Barry Lytton
STAMFORD — Charter Communications won the right to expand its new South End headquarters this week after the Zoning Board uneasily agreed to let the telecommunications giant out of earlier requirements to provide parking spaces for train commuters.
The approval means the Fortune 500 company will have two buildings for a total of 777,000 square feet of glass-sheathed office space on the Gateway garage site in Stamford’s South End, just south of Interstate 95 and rail lines heading to the Stamford Transportation Center blocks away.
The company and its landlord, Building and Land Technology, which is behind the HQ build out, say the development is a more than $400 million investment in the city and the 1,300 workers now here could soon grow to 3,000 once the new buildings open.
No matter the investment size, it was the parking space pullback that has long been the most controversial part of the project. The bulk of the Zoning Board deliberations Monday during a four-hour stemmed from board members seeking a compromise.
For hours, they discussed how to ensure commuters wouldn’t be left stranded if Charter bought out of its obligation to house the spaces before a 960-spot state garage would open nearby leaving commuters scrambling.
Charter offered $6.6 million for the spots.
The Zoning Board eventually allowed for the buyout, but mandated BLT and Charter hire a parking management consultant to ensure everything goes smoothly.Charter and BLT had initially hoped for the $6.6 million to go toward the hire and interim parking plan but the Zoning Board said no.
The manager should ensure that interim commuter displacement — from the time the Charter goes in and the South State Street garage opens — goes smoothly and the eventual full move to the state garage is uncomplicated.
The manager will also stay on the job for three months after the new garage opens at BLT’s cost, according to the conditions of approval hashed out Monday.
In the meantime, BLT must find 500 spots for the drivers is is putting to the curb.And if those spots fall outside of a quarter-mile radius from the station, shuttles must be provided to the train station, the Zoning Board decided.
Still, members hoped replacement spots would fall within the quarter mile, fearing a jitney addition to Stamford’s already crowded streets.
More than 60 different shuttles take passengers from the train station to businesses, apartment complexes, hotels and the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus on weekdays. In all, the shuttles make 400 one-stop trips daily.
“To have more shuttle vans going to the train station to save a hundred yards of people walking is really overcomplicating here,” said board member Keith Silver.
The $6.6 million isn’t the only cash the city gets out of the agreement.The city will see an additional $3 million for affordable housing and $2 million for improvements to Washington Boulevard and Pulaski Street, where the new HQ buildings now rise.
New Milford committee to oversee construction projects advances
Katrina Koerting
NEW MILFORD — The town will join about half of the other localities in the state and have a permanent municipal building committee.
The committee will oversee expensive renovation or new construction projects for the town and the schools with the hopes that it will ensure projects come in on time and on budget.
It was approved unanimously at Monday’s Town Council meeting and now heads to a town meeting for ratification.
The vote came after a public hearing where no one spoke. A public hearing on the proposed blight ordinance was also held at the same time, but that will remain open until April 22.
Town Attorney Matt Grimes said this ordinance would allow for a temporary committee to also serve alongside the permanent one if there are too many projects for the permanent committee at one time.
The idea for the committee came after two oil tank removals at Hill and Plain Elementary School and the Lillis Building came in over the expected cost. The Lillis Building project came in $135,000 over the $97,700 already approved for the project due to an unexpected clay sewer line and ledge that had to be removed. The school board is covering the extra cost from its capital reserve.
On Monday, Town Council lamented the extra cost and said there needed to be more oversight on the contracts and projects themselves, both of which they hope this committee will address.
“We can catch these kinds of things moving forward,” Mayor Pete Bass said.
Six to nine members are expected to serve on the committee, including residents with construction experience, as well as a member of the Town Council and the finance and school boards.
The committee would also work with the building official and director of public works, much like how the municipal roads committee works with the public works director.
Winsted community meeting details Hinsdale School project
Leslie Hutchison
WINSTED — Plans for the renovation of the Mary P. Hinsdale School include a proposal to “daylight the culvert” that carries a brook underneath the two-story wing of the school.Architect Paul E. Jorgensen, an associate of Silver Petrucilli & Associates Inc., the project managers, told a group of about 25 residents on Tuesday that the firm “looked at the drainage and flooding,” of the site that sits below Spencer Hill.
“In a 100-year storm, the culvert can flood and effect the school site,” Jorgensen said at a community meeting held at the Winsted Senior Center.
The solution, which would alleviate the public’s concern about mold and air quality in the school, Jorgensen said, is to remove the second story building near Hinsdale Avenue, along with the culvert below it, and uncover the brook, which will then flow naturally downhill toward the Mad River.
The community meeting Tuesday was the second of three held by the Winchester School District to provide information about the financial impact of the project.
The total cost of the project is $16.8 million, of which $6.9 million would be paid for through a state grant. While the reimbursable part of the project is listed as $9.9 million, the 70 percent reimbursable rate brings it to $6.9 million.The total expense to the town would be $9.9 million, Jorgensen said.
The state will not only pay part of the cost for the renovation, it will also pay for the construction of 7,700 square feet of classroom space on the Williams Avenue side of the building, Jorgensen said.
The new classroom building would offer about the same amount of square footage in the two-story building that’s slated for demolition.
Residents who attended the meeting at the Winsted Senior Center had questions for the project manager and the superintendent of schools.
One man asked how much the tax rate would increase if the project were approved. Another wanted to know why Hinsdale was chosen over Batcheller School for renovation. Sara Guenther, whose children who are in kindergarten, asked about comparing the costs of a new school vs. a renovation.
“I found it would be a few million more for a new school,” she said.
Guenther added that she supports the project.
Superintendent of Schools Melony Brady-Shanley noted that quite a few residents wonder why the district doesn’t renovate Batcheller School
She said Hinsdale, which was built in the late 1940s, was chosen over Batcheller School because Hinsdale is more structurally sound.
Hinsdale is also not occupied, so students would not have to moved to a “swing space,” or alternative location, Brady-Shanley said.If Batcheller were chosen, “We would have to ship the students out of town for at least two years,” she added.“That created undue chaos for families.”
A more serious concern, Brady-Shanley said, is the location of Batcheller. “There is only one entrance and one exit. If there were an emergency, there is no other way out.”
She also noted that the location is “embedded in the woods and up a hill. It leaves a lot of space in which to hide.”
On the question of why the town doesn’t build a new school instead of renovating one, Jorgensen said it would cost $20 million for a new building.
He added that new buildings receive a lesser percent of the cost of construction from state grants. “That does not include the cost of site acquisition which can cost millions.”
“It makes no financial sense to build a new school,” Brady-Shanley added. The renovated Hinsdale school would enroll students in pre-K through two years old, she said.Asked what the cost of borrowing the funds would equate to as increase in the tax rate, Finance Director Bruce Stratford deferred and instead discussed the expected growth of the grand list.
He said “An increase of 1 mill would generate (an extra) $720,000,” for the grand list, which would help pay a portion of the debt service.
A referendum on the whether to approve the renovation project is expected to be held this summer.
If approved, the timeline for the project calls for the project managers to file the grant request with the state before June 30, to make sure its accepted before a new fiscal year begins on July 1.
Construction would be under way from 2020 until 2021, according to the project documents, and be finished by the summer of 2021. Student would begin classes at Hinsdale that fall.
The final community meeting on the proposed project will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Pearson School cafeteria, 2 Wetmore Ave.
‘The Haven’ developer a no-show at West Haven council meeting
Pam McLoughlin
WEST HAVEN — City council members and residents thought they were going to be able to ask questions of The Haven developers Monday night, but instead they got a cancellation notice of sorts from City Attorney Lee Tiernan.
No one was more disappointed than City Councilman Aaron Charney, whose 3rd district is to house the planned high-end waterfront outlet of retail and restaurants.
“I am beyond frustrated with the developers of ‘The Haven,” Charney said. “Many residents reached out to me wanting answers and a timeline…We want to hear from the developer directly.”
In preparation for the big chance to get questions answered, Charney had asked residents on Facebook what they wanted to know. The broad array of questions included whether the developer, if wavering, has considered alternatives. Which stores will be there? Where will the amphitheater be? Why won’t The Haven itself get constructed on the waterfront instead of the parking lot?
But the most overriding question for residents in every part of the city remains, “Will The Haven ever be built?” and if so, “When will construction start?”
City officials have said repeatedly the project is still on, but after more than four years in the making, no one can say for sure when ground will be broken.The expected appearance by the developers came about last month when the city made a request to abandon certain roads for safety reasons, including Water Street and parts of both Richards Place and Center Street.
City Council Chairman Ronald Quagliani wanted to hear directly from the developer on the timeline and other matters, postponing the vote until Monday, when they were exected to hear from the developers.But hours before the meeting, City Council members were notified the appearance was off. Tiernan sent a memo saying street abandonment wasn’t any longer necessary at this time because a security company had been hired to take care of safety issues.
Tiernan wrote: “…The Developers are not interested in ‘burdening’ residents of the neighborhood unnecessarily. If there is no public safety issue, they are willing to delay road abandonment until its absolutely necessary for construction reasons. In this way the residents can continue to use Water Street.”
Charney said the developers’ explanation of not wanting to burden the residents unnecessarily is, “comical to me since they have burdened this neighborhood for years. We live with blight, fires, squatters, vandalism and dumping.”
Tiernan’s memo reassuringly went on to say: “The Developers certainly want the residents to welcome The Haven Development…”No incidents regarding safety have been reported since the developer hired a security company, Tiernan wrote. He also said other matters had progressed and requested the council table the matter and it did.
Quagliani said Tuesday that since security is no longer an issue, and “the situation has stabilized,” he doesn’t see an “Immediate need” to close the roads.
But Quagliani acknowledged residents and the City Council “are overdue an update on the project.”
“My expectation is that this needs to occur before I can take action on any road abandonment,” Quagliani said.Mayor Nancy Rossi said in a statement Tuesday that The Haven development has cleared another hurdle.
“The last remaining eminent domain action pending in the Connecticut State Superior Court concerning the Haven waterfront development project has been withdrawn by the City of West Haven. The withdrawal occurred after the developer, The Haven Group, LLC, negotiated a settlement with the land owner.
Eminent domain actions require applicants to deposit sufficient funds with the court to pay for any land taking. In this case, the developer had deposited $862,500 with the court, which has now been released.”
This settlement and withdrawal are important steps toward state Department of Transportation approval of the transportation plan for tThe Haven, Rossi said.
“Once the Haven Group receives DOT approval of its transportation plan, funds from the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development become available and physical work at the site can begin,” she said in her statement.
Much of that information was contained in Tiernan’s memo to the City Council, which also mentioned approval of $5 million in DECD funds and resolution of a million dollar-plus environmental remediation litigation resulting in no cost to the city.
“These events are not visible at the site, but all the news is generally positive for the Development,” Tiernan wrote.
City Councilwoman Tracy Morrissey said Tuesday, “I felt very bad for the people living near The Haven,” because their property values have gone down.At Monday’s meeting, a woman said during public comment that she lives 1,500 feet from The Haven, has a high credit score of 860, but the bank won’t allow her to refinance because she lives in a “depressed area.” A friend on Third Avenue got a similar answer, she said.Charney called it a “tragic story.”
The developer is waiting on a certificate of approval from the Office of State Traffic Administration, but the overriding question for residents is how soon after that certificate comes through the developer will start demolition.“I think that is a very fair and consistent question and one we were hoping to learn more about Monday night, ” state Rep. Dorinda Borer said Tuesday.
Residents have had questions about The Haven at just about every municipal meeting, many expressing doubt it will ever become reality in a city with such big financial struggles.
There are 57 properties within the 24-acre project area, which is bounded by Main Street, First Avenue and Elm Street. The site plan application for the 265,000 square feet of retail and restaurant development has approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
At one time, a representative of the developer said the target date for The Haven to open was June 2020.
Rossi has said she is “very excited” about The Haven project, and at the time of approval called it a “game changer.” The city is in such financial distress that they are under control of a state Municipal Accountability Review Board — a fate that met Rossi when she took office.
Downtown Waterbury roadway project gets more funding
MICHAEL PUFFER
WATERBURY — The Board of Aldermen agreed Monday to pump $1.2 million into a contract with an engineering firm overseeing downtown roadway improvements.
It’s one of the last approvals needed before major work begins to upgrade Meadow Street and extend Jackson Street — an effort expected to begin in early May.
This work — along with already-completed upgrades of Freight Street — are part of a $19.1 million effort to attract downtown investment through improved transportation.
A federal grant is covering $14.4 million of costs. The city is responsible for $4.7 million. Aldermen will review a construction contract later this month, the final approval needed.
The board’s unanimous vote Monday more than doubled an existing contract with AI Engineering, raising some questions.
AI was signed to a $912,500 contract in 2016 to provide oversight of a $5.8 million reconstruction of Freight Street. Another $65,823 was subsequently added to AI’s contract.
On Monday, the board voted to increase the contract by another $1.2 million, for a total of $2.2 million. In return, AI will now also provide oversight for work on Meadow Street and Jackson Street.
Former Alderman Lawrence V. De Pillo, addressing the board Monday, said Waterbury is “famous for” increasing contracts. He suggested the city should have advertised the additional work, allowing other companies a chance at the job.
“I don’t understand those kinds of monies in the amendments,” De Pillo said.
Alderman Vernon Matthews also asked why the contract “doubled in price,” but without any insinuation of wrongdoing. Alderman Brenda L. Cotto questioned why the city hadn’t bundled all three streets in the original contract.
City Project Manager Salvatore Porzio said the city’s original advertisement was for oversight of work on all three streets. But improvements to Meadow and Jackson streets required the city to claim access to new property, while the city had all the land necessary for work on Freight Street.
Rather than delay, the project was divided. It allowed work to move ahead on Freight Street, Porzio said.
“This is the price we had all along,” Porzio told aldermen.
Porzio told the Republican-American Tuesday that keeping on a company familiar with the overall project and city procedures will save time and money.
Jackson Street is a pothole-ridden, little-used street. It branches off Bank Street by Home Depot and dead-ends underneath the Mixmaster. The city plans to improve the street with new drainage, sewer lines, a sidewalk and street lights, along with new pavement.
The project will also push the street through Freight Street and on to intersect with West Main Street.
Meadow Street will get new pavement from West Main Street to Bank Street, along with improved pedestrian crossing. There will be some repairs to the sewer line. Sidewalks will be improved and fire hydrants replaced.
Under an anticipated construction contract, work on Meadow and Jackson streets is due to be “substantially complete” on July 31, 2020 and entirely completed that November.