds of other projects are in the design phase prior to construction. Much of that work is being fueled by Congress’ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided more than $350 billion for federal highway projects through 2026. “That money that’s coming to us is turning directly into projects here in Connecticut,” said Josh Morgan, a DOT spokesman, adding an admonition for drivers. “Be patient, understand that work is happening and we want the folks who are out there to get home safe at the end of the day.”

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/ct-dot-summer-road-projects-2024-traffic-delays-19503597.php

Highway-closing accidents are nothing new on the I-95 corridor between Greenwich and New Haven, a 48-mile stretch of interstate built in the late 1950s and designed to handle less than half of today’s daily volume of about 150,000 vehicles. The 2023 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard ranked the southbound portion of the Stamford urban area – defined as the section between Westport and Greenwich – as the worst in the U.S. for time lost due to congestion in both directions in the Stamford area was ranked 13th worst. “The average distance traveled on I-95 in Connecticut is just 11 miles,” Cameron said. “It’s an interstate highway, not a local shortcut. If we had tolls, that ‘shortcut’ would come at a modest cost and would persuade people to take Route 1, meaning less traffic on I-95 for those paying tolls.” The Connecticut Crash Data Repository shows a steady drumbeat of accidents over the years along I-95 between Greenwich and New Haven, the highest numbers in the state.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/i-95-ct-traffic-solutions-19494466.php&strip=0&vwsrc=0

Located roughly near the geographic center of the state, the merger of three highways — Interstates 91 and 691, as well as state Route 15 — forms a sprawling interchange that carries an average of 260,000 vehicles every day. Tuesday’s groundbreaking was largely ceremonial, as work on the $500 million reconstruction project actually began late last year. Officials including Gov. Ned Lamont, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt and Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto each tossed shovels full of dirt in the air to applause, while unionized workers employed on the project looked on. Actual work on the project is broken down into three phases, of which the first two are underway. The third and final phase is in design, with a scheduled completion date in 2029.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/connecticut/article/ct-meriden-highway-interchange-i-91-691-route-15-19503593.php