STAMFORD — Though Royal Bank of Scotland is cutting jobs in the city, the investment bank does plan to bring tax-paying people to the city — in the form of apartment residents.
In addition to potential new residents, Stamford would also benefit from the proposed development in other ways. The city also owns properties in that area, some of them in between the RBS lots, so to consolidate them, the two will swap some of the parcels, giving the city the land needed to continue the Mill River walkway.
Stein said plans to extend the Mill River walkway will increase the value of RBS’s land because it will raise the land along the waterfront and take the area out of the flood plain.
The area where the apartments would be built are not zoned for that density of housing, so both the city and RBS are asking for changes to the Mill River Park project plan and the city’s master plan.
The project is time sensitive because funding for the Mill River walkway includes a $3.75 million Hurricane Sandy grant awarded to the city, which calls the project to start next spring and be done by June 2017. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Request for proposals out for solar arrays in Pomfret
POMFRET — Pomfret officials have sent out a request for proposals inviting companies to submit plans for the construction of solar arrays on town-owned property, a move First Selectwoman Maureen Nicholson said would put the town at the "forefront of energy efficiency" projects in the state. "It's an exciting opportunity that would generate income to the town without disrupting the rural character of the area," she said. The plans calls for leasing portions of two pieces of town-owned land: 178 acres at 434 Killingly Road/Route 101 — better known as the "Murdock property" — and 10 acres at 89 Searles Road. Nicholson said the Murdock tract, once a gravel pit - has been largely unused for decades. Grounded solar arrays, from 2 to 20 megawatt output capacity, would be constructed on the property. "The idea is to choose a contractor and have that land primed and ready to go before the state sends out its request for proposals this year for large-scale renewable energy systems," Nicholson said. The upcoming state renewable procurement, administered by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, authorizes the large-scale acquisition of regional renewable power as part of the state's goal of providing cheaper and more reliable energy for residents. The power generated from the renewable energy projects would be sold to Eversource, the state's largest electric distribution utility. "The town would see an annual income stream from leasing the land, as well as from tax revenue on the panels," Nicholson said. "The amount the town gets — which could be substantial — would depend on the size of the arrays. And at the end of the 30-year lease period, the town could take the land back, or renew the contract."CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
CT faces daunting transportation issues
Q&A talks about the costs of Connecticut's decaying transportation infrastructure and opportunities to fix it with Carrie Rocha, Connecticut office leader and associate vice president of HNTB Corp., an infrastructure engineering firm.
Q: There has been a lot of talk about the decaying transportation infrastructure in the U.S. How bad of a situation is it? What would it cost to make us 100 percent in CT?
A: America's infrastructure is decaying, suffering from age and overuse. Dwindling federal funding, lower purchasing power from a gasoline tax that hasn't been raised since 1993, and more fuel-efficient cars have resulted in a nearly insolvent Highway Trust Fund unable to keep up with transportation demands.
The Federal Highway Administration reports 35 percent of Connecticut's 4,218 bridges are either 'structurally deficient' (378 bridges) or 'functionally obsolete' (1,079 bridges).
According to the American Society of Civil Engineer's 2013 infrastructure report card, 41 percent of Connecticut's major public roads are in poor condition.
The Texas Transportation Institute's 2014 Urban Mobility Scorecard calculates drivers in the Hartford area lose 45 hours per year due to congestion at an average annual cost of $1,038.
Gov. Malloy's transportation proposal involves a five-year ramp-up and $10 billion investment. His long term 30-year vision calls for $100 billion, which is needed to address all critical infrastructure preservation and modernization needs for roads, bridges and rail. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Transportation overhaul focuses on bike, pedestrian pathways
Trail projects in Plainville, Southington, Farmington, Cheshire, Bloomfield and a handful of other communities are among those expected to be completed under Connecticut's five-year transportation ramp-up plan unveiled earlier this year, which aims to make biking and pedestrian walkways a more prominent part of the state's transportation strategy.
The $10 billion ramp-up plan, which is part of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's more ambitious 30-year, $100-billion transportation overhaul, includes $101 million for maintaining trails, completing gaps in the state's trail network and completing urban bike/pedestrian connectivity projects. For the following 25 years, $250 million is earmarked for pedestrian and bicycle improvements including construction of a trail along Route 15 (Merritt Parkway) and $30 million for trail maintenance.
Tom Maziarz, bureau chief for the Connecticut Department of Transportation's Bureau of Policy and Planning, said Malloy's transportation plan — called Let's Go CT! — is based on a new state strategy that aims to achieve more than simply reducing accidents or congestion. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
State Planners Say They're Closer To Choosing I-84 Hartford Plan
HARTFORD — Planners say they're likely to decide in 2016 whether to rebuild the I-84 viaduct in Hartford, replace it with a ground-level highway or dig a tunnel.
The choice might come as soon as the first half of the year, depending on whether there's consensus for one of the options, state transportation department engineers said Monday at an informational forum.
Construction is still years away, and the state hasn't lined up funding for the multibillion-dollar work, which involves replacing the viaduct that brings I-84 through Hartford. But selecting a design is essential so engineers can prepare detailed plans for replacing one of the highway's most heavily used stretches, said Rich Armstrong, project manager with the Department of Transportation.
The decision will influence traffic patterns throughout the heart of the city, because options include removing some downtown exit and entrance ramps and adding new ones at other locations. Planners are focused on the stretch from Frog Hollow to the I-91 interchange. The most recent estimates from the DOT show a ground-level highway would cost $4 billion to $5 billion. Replacing the elevated highway would run $5 billion to $6 billion, and constructing a tunnel would cost $10 billion to $12 billion.The DOT has been gathering opinions from large employers, commuters, trucking companies, residents and others as it prepares to make a decision.
Monday's session at the Hartford Public Library's Mark Twain branch was the latest in a series of public briefings. Several people asked whether the DOT is still considering a "quick fix" approach to construction. That would involve shutting down an entire stretch of highway for a year or more so that contractors could work uninterrupted, shaving years off the construction schedule. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Dozens Attend Hearing On Hartford's Gold Street Realignment
HARTFORD — The second public hearing this year on the controversial relocation of downtown's Gold Street drew just as much fervor — for and against — as the first hearing held in February.
Dozens packed the city council chambers Monday for the hearing, nine months after the city planning and zoning commission had first approved moving the street closer to the Bushnell Tower condominium. But earlier this month, the courts ruled that a relatively obscure state law that requires towns and cities to hold a separate hearing if a road is planned for a park or open space had not been held. "What we object to is the traffic running right next to the building," said Bourke Spellacy, the president of the condominium association, the plan's leading opponents.
Spellacy said the association doesn't oppose the goals of iQuilt, a vision for making the city more walkable and inviting to visitors. But the association says the same result could be accomplished by a less drastic and costly approach, perhaps by creating bicycle and walking paths in the same area where the road relocation is planned. Supporters, wearing "Realign Gold Street" tags on their lapels, pressed for the relocation, saying it is crucial to linking Bushnell Park to Main Street, with a new, wider green space on the north side of the street. The area would include Carl Andre's "Stone Field" sculpture.
"If the city doesn't move ahead, it will leave a gaping hole," James Carter, iQuilt's chairman, said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Former Carroll Cut-Rate Furniture building in West Haven comes down
WEST HAVEN >> The former Carroll Cut-Rate Furniture store on Route 1 is coming down, to be replaced by new construction, assuming that the city’s two zoning boards — which previously approved a rehab of the 89-year-old building — go along. In fact, much of the building at 222 Boston Post Road between Atwood Place and Taft Avenue already is down. Demolition of the Carroll Cut-Rate building and two adjacent buildings that used to be the Torrello & Sons auto parts store began earlier this week.
Details of exactly what went on between the developer — a partnership that includes former Starter Co. CEO David Beckerman — its insurer and the city were unclear. Gary Letendre, executive vice president of Forest Manor LLC, the developer of what’s to be rebranded “The Atwood,” did not return a call for comment.
City Commission of Planning & Development Joseph Riccio Jr. said he didn’t know how the developer got from an approved plan to rehab the building to the demolition order and a new plan for new construction. “I don’t know their dealings with their insurance company or their inner workings,” Riccio said. “I don’t know. ... I don’t poke my nose into their business.” But “I think it’s great news that they’re going to build a development of that type across the street from” University of New Haven, he said.
The building is in the heart of the city’s Allingtown section. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE