HARTFORD — A number of area projects are among the 43 agenda items that will come before the State Bond Commission on Friday.
More than $682 million in bonding will be considered in proposals from municipalities around the state that range from open space acquisitions to capital improvement projects.
The Office of Policy and Management has requested more than $20 million to fund grants-in-aid for urban development projects, including $2.5 million to aid Community Mental Health Affiliates upgrade its New Britain location (see related story). The allocation will be distributed through the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
An additional request from the department, totaling $237,652, will support energy efficiency improvements at the Plainville Community Food Pantry on South Canal Street. If approved, funding would upgrade windows, doors, insulation and air conditioners, and pay for the installation of solar panels.
A $5 million grant-in-aid would fund a little more than half of the $9.6 million construction of a new 22,000-square-foot senior center in Southington. The work at the Calendar House is planned to include the demolition of the original portion of the Pleasant Street facility. Town funds are covering $4.6 million of the project.
The Department of Education is requesting $6 million to assist low-performing schools in tackling physical improvements as well as acquiring new technology and equipment. New Britain’s Pulaski Middle School is among 23 schools that would benefit from the funding. The request earmarks $97,000 for the Farmington Avenue school.
Meanwhile, the Board of Regents for Higher Education is requesting a bond authorization of $6 million to attend to deferred maintenance, code compliance and infrastructure improvements at four state universities including Central Connecticut State University. Alterations and improvements would include the restoration of academic facilities, upgrading safety systems and other ground improvements. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Developers, state officials tour downtown Meriden, learn about upcoming projects
MERIDEN — City officials sought to explain economic development projects in the pipeline Tuesday, and called for suggestions for the future in a presentation to downtown stakeholders, development partners and representatives from the state Department of Economic and Community Development.
City Economic Development Director Juliet Burdelski and Midstate Chamber of Commerce President Sean Moore led about 25 participants on a walk Tuesday from City Hall to the Meriden Green and across the Silver City Bridge to view construction of the train station and a development project at 24 Colony St. before a reception at Gallery 53.
“We have to look at the retail space and think about what is the best for recovery,” Burdelski said.
The city recently hired BL Companies to conduct a market study of commercial space for uses that would generate foot traffic and a thriving downtown. BL Companies has a long history with the city stemming from its work on the City Center Initiative in 2002.
“It’s great to see activity and projects happening,” said Geoff Fitzgerald, a planning grant consultant for BL Companies. “It’s right up our alley.”
Retail users in downtown should fit the needs of residents in surrounding neighborhoods, he said. National chain restaurants and shops are not necessary to restore foot traffic. The train station makes the city a great commuter stop and parking spaces at the garage under construction at 24 Colony St. add convenience, he said.
“You have the potential for capturing daily commuters,” Fitzgerald said.
The Meriden Housing Authority partnered with the city, state and Westmount Development to construct a commercial and residential development at 24 Colony St. The project, which relies on low-income housing tax credits, is nearing completion. The city recently learned that another project put together through a partnership with the MHA and Pennrose Properties at 177 State St. will likely be awarded $5.7 million in state funds during Friday’s State Bond Commission meeting.
The challenging part of remaking downtown involves filling the commercial space under development and enticing developers to build more market-rate housing that doesn’t always qualify for public financing. Getting there could mean $20 million more in state and federal funding to make more sites investor ready, according to Burdelski.
About $5 million is necessary for soil remediation and the removal of hazardous materials at the former Meriden-Wallingford Hospital on Cook Avenue. City officials are meeting with an unnamed prospective developer to discuss the property next week, Burdelski said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The committee issued a request for proposals in August. The committee members narrowed the eight bidders down before selecting Downes, which they said ranked highest by their criteria, and also offered a much lower price than the next best proposal.
Construction managers typically are used for projects of this size, said School Modernization Committee Chairman Mike Urgo, and this is the model preferred by the state.
As part of the proposal, representatives from the company must be present at meetings, and the School Modernization Committee will be involved as the company bids out various parts of the project.
The construction manager model also must be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will loan the town money for the project through its Rural Development program.
"Getting their approval will not be an issue; the committee has done their homework," First Selectman Shawn Murphy said.
West Haven PZC denies property owners application for The Haven upscale outlet mall
WEST HAVEN >> The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to deny an application by two sets of holdout property owners for The Haven upscale outlet mall to change the city’s zoning regulations to require a special permit before a regional shopping center can be built in the waterfront design zone.
The vote came after the continuation of a public hearing which began Sept. 13. Most of the speakers Tuesday night were residents who wanted to see The Haven built and said they opposed the holdouts’ proposed text change.An attorney for holdouts Robert McGinnity and members of his family, who own houses at 341 First Ave. and 349 First Ave., and SZS Enterprises LLC, the owner of the Citgo station at Elm Street and First Avenue, said afterwards that he was disappointed.“It would have been a benefit” to the West Haven community “if they had approved the text change,” said Brian R. Smith, of Robinson & Cole of Hartford. He said he didn’t yet know what the next step would be, but would confer with his clients. Another Robinson & Cole attorney, Evan Seeman, earlier had told the commission that requiring a special permit, with its requirement for a public hearing, added an extra layer of review and protection for what would be a major project.
An attorney for developer The Haven Group, LLC, Ray Bershstein, said afterward, “Our client just wants to build this project.” Earlier, the two sides had parried over a protest The Haven Group had filed to the application and the developer’s contention that the holdouts were throwing an “eleventh-hour” obstacle in to try to slow down the process.Seeman alleged during the hearing that The Haven Group hadn’t attained the threshold of owning 20 percent of the property within the project area, which was necessary to have standing to file such a protest. He also said his clients’ application actually came “in the first hour” because The Haven Group had yet to submit its plans. Bershstein in turn questioned Seeman’s research, pointing out that a list of property owners he referred to actually was just a printout from the Vision Appraisal online assessor’s records database, as opposed to research of the land records. Seeman, in response to a question from city Corporation Counsel Vin Amendola as to whether he went to the land records “or just used assessor’s sheets,” said he used “just the assessor’s sheets.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE