SOUTHINGTON — Work has begun on a Queen Street plaza that will include a Chick-fil-A, Chipotle and Aldi north of the Interstate 84 exit ramps.
Local developer John Senese bought four adjacent properties that included a former factory and a shuttered Chinese restaurant. He’s turning the property into a retail and restaurant development.
In addition to demolishing the restaurant, the developer also remediated pollution that was caused by the metal plating company.
The plaza doesn’t have a connection to the development directly to the north which contains an International House of Pancakes, Bed Bath and Beyond, TJ Maxx, and Bob’s Discount Furniture.
That development is owned by RK Centers of Needham, Mass. Kenneth Fries, the company’s acquisitions and leasing director, said connecting the plazas isn’t off the table. Fries said his company told Senese to contact them once permits were approved to discuss a connection.
Joining plazas could help both but could also hurt some tenants, according to Fries.
“There’s a lot that goes into it,” he said. “You don’t want to have high parking uses competing for spaces, especially around the holidays.”
In addition to parking, stores or restaurants wouldn’t want to provide more access to a direct competitor. Fries said the question of whether or not to provide a road would depend on the tenants Senese signs.
A deal to allow traffic could come with a fee, but not in every case, Fries said.
Overall, the addition of more stores to the area will help RK Centers.
“It’s definitely a positive from the retail perspective,” Fries said, calling the store and restaurants Senese has signed on thus far “really strong tenants.”
Senese didn’t return calls for comment Thursday.
Senese requested and received permission to rezone three Upson Place properties, allowing him to put in a driveway to connect his new development to the signal near 7-Eleven. He faced opposition from some homeowners concerned about commercial encroachment in their neighborhood but a majority of residents voted to change their restrictive covenant to allow the rezoning. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Thursday to agree to the extension after hearing from PRA Chairman Sean Nugent that this would be the only extension needed to complete the negotiations. Nugent said the parties expect to have a Property Disposition and Development Agreement, or PDDA, completed by the new deadline.
Tribal and town officials announced on May 12 that the tribe was interested in buying the entire 393-acre former Norwich Hospital property in Preston for a major nongaming development described at the time as a “high-quality” mixed use development. Tribal Chairman Kevin Brown later said the project could include business development, outdoor recreation, including a “glamour camping” facility, a synthetic ski slope and an adventure park.
The Memorandum of Understanding reached between the town and the tribe on May 19 called for a 180-day negotiation period that would end Nov. 19 without the extension.
Nugent told the selectmen that much progress has been made in recent weeks during closed-door negotiation sessions, but the two parties have exchanged questions and asked for more information that will require more time to complete.
“We've come to a joint conclusion that it's not going to happen by Nov. 19,” Nugent said. “But it is going to happen.”
After the selectmen meeting, Nugent said he could not comment on specifics of the issues in the negotiations that will need more time to iron out.
The time schedule remains tight even with the extension, town officials admitted Thursday, because all approvals are expected to be in place by the new Feb. 19 deadline — including a vote by the State Bond Commission for the pledged $10 million state contribution to finish the environmental cleanup of the property, and town meeting approval in Preston for the PDDA.
First Selectman Robert Congdon said the only approval not within the town's and tribe's control is the State Bond Commission schedule.
Prior to a town meeting seeking residents' approval of the agreement, officials also expect to hold public information meetings on the proposal, Nugent said.
“I'm kind of hoping that you're pretty far along the road,” Preston Selectman Michael Sinko said, “because this is a bad time of year to get things done — the holidays.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Malloy taps DEEP deputy as PURA commissioner
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday said he has nominated Katie Dykes, deputy commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, to serve as a commissioner of the state's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.
Dykes, who has been in her current position since March 2012, would replace Art House, who Malloy appointed earlier this month as the state's Chief Cyber Security Risk Officer -- a newly created position within the Department of Administrative Services.
Dykes graduated from Yale Law School and is the current chair of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon-trading program for Northeastern states. She previously worked as deputy general counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
"Katie has dedicated years toward providing strategic direction to Connecticut's energy policy, and in particular her knowledge of the needs of Connecticut's energy consumers and utility companies made her a natural fit for this position," Malloy said in a statement. "Over the last several years, my staff and I have had the pleasure of working closely with her on these topics, and I am confident that her passion and expertise will benefit PURA and seamlessly continue its mission."
PURA is based in New Britain and regulates the rates and services of utility and telecom companies operating in the state. Its other commissioners are John W. Betkoski III and Michael Caron.
"In this new role, I look forward to working with other PURA commissioners and staff to advance Connecticut's nationally-recognized energy agenda to bring cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable power to the families and businesses of our state," Dykes said.
PURA has been a part of DEEP since 2011. It used to be a separate agency called the Department of Public Utility Control.
In early 2015, House and his fellow commissioners asked Malloy for more independence from DEEP, which controls its budget and hiring.
Connecticut Cancels Plans For Major Natural Gas Projects
Connecticut energy officials Thursday canceled plans for major natural gas pipelines and other regional gas projects, citing recent court and administrative rulings in other New England states that raised doubts about regional cooperation to pay for such big projects.
The decision appears to be a significant setback for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's push to expand the use of natural gas by Connecticut power generating facilities. Malloy's administration has been touting natural gas as a cleaner, less expensive alternative to other fossil fuels, and a way to insure reliability in New England's energy system.
Connecticut officials say this state's efforts to encourage more natural gas use by homeowners and businesses are continuing, and the state this week gave approval for several new solar and wind energy projects to move ahead and negotiate deals with electricity distribution companies, including Eversource and United Illuminating.
But there has been growing environmental and consumer opposition in the region to massive and costly gas pipeline and major natural gas power generating projects.
Plans calling for electricity ratepayers to carry the major part of the cost of such big natural gas projects triggered a storm of protests. Recent rulings in Massachusetts and New Hampshire effectively prohibit ratepayers in those states from being charged for pipeline projects.
"We don't believe Connecticut ratepayers should take on these costs [of major pipelines and other regional natural gas projects]... when other states are not going to take on their share," said Katie Dykes, deputy commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.Asked if the cancellation of these natural gas pipeline proposals in Connecticut would result in higher energy costs for state consumers, Dykes replied: "I don't have a crystal ball." She said ratepayer costs depend a lot on what's happening with winter weather, energy markets, and developments in other states.
Officials at Eversource, a major partner in one big pipeline proposal called Access Northeast, issued a statement saying they were disappointed with the state's decision to cancel consideration of that and other major natural gas projects. But the utility officials added that, "We remain committed to the Access Northeast project and finding solutions for New England's energy crisis," said Eversource spokesperson Tricia Taskey Modifica. "The significant need for natural gas in our region cannot be understated." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE