BRIDGEPORT — Steel Point developer Bridgeport Landing Development now has full control over the East Side peninsula, officials announced Wednesday.
The city sold the remaining two parcels needed to complete the Steelpointe Harbor project to the developer for just over $2 million. The sale closed July 1.
The developer now has the right to begin construction on a Cinepolis luxury movie theatre, a Hampton Inn, retail and residential properties and the boardwalk on about 21 acres on Stratford Avenue.
“The completion of this sale is a huge energy boost for the development Steelpointe and the Bridgeport waterfront,” said Mayor Ganim. “This not only helps the city treasury, but this provides much needed momentum to attracting further economic development and investment in our city, which will also expand our tax base for years to come.”
Robert Christoph Jr., principal of Bridgeport Landing, said, “The purchase of this property enables us to fulfill our strategy for Steelpointe Harbor which is to make it a destination for retail, dining and upscale residential. To that end we have begun investing in the remaining infrastructure and construction of the bulkhead which should be finished by the end of the year. We are very excited with the progress that is being made at SteelPointe Harbor.”
Bridge replacement project on West Center Street Ext. in Southington delayed
SOUTHINGTON — A project to replace the West Center Street Extension bridge over the Eight Mile River has been pushed to next year.
Town officials had planned to start the work this year and finish next year. Town Council public works subcommittee members said they decided to seek bids on the work this year and complete it all next year.
The 55-foot bridge was built in 1961 and will cost about $1.5 million to replace. Earlier this year, the State Bond Commission approved $822,750 for the work. While the deck of the bridge is deteriorating, the supports received a decent rating from the state Department of Transportation. Bridges are rated by the state on a scale of zero to nine. The highest rating indicates a brand new bridge and a zero is a closed bridge. Ratings of four or less are considered structurally deficient, but not necessarily unsafe.
The West Center Street bridge’s deck condition was rated at three by the state. Other portions of the bridge, including the superstructure and substructure, were rated at six or seven
Paul Champagne, chairman of the public works subcommittee and a Town Councilor, said he feels there’s no risk in delaying the work, now scheduled to start in April. For about four months the bridge will be down to a single lane of alternating traffic.
Champagne said the bridge will revert to two lanes “as soon as possible.”
“It’s not a high-volume road but it’s not a low-volume road either,” he said.
Police Sgt. Jeffrey Dobratz said the police department usually has an officer at a road construction site while motorists get used to a new traffic pattern.
Bill Barry, a West Center Street Extension resident who lives next to the river and bridge, said every winter he picks up piles of asphalt that plows have ripped off the bridge deck. The road over the bridge has potholes in the concrete, some of which have been filled with asphalt. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
HARTFORD — DoNo Hartford and Centerplan Construction Co., the former developers of the stalled minor league ballpark downtown, are seeking a court injunction to reverse their termination.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the developers also said Hartford should be barred from allowing anyone else to complete work at Dunkin' Donuts Stadium.
City officials fired DoNo and Centerplan in June after the developers missed a second key deadline to finish the 6,000-seat facility, casting doubt on whether the Yard Goats, the Double A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, would play there this summer.
City officials said recently that they are considering taking on the role of developer and finishing the stadium themselves. The city hasn't named a construction team, though the Yard Goats have been in talks with Moriarty Construction, which did work previously for team owner Josh Solomon. DoNo and Centerplan missed an initial deadline in March to finish the stadium, and another in May. The developers contend that the city made costly revisions to the architectural plans that resulted in delays and overruns, and that Hartford officials had been warned over several months about the issue. Their lawsuit, filed in Superior Court, charges that the city is in default of its agreement with DoNo, having rolled out numerous expensive changes to the plan without the ability to foot the bill.
"The city could not issue a termination notice because DoNo was not in default, was not provided an opportunity to cure whatever the alleged default might be and because it was in material default for failing to pay approved requisitions and not having enough money to pay an anticipated requisition," the lawsuit says. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Luxury Glastonbury Apartment Development Gets New Name, Design Changes
GLASTONBURY — When developer Martin J. Kenny picked the name Flanagan's Landing for a new apartment development, it seemed the obvious choice: Flanagan Industries had occupied the site off New London Turnpike since the 1960s.
But the name didn't resonate in early marketing research. Focus group members had trouble spelling it, often throwing an "i" or an "e" in the word Flanagan's.
"A whole bunch of people thought it was the name of an Irish pub," Kenny said.
The new name of the $50 million, 250-unit complex now under construction — The Tannery — again draws on the history of the property but stretching back to the early 1800s when it was used for making leather.
Kenny, a principal in the Hartford-based development company Lexington Partners, said he was skeptical at first, considering the tanning business "wasn't pretty stuff." Focus groups thought otherwise, he said.
"Millennials thought that was cool, historic and there was the connection to fine leather," Kenny said.The site was used by tanners earlier, but in 1886, the property was purchased by Herman Roser, whose family had been tanners in Germany since 1695. The Rosers were known for well-crafted leather, manufactured for U.S. cavalry saddles, bookbinding and later, limousine upholstery.
Plans for the 31-acre property include converting two old mill buildings — one into rentals — plus the construction of five structures to the rear of the property. The apartments will be a mix of studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with estimated monthly rents ranging from $1,200 to $3,000. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
State provides more than $13 million for Burrville Fire Training School
TORRINGTON >> The Burrville Fire Training School is set to receive more than $13 million from the state of Connecticut for additions, renovations and improvements, after the state Bond Commission voted to allocate the funds Tuesday. “This project consists of construction of a 16,650 square foot administration, educational and vehicle maintenance facility, a new 5,900 square foot Class A burn building, a new training tower and a new rehab shelter, including new fire training props for propane fires foam extinguisher, vehicle extraction, a drafting test pit and water tank and various fire rescue props,” according to the commission. Constructing these additions and alterations to the training school will create 242 construction jobs, the agenda states.
$13,186,400 was awarded for the project Tuesday, mostly for construction and equipment purchases. $11,540,000 was set aside for the former expense, while $1,000,000 was allocated for the latter. Local legislators requested these funds from the state in February.
At the time, School Director Richard Winn said the facility was “pretty well run down,” and had degraded significantly since it was constructed in the 1950s. Attendance had dropped in recent years, he said, because of the deteriorating condition of the school. Efforts to provide for the reconstruction of the state’s fire schools began around the turn of the millennium, according to Winn. Burrville, following work at two other such schools, was next in line. The Burrville training school was primarily used by potential volunteer firefighters in Litchfield County, Winn said at the time, but has also educated full-time firefighters in the past. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE