Other Voices: New prevailing wage legislation a win for solar industry workers
By Aziz Dehkan and Heather Burns
Connecticut’s workers just scored a big win.
Gov. Ned Lamont recently signed into law the nation’s
strongest labor standards for renewable energy projects, paving the way for our
state to swiftly and equitably transition to a green economy powered by good
union jobs.
The bill, SB 999, will ensure that Connecticut’s efforts to
combat climate change will create jobs that pay family-sustaining wages and
increase training opportunities for Connecticut’s marginalized residents.
Without it, there’s simply no guarantee that the growing
number of green jobs in our state will be good jobs, which is why the bill
earned vigorous support from a coalition of labor unions, environmentalists,
community organizations, interreligious groups and students.
But that didn’t stop the Connecticut solar industry
association, SolarConnecticut, from drumming up fear with claims about how the
policy would increase costs for ratepayers — an argument that has been fully
disproven by a UC Berkeley Labor Center study, which confirmed that paying
workers well does not negatively impact solar development.
When it comes down to it, the solar industry simply
disregarded the facts and lobbied against SB 999 — and then pushed Lamont to
veto the bill without fully considering what’s best for Connecticut’s workers,
climate, and communities.
There’s no disputing that renewable energy is here to stay.
Connecticut is already developing dozens of utility-scale
wind and solar projects throughout the state. But an equitable or just
transition to renewables is not inevitable.
That’s why SB 999 is so important: the bill helps ensure
that no Connecticut workers or communities will be left behind as our state
takes science-based steps to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
This includes creating new opportunities for those who have
been traditionally underrepresented in the construction industry, including
people of color and women, and creating opportunities for those with other
barriers to employment, such as residents in low-income zip codes or people who
have been formerly incarcerated.
The new law only applies to utility-scale projects,
excluding, for example, residential or commercial solar installations — and
includes requirements that developers pay prevailing wages for construction,
maintenance and security personnel; partner with apprenticeship and
pre-apprenticeship programs; and negotiate a community benefits agreement with
the host community.
Of course, not all developers in Connecticut underpay their
workforce. Some renewable energy projects have already been constructed with
strong labor protections and standards for workers, including prevailing wages.
SB 999 will level the playing field for those high-road developers so they
compete on merit.
SB 999 is just common sense. It even follows an approach
widely accepted by other states and the national solar industry itself.
New Jersey, which has required prevailing wage on solar
development projects 1 megawatt and larger since 2013, is one of the best case
studies we have for this type of policy’s success.
Because labor is a relatively small portion of the total
cost of utility-scale solar projects, New Jersey’s has successfully protected
workers’ wages with no evidence of significant costs to developers or
ratepayers.
Now, New Jersey ranks seventh nationally for installed solar
capacity. For comparison, Connecticut ranks 21st. Legislation similar to SB 999
recently passed in New York and Maine and has been proposed in Illinois and
Rhode Island.
We applaud Gov. Lamont for standing up for Connecticut’s
workers and communities to sign this crucial legislation into law.
Aziz Dehkan is the executive director of the Connecticut
Roundtable on Climate and Jobs. Heather Burns is the founder and CEO of the
Connecticut Sustainable Business Council.
Developers looking at CT suburbs, Shoreline for new apartment projects
Much of the focus of residential developers building
apartments in Connecticut in recent years has been on the state’s urban centers:
Stamford, New Haven and Hartford — cities with restaurants, services, commuter
rail service and entertainment venues, with many of the apartments within
walking distance.
But over the past two years, interest has grown in building
apartment complexes big and small in New Haven’s suburbs and beyond. The latest
evidence of that trend is “The Bradley,” a 30-unit apartment complex on Bradley
Road in Madison.
The project is scheduled to break ground some time next
month and will be built on a 1.5-acre site at 110-114 Bradley Road that once
was home to the Tuxis Laundromat and one other business, as well as two other
buildings. The complex is a little more than a quarter-mile from the Madison
train station, which is served by Shoreline East trains.
It’s also a short, two-block walk from the complex to
Madison’s downtown via sidewalks along Bradley Road and Wall Street.
All four existing buildings are scheduled for demolition,
according to Jerry Davis, managing partner of Davis Realty in Madison and the
developer of the project.
The project has support in the business community.
Ryan Duques, chairman of the Madison Economic Development
Commission, said commission members in January voted unanimously to support the
development.
Duques said in a letter to members of the town’s Planning
& Zoning Commission that the “development positions the Town of Madison to
further capitalize on our recent Transit Oriented Development (TOD) projects,
which have included new sidewalks on Bradley Road and renovated Tuxis Walkway,
which enhance the connection of Madison Center, Bradley Road our bus stop and
the train station.”
“This development would enable residents to take advantage
of our downtown amenities, beaches and access to commuter rail without
requiring a vehicle,” Duques wrote. “Finally, we believe that this development
will add vibrancy to our downtown and Madison community overall, helping to
ensure long-term sustainability of our commercial base, grand list and robust
community.”
John Guszkowski, Madison’s interim town planner, said The
Bradley’s 30 units will be spread across three stories.
Guszkowski said the town’s master plan has a strong focus
“on creating a vibrant downtown area” as well as offering those who want to
live in Madison an alternative to single-family homes.
“Madison has a relatively monolithic housing stock,” he
said. “It adds to the level of density (near the center of town) and
accessibility with relatively small units, which will increase overall
residential and business activity. This is not an option that is presently
available anywhere else in the community.”
Guszkowski said developing apartment complexes in Madison
and other Shoreline communities that don’t have municipal sewer systems can be
problematic.
“Because there is a lack of public infrastructure, sewers,
it can be tricky to do,” he said. “You have find a site where the soils work
(for a septic system).”
Having to provide septic systems for new apartment complexes
such as The Bradley effectively limits how many units can be built, according
to Guszkowski.
“In a lot of towns without sewer lines you'll see these
complexes of 30 units or fewer,” he said. “Any development that produces more
than 7,500 gallons of sewerage per day is reviewed by (the state Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection). Anything below that threshold is reviewed
by the local health officials.”
Review by local health officials is considered more
desirable because DEEP reviews are lengthy, Guszkowski said.
Elsewhere outside cities, Cheshire has several apartment
complexes in various stages of development.
One is Hamlet on Highland, an 11-unit luxury apartment
complex located across Route 10 from Maplecroft Plaza, which has one of the
town’s two large supermarkets as an anchor as well as several restaurants.
Tenants are expected to begin moving in to the complex this month.
Another Cheshire apartment project is located near the
town’s northwestern border with Waterbury.
A Stratford-based developer plans to build a 114-unit
apartment complex — including 29 units of affordable housing — on the site of a
former nursing home on Hazel Drive. The Cheshire Planning & Zoning
Commission approved the plan in June 2020.
The Cheshire PZC also earlier this year approved a
seven-unit apartment complex approved at the intersection of Higgins Road and
Route 10. But John Ricci of Ricci Construction, the developer of the project,
has decided to put the 0.69-acre site up for sale.
In Trumbull, the start of construction for 260 market-rate
rental units along the periphery of the Westfield Trumbull Mall “is imminent,”
said Rina Bakalar, the town’s economic and community development director.
One suburban apartment complex plan that got rejected was in
Milford. Dallas-based Centennial, which operates the Connecticut Post Mall,
wanted to spend up to $70 million to build a four-story luxury apartment
complex on a six-acre tract surrounding what used to be the Sears Auto Center.
The Milford Planning & Zoning Commission rejected that plan last summer and revised
plan was submitted in May.
Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of
research for New Haven-based DataCore Partners, said the demand for suburban
apartments, particularly complexes built along commuter rail lines, will only
increase in the coming years.
“The labor market in Connecticut is in such a state of flux,
it implies the need for flexible housing arrangements,” Klepper-Smith said.
“Right now, people are looking for flexibility in their lives, whether it is
financial or logistical. And right now, there is not a lot of inventory along
those lines.”
As an example of the lack of apartment inventory in cities
compared to suburbs, Jed Backus, president of the Guilford-based group New
Haven Middlesex Realtors, said a search of the Multiple Listing Service real
estate database Friday found 74 apartment units in available in New Haven and
two in Madison.
Backus said while the development of suburban apartment
complexes is relatively new, there has been a tremendous amount of growth in
the market since the 2008 recession.
“After the last downturn, some people started to feel that
home ownership wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be,” Backus said.
Another reason for the surge in interest in apartments is
demographics, he said.
“The largest population group after baby boomer is
millennials, and they are in a stage of life where it makes more sense to be
living in an apartment,” he said. Everything they’re doing in their lives is
now happening later than it did for previous generations.”
DEEP announces former United Nuclear Corporation site in New Haven has been remediated
NEW HAVEN — The remediation of the former United Nuclear
Corp. site in New Haven, located on Shelton Avenue in Newhallville, has been
completed, according to a
Friday announcement from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Officials said the “site was utilized by the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) to conduct research and make nuclear fuel components for the
U.S. Navy from the mid-1950s until 1974, playing a key role during the Cold
War.”
“Environmental cleanup was conducted at the time the
facility closed, however the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviewed
the cleanup in recent years and determined that additional cleanup was needed.
Final remediation work at the site began in October 2019 and concluded in late
2020,” officials said.
Gov. Ned Lamont and DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes praised
the outcome as part of the announcement.
“Here’s to all the folks from DEEP, and others, who played
such a role in cleaning up the former United Nuclear Corporation site in New
Haven,” Lamont said. “Here’s to the neighbors in Newhallville, this is amazing,
the transformation, you see what this has looked like for many, many, many
years, and what a difference it is now. So to the friends of DEEP, the
environmentalists, and to the neighborhood, that’s progress, I appreciate all
you did to make this happen.”
“This project represents what we’re all about at the
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, protecting the environment, and
protecting the people who live in that environment,” Dykes said. “The Lamont
Administration is committed to equity, to ensure that all communities get the
same quality of clean-up and environmental remediation. I’m so grateful to all
of the different agencies and stakeholders who made this project possible.”
The project involved the federal government, “DEEP, General
Electric (GE), the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), the City of
New Haven, Newhallville community organizers, and the current site owner,”
officials said.
During the effort, crews deconstructed “the buildings
on-site, as well as concrete foundations, utility trenches, and sub-slab
structures and basins,” and excavated underlying soil.
“Clean-up operations were conducted in a deliberate manner
to minimize the generation of airborne dust, and air monitoring activities were
conducted throughout the process. Nearly 10,000 tons of waste materials were
removed from the site, and transported to facilities in Alabama and Utah
without incident. Where possible, non-regulated construction debris, such as
concrete and steel, was recycled locally,” officials said.
Alder Steve Winter, D-21, who “lives a block away from the
site, and walks his dog near the site every day,” expressed his gratitude for
being kept abreast of the project, as did Addie Kimbrough, a member of the
Newhallville Community Management Team.
“It’s a great comfort to know that the site was successfully
cleaned up, and I just wanted to communicate how much I appreciated the clear
communication from Jim and the GE team, and Rocco with his frequent updates
from Arcadis, and all the participation at the Community Management Team and
tours of the facility, to really make it clear what was going on and how we
knew that the clean-up was going to be thorough and how we would know when it
was going to be complete,” Winter said.
“I do want to thank everyone for keeping the Management Team
and Alder Winters informed, and myself,” Kimbrough said.
A video from DEEP about the history of the site and the
remediation effort is available here.
Brookfield recommends streetscape bidder to state for approval
BROOKFIELD — The town has selected for recommendation a
phase 3 streetscape construction bid that they will send to the state
Department of Transportation for approval.
First Selectman Steve Dunn said that while the bidder and
plan have to receive state approval, he hopes the Norwalk-based Grasso
Companies will be able to get the thumbs up to begin construction soon.
“We’re hoping they’ll be able to put a shovel in the ground
between the next three or four weeks,” Dunn said in an interview Wednesday.
Community Development Specialist Greg Dembowski confirmed
the first selectman’s rough estimate, noting, however, that there would be many
steps to complete before construction can actually begin, including the
essential state aproval of their recommendation, contract signings,
pre-construction meetings, and orders for requisite materials.
But, he said, “if all these steps are followed and there’s
no unexpected surprises, they’ll be out there in a month or so.”
The town closed bids on June 8. Grasso Companies was one of
four bidders who ultimately applied, and Demobowski said they were singled out
as the lowest qualified bidder in the group.
The company is asking for $879,439 for work on the third
phase— which Dembowski said they’re pleased with because it remains within
budget.
The third phase will create critical pedestrian sidewalks
along a 700 to 800 foot stretch of road between Federal Road and Old Route 7,
tying into construction from the project’s second phase to provide safe
pedestrian access to the downtown area and Still River Greenway.
The plan will include a sidewalk on both sides of Old Route
7, where no sidewalk currently exists, incorporating elements such as granite
curbing, brick pavers, and sidewalk lights.
Based on past interviews with town leaders, this hopeful
construction timeline suggests the town is on schedule with the third phase of
its roughly $11 million, five-phase, downtown revitalization plan. Two other
phases have already been completed, with a fourth phase— the longest and most
expensive at a price tag of $3.6 million— still in the planning stage.
The town will use a mix of town bonds and a hefty state
grant to cover the fourth phase.
That next phase will include the construction of over 1,900
feet of sidewalk to connect the northern end of phase one to the Newbury
Village condominiums on Federal Road.
A site survey and conceptual plan have been completed for
the fourth phase, and the town is now working on a preliminary design. However,
there may be a slight delay in the finalization of this design due to what
Dembowski called “gaps and discrepancies” in the plan as it relates to other
planned developments along the streetscape.
“We have a few questions that impact the streetscape as it
relates to a couple future developments,” Dembowski said. As such, the final
preliminary design “is taking a little longer than we thought.”
Sanders, Biden meet as infrastructure bill swells past $3.5T
LISA MASCARO and JONATHAN LEMIRE, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Emerging from a private meeting at the
White House, Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday that he and President Joe Biden
are on the same page as Democrats draft a “transformative” infrastructure
package unleashing more than $3.5 trillion in domestic investments on par with
the New Deal of the 1930s.
Sanders, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and
Democrats on his panel also huddled privately at the Capitol for two hours late
Monday with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and key White House
advisers during a consequential time for Biden's top priority. Congress is
racing to put together a sweeping proposal financing infrastructure, family
assistance and other programs for initial votes later this month.
Sanders, I-Vt., said he had a “very good discussion"
with Biden .
“He knows and I know that we’re seeing an economy where the
very, very rich are getting richer while working families are struggling,”
Sanders told reporters.
Sanders said he and the president did not discuss a topline
figure, but the Vermont senator mentioned his own more far-reaching $6 trillion
proposal, which includes expanding Medicare for older adults. Later at the
Capitol, he told reporters that the Democrats' package would be bigger than
$3.5 trillion, an amount floated as in line with Biden's initial proposal.
"The end of the day we’re going to accomplish something
very significant," Sanders said.
After Democrats' evening meeting at the Capitol, Sanders
said lawmakers were still discussing overall spending and other figures.
“What we're trying to do is a multitrillion-dollar bill
which is going to address long neglected problems of the working families in
this country” and the problem of climate change, he told reporters.
Other lawmakers said senators would meet again Tuesday.
Biden's big infrastructure proposals are moving through
Congress on various tracks — each potentially complementing or torpedoing the
other.
A bipartisan group of 10 senators unveiled a nearly $1
trillion package of traditional infrastructure for roads, bridges, broadband
and some climate change investments in electric vehicles and resiliency for
extreme weather conditions.
Senators in the bipartisan group are struggling to draft
their proposal into legislation but hope to have a bill ready as soon as this
week. Disagreements are emerging over how to pay for it.
“Pay-fors are still up in the air,” said Sen. Mike Rounds,
R-S.D.
The rest of Biden's ideas are being collected into the much
broader multitrillion-dollar package that could be approved by Democrats on
their own under a special budget reconciliation process that allows passage
with 51 votes in the Senate, rather than the typical 60-vote threshold that's
needed to overcome a Senate filibuster.
Sanders, as chair of the Budget Committee, has been leading
his colleagues in a series of private conversations. A one-time Biden rival for
the presidency, Sanders now holds an influential position shaping the president's
top priority.
“My job is to do everything I can to see that the Senate
comes forward with the strongest possible legislation to protect the needs of
the working families of this country,” Sanders said at the White House.
New Britain's streets plan improves streetscapes, addresses pedestrian, bicycle access
Catherine Shen
NEW BRITAIN – Improving streetscapes and addressing
pedestrian and bicycle access are all a part of the city’s Complete Streets
Master Plan, which will see two phases near completion this month.
The plan’s phases six and seven include more than a $37
million investment in downtown beautifications since 2012, out of which nearly
$29 million were contributed by state and federal grants, according to the
city.
Transportation is a key to economic development and
recovery, said Mayor Erin Stewart, who provided an update on details about the
project during a press conference Monday afternoon at Beehive Bridge Pocket
Park.
“People see the impact on roadwork and walkability,” she
said. “We’ve seen more economic development here than we’ve ever had in the
last several years and people see it when businesses want to develop, and
people want to beautify their properties.”
Phase six of the plan, which was completely covered by a
state grant for $3.6 million, focused on improving the aesthetics of the
streets as well as addressing challenging pedestrian and bicycle connectivity
issues on East Main Street and Myrtle Street, which are both major retail
destination and gateways into the downtown area. According to the city, the
improvements include bike lanes, new and enlarged sidewalks, traffic signal
replacement, granite curbing, street trees, paving and upgrades to the existing
drainage system.
Public Works Director Mark Moriarty said reconfiguring roads
to accommodate bicycles without creating traffic jams proved to be some of the
challenging aspects of a very complex project.
“We’ve had to shut down streets in order to work on the
roads but that’s also invasive to businesses and people who need to get
places,” he said. “So one of the challenges was to make sure we’re able to do
the project without causing traffic problems.”
Phase seven include increasing use of the CTfastrak station
and multiuse trail by addressing pedestrian safety and reconnecting
neighborhoods to underutilized properties. According to the plan, the work
includes increasing pedestrian and bicycle safety and reconnecting
neighborhoods through bike lanes, new sidewalks, curbing, decorative street
lighting and street paving.
Based on the plan, the new improvements will connect people
to the CTfastrak station and the central business district. It will also
encourage development on the 12 acres of unused and underutilized parcels
adjacent to the project.
The $2 million construction cost for phase seven was funded
by a state grant with a focus on transit-oriented development.
“We know how to spend the money and we make the most of the
money that we have access to,” Stewart said. “Some people ask why do we focus
so much on downtown? It’s because we are already seeing results of the projects
with added housing and places for both shopping and eating.”
The success of the projects’ development also requires
teamwork, said the mayor. Some of those involved include city staff, the Public
Works Commission, Cardinal Engineering Associates, TO Design LLC, Capitol
Region Council of Governments and the state Department of Economic Community
Development.
By investing in the city and improving the residents’
quality of life, Moriarty said it sends a message that New Britain is a
business development friendly city.
“These may not be sexy projects, but they’re very functional
and we need good roads for everything,” he said.
Wallingford PZC hears update on Amazon plans
Lauren Takores
WALLINGFORD — A developer that wants
to bring an Amazon facility to the former Bristol-Myers
Squibb site at 5 Research Parkway presented updated plans to
the Planning and Zoning Commission Monday evening.
The commission is considering whether to grant a special
permit to Buffalo, New York-based Montante Construction for
the 219,000-square-foot, 17-dock Amazon delivery station
building and parking lot on the 180-acre site.
The commission first discussed the special permit
application during a public hearing at the panel’s May meeting.
The public hearing continued during the commission’s
June meeting. After more than four hours of discussion and review of the
modifications to the project, the hearing was continued again to Monday night.
Representatives from Montante and its project partners presented
site plan modifications, including a sound barrier to block noise
from trucking activity.
Benjamin Mueller, Ostergaard Acoustical
Associates acoustical engineer, performed a sound analysis for the
project
He said that the acoustical evaluation of on-site sound
emissions included not only the steady HVAC noise source from the
site, but also the intermittent motor vehicle activity.
Those decibel levels were compared to limits under state and
local codes, as well as the ambient sound documented over the course of a
24-hour period.
The conclusion was that the project met all codes, as well
as blended with existing sound level in the area, Mueller said.
To improve sound mitigation, the plans now include a 14-foot
tall, 450-foot length sound barrier around the truck court to reduce noise
from night activity.
Tractor trailer trucks are approximately 13-and-a-half-feet
tall, according to the presentation.
The wall would be at least 3 pounds per square foot to
provide sufficient mass to block truck noise.
According to a sound emission assessment with and without
the wall, a “noticeable reduction” of 4 to 6 decibels would be
provided to the east and further blending with ambient sound.
Amazon already operates a sortation center nearby at 29
Research Parkway, while Amazon Logistics operates a warehouse and
distribution center on South Cherry Street, providing "last mile"
service to customers.
Plainfield starts to cash in as construction set to begin on Amazon warehouse
PLAINFIELD — Hundreds of thousands of dollars in permitting
fees will begin rolling into the town’s coffers as construction on a
massive Amazon distribution warehouse project is poised to begin.
The town’s building office this past week took receipt of a
$270,000 check that will pave the way for a building permit to be issued in the
coming days for a planned 202,044-square-foot “last-mile” facility set to be built on 61 acres of a
former dog-racing track at 137 Lathrop Road.
“We're likely to issue that permit on Monday or
Tuesday, but there will be a temporary permit issued before that to allow
crews to begin milling off the old pavement and add fencing,” Building Official
Richard Martel said on Thursday. “We expect them to break ground for
construction next week.”
The town could eventually see more than $400,000 in total
permitting fees over the course of the anticipated nine-month construction
schedule, officials said.
“The building permit is just for that – the building,”
Martel said. “Other permits will be filed for things like the conveyers that
will be inside the warehouse, along with utility and plumbing permits.
The planning department is also expecting a $21,000 check to
be dropped off ahead of the issuance of a zoning permit for the work,
Zoning Enforcement Official Ryan Brais said.
“We just need to wrap up a couple of filings, like for
drainage easements, and once that’s done, we’ll issue the permit,” he said.
Brais said Amazon expects to file for a temporary
certificate of occupancy in May with a request for a full permit requested soon
after.
On Thursday, a line of heavy equipment, including excavators
and milling trucks, were lined up on the weedy, cracked grounds that once
served as the racing track's parking lot. First Selectman Kevin Cunningham said
crews were scraping brush and erecting fencing in anticipation of work ahead.
The permitting windfall, like all such monies, will be
placed inside the town’s general fund, which currently stands at approximately
$6.3 million.
“That’s about 13% of our annual operating budget, which can
cover one-and-a-half months of town operations in an emergency,” he said.
“Revenues from Amazon of $500,000 will put the reserve percentage at the 14.5%
level.”
Cunningham said the town has not received such a large
amount of permitting fee revenue since the Lowe’s Distribution Center was built
years ago.
“The amount we get in permitting money comes down to the
volume of the building – the size of the project dictates the revenue,” he
said. “But it’s not the kind of thing you can always anticipate coming in. You
can’t plan a budget on projects like that.”
In March, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a site plan for the project, clearing the way
for BL Companies to start construction on behalf of the Exeter Group, the
project's applicant.
The former Greyhound dog-racing park opened in 1976, rapidly
becoming one of the most profitable tracks in the nation, pulling in gamblers
from across the state and beyond. Competition from the region’s two
Indian-owned casinos in the 1990s, however, proved too much for the park.
The race track closed in May 2005 and the property
was bought the next year for $7.5 million by the BVS company, a subsidiary
of the Fairfield-based Starwood Cerruzi firm. Winstanley Enterprises, a
Concord, Massachusetts, investment and development company that serves as
landlord for several office spaces and warehouses in New
England, bought the track in November 2017 from BVS Plainfield Investors
LLC for $3.37 million.
Original site plans filed by the Exeter Group show the
planned structure surrounded on three sides by a total of 664 employee parking
spaces with two entrances leading from Lathrop Road to the site. Several
loading docks and staging areas rim one end of the building with a pair of
retention ponds illustrated on the rear side.
Once open, the warehouse will sort received packages dropped
off from 18-wheelers before sending them out to customers via a fleet of
third-party contractors trained by Amazon.
Between 300-400 drivers are expected to work at the
Plainfield site and arrive in waves of 160 vehicles during the morning hours
and depart in vans. During a typical 10-hour shift, the drivers will deliver
within a 45-minute delivery area.