Kendra Baker
Motorists are encouraged to plan alternate routes for an upcoming three-day closure of the Route 133 bridge.
The bridge connecting Brookfield and Bridgewater will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Sunday for ongoing rehabilitative work.
The work is part of the state Department of Transportation’s $9.86 million bridge rehabilitation project, which is scheduled to be completed by July 10.
The 851-foot bridge over the Housatonic River, built in 1955, was found to be deficient in 2015 and in need of repairs.
The bridge is scheduled to be closed again from 10 p.m. June 26, until 5 a.m. June 28.
Waterbury Mixmaster project to close lanes on I-84, Route 8 VIDEO
Jim Shay
Ongoing work with the rehabilitation of the “Mixmaster” in Waterbury will required lane closures on I-84 and Route 8.
The $153 million project consists of the rehabilitation of numerous bridges located within the Route 8 and I-84 interchange.
The project won’t be finished until September 2022.
Lane closures on I-84 eastbound will begin on Sunday and will continue every Sunday through Friday night
One lane on I-84 eastbound will be taken out beginning at 8 p.m. and two lanes are scheduled to close at 10 p.m.
All lanes will reopen at 6 a.m. the following day.“These lane closures will continue into the foreseeable future,” DOT said in a release.
Developer gets green light for New London apartment complex
Greg Smith
New London — The City Council on Monday cleared the path for development of a new $30 million apartment complex on Howard Street by approving a 20-year tax abatement agreement.
RJ Development + Advisors is planning a 203-unit building on long-vacant property that is part of the Fort Trumbull Municipal Development area and had asked for a tax break to help cope with financial strains associated with cleanup of the contaminated property. Hughie's Restaurant is among other businesses that have occupied the site before it was cleared in anticipation of development.
The council approved both a tax abatement agreement and a development agreement negotiated by the city’s development arm, the Renaissance City Development Association, which owns the property. The city can expect an estimated $11 million in property tax revenue over the 20-year period while RJ Development benefits from more than $4 million in tax breaks over that same time period. RJ Development has estimated the cost of environmental cleanup to be $3.78 million.
The company must now seek appropriate land-use approvals for the project. The complex, like the one under construction at the corner of Howard and Bank streets, is expected to contain market-rate apartments with amenities aimed at attracting employees from places like Electric Boat and Lawrence + Memorial Hospital.
Felix Reyes, the director of the city’s Office of Development and Planning, said that in addition to taxes, the project should provide an estimated $700,000 in building permits and fees. The proposal is another step toward creating the critical mass needed to boost foot traffic and help support downtown businesses without further burdening the schools or city infrastructure, he said. It also fulfills the city’s goal of cleaning up contaminated and blighted properties.
The apartment complex would be built on land known as 5C1 and 5C2. Two parcels of the property are owned by Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, which has agreed to a land swap with the RCDA to expand its footprint at the medical office complex across the street.
Monday’s approval did not come without some prodding of Mayor Michael Passero by several councilors over the progress, or lack thereof, of development of a community center.
Councilor James Burke, who voted against the development agreement, said the council was promised that after the sale of the Martin Center, there would be some progress on establishment of a community center task force before any new developments “crossed the finish line.”
The city-owned Martin Center similarly was sold for development of upscale apartments.
“Do we have some sort of tangible movement on the establishment of the community center task force?” Burke asked.
Councilor Curtis Goodwin said city residents have long asked for a community center and he called it one way to help bring equity to city residents. He said now would be an optimal time to show progress, given the increasing calls for attention to a portion of the city’s population that often feels neglected.
Passero, who behind the scenes has been trying to court a YMCA into the city, said he needs help building community consensus and to rebuild a coalition that previously existed and culminated in the proposed purchase of the former Edgerton School property for a future community center. But with no firm plans in place, a previous council passed on the purchase.
Passero said he continues his quest to find a partner to make a community center financially feasible, something the city cannot do on its own.
Stonington WPCA supports $10 million sewer bonding
Joe Wojtas
Stonington — Water Pollution Control Authority members on Tuesday voted unanimously to support a plan to bond $10 million to pay for what they describe as critical repairs to the town’s three sewer plants and 17 pumping stations.
After a virtual public hearing, the authority voted to send the proposal on to the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance, which will vote whether to approve the bonding. There will be no referendum vote on the project due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the hearing, letters from 14 people or organizations in favor of the bonding were read into the record by Chairman Richard Cody, while one letter came from a resident who suggested the town look at an alternative way to finance the work.
Among the groups and individuals speaking in favor of the project were the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce, the Waterfront Commission, Shellfish Commission, The Mystic Harbor Management Commission, longtime Board of Finance member Glenn Frishman and Mystic Aquarium President Stephen Coan.
Cody explained the system is at a point where equipment is failing and more problems are expected. This will not only be costly but Cody said it could result in the town violating its discharge permits and the state issuing fines and ordering the town to make repairs. Failures also could pose environmental threats to the Mystic River, Pawcatuck River and Stonington Harbor.
Cody said the system is not aging but aged. He added the town cannot wait for equipment to break due to the long lead time needed to order and manufacture parts and pumps.
Due to historically low interest rates, authority member Lynn Young said that for the owner of a median priced — $318,000 — home in town, taxes would increase $21 a year over the 20-year life of the bond, beginning with the 2021-22 budget.
“So this is a pretty good deal,” she said, adding the town doesn’t want to be in a position where residents can’t flush toilets or take a shower. “We don’t have any choice. These are critical things we have to do.”
The bond also will allow the authority to study a long-term solution of eventually replacing the three plants with one facility to serve the whole town.
If the bond is approved, the WPCA plans to return the $1 million in the 2020-21 budget for sewer system capital improvements to the town.
Windsor greenlights $8.8M in tax benefits for Amazon's planned $230M distribution hub; construction to begin in July
Joe Cooper
onstruction on Amazon’s proposed $230 million fulfillment center in Windsor is expected to start in July after town officials on Monday approved a three-year tax abatement for the e-commerce giant.
Windsor’s town council in a virtual meeting Monday approved a reduced three-year, 50% abatement of real property taxes and a 50% reduction in building permit fees for the company as it plans to occupy a new 823,000-square-foot distribution hub on former tobacco farmland at 1201 Kennedy Road and 1 Joseph Lane.
The development is slated to include $200 million for building and site features and $30 million for equipment and robotics. Amazon expects to add 1,000 new full-time jobs there within the first few years of operation.
Under the deal, Amazon is projected to save a total of $8.78 million, including $7.48 million in property tax savings and $1.3 million from the permit fee reduction. Meanwhile, the town will receive an estimated $10.52 million from the development during the three-year period, and revenues will jump to $5.4 million annually when the abatement expires at the end of fiscal year 2025.
Monday’s approved deal is much more modest than the seven-year, 100% tax abatement that Amazon was originally seeking. That deal would have saved the company an estimated $4 million to $5 million annually upon completion of the project.
Although the abatement was allowed under the town's abatement policy, officials say the council does not typically approve abatements of that size both in terms of duration and total benefit. For example, recently approved projects in town have garnered three- or four-year abatements of 50% or less, town records show.
That's why Amazon and the town came to terms in recent weeks on alternative terms for the project.
Granby is becoming an apartment-development hot spot
Greg Bordonaro
ew apartment development has swept through Greater Hartford in recent years, with much of the activity occurring in more densely populated cities and suburbs.
But rural communities are also getting in on the action. The town of Granby -- known for its open space, farmland and hiking trails -- has become an apartment-development hot spot in recent years with nearly 400 rental units that have either come online, or are in the planning pipeline.
The latest project to debut was the 130-unit The Grand at Ridgewood, which includes five luxury apartment buildings that opened in phases starting in Dec. 2018. The last 26-unit building came online in April and immediately drew investor interest.
In fact, The Grand at Ridgewood, which was developed by Danbury-based Upstream Properties LLC and consists of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, sold May 29 for $33.3 million, or $256,000 per unit, according to Bradley Balletto of Northeast Private Client Group, who brokered the deal. The buyer was Krown Point Capital, a joint venture between Fairfield-based Connecticut Realty Trust and Jonis Realty of New York, Balletto said.