Walk Bridge replacement to impact parking in SoNo
NORWALK — SoNo visitors may have to adjust their driving and parking habits once the Connecticut Department of Transportation starts replacing the Walk Bridge over the Norwalk River.
The 45-space Norwalk Water Street Lot lies next to the Maritime Aquarium’s IMAX Theater, which the DOT plans to raze to create a staging area for replacement of the nearby 122-year-old rail bridge.
Neither state nor local officials foresee the lot closing, but parts of it will be off limits at times.
“There are times, related to the crane, that the North Water Lot will be closed and we are working with their (DOT) team — there’s a parking team for the Walk Bridge — as far as how we deal with displaced parkers and also lost revenue for that lot,” said Kathryn Hebert, the city’s administrative services manager and staff person to the Norwalk Parking Authority.
Parking disruptions are among the many issues for which DOT and local officials must develop mitigation plans before the nearly $1 billion bridge replacement gets under way in 2019. The project will take four to five years to complete, according to the department. The DOT already has begun preliminary track-and-signal upgrades either side of the Walk Bridge.
The Maritime Garage, located along North Water Street approximately 400 feet northwest of the Walk Bridge, is safe from the construction work but motorists will have difficulty reaching it at times.“There will be times when North Water Street will be closed, but we have two access points,” said Hebert, referring to the Marshall and North Water streets entrances and exits to the garage.
‘Expect disruptions’
The SONO Ironworks building, a mixture of apartments and street-level retail and businesses developed by Spinnaker Real Estate Partners at 1 North Water St., is located within feet of the western abutment of the Walk Bridge. Within Ironworks is a 240-space parking garage of which 140 spaces are allocated for residents of the building. The remaining spaces are used by other tenants and the public. The garage has two entrances and exits, one from Washington Street and the other along North Water Street right next to the bridge.
“We will develop a traffic and parking management plan when CT DOT finalizes the bridge design and informs us of the construction sequence and schedule,” Spinnaker said in an email Friday. “We anticipate working closely with CT DOT and the city of Norwalk with the goal of minimizing disruption to our residents, commercial tenants and the general public, but we understand that the project will have a significant impact on South Norwalk during construction.”
Danielle Vinci, marketing coordinator for Braach’s House of Flowers within SONO Ironworks, said she directs customers to park in the Ironworks garage rather than at the North Water Street Lot.
“The garage, the first 90 minutes are free, so we tell them to park there or try to park in the little cul-de-sac,” Vinci said. “It’s easier with the parking garage because you just put your card in, pull it out.”
Vinci anticipates that SoNo businesses and visitors will learn to live with the construction and expressed confidence they’ll survive the project. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Meriden seeking bids for Mills demolition
By Leigh Tauss
MERIDEN — The city is accepting bids for the demolition of the Mills Memorial Apartments, which is expected to begin in May.
Razing the buildings is considered key to the city’s downtown revitalization, including several surrounding housing projects.
A legal notice inviting companies to bid was issued March 1. Bids will be accepted through March 28.
The work includes cleanup and demolition of the complex, located at 144 Mill St. The four-acre site has three high-rise apartment buildings and two low-rise buildings. Cleanup is expected to begin in May, with demolition anticipated in July, said City Planner Bob Seale.
The city was awarded a $2 million state grant for the demolition. Economic Development Director Juliet Burdelski hoped the grant would cover the entire cost of the work. Hopefully we’ll get really competitive bids,” Burdelski said. “
The public housing complex operated by the Meriden Housing Authority was constructed in 1961. Seale said the city has contemplated demolishing the Mills since the 1970s.
“Ever since the beginning, it’s been a controversial development... these types of developments all over the country had high concentrations of poverty, which is not necessarily the most beneficial to a downtown core,” Seale said. “Many of these housing projects came down many years ago and made way for better and more equitable housing developments.”
Construction of Meriden Commons I is underway next door at 177 State St., with the second phase of that project expected to begin in the coming months. The two projects will add 151 apartments downtown with more than 15,000 square feet of commercial space. Eighty percent of units are considered affordable or section 8.
City officials initially hoped to raze the Mills this spring, however the project hit several snags, including delays in relocating the remaining Mills tenants. Meriden Housing Authority Executive Director Robert Cappelletti said the authority plans to transfer the property to the city in the coming weeks so the demolition work can begin.
“Obviously it’s very exciting for the new projects to go up and the old to come down,” Cappelletti said. “It will be an amazing transformation for the downtown area.”
Norwich council to hear update from Reid & Hughes developer Monday
Norwich — The preferred developer for the Reid & Hughes building has secured most of the financing needed for the estimated $500,000 initial stabilization work required, but is awaiting a decision by Norwich Community Development Corp. on Tuesday for the final $100,000 needed for the project.
The City Council on Jan. 2 agreed to give the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development a 60-day extension on its deadline to begin work to stabilize the decaying building to allow time for the institute to secure major financing for a planned $6 million renovation project.
On Monday during its 7:30 p.m. meeting at City Hall, the council will hear a progress report on that effort, with a resolution on the agenda either to authorize City Manager John Salomone to proceed with the already approved development agreement or “accept a notification to be issued by the Women’s Institute that it has elected to terminate the Development Agreement,” the resolution states.
The council has been split on its support for the Women’s Institute’s plan to renovate the building into 20 apartments and street-level commercial space. While the council approved the Women’s Institute as the preferred developer, it also voted to authorize up to $800,000 in city bond funds to tear down the building if the institute’s plan falls through. But aldermen expressed no support for contributing any city funds to the renovation project.
Salomone said Friday that Women’s Institute Executive Director Betsy Crum informed him that the group has “basically secured all their funding.” But the group still needs approval of its application for $100,000 in downtown stabilization funding through NCDC. The committee that reviews those applications will meet Tuesday to act on the institute’s request.
NCDC President Robert Mills said the review committee members — two business representatives, one construction contractor and one finance expert — couldn’t arrange their schedules to meet prior to the council meeting. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Team to Design Coastal Resilience for Bridgeport, Conn.
WSP, Arcadis, Waggonner & Ball, and Yale Urban Design Workshop announced their selection to design resilience measures to minimize flood risk and account for sea level rise affecting Bridgeport's South End businesses and residents. The project, one of 13 awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is part of the $1B National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC), an initiative to help communities recover from disasters and safeguard against future hazards.
The Connecticut Department of Housing hired this multidisciplinary team to design climate change and flood resilience plans to reduce risk from future impacts resulting from rising sea levels.
Recent storms have left streets flooded for days, forcing residents to leave Bridgeport for necessities such as food and clothing. Storm impacts also have weakened the community's infrastructure while hindering economic growth.
The coalition will plan and design resilience strategies to reconnect communities to the water, create new uses for the city's waterfront, foster new development and revitalize a community sitting five minutes from downtown Bridgeport. WSP will be responsible for project management, public outreach, civil and geotechnical engineering and environmental assessments. Arcadis will undertake numerical modeling and design of coastal flood risk reduction structures and interior drainage solutions, environmental assessments, and support stakeholder and community engagement. Waggonner & Ball, in collaboration with Yale Urban Design Workshop, will lead architecture, urban design and coordinate landscape architecture, as well as support public engagement.
Design features will include a combination of floodwalls, raised corridors, embankments, interior drainage improvements and green infrastructure, all integrated with Bridgeport's South End. The project includes the continuation of a Rebuild by Design pilot project, a $6.5M stormwater system designed by Arcadis, Waggonner & Ball and Yale Urban Design Workshop, with Reed Hilderbrand. The pilot includes a 2.5-acre stormwater park integrated into the urban fabric to store and manage rainfall runoff while relieving combined sewer system overflows. The park also will enhance recreation opportunities in the neighborhood.
“Arcadis has provided resilience strategies to Bridgeport since 2014, and through our continuing work with the community, the company has first-hand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities the city faces,” said John McCarthy, president of water for Arcadis. “Together, our team can help outline flood risk reduction methods that will improve the viability of Bridgeport's downtown while creating a new amenity for its residents to enjoy.”
After Superstorm Sandy, Bridgeport was awarded $10M for planning, design and construction via the Henk Ovink-led Rebuild By Design Competition, a multi-stage planning and design competition promoting resilience in the areas impacted. Subsequently, Bridgeport also received $41M in federal funds following an application to HUD's NDRC.
“We're pleased to be part of this effort to increase the resiliency and sustainability of Bridgeport's South End,” said Anthony Moretti, WSP's area manager of Connecticut.
“Having worked in Bridgeport since the competition phase of Rebuild By Design, we are convinced of the substance and character of the city and its people. We are also confident of its potential, as well as its importance to Connecticut,” said David Waggonner, principal of Waggonner & Ball.
The design phase of the project will run through this year with construction activities scheduled to begin in 2019.