September 26, 2016

CT Construction Digest Monday September 26, 2016

Hartford's Front Street Development Could Enter Final Phase Next Spring

The city's Front Street development — under construction for years — could see its final piece start falling into place, as soon as next spring.
The fourth and last phase of Front Street — 54 apartments over 10,000 square feet of storefront space — is envisioned for the narrow strip of parking lots sandwiched between Arch Street and the Whitehead Highway, across from the University of Connecticut campus now under construction.
Front Street's developer, Greenwich-based HB Nitkin Group, has opened negotiations with the Capital Region Developent Authority to secure financing for a portion of the estimated $20 million project from taxpayer-backed funding. CRDA funding — possibly a loan — could cover as much as a quarter of the cost. Peter Christian, Nitkin's director of development, said Nitkin intended to wait until the UConn campus was completed in the fall of next year. But the pace of apartment leasing at the new Front Street Lofts — now 98 percent occupied after less than a year — and elsewhere downtown has spurred on the move to complete the last phase of the mixed-use development sooner than expected, Christian said. "If everything goes according to plan, we would break ground next spring," Christian said. Construction would take about a year, he added.
Discussions with CRDA are at an early stage, and, if approved, would tap into funds earmarked to promote new housing downtown. It is likely the building would be two or three stories tall, with storefronts catering to the needs of college students that will attend the new UConn campus, Christian said.  Front Street — part of the larger Adriaen's Landing dating to late 1990s — was intended to both provide entertainment options for conventioneers but also create a neighborhood that would link the riverfront to the rest of downtown.
"One of the challenges we had, and it has been overcome, is that there were gaps," said Brendan J. Fox Jr., who served as executive director of the Capital City Economic Development Authority from 1998 to 2003. "You had to provide people a place to go where there wasn't a mile of space where there wasn't anything to do. I think that's coming to fruition." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Casino Site Reopener: Tribes Want To Get It Right

When it comes to saving Connecticut jobs and revenue, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes only have one chance to get things right. That's why we have reopened our search for proposals as we plan for the construction of a casino in the Hartford area to compete with the $950 million MGM Resorts International casino and entertainment complex now under construction in Springfield.
It's our concern for making a good choice of location for the casino that's guided us as we've spent the last few months carefully deliberating and going through the due diligence that an investment of $200 to $300 million demands. 
We know that everyone is eager to get shovels in the ground, and so are we. But given the changes that were made to some existing proposals over the last few weeks, we believe the fairest way to move this process forward is to reopen the request for proposals. This will allow existing applicants or other interested municipalities the opportunity to change their applications or submit a new proposal. We've set a deadline of noon on Oct. 15 for these new or amended proposals. 
MMCT, the joint venture formed last year by the Mashantucket Pequots and the Mohegans, has already received some extremely promising applications, and in recent weeks two of these proposals have been significantly amended. Now, an East Hartford casino could lead to a partnership with the Radisson Hotel, and a Windsor Locks casino could be located at one of three new sites.
While it's taken longer than we expected, our goal hasn't changed. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE

Marine construction firm has plan for River Street Site

NEW HAVEN >> A proposed marine use for a parcel on the Quinnipiac River has the support of neighbors and officials who have long waited for an appropriate use for the site.
Patel Construction LLC plans to purchase the seven-acre site at 24 River St. and a portion of 36 River St. along the shoreline and bring in as its tenant Cambridge Marine Construction.The plan is to raze the former Seaboard Oil company headquarters at 24 River St. and replace it with a three-story rectangular metal building. Extra parts for the boats and tools used by Cambridge will be stored at the rear of the first floor, with the upper story occupied by offices.The proposed site plan submitted to the City Plan Commission shows a glass storefront window system which will wrap around from the River Street side to the western portion on Ferry Street. There is also a proposed plaza with plantings and benches in front of the entrance on River Street.
The Ferry Street side will feature decorative steel beams, smooth accent blocks and metal siding, according to the plan, with a 5-foot concrete base for the whole structure. The metal will be the color of brick to match the Brewery Square building across the way. The property will be used as an active yard for boat and marine construction equipment storage, maintenance and repair. The project site at the corner of River and Ferry streets also consists of a sheet pile bulkhead and a riprap revetment, or retaining wall, along the river. The plans call for constructing bulkheads along the waterfront of both properties. Patel, in his application to the city, said there will be an estimated 10 Cambridge Marine employees at the property, although Cambridge hopes to hire more. The property is within the River Street Municipal Development Plan, but it is not a parcel slated for acquisition and redevelopment by the city itself. Economic Development Officer Helen Rosenberg said she hopes the private deal attracts similar businesses. “Once they are there and they have built this new building, it might draw other uses, similar or ancillary,” Rosenberg said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE