Eversource Energy is one step closer to building a controversial power line that would pass through Bethel, Brookfield and Danbury.
The Connecticut Siting Council approved Eversource’s proposal in principle earlier this month and requested a more detailed construction plan for further review.
The 3.4-mile, 115-kilovolt power line would run beside an existing line within Eversource’s right-of-way from the Plumtrees substation in Bethel to Brookfield Junction. Eversource also wants to reconfigure two existing 115-kilovolt double-circuit lines at its Stony Hill substation in Brookfield and the Plumtrees substation in Bethel.
Eversource spokesperson Frank Poirot said the power line would improve service throughout the three towns and the region.
“This provides another path for electricity to flow into these areas,” he said. “It's an integrated grid so it provides benefits to all of our customers in southwest Connecticut.”
But several Brookfield and Bethel residents, as well as some town officials, said they opposed the plan at a public hearing in September.
Among their concerns was a planned access road off Deer Trail Drive in Brookfield, which would have provided Eversource an alternative route to its Stony Hill substation. Residents had contended that an access road would destroy their cul-de-sac and put their children in danger as trucks drove down the road during construction.
But Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn said the access road is no longer part of the plan. After conversations with the town and residents, Eversource decided to use an existing access road off of Stony Hill Road instead.
Dunn said he now supports the power line.
“I think the residents and the town were both in favor of the improvements they were going to make, but not [in favor of] putting an access road off of Deer Trail,” he said. “Once they took the Deer Trail access road off the table, everyone was very happy with the plan.”
Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said the project is good as a whole, although he is concerned that Eversource will have to cut down hundreds of trees near Berkshire Corporate Park, Hearthstone Drive and Chimney Drive. He had hoped the line could be moved to the west or built on top of the existing towers in these spots so that the trees could remain. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Insurance Company Sues Former Dunkin' Donuts Park Developer
The insurance company guaranteeing the completion of Dunkin' Donuts Park has filed a federal lawsuit against former developer Centerplan Construction Co., Robert Landino and several other parties.
Arch Insurance's suit claims that the defendants have failed to reimburse the company for $8.4 million in claims it has paid out. The insurance company determined in August that its potential liability on Dunkin' Donuts Park and the Storrs Center Phase 2 project, a redevelopment project near UConn, total more than $18 million.
The suit does not specify the liability or amount spent on each project. The suit also claims that the defendants have refused to make certain books, records and other financial documents available for review, and failed to post cash collateral demanded by Arch.
Landino is Centerplan's CEO.
Centerplan and DoNo Hartford were terminated by the city from the ballpark project in June, after missing a May 17 deadline to hand over the 6,000-seat minor league baseball stadium to the Hartford Yard Goats to prepare for a May 31 home opener. At the time, the city claimed that the developers had breached their contract by missing the deadline.
The developers countered that the deadline was missed because the city had issued more than 100 change orders in the months leading up to it, making the deadline impossible to achieve.
Centerplan filed suit against the city for wrongful termination and sought an injunction preventing another contractor from finishing the job. A hearing on Centerplan's suit against the city is scheduled for Dec. 13. Arch and the city reached a takeover agreement in October and Arch hired Whiting-Turner Contracting Company to finish the ballpark. The team is scheduled to open the $71 million ballpark April 13, 2017.
Attorneys for Arch and Centerplan were not immediately available for comment Monday.
Other defendants include companies related to both projects. They include: Kelly Landino, Centerplan Development Co.; RAl Investments; Walnut Hill Chase; Tinker House; GH Development, Inc., Center Earth; and Centerplan Communities.
Simsbury Officials Want To Hear More On Proposal For Former Campus Of The Hartford
Town officials are requesting extra time to review a new proposal for The Hartford's former Simsbury office complex.
The zoning commission voted to continue the public hearing on the master site plan for the proposed mixed-use development at 200 Hopmeadow St. until its next meeting on Dec. 5.
The proposed development, The Ridge at Talcott Mountain, was designed using The Hartford-Simsbury Form-Based Code. The document was created by the town in collaboration with The Hartford in August 2014.
Form-based code provides a developer with the town's expectations in the scope of use. The code's purpose, according to the 63-page document, is to "implement a long-term, sustainable redevelopment strategy for the Hartford site."
The Silverman Group's latest plan, submitted Friday, shows a slightly reduced number of residential units from previous plans, from 281 to 208, and increased retail space.
It also describes a walking and bike trail that would connect to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
62-unit affordable housing complex proposed or West Torringford Street
TORRINGTON >> A 62-unit apartment complex is in the works for Torringford West Street, as the Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a Massachusetts-based nonprofit, presented its latest plans to the city Architectural Review Committee Thursday.
POAH owns the Torringford West Apartments senior living complex already established adjacent to 380 Torringford West Street, and is seeking to construct an additional building on the property in the years to come.Originally planned and presented in 2014 as another senior living establishment, the project has now been transitioned to an affordable housing complex, according to Cory Fellows, Vice President of Real Estate Development with POAH, because state funding requirements have changed.The state Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Authority are seeking to provide funding for affordable housing at this time, Fellows told committee members Thursday, and has effectively ceased offering resources for senior-only facilities. “Their funding criteria have evolved to the point that it’s really not possible to get funding for all-senior properties anymore,” said Fellows. “We’ve actually had a lot of conversation with state officials and others, about what we see — there’s still a need for senior housing, obviously, but given the reality now, we’ve made this shift. And we think, based on the research we’ve done — and it continues now — that there is a real need for affordable and quality family housing as well.” Thus, with the help of architects from Studio One Inc. a 62-unit four-story apartment building is being planned to go alongside the existing apartments on Torringford West.
Rents for the mix of one, two, and three bedroom apartments are currently estimated at between $800 and $1,300, Fellows said.That figure is subject to change as time progresses — Fellows said that construction on the project is currently expected to begin, if further state funding can be obtained, in late 2018, with a potential opening in late 2019.“I think that’s nice. It’s a quality building, and the rents should be commensurate with the living space,” said Marc Trivella, committee chairman. Features planned for the four-story facility, which has been christened as “Torringford Terrace,” include community space on all three floors, 112 parking spaces, and trees and shrubbery. The project will be taxable, Fellows said Thursday, and 12 of the units in the complex are projected to be offered with no cost restriction at market-rate prices. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The developers countered that the deadline was missed because the city had issued more than 100 change orders in the months leading up to it, making the deadline impossible to achieve.
Centerplan filed suit against the city for wrongful termination and sought an injunction preventing another contractor from finishing the job. A hearing on Centerplan's suit against the city is scheduled for Dec. 13. Arch and the city reached a takeover agreement in October and Arch hired Whiting-Turner Contracting Company to finish the ballpark. The team is scheduled to open the $71 million ballpark April 13, 2017.
Attorneys for Arch and Centerplan were not immediately available for comment Monday.
Other defendants include companies related to both projects. They include: Kelly Landino, Centerplan Development Co.; RAl Investments; Walnut Hill Chase; Tinker House; GH Development, Inc., Center Earth; and Centerplan Communities.
Simsbury Officials Want To Hear More On Proposal For Former Campus Of The Hartford
Town officials are requesting extra time to review a new proposal for The Hartford's former Simsbury office complex.
The zoning commission voted to continue the public hearing on the master site plan for the proposed mixed-use development at 200 Hopmeadow St. until its next meeting on Dec. 5.
The commission asked developer the Silverman Group to return with a better representation of the sight line views of Heublein Tower from Hopmeadow Street, as well as to provide solutions for buffers for neighbors, among other details.
Eight residents spoke to the commission Monday, mostly in opposition to the proposal. A majority of those who addressed the commission live on Riverwalk Drive, in a condominium complex that abuts the property. More than 50 residents signed a petition against the project, citing concerns of preserving the views of the ridge and Heublein Tower, unsustainable traffic and property setbacks. The proposed development, The Ridge at Talcott Mountain, was designed using The Hartford-Simsbury Form-Based Code. The document was created by the town in collaboration with The Hartford in August 2014.
Form-based code provides a developer with the town's expectations in the scope of use. The code's purpose, according to the 63-page document, is to "implement a long-term, sustainable redevelopment strategy for the Hartford site."
The Silverman Group's latest plan, submitted Friday, shows a slightly reduced number of residential units from previous plans, from 281 to 208, and increased retail space.
The developers say the project "replaces an obsolete suburban corporate office asset that no longer is viable with a master-planned, mixed-use community."
The proposal details several townhouse units with various layouts and facades, as well as four luxury apartment buildings with elevators, a clubhouse, a 120-bed assisted living facility and a combined 11,600 square feet of retail.It also describes a walking and bike trail that would connect to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
62-unit affordable housing complex proposed or West Torringford Street
TORRINGTON >> A 62-unit apartment complex is in the works for Torringford West Street, as the Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a Massachusetts-based nonprofit, presented its latest plans to the city Architectural Review Committee Thursday.
POAH owns the Torringford West Apartments senior living complex already established adjacent to 380 Torringford West Street, and is seeking to construct an additional building on the property in the years to come.Originally planned and presented in 2014 as another senior living establishment, the project has now been transitioned to an affordable housing complex, according to Cory Fellows, Vice President of Real Estate Development with POAH, because state funding requirements have changed.The state Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Authority are seeking to provide funding for affordable housing at this time, Fellows told committee members Thursday, and has effectively ceased offering resources for senior-only facilities. “Their funding criteria have evolved to the point that it’s really not possible to get funding for all-senior properties anymore,” said Fellows. “We’ve actually had a lot of conversation with state officials and others, about what we see — there’s still a need for senior housing, obviously, but given the reality now, we’ve made this shift. And we think, based on the research we’ve done — and it continues now — that there is a real need for affordable and quality family housing as well.” Thus, with the help of architects from Studio One Inc. a 62-unit four-story apartment building is being planned to go alongside the existing apartments on Torringford West.
Rents for the mix of one, two, and three bedroom apartments are currently estimated at between $800 and $1,300, Fellows said.That figure is subject to change as time progresses — Fellows said that construction on the project is currently expected to begin, if further state funding can be obtained, in late 2018, with a potential opening in late 2019.“I think that’s nice. It’s a quality building, and the rents should be commensurate with the living space,” said Marc Trivella, committee chairman. Features planned for the four-story facility, which has been christened as “Torringford Terrace,” include community space on all three floors, 112 parking spaces, and trees and shrubbery. The project will be taxable, Fellows said Thursday, and 12 of the units in the complex are projected to be offered with no cost restriction at market-rate prices. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE