With an eye toward gaining an affordable housing moratorium for four years, the Board of Selectmen and Finance approved $780,000 on Tuesday to finance a 72-unit, $20.15 million expansion of Millport Apartments downtown to provide low and moderate income homes.
"It is amazing a town like New Canaan can and does do this," Board of Finance member John "Buzz" Kanter said. "It is refreshing and good for the soul."
Under the proposal, construction would begin on 33 mostly one-bedroom units in the development in September, 2015, and would take a year to complete. They would be almost immediately followed by an additional 40 units, said Scott Hobbs, chairman of the New Canaan Housing Authority.
The units added in the first phase of the project are expected to qualify the town for a four-year break from affordable housing applications under the state's affordable housing law 8-30g, which allows developers to sidestep local zoning rules with proposals that set aside 30 percent of units rented to tenants who fall within the state's income guidelines as low and moderate income.
"8-30g is where all our zoning rules do not apply, and if we do not meet all our thresholds they can shove things down our throat that we don't think are necessarily good for our town," Hobbs said.
The additional funds, which are being drawn from town building permit fees earmarked to develop affordable housing, are needed because of the involvement of the Department of Housing & Urban Development in financing the second phase of the project. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Bridgewater unveils plan for renovations in Gledinning campus
A year after collapse of plans for the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates to relocate to Stamford, a pre-application has been filed with the Planning and Zoning Commission for changes on the financial giant's corporate campus at One Glendenning Place.
The plan, reviewed at Thursday's P&Z meeting, calls for renovation of two of the five buildings on the 15.84-acre Glendenning site, which is a designated Design Development District.
The Bridgewater property is one of five corporate DDD zones in town. The property also includes 5.89 acres on Ford Road.
Also proposed is a two-level underground parking garage that would eliminate 160 above ground parking spaces.
A newly created "great lawn" -- which would replace the existing parking spaces -- would have plantings, Wesley Stout, of Wesley Stout Associates, New Canaan-based landscape architects and planners, said of the plans.
"It will be virtually invisible," he said of the underground parking. "It's an ambitious plan."
Stout said that two three-story office buildings, known as buildings A and B -- and which are "core buildings" -- would be "fully renovated."
A smaller building used as a central reception area would be completely rebuilt, under the proposal. There will also be plantings and buffering as well as a new fish ladder installed on site, Stout said. "It will be uniquely and environmentally responsible," he said.
At the request of a lawyer representing Bridgewater, the P&Z in March 2014 approved a proposal loosening the tight development restrictions that applied to the DDD districts since the regulation was adopted in 1980.
The P&Z, in unanimously approving revisions to the DDD regulations, struck a compromise on the allowance for expanded coverage on the affected properties, cutting back the proposal to no more than a 10 percent increase in building or site coverage from the 20 percent that Bridgewater sought. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Central Park revamp to transform downtown officials say
That is how Mayor Erin Stewart and city and state officials described Central Park’s eventual new look — an expanded park that will feature a European-style square with a brick design.
Stewart was joined Wednesday morning by nine others with shovels as they broke ground at the park across the street from City Hall.
Before the groundbreaking, Stewart spoke in front of an artist’s rendering of what the park will look like next year. She said New Britain “will give West Hartford Center a run for their money when we are done.
“We are excited for a new downtown. This will transform downtown into a more lively place,” the mayor told about 60 people, including many who were involved in the design of the park.
The ceremony marked phase three — arguably the most important and visible phase — of the city’s streetscape project.
The $4.21 million construction project has been years in the making and includes expanding the size of the park about 25 percent and implementing aesthetic improvements, such as brick paver sidewalks, granite seating areas and landscaping additions. About $3.8 million will be paid with federal grants; the remaining money comes from city bonds.
Public Works Director Mark Moriarty, who spoke briefly, called the remaking of Central Park “a big deal.”
Moriarty said the immediate work to be done next month will include more tree removals and curb work. The entire project should be completed in fall 2016, he said.
The project also will include changes to nearby streets CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Governor proposes new Middletown area bridge
Governor Malloy, as part of his budget presentation, included a proposal called, "Transforming Transportation - Let's Go CT." It suggests two significant changes to roads in our city.
The proposal followed a call in 2013 for citizen input (Eye article). These new proposals do not appear to be connected to the plans for a modest change to the Route 17 on-ramp to Route 9 at Harbor Park (Eye article). The new proposals, though quite dramatic, have not received much press coverage, or any comments of support or opposition from local elected officials.
The governor calls for reconfiguration of the interchanges of Route 9/Route 66 and Route 9/Route 17, at a price of $390 million: CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Wallinford council accepts state and federal grants
WALLINGFORD — The Town Council voted 7-1 Tuesday night to authorize Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. to accept $3.2 million in state and federal grant money, allowing the town to move forward with the Phase 3 expansion of the linear trail project.
Voting in favor were Town Council Chairman Vincent Cervoni, Town Council Vice Chairman Tom Laffin, Councilors Vincent Testa Jr., Larry Russo, Robert F. Parisi, Craig Fishbein and Christine Mansfield. Republican Councilor John LeTourneau voted against it. Democratic Councilor John Sullivan was absent.
The expansion, connecting the trail from Community Lake to downtown Yalesville, calls for the construction of two bridges.
A large number of residents attended Tuesday’s meeting — at times applauding after a town councilor spoke in favor of the expansion. Cervoni added that he received a dozen emails from residents that couldn’t attend the meeting; all of them supported Phase 3.
State Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, and Cathryn Granucci, co-chairwomen of the Quinnipiac River Linear Trail Advisory Committee, spoke in favor of the project and explained that the group worked for years to secure necessary funding and overcame numerous technical obstacles.
The $3.2 million comes from four funding sources — three federal grants and $372,000 from the state Bond Commission — according to Town Engineer John Thompson. The town has also put aside $212,000 for the project, but Thompson said there would be no additional town monies needed to complete the project.
“It’s funded by federal and state monies,” Thompson told the Town Council. “... There are sufficient funds to move this project forward.”
LeTourneau, who requested the item be removed from Tuesday night’s consent agenda, said he had concerns with the expansion. He told Thompson that he was “confused about the standards” after noting Phase 3 of the Linear Trail expansion received approval from the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
As construction continues at both Meriden and Wallingford train stations as part of the Hartford Line project, officials also continue working out administrative logistics to increase trains for commuters as well as development projects around the stations.
Norwich — With tourism and freight critical to the region's economy, a state planner said transit proposals for Eastern Connecticut over the next three decades will focus on upgrading rail and port infrastructure and making it easier to access the region.
Tom Maziarz, chief of planning for the state Department of Transportation, presented Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's 30-year transportation vision plan to the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments on Wednesday.
The planning document, accompanied by a "ramp-up" plan for the next five years, grew out of DOT's 18-month strategic planning process that included meetings in southeastern Connecticut and across the state, Maziarz said.
On Wednesday, Maziarz highlighted the challenges facing the state's highways — over which 85 million vehicle miles are traveled each day — and aging highway bridges, about half of which were built during the post-World War II construction boom. He also told the regional council about past transit investments and future proposals for the state.
For Eastern Connecticut, the 30-year plan highlights infrastructure improvements that make it easier for people to reach the region's tourism centers or move goods to and from the area.
More than other parts of the state, Eastern Connecticut — with casinos, Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium and beaches — has an economy that relies on tourism, according to the presentation. It's also home to major manufacturers, such as General Dynamics Electric Boat. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Officials put price tag on Route 11, but still no construction date
NORWICH - There’s no timeline to finish it, but Connecticut’s "highway to nowhere” – better known as Route 11 – may finally have a financial terminus: $700 million. That’s according to the state’s top transportation planner, who viaited Norwich Wednesday and delved into Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s 30-year, $100 billion plan to transform the state’s highways, rails, ports and infrastructure into a state-of-the art system. “We’ve made fits and starts at doing transportation investments in the past, and very often they have petered out prematurely or never even got started,” Thomas Maziarz, chief of planning for the state Department of Transportation, told the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments. “Existing conditions are nowhere as good as what we would like and because of the level of investment we’re making now, we’re not keeping up with basic needs.” In Eastern Connecticut, Maziarz said, the top priorities are investments in the Port of New London, rehabilitation of the northbound span of the Gold Star Bridge’s, extension of Route 11 to Interstate 95 and strengthening freight and passenger rail lines. “We’ve got a lot of catch-up to do in order to get us in a good state of repair,” Maziarz said. Although he didn’t offer a construction window for Route 11, which was built in 1972 from Colchester to Salem, the project is not included on a five-year “ramp up plan” put out by the state in February. But it is listed on a 30-year plan as part of an “Eastern Connecticut corridor strategy.” Regional leaders, including Norwich Mayor Deb Hinchey and Bozrah First Selectman Bill Ballinger, who is chairman of the council of governments’ executive committee, said they are hopeful about Route 11’s future. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Wakelee Ave in Ansonia set for $3.5M overhall
ANSONIA >> Mayor David Cassetti announced Tuesday that the problem-plagued Wakelee Avenue will get a $3.5 million facelift. Cassetti held a press conference outside Lear Pharmacy, one of the approximately 50 businesses located along a one-mile stretch of Wakelee Avenue, to deliver the good news. “When I first came to office, I recognized the infrastructure of this city was sorely neglected, in particular, Wakelee Avenue,” Cassetti said. “Wakelee Avenue is a major artery for the City of Ansonia that has been neglected for too long. The pavement is in poor condition, the sidewalks are intermittent and in disrepair and there is a lack of adequate drainage.”
Cassetti’s ‘Wake Up Wakelee!’ initiative will happen thanks to $3.5 million in funding Ansonia received from the state Department of Transportation. The city will kick in a local match of 10 percent, or about $350,000, to cover the project design and engineering fees, according to Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley. Cassetti lauded O’Malley, who also serves as Ansonia’s grant writer, for securing the state funds. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
John Bernick, state Department of Transportation assistant rail administrator, said Tuesday that it’s largely foundation work happening at the two local stations, part of a larger multi-million rail upgrades between New Haven and Springfield.
“That’s going to continue,” Bernick said of the work, which includes installing steel pilings to support existing tracks before heavier demolition begins at the stations.
“Once they get the foundations in, then they can get the platforms cast, and then erect the structural steel as that comes in,” Bernick said. “The rest — paving, drainage — fills in as time goes on.” Bernick added that while he didn’t have access to the construction schedule, “I’m assuming you’d see steel going up this year.”
Both stations are being upgraded in an effort to provide more frequent commuter trains to locations like New Haven and Hartford. Upgrades along the entire rail line are expected to be complete by late 2016.
“That’s going to be a challenge,” Bernick said of the work schedule. “It won’t be an issue with work on the stations themselves, but the track work, the road bed work, that’s always the heavy lift, that’s going to be a challenge.”
In terms of the train frequency, Bernick expects trains at roughly 45-minute intervals, “grouped around peak commuting hour,” and potentially more spread out during those off-hours.
Currently, two trains run from Meriden to New Haven before 9 a.m., and none before that hour from Meriden to Hartford. It’s the same situation in Wallingford, with the exception of a train departing at 8:55 a.m. to Hartford. Both scenarios present challenges for potential commuters to get to work in the morning by train, especially to get to work in the capitol city. It’s something Bernick said would be remedied by the new train schedule. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Tom Maziarz, chief of planning for the state Department of Transportation, presented Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's 30-year transportation vision plan to the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments on Wednesday.
The planning document, accompanied by a "ramp-up" plan for the next five years, grew out of DOT's 18-month strategic planning process that included meetings in southeastern Connecticut and across the state, Maziarz said.
On Wednesday, Maziarz highlighted the challenges facing the state's highways — over which 85 million vehicle miles are traveled each day — and aging highway bridges, about half of which were built during the post-World War II construction boom. He also told the regional council about past transit investments and future proposals for the state.
For Eastern Connecticut, the 30-year plan highlights infrastructure improvements that make it easier for people to reach the region's tourism centers or move goods to and from the area.
More than other parts of the state, Eastern Connecticut — with casinos, Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium and beaches — has an economy that relies on tourism, according to the presentation. It's also home to major manufacturers, such as General Dynamics Electric Boat. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Officials put price tag on Route 11, but still no construction date
NORWICH - There’s no timeline to finish it, but Connecticut’s "highway to nowhere” – better known as Route 11 – may finally have a financial terminus: $700 million. That’s according to the state’s top transportation planner, who viaited Norwich Wednesday and delved into Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s 30-year, $100 billion plan to transform the state’s highways, rails, ports and infrastructure into a state-of-the art system. “We’ve made fits and starts at doing transportation investments in the past, and very often they have petered out prematurely or never even got started,” Thomas Maziarz, chief of planning for the state Department of Transportation, told the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments. “Existing conditions are nowhere as good as what we would like and because of the level of investment we’re making now, we’re not keeping up with basic needs.” In Eastern Connecticut, Maziarz said, the top priorities are investments in the Port of New London, rehabilitation of the northbound span of the Gold Star Bridge’s, extension of Route 11 to Interstate 95 and strengthening freight and passenger rail lines. “We’ve got a lot of catch-up to do in order to get us in a good state of repair,” Maziarz said. Although he didn’t offer a construction window for Route 11, which was built in 1972 from Colchester to Salem, the project is not included on a five-year “ramp up plan” put out by the state in February. But it is listed on a 30-year plan as part of an “Eastern Connecticut corridor strategy.” Regional leaders, including Norwich Mayor Deb Hinchey and Bozrah First Selectman Bill Ballinger, who is chairman of the council of governments’ executive committee, said they are hopeful about Route 11’s future. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Wakelee Ave in Ansonia set for $3.5M overhall
ANSONIA >> Mayor David Cassetti announced Tuesday that the problem-plagued Wakelee Avenue will get a $3.5 million facelift. Cassetti held a press conference outside Lear Pharmacy, one of the approximately 50 businesses located along a one-mile stretch of Wakelee Avenue, to deliver the good news. “When I first came to office, I recognized the infrastructure of this city was sorely neglected, in particular, Wakelee Avenue,” Cassetti said. “Wakelee Avenue is a major artery for the City of Ansonia that has been neglected for too long. The pavement is in poor condition, the sidewalks are intermittent and in disrepair and there is a lack of adequate drainage.”
Cassetti’s ‘Wake Up Wakelee!’ initiative will happen thanks to $3.5 million in funding Ansonia received from the state Department of Transportation. The city will kick in a local match of 10 percent, or about $350,000, to cover the project design and engineering fees, according to Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley. Cassetti lauded O’Malley, who also serves as Ansonia’s grant writer, for securing the state funds. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE