STAMFORD — After five years of controversy and three rounds of applications, developer Building and Land Technology’s boatyard plan has been approved by the city’s Zoning Board.
The board unanimously approved all eight applications tied to the Davenport Landing boatyard and separate storage facilities as the clock stuck midnight Tuesday, and chairman Thomas Mills said he is glad to see this process come to an end.
“I only hope that the process is truly done with and that the applicant really does provide all of the services the public has been waiting for,” he said. “I hope the public gets what they deserve out of this and that they get the boatyard they have been waiting for for five years.”
One of Mills’ final requests at Monday night’s meeting was that BLT be held to a tight deadline for finishing the replacement boatyard.
“I hope Stamford’s boatyard is restored in one year,” he said.
The boatyard is part of BLT’s Harbor Point project, a $3.5 billion renovation of the South End. The developer’s revised plan includes a 4.4-acre boatyard on Southfield Avenue with a 25,740-square-foot building. BLT also wants to build a 115-unit housing complex on the site. It proposed a separate boat storage site at 205 Magee Ave.
The developer has been under fire since it demolished the original boatyard from the 14-acre parcel of land in 2011. A cease-and-desist order placed on the land by Stamford’s zoning enforcement bars BLT from developing the land until it presents an acceptable plan for a new boatyard.
As the Zoning Board waded through BLT’s intricate bundle of applications for a replacement boatyard, it had requested the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s opinion if the proposal adheres to the CAM Act. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Hydro dam project using ancient technology set to begin in Meriden
MERIDEN — Project leaders for a first-of-its kind hydroelectric dam in North America are finalizing details with state and federal agencies before construction begins at Hanover Pond.
“We’re working very carefully with (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission). We expect by the end of next week to have a better schedule. We want to make sure all the research is completed,”said Christopher Conover, spokesman for New England Hydropower Co.
The project will harness ancient Greek technology to generate electric power at Hanover Pond. Although widely used in Europe, it is the first hydro project of its kind in North America, Conover said. The dam project received FERC approval a year ago and New England Hydropower has been working closely with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Work involves installing a large screw underground next to the Hanover Pond dam. Water will be diverted into the screw at the top of the dam and will force the screw to slowly spin, creating electricity.
A small shed, about 15 feet by 15 feet, will be installed alongside the dam next to the underground screw. The shed will house a generator and will be surrounded by natural screening and fencing.
Wildlife and river advocates have raised questions about the project, primarily its timetable.
Steve Sola, who photographs birds in the area, questioned whether project managers have made accommodations to protect the wildlife, particularly if there is a drawdown of the pond.
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When Connecticut launched its ambitious $7 billion, 10-year effort in 2014 to convert approximately 280,000 utility customers to natural gas, the plan's success hinged on federal government projections that oil prices would climb for the next decade or more.
But that hasn't happened so far. In fact, oil prices nosedived in 2014 and have remained at depressed levels, causing the state to fall behind its projected natural gas conversion pace early on.
Utilities say they're confident they can make up for the slow start, but if oil prices remain low, getting 280,000 conversions may be difficult, because there would be less potential savings incentivizing customers to invest in required equipment to make the switch.
Hitting a smaller number of conversions could mean lower reductions in greenhouse gas emissions — though it's not clear exactly how much — which may imperil the state's chances of reaching its pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next 34 years.
Fewer conversions could also hurt the economic impact of the program, which has created work for gas and construction crews.
In late 2011, two economists at the Department of Economic and Community Development calculated that the expansion would result in a net $4.1 billion increase in state GDP over the life of the program, assuming price differences at that time.
Bad timing
Improving the environment and creating economic benefits, including jobs and customer savings, were the two main reasons the legislature instructed the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to develop a gas conversion plan in partnership with the utility companies. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
But that hasn't happened so far. In fact, oil prices nosedived in 2014 and have remained at depressed levels, causing the state to fall behind its projected natural gas conversion pace early on.
Utilities say they're confident they can make up for the slow start, but if oil prices remain low, getting 280,000 conversions may be difficult, because there would be less potential savings incentivizing customers to invest in required equipment to make the switch.
Hitting a smaller number of conversions could mean lower reductions in greenhouse gas emissions — though it's not clear exactly how much — which may imperil the state's chances of reaching its pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next 34 years.
Fewer conversions could also hurt the economic impact of the program, which has created work for gas and construction crews.
In late 2011, two economists at the Department of Economic and Community Development calculated that the expansion would result in a net $4.1 billion increase in state GDP over the life of the program, assuming price differences at that time.
Bad timing
Improving the environment and creating economic benefits, including jobs and customer savings, were the two main reasons the legislature instructed the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to develop a gas conversion plan in partnership with the utility companies. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE