KEITH M. PHANEUF | CT MIRROR
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy ordered state agencies Tuesday to develop a comprehensive, $10 million study of electronic tolling that would examine pricing, locations, and the potential to capture revenue from out-of-state motorists.
The governor cannot implement tolls without legislative approval. Nonetheless his order resurrects many elements of a tolling measure that died on the House of Representatives' calendar when lawmakers adjourned on May 9.
Malloy, who is not seeking re-election, said "During this past legislative session, we heard time and again from legislators that they wished for more information regarding electronic tolling, including specific recommendations with respect to its possible implementation. … As Connecticut's General Assembly and next governor consider how to address the future of our state's transportation funding, this study and plan will prove to be invaluable in their endeavor to make an informed decision."
The study would:
- Assess the impact of installing electronic tolls on Interstates 84, 91 and 95, the Wilbur Cross Parkway, the Merritt Parkway, and any other limited access highway identified by the Department of Transportation.
- Explore options for providing discounts and tax credits to Connecticut residents — shifting a greater share of the burden onto out-of-state motorists.
- Evaluate options to reduce motor fuel taxes in the event tolls are installed.
- Assess any environmental impacts related to tolls.
The governor has been pressing lawmakers throughout his second term to commit to a two-to-three-decade-long rebuild of the state's aging, overcrowded transportation infrastructure — something the governor says cannot be accomplished without a major new funding source.
He began warning legislators and businesses last November that the budget's Special Transportation Fund — absent new funding — is headed for insolvency in the coming years.
Even though lawmakers voted in May to divert more sales tax receipts from the General Fund to the transportation program, the administration says that isn't enough to cover all of the major projects starting in the next five years. These include replacement of the elevated portion of I-84 in Hartford, widening of I-95 in southwestern Connecticut, and repairs to the "Mixmaster" junction of I-84 and Route 8 in Waterbury.
DOT officials have said very preliminary estimates show that tolls could be fully installed by 2022, and could yield $600 million to $800 million per year in new revenue. The additional sales tax funding legislators approved involves just under $30 million this fiscal year, but climbs to $120 million by 2019-20.
"We need to be truthful with the people we were elected to represent," Malloy said Tuesday. "Without transforming the way we fund our highways, we will be unable to pay for the large-scale construction and rehabilitation projects that our state needs to ensure continued safe travel while attracting businesses and growing our economy."
The governor earned praise from two House Democratic leaders who pushed for tolls this year to fund a major transportation rebuild.
"Addressing our outdated transportation infrastructure is critical to our future economy, a top priority of our business community, and there is no disagreement that many of our roads and bridges are in disrepair," said House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin. "I've been calling for more information to see what options we have, and with transportation funding drying up it makes sense to have an honest conversation about how a toll plan that has out of state drivers paying a large chunk of the cost would work."
Rep. Tony Guerrera, D-Rocky Hill, House chair of the Transportation Committee, said most legislators recognize the additional sales tax transfer is a short-term fix.
"We all knew that," he said. "We knew that wasn't going to last beyond a three- or four-year period."
House Democratic leadership crafted a bill this past spring that would have directed the Department of Transportation to develop an electronic tolling plan. And while the measure did not specify all details — including the number of tolling stations — it said the plan would have to establish tolls at least on Interstates 84, 91 and 95 and the Wilbur Cross and Merritt Parkways.
The bill also called for a base charge of 11.8 cents per mile during peak periods and 9.4 cents off-peak. Any motorist whose license plate is registered with the state tolling system would pay rates of 9.9 cents during peak periods and 7.9 cents off peak.
But it also included a discounts or 30 percent and more for Connecticut residents only who purchased special passes.
A final component of the bill was a requirement that any tolling plan return to the 2019 legislature for final consideration.
Republican legislators have been unanimous in their opposition to tolls. The GOP has countered that Connecticut must better prioritize its transportation program and borrowing in general to free up more dollars for infrastructure improvements. But this also could mean significantly less borrowing for municipal school construction, capital projects at public colleges and universities, state building maintenance, and farmland and open space preservation.
Democrats hold a small majority in the House while the Senate is divided evenly 18-18. And with some Democrats in both chambers wary of tolls, House leaders opted not to bring the tolls measure to a vote this year.
"Governor Malloy had eight years to fix the state's transportation problems — problems he worsened by diverting transportation dollars to spend elsewhere," Senate Republican leader Len Fasano of North Haven said Tuesday.
During his first term in office, Malloy and a Democrat-controlled legislature did scale-back previously approved increases in transfers to the transportation program to help balance the General Fund.
"This is an irresponsible and egotistical waste of money as he heads out of office," Fasano added. "Governor Malloy needs to get on his horse, ride into the sunset and leave taxpayers alone."
"Borrowing millions to study how tolls would impact commuters is frivolous if not ridiculous," said House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby. "We've seen other studies, we've heard from consultants. We already know the answer to the question he's asking: it's going to make it even more expensive to live in Connecticut. Republicans have spelled out how we'd fix roads and bridges—by prioritizing existing dollars."
Joe Sculley, president of the state's largest trucking coalition, the Connecticut Motor Transport Association, said the governor's new study is "a waste of $10 million."
Sculley, whose group also argues transportation upgrades can be paid for by prioritizing state borrowing for transportation, said he believes the public's opposition to tolls is clear.
"We're spending even more money, clearly, on things businesses and residents in Connecticut don't want," he said.
Road projects driving traffic jams in Stamford
Angela Carella
STAMFORD — Jodi Amato watched the time as she went from her Glenbrook home to work downtown on a recent weekday morning.
Things went bad on Summer Street, where traffic came to a stop in front of Dairy Queen. For the next half-hour, Amato said, she crept along from there to Burlington Coat Factory at Summer and Broad streets — a distance of maybe a quarter-mile.
“You run into that and it’s like you’re in the Twilight Zone,” Amato said. “You can’t get out.”
She knew one of the reasons for the backup. The city was repaving roads around Columbus Park, which is across from the building where she works.
“It’s just about finished now. It looks beautiful,” Amato said. “I understand that they have to do construction work, but do they have to do it all at once?”
That’s a reference to the second reason for her crawling commutes lately. On Broad Street, the utility company Eversource is replacing natural-gas lines.
Unlike the paving around Columbus Park, which Stamford Transportation Bureau Chief Jim Travers said will be completed on Monday, the Eversource project has no estimated end date, company spokesman Mitch Gross said.
“It’s part of natural-gas upgrade work we’re doing downtown. It’s a major project,” Gross said. “We are working closely with the city to do everything we can to complete it as quickly and safely as possible. We understand the inconveniences, especially for drivers.” Broad Street has been so jammed, Travers said, that he contacted Eversource last week.
“We want to transition them to night work to ease the burden on the traveling public,” Travers said.
But those projects are far from the only ones underway, creating detours and backups citywide.
On busy Cedar Heights Road in High Ridge, Eversource’s electric division is making equipment improvements.“That’s part of a multimillion-dollar upgrade to a substation there and to nearby electrical equipment,” Gross said.
That project was supposed to be completed at the end of the year but now should be wrapped up in the fall, he said.“So far, we’re ahead of schedule,” Gross said.
There’s other good news from Eversource.“We have nothing else planned in Stamford this year,” Gross said.That’s not the case for Aquarion Water Co., which has four projects underway. Water mains are being replaced on Stillwater Avenue, Berrian Road, and Orchard Street into Perry Street, spokesman Peter Fazekas said. Those three are expected to be finished in the fall.
But a bigger project on well-traveled Newfield Avenue will go on for a while.
“We’re putting in a 24-inch transmission line in a two-phase pipeline project,” Fazekas said. “It’s a 2.7-mile extension of our Southwest Regional Pipeline, which will allow us to move water from our greater-Bridgeport system deeper into Stamford and into Greenwich.”
Phase 1 will wrap up this year, but Phase 2 will begin next summer, he said.The state Department of Transportation has an even bigger project happening on an even busier street — Courtland Avenue where it intersects with East Main Street. Work began last fall and should be completed by Nov. 1.
The state is widening Courtland and installing sidewalks, and reworking intersections with East Main Street and several side streets to improve safety. The area has a history of intersection crashes.
Two other soon-to-start state projects will hang up traffic in key spots.
Right after the Fourth of July holiday, the state will begin milling and paving Route 1 from the Darien border, through the East Side and downtown, to Washington Boulevard, Travers said.
“It’s a long stretch of road, so it will most likely take them about a month,” Travers said.
In February, a key portion of Atlantic Street will be closed for six months. The state DOT will replace the old railroad bridge that passes over Atlantic near South State Street, a choke point for motorists headed to and from the train station, Interstate 95, downtown, the South End and Shippan.
That could slow Jackie Kaiko’s regular trips from her North Stamford home to the train station and other downtown destinations, already interrupted this year by the DOT’s repaving of Long Ridge Road, and by “ad hoc things you run into, like tree trimming and fixing power lines.”
“You certainly don’t want to discourage them from doing the work, but it can really mess up your planning,” Kaiko said. “You have to leave in enough time to make an appointment or make a train, but you don’t know how long the drive will take. Sometimes you luck out, sometimes you don’t.It’s the summer that launched a slew of roadwork, most of it planned years ago.
“We are getting a lot done,” Travers said. “Construction projects are always a challenge, but at the end of the day, there will be a lot of great improvements.”The city has several up its sleeve.
A realignment of the intersection at Selleck Street and Southfield and Greenwich avenues is mostly complete, Travers said. Intersection improvements and traffic signal installation at Atlantic and Henry streets will be finished by early fall, he said. Similar work is about to begin at West Avenue and West Main Street.
Travers said the work on Oaklawn Avenue, a busy cut-through between Bull’s Head and Newfield, will be completed by the end of the year. The road is being reconstructed, with new sidewalks, between Halpin Avenue and Camore Stree “I get it. The city needs to do stuff,” Amato said. “But there has to be more thought behind how they close off the roads. The streets can’t handle the traffic as it is, and the construction projects compound it.” Gross from Eversource said he understands.
“Everybody, it seems, has a hand in the stew,” he said.
Mill River Crossing housing development celebrates opening in New Haven
Clare Dignan
NEW HAVEN — Goodbye, Farnam Courts. Hello, Mill River Crossing.
The former public housing development on Grand Avenue has been transformed, renamed, and officially opened Tuesday as Mill River Crossing .
“I’ve been in this community ever since I was a child, over 50 years, of the old Farnam Courts,” said Brenda Harris, lifelong resident of Farnam Courts and new resident of Mill River Crossing. “I’m so grateful to be here now at the new Mill River Crossing. It’s been a long time coming.”
Officials from the city’s housing authority Elm City Communities and the Glendower Group ceremoniously cut the ribbon to open the multi-story complex with Mayor Toni N. Harp and others who worked on and supported the project. The new buildings are mixed-income and mixed-use developments with 5,900 square feet of retail and community space on the lower floors and 96 units — 86 affordable and 8 at market rate. We appreciate history and appreciate what was before and that this was a home for over 200 families,” Housing Authority Executive Director Karen DuBois-Walton said. “This has been a home for hundreds of families, for thousands of families, but it has done its purpose. We want to move beyond that because we know there are better ways to provide community for families, more than just homes.”
The buildings cost $25 million to construct, with additional money for remediation, infrastructure improvements and demolition of the 75-year-old Farnam Courts. All the families displaced by construction had an opportunity to return to Mill River or take a voucher for another public housing development, DuBois-Walton said.
“Throughout New Haven there is more and more evidence of vitality, investment and innovation and all that creates demand for housing that want to live here,” Harp said. “Certainly there is a lot of market-rate housing coming onto the market. This development now helps to address demand in another of New Haven’s real estate markets, because the demand for affordable housing, subsidized housing, remains high in our city, as well. Those people must also have beautiful, safe housing options available to them. This housing development goes a long way to meeting that demand.”
Elm City Communities Commissioner Erik Clemons said Mill River Crossing was the manifestation of conversations he had 15 years earlier at Farnam Courts when he was doing an internship, envisioning ways he and others could improve communities and create opportunities for kids in the future. Of the residents who relocated from Farnam Courts, seven tenants chose to return to Mill River, Dubois-Walton said, with 27 families moving to Eastview Terrace in Fair Haven Heights, another Elm City Communities development; 70 choosing the choice vouchers; and five moving to other developments.
“This is the latest gem in the transformation of housing in the city of New Haven,” said state Senate Democratic President Martin Looney.
Mill River is almost completely filled, with 32 of the 33 units in building B occupied, 40 of the 61 units in building A occupied and the rest being leased this month, Dubois-Walton said. Most are one- and 2-bedroom units with a few 3- and 4-bedroom apartments.
“Affordable housing is happening throughout the entire city,” Alder David Reyes, D-5, said in the absence of district Alder Aaron Greenberg, D-8. “It’s giving a sense of pride to our constituents who want to stay here, raise kids here and they can work, eat and play here.”
The next phases of construction are expected to finish in October 2019, Dubois-Walton said. Demolition of the remaining old housing and construction of 45 new units will take place in the first phase, followed by 66 more units to be built along with a new community center and interior park.
Malloy orders highway toll study
Bill Cummings
HARTFORD — Despite his lame duck status, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is ordering a $10 million study on placing electronic tolls on the state’s highways and finding ways to fund needed transportation improvements.
"As Connecticut’s General Assembly and next governor consider how to address the future of our state’s transportation funding, this study and plan will prove to be invaluable in their endeavor to make an informed decision," Malloy said in announcing the study on Tuesday. Although Malloy will be out of office — the Democrat is not seeking a third term — by the time the study is completed, its results could have a lasting impact on how Connecticut pays for improvements to relieve congestion and bring its highway, rail and bridge systems into good repair.
Malloy’s proposed study shocked Republican lawmakers, many of whom are steadfastly against tolling unless the state reduces other taxes, such as property and gas “On his way out the door Gov. Malloy is continuing to spend taxpayer dollars as if there was no tomorrow, said state Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven.
“This entire study controlled by his administration could be a massive waste of money,” Fasano said.
The study ordered by Malloy will specifically look at tolling on the Merritt Parkway and Interstates 95 and 84, along with other state roads. The study will include specific toll charges.
Also, the report will look at providing discounts, tax credits or other value-pricing options to Connecticut residents while ensuring that out-of-state drivers contribute their fair share. The study will also explore ways to reduce gas taxes and the environmental impact of tolling.
State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton and co-chairperson of the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee, also blasted Malloy’s move."We had hearings [this year] and the Democratic controlled House could not even put it up for a vote because they did not have the votes," she said.
A bill to conduct a similar study on tolling failed to gain a vote in the House or Senate due to opposition from Republicans and some Democrats.
‘Be truthful’
The state has conducted numerous studies on tolling over the years, although none of those reports offered a detailed plan on where to place tolls, how much to charge and how much could be made. Estimates of tolling revenue have reached $1 billion a year, although most believe realistic projections are considerably lower.
Malloy said its time to look at tolling and an overall plan to fund transportation. The governor supported tolls this year and proposed raising gas taxes and slapping a $3 fee on new tire purchases.
"We need to be truthful with the people we were elected to represent — without transforming the way we fund our highways, we will be unable to pay for the large-scale construction and rehabilitation projects that our state needs to ensure continued safe travel while attracting businesses and growing our economy," Malloy said.
The state’s gas tax receipts have been dropping for years as cars became more fuel efficient and more electric cars hit the road, leaving less money to improve roads and bridges.
Boucher said she cannot support tolls unless the state also reduces or eliminates property taxes and the gas tax. "The last time we had tolls, we didn’t even have an income tax," she said.
Offshore wind developer ramps up work on 3 more wind farms
JENNIFER McDermott
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The developer of the first offshore wind farm in the U.S. is ramping up work on projects to supply energy to several states.
Deepwater Wind CEO Jeff Grybowski said Monday they’re beginning the next, larger phase of development for a wind farm to supply power to Rhode Island and Connecticut, another for Long Island, New York, and a third for Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Providence-based Deepwater Wind has leased areas near Massachusetts and Maryland.
“We’re going into a very intensive phase now, where in order to submit permit applications and begin to do the engineering and design, we will be spending tens of millions of dollars over the coming year to collect data from the wind farm locations,” Grybowski said.
They’ll measure wind characteristics with specialized offshore buoys, scan the sea floor and sample soil as they gather geological, biological and engineering information.
The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association wants monitoring of lobster settlements to ensure they won’t be disturbed.
“We’re just trying to set the ground work to make sure we can be at the table, which we are, to request the research to be done before, during and after construction,” Beth Casoni, the association’s executive director, said Tuesday.
Casoni said Deepwater Wind’s 256-square-mile federal lease area south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts is an active area for multiple fisheries.
The site could hold over 200 turbines. Currently about 90 turbines are planned.
Grybowski said he wants to market that site in the future to officials in New York and Massachusetts who want to develop renewable energy.
Deepwater Wind opened the first U.S. offshore wind farm off Block Island, Rhode Island, in December 2016.
Five turbines generate enough power for about 17,000 homes.
The company is adopting new procedures to ensure that commercial fishing gear isn’t damaged by its offshore wind farm construction. Grybowski said it’s time to have a more formalized, systematic approach, now that the industry is growing and the projects are significantly larger.
He expects the new wind farms to open between 2022 and 2023.
The turbines are expected to generate enough energy to power about 200,000 homes in Rhode Island, 100,000 in Connecticut, 50,000 on Long Island and 35,000 in Maryland.
Stonington residents overwhelmingly approve Perkins Farm tax break
Joe Wojtas
Stonington — Residents at Tuesday night’s town meeting overwhelmingly approved a tax break worth more than $1.3 million to the developer of the first phase of the proposed $70 million Perkins Farm project in Mystic.
Under the terms of the so-called fixed assessment, local developer David Lattizori would agree to invest $16.3 million in phase one, which calls for 121 upscale apartments.
Despite criticism of the plan on social media in recent days, the majority of those speaking at the town meeting supported the plan, saying it will help Lattizori offset some of the large infrastructure and other upfront costs he has expended over the past several years and pave the way for the second and third phases.
Phase 2 of the project calls for townhouse condominiums, and Phase 3 calls for a medical, research and office complex on the 70-acre site, which is off Jerry Browne Road across from the Stone Ridge retirement community. Phase 3 is proposed to create hundreds of permanent jobs.
Lattizori told the crowd gathered in the Stonington High School auditorium that his family has owned the property since 1999 and was approached three years ago by a Stone Ridge resident who wanted to see the highest and best use of the land as opposed to the residential subdivision that had been approved.
“We’re not out-of-touch, out-of-town developers. We grew up here,” he said about him and his sister. “We have a chance to reinvest in the town we call home. Three years ago, we took a huge risk to do something other than single-family homes.”
He said he has held countless meetings to discuss his plans with residents, incorporated their suggestions and received unanimous approval from all town commissions.
“This town said there is a need for this type of development,” he said.
Lattizori pointed out that the plan calls for preserving 50 percent of the site as open space. This part of the property is considered the most valuable because it borders Jerry Browne Road but residents wanted the rural character of the street preserved.
This means Lattizori will have to incur additional costs to extend a road, water, sewers and other infrastructure to the rear of the property along Interstate 95. “When we put in the infrastructure, this will become one of the most valuable properties in Mystic,” he said
Dr. Gene Winchester said he had been working with Lattizori to secure medical tenants for Phase 3 and so far there has been tremendous interest, as Mystic is seen as a very desirable market.
Other speakers said tenants will be attracted by the fact that the town “has skin in the game” by approving the tax breaks.
Economic Development Commission Chairman Dave Hammond said Lattizori already has borne sizeable unanticipated costs throughout the approval process. Local businessman and former Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Chuck Sneddon called Lattizori and his father, who had tried to develop the site in the past, “gentlemen of the first order” who “conduct themselves with honor” and do what say they will do.
“This doesn’t cost you anything. The taxes will go up every year for seven years to where it becomes the highest taxpayer in the town,” he said.
Representatives of the Stone Ridge retirement community, located across the street from the site, the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce and Olde Mistick Village all spoke in favor of the project.
“Mr. Lattizori has gone above and beyond to make sure this project is done right,” said Peggy Roberts, the president of the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce. “It sends a signal that Stonington embraces well-planned, healthy growth.”
A few speakers questioned giving tax breaks to a residential project that does not create jobs, the length of the tax breaks and offering them to a developer when the town is struggling to pay for equipment and may have to invest more in the school renovation project for PCB remediation.
Over a seven-year period, the building’s assessment, which is 70 percent of the fair market value, would be fixed at $11.4 million. This would normally produce an annual tax payment to the town of $259,334 a year based on the current tax rate of 22.68 mills. The agreement calls for Lattizori to pay a sliding scale of taxes on the building that begin in year one at 7 percent, or $18,153. The tax payment would increase 7 percent a year to 49 percent, or $127,071, in year seven.
In total, Lattizori would pay $508,295 in taxes on the building over the seven years, compared to the $1,815,341 he would pay without the tax break.
The agreement also calls for Lattizori to pay the full tax bill on the 71 acres of land and infrastructure improvements, which is estimated at $83,412 a year over seven years for a total of $583,887.
Between the land and the apartment building, Lattizori would pay $1,092,183 over seven years. It is estimated the completed project eventually will produce about $1.3 million a year in tax revenue for the town.
First Selectman Rob Simmons has pointed out that over the past 30 years, the town has approved similar tax plans, which are allowed under state law, for the former MAN Roland development, Davis Standard, Dekalb Plant Genetics, Lapham-Hickey Steel Corp., Quaimbog Professional Building, Zachry Nuclear Inc. and Threadmill Apartments. Only the Threadmill is a residential project.
Hartford Selects New Canaan Developer For Sweeping Downtown North Development
Jenna Carlesso and Kenneth R. Gosselin
The Downtown North development, one of the city’s most controversial and long-delayed projects, will get new life as Hartford leaders press ahead with plans to convert four vacant lots surrounding Dunkin’ Donuts Park into expansive housing and retail space.
City officials have selected RMS Companies, the sole bidder on the project, to lead development of the vacant parcels near Main and Trumbull streets. A contract between Hartford and RMS will go before the city council in the coming months, and construction could begin as early as next spring.
Randy Salvatore, the head of RMS, envisions 800 market-rate apartments flanked by 60,000 square feet of retail space and several parking structures. He has suggested a May 2019 groundbreaking for the six-year, multiphase effort that is expected to begin along Trumbull Street behind the Red Lion Hotel, a cluster of properties the city has collectively dubbed “Parcel C.”
The first phase would include 200 apartments and associated retail, Salvatore said. Construction would be continuous throughout the six years.The more than $200 million project would be financed primarily with private funds. RMS will also pursue a loan from the Capital Region Development Authority similar to what the group has given others with robust developments, Salvatore said. He did not disclose a dollar amount.
“It’s very unusual to find this large of a piece of property right in the center of an urban area that has the availability for a development of the scale we’re talking about,” Salvatore, 48, said in an interview with The Courant. “That’s what got me interested, and the more time I’ve spent up here and the more I have talked to people, the more excited I get about the prospect of it.”
Details are still being ironed out, but Salvatore said the retail would be “service” driven, possibly restaurants, coffee shops and a brewery, along with storefronts that provoke intrigue, like an art studio.
His plans call for a 30,000-square-foot grocery store, though he’s still trying to determine if the Downtown North site is the best place for it. Salvatore said he has already talked with some community leaders and intends to launch a series of public discussions about the development. That could include visits to neighborhood group meetings and public forums throughout the city.
So far, the plan does not incorporate “affordable housing” — units priced for lower- and middle-income households. Salvatore said he would listen to community feedback and may adjust his proposal. If affordable housing is added, he would seek additional public funds.
John J. Thomas, an activist in Hartford’s North End, said affordable housing would spur vitality and diversity needed in the development.
“If you are truly aiming to mesh downtown with the surrounding neighborhoods, that would be a way to bring people together,” he said. “I would love to see some element of affordable housing in Downtown North.”
Marilyn Risi, head of the nonprofit Upper Albany Main Street, a community revitalization group in North Hartford, said enticing retail, such as a Starbucks, would be a welcome addition.
So far, the plan does not incorporate “affordable housing” — units priced for lower- and middle-income households. Salvatore said he would listen to community feedback and may adjust his proposal. If affordable housing is added, he would seek additional public funds.
John J. Thomas, an activist in Hartford’s North End, said affordable housing would spur vitality and diversity needed in the development.
“If you are truly aiming to mesh downtown with the surrounding neighborhoods, that would be a way to bring people together,” he said. “I would love to see some element of affordable housing in Downtown North.”
Marilyn Risi, head of the nonprofit Upper Albany Main Street, a community revitalization group in North Hartford, said enticing retail, such as a Starbucks, would be a welcome addition. She noted that a Shake Shack and an REI recreation store had recently sprung up in West Hartford.
“There is no dedicated area for shopping and you have an opportunity to put it there, along with housing,” Risi said. “I also think a grocery store on this side of the city would be nice.”
Bronin said that did not discourage the city from inviting a fresh round of applicants. Tax revenue from the surrounding parcels is desperately needed to help Hartford pay for its $72 million, taxpayer-funded ballpark.
“We terminated Centerplan and we are confident that the termination was justified,” Bronin said. “We believe we have every right to proceed with negotiations for a [new] development agreement.”
This is the second stalled project that the city has given a hard push to recently. The renovation of Dillon Stadium in Colt Park, which halted after its developers came under scrutiny for financial mismanagement and the theft of public funds, got back on track this spring, with a new company attached. Demolition of the dilapidated stadium is set to begin this month.
For 50 years, redevelopment has largely eluded the 13 acres in Hartford’s Downtown North neighborhood. The area was severed from the city’s central business district by the construction of Interstate 84 in the 1960s, its legacy a jumble of parking lots and overgrown, vacant land.
Casino magnate Steve Wynn set his sights on the properties in the 1990s. So did proponents of an alternative location for an ill-fated New England Patriots football stadium. But a firm plan to overhaul the neighborhood didn’t take shape until 2014, when then-city officials greenlighted a blockbuster, $300 million project helmed by Centerplan and DoNo Hartford. The properties have remained vacant since that effort collapsed.
8 Things To Know About Hartford's Downtown North Development
Hartford’s Downtown North development could provide housing for as many as 1,500 new residents in the next decade. The city has chosen Randy Salvatore as the developer, a selection that now must be approved by the city council. The project, on vacant parking lots around Dunkin’ Donuts Park, has the potential to connect downtown to the northern neighborhoods of the city — and would be one of the largest downtown developments since the convention center was built in 2005.
Here’s what you need to know about Downtown North:
1. What is Downtown North?
As its name suggests, Downtown North is just north of the former G. Fox & Co. building on Main Street and the bridge over I-84. For years, the 13-acre area was a jumble of parking lots, a hulking, vacant data processing building and the site of the infamous but now demolished “Butt Ugly Building.” The recent construction of Dunkin’ Donuts Park has erased some of its barren appearance. But the development of four parcels around the park is key to generating property tax revenue to justify the city’s $72 million investment in the ballpark.
2. Apartments with a view
Salvatore envisions 800 rentals built in phases, beginning with the parcel closest to the Red Lion Hotel, the former Radisson. He expects to provide rooftop amenities to capitalize on the views to Dunkin’ Donuts Park. The construction would include storefront restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and galleries.
3. But will you be able to buy groceries?
Possibly. Salvatore has included a 30,000-square-foot grocery store in his plan, half the size of a suburban Super Stop & Shop. But Salvatore said discussions with the community in the coming months may determine that a grocery store may be better located nearby — not squarely in Downtown North. Salvatore said a grocery store is critical to address the “food desert” in the area.
4. How soon before there are shovels in the ground? How long until development is complete?
Construction could begin as soon as May 2019 on the parcel behind the Red Lion. The development would take five or six years to finish.
5. What does a development like this cost?
A little more than $200 million in today’s dollars. The project would be largely privately financed, with some public subsidy likely from the Capital Region Development Authority for the housing. Salvatore now sees all the apartments as market rate, but if community discussions favor the addition of some “affordable” rentals, additional public funding would be necessary, he said.
6. How many proposals did the city receive when it sought bids for Downtown North?
The city drew just one bid, from Salvatore.
7. Didn’t another developer start on the project?
Yes. Amid much fanfare, Centerplan Construction Co. and DoNo Hartford LLC were hired in 2014 to develop Dunkin’ Donuts Park and the land surrounding the ballpark. But two years later, the partners were fired from the ballpark project after missing key construction deadlines. Then last year, Centerplan and DoNo were ousted from the rest of the development by the city. The partners have sued the city for wrongful termination, are seeking $90 million in damages and still maintain that they have the legal rights to develop the land. The matter is still in court and depending on the resolution, Salvatore’s groundbreaking could be delayed.
8. What is Salvatore’s track record?
Last year, Salvatore completed his first development in downtown Hartford, the renovation of the long-closed Goodwin Hotel. But the New Canaan developer and his company, RMS Cos., had honed a high profile in his native Stamford, becoming a major player in the city’s development revival with at least a dozen projects, including a UConn residence hall. In New Haven, Salvatore completed an upscale apartment conversion and is in the midst of a hotel project. He is also the force behind the $100 million “Hill to Downtown” development aimed at connecting Yale Medical School to New Haven’s core.
Windsor Locks Sports Complex Plan Still Alive As Developer Questioned About Background, Financing
A day after worried Windsor Locks officials put a hold on talks for a $200 million sports complex, First Selectman Chris Kervick said he is hopeful the project’s developer can explain away troubling new information about his background.
“We’re going to give him an opportunity to explain and convince us that it’s nothing to be concerned about,” Kervick said Tuesday. “I do not consider [the major sports complex plan] completely dead.”
Andy Borgia, the Long Island, N.Y., developer who is behind the “All Sports Village” proposal, has failed to respond to repeated requests from The Courant for comment on a fraud lawsuit filed against him by investors in his last project.The civil lawsuit filed in October in the Supreme Court of the state of New York, Suffolk County, alleges that Borgia cheated four investors out of $462,000 they’d put into his project for a $45 million soccer complex in Islip, N.Y. That Islip project was transferred to another developer in 2017 after six years of delays and political controversies involving Borgia and local officials.
The lawsuit also names the town of Islip and the project’s new developer as co-defendants in the legal action, and charges that Borgia “embarked on a campaign of fraud, enterprise corruption and a Ponzi scheme” involving the project.
Contacted last week before the news of the lawsuit became public, Borgia declined to be interviewed about his previous development projects. “I really don’t want to discuss that,” he said. “I just want to be low-key.”
Borgia’s only other sports development project was an $8 million complex of baseball fields and other facilities on 28 acres in the Long Island town of Yaphank, N.Y. Baseball Heaven opened to rave reviews in 2004, but Borgia declared bankruptcy in 2006 and was forced to sell his 40 percent share in that project, slightly more than $1 million.
Kervick said that, for “legal reasons,” he couldn’t discuss what specific information had triggered the decision to put the Windsor Locks project on hold.
“We want to take a pause and fully evaluate this new information,” the first selectman said.
Kervick also defended the town’s decision to conduct an enthusiastic news conference last week to announce the filing of Borgia’s plan for Windsor Locks. Kervick said the town was ready to commit millions of dollars toward the project from the increased tax revenue the sports complex was expected to generate.
“I remain convinced the concept is a good one for Windsor Locks … and the opportunity for jobs is great,” Kervick said Tuesday. “At the same time, we have to be cautious.”
The plans filed by Borgia’s JABS Sports Management LLC included construction of a more than 5,000-seat indoor arena and an outdoor stadium of similar seating capacity, two hotels, 16 indoor basketball/volleyball courts and eight outdoor fields for soccer, lacrosse, softball, field hockey and flag football.
Borgia’s project was to be built on 76 acres of former tobacco land along Route 20 and Old County Road. He estimated the sports complex would eventually employ 400 full-time and 100 part-time employees.
His company also claimed the project had “strong support at the state level” and that there were ongoing discussions with the state Department of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Transportation. A spokesman for DECD declined to comment on any specifics regarding those discussions.
“I can confirm we have had very preliminary discussions regarding the project,” DECD spokesman Jim Watson said in an email. “I cannot disclose any details about those discussions for confidentiality reasons.”
Despite their enthusiasm for the project, Kervick has been saying for the past week that Windsor Locks officials needed to get more information about Borgia’s history as a developer and about who his financial backer might be. It was about six months ago that Borgia started talking with Windsor Locks officials, according to Kervick.
“We’re expecting a very detailed financial package to come in [from Borgia] in the not-so-distant future,” Kervick said Tuesday. “The ball’s in his court.” He said Windsor Locks won’t be making any financial commitments for the project until they review Borgia’s financial plans. “In a project of this magnitude, you have to do your homework and be cautious,” Kervick said.
Last year, Borgia made a similar sports complex proposal to Windsor officials. But that somewhat smaller project never went past the early discussion stage, and Borgia explained the property involved proved to be too small for his purposes and that Windsor’s tax incentives also didn’t make a good fit for his project.
Kervick added that he hasn’t yet received much feedback from Windsor Locks residents about the halt in negotiations for Borgia’s All Sports Village plan. “I’m sure they feel like me, that this is going to be a long process and that there will be ups and downs, and we seem to be in a down right now,” Kervick said.
“I’m a hopeful guy, but I’m not naïve,” Kervick said.
Town officials in Islip contacted in the past week have been reluctant to discuss with The Courant what went wrong with Borgia’s plans to build a soccer complex in that community. “I have been equally unsuccessful in culling information from officials in the town of Islip,” Kervick said.
One reason for that reluctance may be the political controversy that erupted over a Newsday report that Borgia had made a $2,000 campaign contribution to a key Islip Republican official around the time the town approved the soccer complex plan. Borgia and then-GOP Islip Councilman Steven J. Flotteron denied there was any connection.
As part of the original 2010 agreement with Islip, Borgia agreed to construct Little League baseball fields on different town property. But the baseball project also triggered controversy, with claims that Borgia used substandard materials for the fields and allegations he’d failed to properly obtain a construction bond.
“There was political fallout,” Luis Montes, Islip’s Democratic town chairman, said this week.
Montes said his understanding was that many of the long delays with the Islip project were due to Borgia’s problems securing financing for the plan.
Demolition begins at former Hamden Middle School as revitalization project continues
Ben Lambert
HAMDEN — A portion of the former Hamden Middle School on Newhall Street is being demolished, as efforts to remediate and redevelop the site continue.
The project is part of the Newhall neighborhood remediation effort, which began in 2010 after officials found several properties in the area, including the former middle school, were built on top of industrial waste.
Dale Kroop, town economic development director, said Monday the two buildings being knocked down used to be the school auditorium and cafeteria.
The Hamden Economic Development Corporation received a $600,000 grant through the state Brownfield Area Revitalization program in February 2017 to pay for the project, according to Kroop. The Mutual Housing Association of Southern Central Connecticut is currently the preferred developer for the former middle school site, with plans to construct 87 mixed-income housing units on the property, Kroop said.
That aspect of the effort is not yet certain, as the group is still working to secure the necessary funding, but Kroop said he was confident it would proceed as long as that money was available at the state level.
The association, which also operates under the moniker NeighborWorks New Horizons, previously built the Highwood Square apartment complex where the Johnson Perfume Factory and Nabisco Bakery once stood on Dixwell Avenue.In addition, under current thinking, the former middle school site also will eventually feature a new community center, athletic field, and illuminated parking areas, Kroop said. The area occupied by the former auditorium and cafeteria will be turned into green space.
“Along with the regional water authority environmental remediation of the former middle school happening this summer, this is a positive step toward improving the neighborhood,” said Mayor Curt Leng. “Having the gymnasium renovated into a true youth center by mutual housing for the Town will be such a true asset to the community.”
The Hamden Business Incubator, which is set to offer space for small businesses to rent at below-market prices, is being constructed next door as well, Kroop said.
“A lot of things are happening simultaneously — all as planned,” said Kroop.
The town has been paying to maintain the former middle school property and safeguard it against vandalism to the tune of approximately $100,000 per year, Kroop said.
That cost diminished in recent years after utilities were turned off at the property following a flood but is still a burden on the community, Kroop said.
With the redevelopment, the town is planning to bring the property back onto the tax rolls, Kroop said.
“We’re turning a negative into a net positive,” said Kroop. The school, also known as the former Michael J. Whalen Junior High School, hasn’t been used since was 2006, Kroop said.
Providence-based Deepwater Wind has leased areas near Massachusetts and Maryland.
“We’re going into a very intensive phase now, where in order to submit permit applications and begin to do the engineering and design, we will be spending tens of millions of dollars over the coming year to collect data from the wind farm locations,” Grybowski said.
They’ll measure wind characteristics with specialized offshore buoys, scan the sea floor and sample soil as they gather geological, biological and engineering information.
The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association wants monitoring of lobster settlements to ensure they won’t be disturbed.
“We’re just trying to set the ground work to make sure we can be at the table, which we are, to request the research to be done before, during and after construction,” Beth Casoni, the association’s executive director, said Tuesday.
Casoni said Deepwater Wind’s 256-square-mile federal lease area south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts is an active area for multiple fisheries.
The site could hold over 200 turbines. Currently about 90 turbines are planned.
Grybowski said he wants to market that site in the future to officials in New York and Massachusetts who want to develop renewable energy.
Deepwater Wind opened the first U.S. offshore wind farm off Block Island, Rhode Island, in December 2016.
Five turbines generate enough power for about 17,000 homes.
The company is adopting new procedures to ensure that commercial fishing gear isn’t damaged by its offshore wind farm construction. Grybowski said it’s time to have a more formalized, systematic approach, now that the industry is growing and the projects are significantly larger.
He expects the new wind farms to open between 2022 and 2023.
The turbines are expected to generate enough energy to power about 200,000 homes in Rhode Island, 100,000 in Connecticut, 50,000 on Long Island and 35,000 in Maryland.
Stonington residents overwhelmingly approve Perkins Farm tax break
Joe Wojtas
Stonington — Residents at Tuesday night’s town meeting overwhelmingly approved a tax break worth more than $1.3 million to the developer of the first phase of the proposed $70 million Perkins Farm project in Mystic.
Under the terms of the so-called fixed assessment, local developer David Lattizori would agree to invest $16.3 million in phase one, which calls for 121 upscale apartments.
Despite criticism of the plan on social media in recent days, the majority of those speaking at the town meeting supported the plan, saying it will help Lattizori offset some of the large infrastructure and other upfront costs he has expended over the past several years and pave the way for the second and third phases.
Phase 2 of the project calls for townhouse condominiums, and Phase 3 calls for a medical, research and office complex on the 70-acre site, which is off Jerry Browne Road across from the Stone Ridge retirement community. Phase 3 is proposed to create hundreds of permanent jobs.
Lattizori told the crowd gathered in the Stonington High School auditorium that his family has owned the property since 1999 and was approached three years ago by a Stone Ridge resident who wanted to see the highest and best use of the land as opposed to the residential subdivision that had been approved.
“We’re not out-of-touch, out-of-town developers. We grew up here,” he said about him and his sister. “We have a chance to reinvest in the town we call home. Three years ago, we took a huge risk to do something other than single-family homes.”
He said he has held countless meetings to discuss his plans with residents, incorporated their suggestions and received unanimous approval from all town commissions.
“This town said there is a need for this type of development,” he said.
Lattizori pointed out that the plan calls for preserving 50 percent of the site as open space. This part of the property is considered the most valuable because it borders Jerry Browne Road but residents wanted the rural character of the street preserved.
This means Lattizori will have to incur additional costs to extend a road, water, sewers and other infrastructure to the rear of the property along Interstate 95. “When we put in the infrastructure, this will become one of the most valuable properties in Mystic,” he said
Dr. Gene Winchester said he had been working with Lattizori to secure medical tenants for Phase 3 and so far there has been tremendous interest, as Mystic is seen as a very desirable market.
Other speakers said tenants will be attracted by the fact that the town “has skin in the game” by approving the tax breaks.
Economic Development Commission Chairman Dave Hammond said Lattizori already has borne sizeable unanticipated costs throughout the approval process. Local businessman and former Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Chuck Sneddon called Lattizori and his father, who had tried to develop the site in the past, “gentlemen of the first order” who “conduct themselves with honor” and do what say they will do.
“This doesn’t cost you anything. The taxes will go up every year for seven years to where it becomes the highest taxpayer in the town,” he said.
Representatives of the Stone Ridge retirement community, located across the street from the site, the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce and Olde Mistick Village all spoke in favor of the project.
“Mr. Lattizori has gone above and beyond to make sure this project is done right,” said Peggy Roberts, the president of the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce. “It sends a signal that Stonington embraces well-planned, healthy growth.”
A few speakers questioned giving tax breaks to a residential project that does not create jobs, the length of the tax breaks and offering them to a developer when the town is struggling to pay for equipment and may have to invest more in the school renovation project for PCB remediation.
Over a seven-year period, the building’s assessment, which is 70 percent of the fair market value, would be fixed at $11.4 million. This would normally produce an annual tax payment to the town of $259,334 a year based on the current tax rate of 22.68 mills. The agreement calls for Lattizori to pay a sliding scale of taxes on the building that begin in year one at 7 percent, or $18,153. The tax payment would increase 7 percent a year to 49 percent, or $127,071, in year seven.
In total, Lattizori would pay $508,295 in taxes on the building over the seven years, compared to the $1,815,341 he would pay without the tax break.
The agreement also calls for Lattizori to pay the full tax bill on the 71 acres of land and infrastructure improvements, which is estimated at $83,412 a year over seven years for a total of $583,887.
Between the land and the apartment building, Lattizori would pay $1,092,183 over seven years. It is estimated the completed project eventually will produce about $1.3 million a year in tax revenue for the town.
First Selectman Rob Simmons has pointed out that over the past 30 years, the town has approved similar tax plans, which are allowed under state law, for the former MAN Roland development, Davis Standard, Dekalb Plant Genetics, Lapham-Hickey Steel Corp., Quaimbog Professional Building, Zachry Nuclear Inc. and Threadmill Apartments. Only the Threadmill is a residential project.
Hartford Selects New Canaan Developer For Sweeping Downtown North Development
Jenna Carlesso and Kenneth R. Gosselin
The Downtown North development, one of the city’s most controversial and long-delayed projects, will get new life as Hartford leaders press ahead with plans to convert four vacant lots surrounding Dunkin’ Donuts Park into expansive housing and retail space.
City officials have selected RMS Companies, the sole bidder on the project, to lead development of the vacant parcels near Main and Trumbull streets. A contract between Hartford and RMS will go before the city council in the coming months, and construction could begin as early as next spring.
Randy Salvatore, the head of RMS, envisions 800 market-rate apartments flanked by 60,000 square feet of retail space and several parking structures. He has suggested a May 2019 groundbreaking for the six-year, multiphase effort that is expected to begin along Trumbull Street behind the Red Lion Hotel, a cluster of properties the city has collectively dubbed “Parcel C.”
The first phase would include 200 apartments and associated retail, Salvatore said. Construction would be continuous throughout the six years.The more than $200 million project would be financed primarily with private funds. RMS will also pursue a loan from the Capital Region Development Authority similar to what the group has given others with robust developments, Salvatore said. He did not disclose a dollar amount.
“It’s very unusual to find this large of a piece of property right in the center of an urban area that has the availability for a development of the scale we’re talking about,” Salvatore, 48, said in an interview with The Courant. “That’s what got me interested, and the more time I’ve spent up here and the more I have talked to people, the more excited I get about the prospect of it.”
Details are still being ironed out, but Salvatore said the retail would be “service” driven, possibly restaurants, coffee shops and a brewery, along with storefronts that provoke intrigue, like an art studio.
His plans call for a 30,000-square-foot grocery store, though he’s still trying to determine if the Downtown North site is the best place for it. Salvatore said he has already talked with some community leaders and intends to launch a series of public discussions about the development. That could include visits to neighborhood group meetings and public forums throughout the city.
So far, the plan does not incorporate “affordable housing” — units priced for lower- and middle-income households. Salvatore said he would listen to community feedback and may adjust his proposal. If affordable housing is added, he would seek additional public funds.
John J. Thomas, an activist in Hartford’s North End, said affordable housing would spur vitality and diversity needed in the development.
“If you are truly aiming to mesh downtown with the surrounding neighborhoods, that would be a way to bring people together,” he said. “I would love to see some element of affordable housing in Downtown North.”
Marilyn Risi, head of the nonprofit Upper Albany Main Street, a community revitalization group in North Hartford, said enticing retail, such as a Starbucks, would be a welcome addition.
She noted that a Shake Shack and an REI recreation store had recently sprung up in West Hartford.
“There is no dedicated area for shopping and you have an opportunity to put it there, along with housing,” Risi said. “I also think a grocery store on this side of the city would be nice.”So far, the plan does not incorporate “affordable housing” — units priced for lower- and middle-income households. Salvatore said he would listen to community feedback and may adjust his proposal. If affordable housing is added, he would seek additional public funds.
John J. Thomas, an activist in Hartford’s North End, said affordable housing would spur vitality and diversity needed in the development.
“If you are truly aiming to mesh downtown with the surrounding neighborhoods, that would be a way to bring people together,” he said. “I would love to see some element of affordable housing in Downtown North.”
Marilyn Risi, head of the nonprofit Upper Albany Main Street, a community revitalization group in North Hartford, said enticing retail, such as a Starbucks, would be a welcome addition. She noted that a Shake Shack and an REI recreation store had recently sprung up in West Hartford.
“There is no dedicated area for shopping and you have an opportunity to put it there, along with housing,” Risi said. “I also think a grocery store on this side of the city would be nice.”
Bronin said that did not discourage the city from inviting a fresh round of applicants. Tax revenue from the surrounding parcels is desperately needed to help Hartford pay for its $72 million, taxpayer-funded ballpark.
“We terminated Centerplan and we are confident that the termination was justified,” Bronin said. “We believe we have every right to proceed with negotiations for a [new] development agreement.”
This is the second stalled project that the city has given a hard push to recently. The renovation of Dillon Stadium in Colt Park, which halted after its developers came under scrutiny for financial mismanagement and the theft of public funds, got back on track this spring, with a new company attached. Demolition of the dilapidated stadium is set to begin this month.
For 50 years, redevelopment has largely eluded the 13 acres in Hartford’s Downtown North neighborhood. The area was severed from the city’s central business district by the construction of Interstate 84 in the 1960s, its legacy a jumble of parking lots and overgrown, vacant land.
Casino magnate Steve Wynn set his sights on the properties in the 1990s. So did proponents of an alternative location for an ill-fated New England Patriots football stadium. But a firm plan to overhaul the neighborhood didn’t take shape until 2014, when then-city officials greenlighted a blockbuster, $300 million project helmed by Centerplan and DoNo Hartford. The properties have remained vacant since that effort collapsed.
8 Things To Know About Hartford's Downtown North Development
Hartford’s Downtown North development could provide housing for as many as 1,500 new residents in the next decade. The city has chosen Randy Salvatore as the developer, a selection that now must be approved by the city council. The project, on vacant parking lots around Dunkin’ Donuts Park, has the potential to connect downtown to the northern neighborhoods of the city — and would be one of the largest downtown developments since the convention center was built in 2005.
Here’s what you need to know about Downtown North:
1. What is Downtown North?
As its name suggests, Downtown North is just north of the former G. Fox & Co. building on Main Street and the bridge over I-84. For years, the 13-acre area was a jumble of parking lots, a hulking, vacant data processing building and the site of the infamous but now demolished “Butt Ugly Building.” The recent construction of Dunkin’ Donuts Park has erased some of its barren appearance. But the development of four parcels around the park is key to generating property tax revenue to justify the city’s $72 million investment in the ballpark.
2. Apartments with a view
Salvatore envisions 800 rentals built in phases, beginning with the parcel closest to the Red Lion Hotel, the former Radisson. He expects to provide rooftop amenities to capitalize on the views to Dunkin’ Donuts Park. The construction would include storefront restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and galleries.
3. But will you be able to buy groceries?
Possibly. Salvatore has included a 30,000-square-foot grocery store in his plan, half the size of a suburban Super Stop & Shop. But Salvatore said discussions with the community in the coming months may determine that a grocery store may be better located nearby — not squarely in Downtown North. Salvatore said a grocery store is critical to address the “food desert” in the area.
4. How soon before there are shovels in the ground? How long until development is complete?
Construction could begin as soon as May 2019 on the parcel behind the Red Lion. The development would take five or six years to finish.
5. What does a development like this cost?
A little more than $200 million in today’s dollars. The project would be largely privately financed, with some public subsidy likely from the Capital Region Development Authority for the housing. Salvatore now sees all the apartments as market rate, but if community discussions favor the addition of some “affordable” rentals, additional public funding would be necessary, he said.
6. How many proposals did the city receive when it sought bids for Downtown North?
The city drew just one bid, from Salvatore.
7. Didn’t another developer start on the project?
Yes. Amid much fanfare, Centerplan Construction Co. and DoNo Hartford LLC were hired in 2014 to develop Dunkin’ Donuts Park and the land surrounding the ballpark. But two years later, the partners were fired from the ballpark project after missing key construction deadlines. Then last year, Centerplan and DoNo were ousted from the rest of the development by the city. The partners have sued the city for wrongful termination, are seeking $90 million in damages and still maintain that they have the legal rights to develop the land. The matter is still in court and depending on the resolution, Salvatore’s groundbreaking could be delayed.
8. What is Salvatore’s track record?
Last year, Salvatore completed his first development in downtown Hartford, the renovation of the long-closed Goodwin Hotel. But the New Canaan developer and his company, RMS Cos., had honed a high profile in his native Stamford, becoming a major player in the city’s development revival with at least a dozen projects, including a UConn residence hall. In New Haven, Salvatore completed an upscale apartment conversion and is in the midst of a hotel project. He is also the force behind the $100 million “Hill to Downtown” development aimed at connecting Yale Medical School to New Haven’s core.
Windsor Locks Sports Complex Plan Still Alive As Developer Questioned About Background, Financing
A day after worried Windsor Locks officials put a hold on talks for a $200 million sports complex, First Selectman Chris Kervick said he is hopeful the project’s developer can explain away troubling new information about his background.
“We’re going to give him an opportunity to explain and convince us that it’s nothing to be concerned about,” Kervick said Tuesday. “I do not consider [the major sports complex plan] completely dead.”
Andy Borgia, the Long Island, N.Y., developer who is behind the “All Sports Village” proposal, has failed to respond to repeated requests from The Courant for comment on a fraud lawsuit filed against him by investors in his last project.The civil lawsuit filed in October in the Supreme Court of the state of New York, Suffolk County, alleges that Borgia cheated four investors out of $462,000 they’d put into his project for a $45 million soccer complex in Islip, N.Y. That Islip project was transferred to another developer in 2017 after six years of delays and political controversies involving Borgia and local officials.
The lawsuit also names the town of Islip and the project’s new developer as co-defendants in the legal action, and charges that Borgia “embarked on a campaign of fraud, enterprise corruption and a Ponzi scheme” involving the project.
Contacted last week before the news of the lawsuit became public, Borgia declined to be interviewed about his previous development projects. “I really don’t want to discuss that,” he said. “I just want to be low-key.”
Borgia’s only other sports development project was an $8 million complex of baseball fields and other facilities on 28 acres in the Long Island town of Yaphank, N.Y. Baseball Heaven opened to rave reviews in 2004, but Borgia declared bankruptcy in 2006 and was forced to sell his 40 percent share in that project, slightly more than $1 million.
Kervick said that, for “legal reasons,” he couldn’t discuss what specific information had triggered the decision to put the Windsor Locks project on hold.
“We want to take a pause and fully evaluate this new information,” the first selectman said.
Kervick also defended the town’s decision to conduct an enthusiastic news conference last week to announce the filing of Borgia’s plan for Windsor Locks. Kervick said the town was ready to commit millions of dollars toward the project from the increased tax revenue the sports complex was expected to generate.
“I remain convinced the concept is a good one for Windsor Locks … and the opportunity for jobs is great,” Kervick said Tuesday. “At the same time, we have to be cautious.”
The plans filed by Borgia’s JABS Sports Management LLC included construction of a more than 5,000-seat indoor arena and an outdoor stadium of similar seating capacity, two hotels, 16 indoor basketball/volleyball courts and eight outdoor fields for soccer, lacrosse, softball, field hockey and flag football.
Borgia’s project was to be built on 76 acres of former tobacco land along Route 20 and Old County Road. He estimated the sports complex would eventually employ 400 full-time and 100 part-time employees.
His company also claimed the project had “strong support at the state level” and that there were ongoing discussions with the state Department of Economic and Community Development and the Department of Transportation. A spokesman for DECD declined to comment on any specifics regarding those discussions.
“I can confirm we have had very preliminary discussions regarding the project,” DECD spokesman Jim Watson said in an email. “I cannot disclose any details about those discussions for confidentiality reasons.”
Despite their enthusiasm for the project, Kervick has been saying for the past week that Windsor Locks officials needed to get more information about Borgia’s history as a developer and about who his financial backer might be. It was about six months ago that Borgia started talking with Windsor Locks officials, according to Kervick.
“We’re expecting a very detailed financial package to come in [from Borgia] in the not-so-distant future,” Kervick said Tuesday. “The ball’s in his court.” He said Windsor Locks won’t be making any financial commitments for the project until they review Borgia’s financial plans. “In a project of this magnitude, you have to do your homework and be cautious,” Kervick said.
Last year, Borgia made a similar sports complex proposal to Windsor officials. But that somewhat smaller project never went past the early discussion stage, and Borgia explained the property involved proved to be too small for his purposes and that Windsor’s tax incentives also didn’t make a good fit for his project.
Kervick added that he hasn’t yet received much feedback from Windsor Locks residents about the halt in negotiations for Borgia’s All Sports Village plan. “I’m sure they feel like me, that this is going to be a long process and that there will be ups and downs, and we seem to be in a down right now,” Kervick said.
“I’m a hopeful guy, but I’m not naïve,” Kervick said.
Town officials in Islip contacted in the past week have been reluctant to discuss with The Courant what went wrong with Borgia’s plans to build a soccer complex in that community. “I have been equally unsuccessful in culling information from officials in the town of Islip,” Kervick said.
One reason for that reluctance may be the political controversy that erupted over a Newsday report that Borgia had made a $2,000 campaign contribution to a key Islip Republican official around the time the town approved the soccer complex plan. Borgia and then-GOP Islip Councilman Steven J. Flotteron denied there was any connection.
As part of the original 2010 agreement with Islip, Borgia agreed to construct Little League baseball fields on different town property. But the baseball project also triggered controversy, with claims that Borgia used substandard materials for the fields and allegations he’d failed to properly obtain a construction bond.
“There was political fallout,” Luis Montes, Islip’s Democratic town chairman, said this week.
Montes said his understanding was that many of the long delays with the Islip project were due to Borgia’s problems securing financing for the plan.
Demolition begins at former Hamden Middle School as revitalization project continues
Ben Lambert
HAMDEN — A portion of the former Hamden Middle School on Newhall Street is being demolished, as efforts to remediate and redevelop the site continue.
The project is part of the Newhall neighborhood remediation effort, which began in 2010 after officials found several properties in the area, including the former middle school, were built on top of industrial waste.
Dale Kroop, town economic development director, said Monday the two buildings being knocked down used to be the school auditorium and cafeteria.
The Hamden Economic Development Corporation received a $600,000 grant through the state Brownfield Area Revitalization program in February 2017 to pay for the project, according to Kroop. The Mutual Housing Association of Southern Central Connecticut is currently the preferred developer for the former middle school site, with plans to construct 87 mixed-income housing units on the property, Kroop said.
That aspect of the effort is not yet certain, as the group is still working to secure the necessary funding, but Kroop said he was confident it would proceed as long as that money was available at the state level.
The association, which also operates under the moniker NeighborWorks New Horizons, previously built the Highwood Square apartment complex where the Johnson Perfume Factory and Nabisco Bakery once stood on Dixwell Avenue.In addition, under current thinking, the former middle school site also will eventually feature a new community center, athletic field, and illuminated parking areas, Kroop said. The area occupied by the former auditorium and cafeteria will be turned into green space.
“Along with the regional water authority environmental remediation of the former middle school happening this summer, this is a positive step toward improving the neighborhood,” said Mayor Curt Leng. “Having the gymnasium renovated into a true youth center by mutual housing for the Town will be such a true asset to the community.”
The Hamden Business Incubator, which is set to offer space for small businesses to rent at below-market prices, is being constructed next door as well, Kroop said.
“A lot of things are happening simultaneously — all as planned,” said Kroop.
The town has been paying to maintain the former middle school property and safeguard it against vandalism to the tune of approximately $100,000 per year, Kroop said.
That cost diminished in recent years after utilities were turned off at the property following a flood but is still a burden on the community, Kroop said.
With the redevelopment, the town is planning to bring the property back onto the tax rolls, Kroop said.
“We’re turning a negative into a net positive,” said Kroop. The school, also known as the former Michael J. Whalen Junior High School, hasn’t been used since was 2006, Kroop said.