Phil Kuchma, whose Kuchma Corp. has been a driving force behind downtown Bridgeport’s rehabilitation, isn’t finished yet.
The developer announced plans on Monday for a $5.5 million, 19,000-square-foot building in a lot across from the Bijou Theater, which his company brought back to life in 2011. He says the new building will connect Fairfield Avenue, where there are plenty of businesses and foot traffic, with Elm Street, which is decidedly quieter, and on up to Golden Hill Street and City Hall.
“We want it to fit in with the scale of the neighborhood and give people a way to walk back and forth through the area,” he said. The structure will be one building with a variety of different facades, similar to his development at the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Lafayette Circle.
With retail on the ground floor and office space above, the new building will offer something different than other structures that have primarily residences on upper floors. That variety, Kuchma said, is part of what makes city life vibrant.
The lot is between the building that houses the Trattoria ‘A vucchella restaurant and one on the corner of Broad Street that has the Pawn Broker and the Workplace. The three-story structure is designed to be consistent with neighboring buildings.
About 6,000 square feet will be set aside for ground-level retail. The center of the building will have an entrance to reach the office space.
Just as important as the structure, Kuchma said, is the 16- to 20-foot-wide pathway linking the two roads, on which the new building will front. He said it will provide continuity between the Downtown Cabaret and Black Box theaters to the north and the Bijou, on Fairfield Avenue.
“Our goal is to connect the theaters and the restaurants in this expanding neighborhood,” he said.
The lot is currently used for parking by Antinozzi and Associates, which has its headquarters in Kuchma’s Bijou Square development and designed the new building. ‘A vucchella will retain its outdoor seating. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
New apartment complex, harbor dredging discussed
The Harbor Management Commission on Tuesday will review two applications filed by Building and Land Technology.
The first application is a new proposal by the Harbor Point developer for a 435-unit residential complex on Washington Boulevard, just south of the structure that now houses the World of Beer and Sign of the Whale.
The second item will be a continuation of the commission’s review of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s tentative approval of BLT’s request to dredge the harbor along the edge of their proposed boatyard site on Southfield Avenue.
The commission’s meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the sixth floor training room at the Stamford Government Center.
State to replace West Main Street bridge in Meriden
MERIDEN — The state Department of Transportation plans to replace a bridge that carries West Main Street over Sodom Brook in a dense commercial area. Officials will hold a public hearing on the project next week. Some surrounding property will be acquired as part of the bridge replacement, according to state officials.
The bridge, between Bradley Avenue and South Vine Street, was built in the 1930s, DOT spokesman Judd Everhart said, and is in critical need of replacement.
To do the work, Everhart said, “There are a couple of proposed property acquisitions under consideration for this project, but nothing is final. As the project moves forward, all details will be hammered out and the community will be kept informed.”
Businesses in the area will remain accessible, officials said.
“The contractor will have to maintain access during construction to all businesses not acquired by the DOT,” said Susan L. Morneault, DOT project engineer.
According to city records, there are eight properties — four on either side — that abut the section of West Main Street in question.
The Bradley Eatery, formerly the Bradley Diner, at 376 W. Main St. sits on one of those properties, and is directly south of where the new bridge will be installed.
Allison Romano, one of the owners, said Monday that she wasn’t “going to worry” about how the work might affect her business until she knew exactly what will happen to it.
The project isn’t expected to begin until 2018.
The property is owned by Mark Hartman, with a listed address in North Carolina. Hartman couldn’t be reached for comment Monday. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
KILLINGLY — Demolition and remediation work at a dilapidated Killingly mill could begin in the fall, paving the way for a new affordable housing complex in town. The town this week will begin soliciting qualified environmental professionals to decide the best way to tear down and clean up the Powdrell & Alexander Mill property at 42 Main St., a brownfield site. The property was purchased in 2013 by the Mill at Killingly Apartments on behalf of the Women's Institute Realty of CT.The group, which is working in partnership with United Services Inc., plans on constructing a 35,000-square-foot, 32-apartment, mixed-use affordable housing complex on the property."The town recently signed an assistance agreement with the state that allows us access to $2 million in state grant funding," said Mary Bromm, the town's community development director. "The Women's Institute raised another $2 million, which combined with our grant, should cover the cost of a study plan, as well as demolition and remediation costs at the site."Bromm said the chosen company will examine several environmental studies conducted during the last five years that show 14 "areas of concern" on the property, including contaminated soil left over from former textile operations.The mill, constructed in 1836, has sustained severe damage since it was shuttered in 2010, including roof collapses.Companies are being asked, among other tasks, to conduct testing and monitoring of inaccessible areas to ensure all hazardous materials are removed or contained and to demolish the building."We think it will take about nine months to complete," Bromm said. "The hope is to get some work done then and maybe more during the winter." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Gary Skoien, CEO of Chicago-based Horizon Group Properties, said the new Tanger Outlet mall at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket is far enough away from his company's planned East Hartford development. He also said the indoor and outdoor malls in the Greater Hartford area, such as Evergreen Walk in South Windsor, provide a different kind of shopping experience than the discount, name-brand merchandise the East Hartford shops plan to sell.
Pending approval of its 410,000-square-foot site plan on Sept. 23, Horizon intends to break ground on the new facility in October. If the weather is mild, the outlet mall will open in late 2016 or early 2017, said Skoien.
If all goes according to plan, the mall will create 1,208 construction jobs and another 1,628 permanent and seasonal jobs. Horizon estimates the property will generate $405 million over 20 years in sales, property, income, corporate and excise taxes.
Those figures are based on the Outlet Shoppes being the premier destination for outlet shopping in the region and attracting high-profile stores to the development; Skoien said he already has high-profile tenants lined up.
Typically, metropolitan regions with less than 2.5 million people can only support one outlet mall, Skoien said, and with 1.2 million people, Greater Hartford certainly falls into that category. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Police: Man Caught Climbing Fence At Site Of Hartford Stadium
HARTFORD — A Manchester man was found climbing the fence around the construction of Dunkin' Donuts Park, the future home of the Yard Goats, by an off-duty officer, police said Monday.
Courtney Newman, 28, of Chalmers Street, was later detained by a police sergeant. He was charged with second-degree criminal trespass and criminal possession of a ammunition, police said.
The incident was reported about 5:30 p.m., police said.
He was found with a full-face ski mask and a bag of .22 caliber ammunition, according to police. He has a previous felony conviction.
Police said the construction site and trailers have been "plagued with burglaries."
Ansonia completing infrastructure upgrades approved in 2013 vote
ANSONIA >> Many items on a lengthy list of repairs and upgrades to the city’s infrastructure that residents approved at a 2013 referendum are complete or nearing completion.
That’s according to Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley, who briefed the Board of Aldermen during its Sept. 8 meeting on the status of many of the projects.
Voters gave the city permission to bond about $5 million during a November 2013 referendum to complete a series of capital improvement projects that were aimed at improving energy conservation, public safety, buildings and grounds and roads.
The projects ranged from replacing deteriorating roofs on several city-owned buildings and failing heating and ventilation systems in older buildings to a new scoreboard and parking lot upgrades at the Nolan Field athletic complex.
City officials had said by taking advantage of historically low interest rates, coupled with paying off some maturing debt, the city was able to take on some new debt with the bonded projects, while not increasing taxes and not significantly increasing the city’s existing level of indebtedness. Had the city not bonded the projects, officials said the much-needed repairs would have to be placed in the annual city budget, which would have had a major impact on taxes.
O’Malley said many of the projects have been completed, or are nearly done. Here is a rundown on the status of the projects, according to city officials: CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE