Five things that still must happen before a ballpark is built in Hartford
ARTFORD — The city is moving forward with a project to redevelop land north of downtown.
The first piece of that plan is to build a 9,000-spectator minor league baseball stadium near the intersection of Main and Trumbull streets. City officials have cited the timeline — it must be completed and open by April 2016 — as a reason they moved quickly to approve it. A majority of city council members on Tuesday voted in favor of the proposal, which would bring the New Britain Rock Cats to Hartford. The $350 million development would also include retail, housing, office space, a brewery and parking. But before DoNo Hartford LLC, the group of developers heading the project, can break ground, there's a few hurdles left to clear. They are:
Special Permit. The developers must seek a special permit from the city's planning and zoning commission to build the stadium. The commission last month agreed to an amendment that would, under zoning regulations, allow the city to develop a ballpark in the downtown north area. But it also gave an unfavorable recommendation to the proposal, saying it didn't fit with Hartford's plan of conservation and development. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New Haven board approves variance for Church Street housing
NEW HAVEN >> Owners of an office building in the city hope to join the growing trend of converting them to housing. The ground level of 35-39 Church St. would remain retail, but the second, third and fourth floors would be renovated to accommodate 18 apartments, across the street from Gateway Community College. Attorney James Segaloff represented the owners at the Board of Zoning Appeals this week, which granted a variance because they were unable to provide the 25 square feet of open space required for each dwelling unit. A residential use is allowed by right in the central business BD zone, but there is no outdoor space available on the lot and there is no private access possible to the skylight area at the center of the building. The commercial building was constructed in 1900 and predates current zoning. To make up for the lack of open space, the developer plans to provide common interior spaces, recreation/community room space, rooftop access or tenant bicycle space as an alternative in keeping with the spirit of the provision. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Sewage plant upgrade in Chesire on schedule
CHESHIRE — Work is being done in every corner of the Wastewater Treatment Plant at 1325 Cheshire St. A massive upgrade, which began last year, is only half completed. "I'm very pleased with the progress," said Water Pollution Control Authority Chairman Timothy Pelton. The $32.1 million project is the town's largest capital project in more than 20 years. Earth has been dug up in spots where a new phosphorous removal building has been raised. Four large filters are already in place. At $7.5 million, phosphorous removal is the project's biggest single expense, says Town Engineer Walter Gancarz. The new building has yet to get a roof. Equipment is being replaced and filters and holding tanks upgraded. When it's all finished, the 4-million-gallon-per-day plant will be more efficient, using less electricity and with newer equipment and facilities. So far, there has been one unexpected overage in the project — when polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCB, was found in caulking and paint in three buildings, including a pump station building, a digester building and the operations building. In all, the paint and caulk removal and remediation will cost about $600,000. The money will come from a contingency built into the project for cost overruns. Pelton said a dry, sunny summer has helped with the progress of the work. It has also helped with keeping the plant operating and under the discharge limit while construction was under way. The project is more complicated than most because the plant has to operate around the clock during the upgrades. Plant Superintendent Dennis Dievert said the plant has been able to stay under the required discharge limit and have had no operating issues. Town officials, including members of the Town Council and the Water Pollution Control Authority, toured the building recently. Council Chairman Timothy Slocum said given the investment the town is making, he wanted council members to take a tour and see the progress. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE