The $115 million University of Connecticut construction is seen as a bright spot in an otherwise soft construction market nationwide for educational facilities. A report on nationwide construction shows educational construction down 20 percent from August while overall construction was down 5 percent.
According to Dodge Data & Analytics, UConn's Hartford project, the $300 million Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles California, and a $130 million preparatory school in New York N.Y., were the major construction projects that saw construction commence in September.
The downtown campus will open for classes in fall 2017, according to UConn, with about 2,300 students and 250 faculty members. Construction includes the addition of a new attached five-story building, while retaining the iconic Beaux-Arts façade of the 95-year-old Hartford Times structure. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Apartments drive home construction gains in September
WASHINGTON (AP) — Construction companies built more apartment complexes in September, sparking a temporary rise in housing starts for a real estate market that otherwise appears to have crested during the summer.
Housing starts last month rose 6.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.21 million homes, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. But a 17 percent surge in multi-family housing — which includes apartments — accounts for almost all of that increase.
New construction and sales of existing homes surged in the first half of the year as more Americans found work and the unemployment rate dipped to a solid 5.1 percent. But tight inventories, rising prices and the absence of meaningful wage growth have capped growth as affordability has become an issue — a problem that new construction can help resolve.
"Builders are stepping up to meet that demand but doing so cautiously," said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Amherst Pierpont Securities. "So, for beleaguered buyers who can't find what they are looking for because of a dearth of listings, there is a bit of help on the way."
Construction rose last month in the Northeast, South and West, while falling in the Midwest.
Housing starts have soared 12 percent in the first nine months of 2015. But the pace of building retreated from its June apex, in part due to the expiration of tax incentives for developers in New York. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Developer details conceptual plan for major Mystic project
Mystic — The owner of 70 acres of the Perkins Farm property is developing a conceptual plan for what could be the largest project in Stonington history, a $40 million to $60 million development that would create a health, research and academic campus with a residential component.
David Lattizori, who had been quietly working on the idea since May and had hoped to hold off on publicizing it until he could complete his review and make a decision whether to move forward, discussed the idea on Tuesday after First Selectman George Crouse mentioned it at last week’s selectmen’s debate.
Crouse said it would generate $1 million a year in tax revenue for the town.
Lattizori — whose family’s unsuccessful efforts in the past to develop the site with a mix of uses including retail and commercial had met with opposition from some residents and town officials — said he is optimistic this idea would be more acceptable.
He said it has no retail component and has been met with initial support from town officials and some residents of the Stone Ridge retirement community located across Jerry Browne Road from the site.
“This type of project would be a home run for the town,” he said. “I do feel this concept is the highest and best use for the property.”
Lattizori currently has zoning approval to build 36 homes on the property and had planned to begin construction on the first five lots next spring.
But he is holding off on that plan until he finishes exploring the new concept.
Lattizori stressed the project is still in the preliminary planning stages. No applications have been filed with the town for zoning or sewer approval.
Although he has quietly been meeting with small groups of Stone Ridge residents, Selectman Rob Simmons and some town officials over the past five months, he said he wants to complete a detailed plan before presenting it to the public and the overall Stone Ridge community. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
DOT Invites Public To Hear I-84 Viaduct Plans
HARTFORD — State engineers planning the replacement of the I-84 viaduct are holding a round of public meetings in West Hartford and Hartford to try to reduce the number of options on the table.
The multibillion-dollar project will shape traffic patterns and influence the city's character for decades, so the transportation department is working to get as much opinion as possible before settling on a specific strategy.
The meetings both run from 4 to 8 p.m.. They're scheduled for Oct. 22 at the Elmwood Community Center on New Britain Avenue in West Hartford, and Oct. 29 at the Hartford Public Library on Main Street. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Developer details conceptual plan for major Mystic project
Mystic — The owner of 70 acres of the Perkins Farm property is developing a conceptual plan for what could be the largest project in Stonington history, a $40 million to $60 million development that would create a health, research and academic campus with a residential component.
David Lattizori, who had been quietly working on the idea since May and had hoped to hold off on publicizing it until he could complete his review and make a decision whether to move forward, discussed the idea on Tuesday after First Selectman George Crouse mentioned it at last week’s selectmen’s debate.
Crouse said it would generate $1 million a year in tax revenue for the town.
Lattizori — whose family’s unsuccessful efforts in the past to develop the site with a mix of uses including retail and commercial had met with opposition from some residents and town officials — said he is optimistic this idea would be more acceptable.
He said it has no retail component and has been met with initial support from town officials and some residents of the Stone Ridge retirement community located across Jerry Browne Road from the site.
“This type of project would be a home run for the town,” he said. “I do feel this concept is the highest and best use for the property.”
Lattizori currently has zoning approval to build 36 homes on the property and had planned to begin construction on the first five lots next spring.
But he is holding off on that plan until he finishes exploring the new concept.
Lattizori stressed the project is still in the preliminary planning stages. No applications have been filed with the town for zoning or sewer approval.
Although he has quietly been meeting with small groups of Stone Ridge residents, Selectman Rob Simmons and some town officials over the past five months, he said he wants to complete a detailed plan before presenting it to the public and the overall Stone Ridge community. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
DOT Invites Public To Hear I-84 Viaduct Plans
HARTFORD — State engineers planning the replacement of the I-84 viaduct are holding a round of public meetings in West Hartford and Hartford to try to reduce the number of options on the table.
The multibillion-dollar project will shape traffic patterns and influence the city's character for decades, so the transportation department is working to get as much opinion as possible before settling on a specific strategy.
The viaduct is the elevated structure that carries I-84 through the middle of Hartford. The three primary options are to simply build a new viaduct, run the highway through a tunnel, or construct it at ground level. Each choice carries a long series of related options that will affect nearby neighborhoods, local businesses and the downtown street map as well as cyclists and pedestrians.
Anyone interested in the project is invited to two public meetings. DOT engineers will give presentations outlining the progress that's been made so far, and will then field questions from the public.The meetings both run from 4 to 8 p.m.. They're scheduled for Oct. 22 at the Elmwood Community Center on New Britain Avenue in West Hartford, and Oct. 29 at the Hartford Public Library on Main Street. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Airport Authority Wants A Casino At Bradley
The Connecticut Airport Authority is proposing a casino at Bradley International Airport, as developers of a competing casino in Springfield have scaled back their plan.
Kevin Dillon, the authority's executive director, said the authority is looking to host a casino that the operators of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun want to open in the capital region, under a state-sanctioned process that also requires the backing of the town of Windsor Locks, where the airport is located.
The airport joins a growing list of potential casino locations in the Hartford area as Connecticut looks to protect its gambling industry from the new mega-casino in Springfield.
The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes have required that bids contain sign-offs by both the developer and the town or city where the proposed casino would be built. But formal zoning and other local approvals are not yet necessary. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Plans move forward to rehab Carrigan Intermediate School in West Haven
WEST HAVEN >> The Board of Education is moving forward with a project to make $7.23 million in much-needed maintenance and improvements at Carrigan Intermediate School — with a net, post-state-reimbursement cost to the city of $1.48 million.
The board’s unanimous vote this week comes at a sensitive, challenging time for the city — during which a cumulative deficit that is expected to grow to $10.5 million when the last fiscal year’s audit is complete already threatens a much larger, $124.69 million project to rebuild West Haven High School.
But everyone agrees that Carrigan, built in 1969 and never fully renovated, needs work.
And even those raising questions about the high school project, including Mayor Ed O’Brien and Director of Finance Kevin McNabola, say the Carrigan project is doable and should go forward.
“I think we have to move ahead with this project,” O’Brien said Tuesday. Among other things, “The roof needs to be done.”
The way the project is being designed, “we’re leveraging our money,” O’Brien said.
Despite the city’s fiscal challenges, “I think we need to move ahead when it makes sense to move ahead — and this one makes sense,” he said, essentially agreeing with Superintendent of Schools Neil Cavallaro.
Cavallaro said he has concerns about getting City Council approval in the current fiscal environment, “but I’m hoping that they’ll see the value of the project. We’ve looked for a long time at how we can get the best bang for our buck.”
The school system has a number of schools in need of repair, “Carrigan being the neediest,” Cavallaro said. “The roof is 25 years old and we need to replace it.” But “just replacing the roof doesn’t make the building what it should be.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The Connecticut Airport Authority is proposing a casino at Bradley International Airport, as developers of a competing casino in Springfield have scaled back their plan.
Kevin Dillon, the authority's executive director, said the authority is looking to host a casino that the operators of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun want to open in the capital region, under a state-sanctioned process that also requires the backing of the town of Windsor Locks, where the airport is located.
"We have approached Windsor Locks to move this forward with us," said Dillon. "This would be a nice amenity for travelers and another source of non-aeronautical revenue for the airport."
Discussions are underway with the town, Dillon said, but local officials have not made any commitments for what could be the only airport-based casino in the country.The airport joins a growing list of potential casino locations in the Hartford area as Connecticut looks to protect its gambling industry from the new mega-casino in Springfield.
The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes have required that bids contain sign-offs by both the developer and the town or city where the proposed casino would be built. But formal zoning and other local approvals are not yet necessary. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Plans move forward to rehab Carrigan Intermediate School in West Haven
WEST HAVEN >> The Board of Education is moving forward with a project to make $7.23 million in much-needed maintenance and improvements at Carrigan Intermediate School — with a net, post-state-reimbursement cost to the city of $1.48 million.
The board’s unanimous vote this week comes at a sensitive, challenging time for the city — during which a cumulative deficit that is expected to grow to $10.5 million when the last fiscal year’s audit is complete already threatens a much larger, $124.69 million project to rebuild West Haven High School.
But everyone agrees that Carrigan, built in 1969 and never fully renovated, needs work.
And even those raising questions about the high school project, including Mayor Ed O’Brien and Director of Finance Kevin McNabola, say the Carrigan project is doable and should go forward.
“I think we have to move ahead with this project,” O’Brien said Tuesday. Among other things, “The roof needs to be done.”
The way the project is being designed, “we’re leveraging our money,” O’Brien said.
Despite the city’s fiscal challenges, “I think we need to move ahead when it makes sense to move ahead — and this one makes sense,” he said, essentially agreeing with Superintendent of Schools Neil Cavallaro.
Cavallaro said he has concerns about getting City Council approval in the current fiscal environment, “but I’m hoping that they’ll see the value of the project. We’ve looked for a long time at how we can get the best bang for our buck.”
The school system has a number of schools in need of repair, “Carrigan being the neediest,” Cavallaro said. “The roof is 25 years old and we need to replace it.” But “just replacing the roof doesn’t make the building what it should be.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE