STAMFORD — As the engineering investigation into Stamford’s
biggest developer pushes forward, efforts from city Representatives to force a
stop on the company’s construction projects didn’t survive the night.
Public Safety Committee Chair Jeff Stella, D-9, and board
President Jeff Curtis, D-14, at a Board of Representatives meeting Wednesday
floated the possibility of suspending all projects spearheaded by dominant
Stamford developer Building and Land Technology until engineers complete their
investigation into the partial
collapse at one of its high rises.
The city’s attorney said that kind of regulation wasn’t
possible.
“In terms of a legal mechanism for this to happen, I'm not
aware of one,” Law Department head Doug Dalena told the board Wednesday.
Part of a fifth-floor outdoor terrace at Allure — a 23-story
waterfront high-rise that opened in 2019 — caved in to the parking garage in February.
Engineers hired by the city concluded that missing structural supports within
one of the garage’s concrete slabs caused
the concrete to fall. The city has yet to complete its investigation into
Allure and, after extending its reach, other Harbor Point properties.
Despite the ongoing investigations from independent
engineers, Stella in particular pushed to have something more done.
“It makes me a little fearful that the same people ... might
be building something now and still putting Stamford at risk,” he said.
Rep. Bobby Pavia, D-17, a teacher with Stamford Public
Schools, agreed, drawing a parallel to his own profession.
“If I'm under investigation, I'm not allowed to teach — no
matter what I'm being accused of — until the investigation is cleared,” he
said.
BLT is actively building two developments in the South End —
Opus and the yet-unnamed Parcel 6. Between the two structures, the developer
has 360 units pending. And the company’s footprint in the neighborhood is
poised to grow still more.
After winning
a years-long battle through Connecticut’s court system, the developer
will build 714 apartments across two buildings on the former
B&S Carting site.
Yet, despite any concerns city Representatives may have
moving forward, their options are slim, according to Stamford’s chief lawyer.
The board cannot outright ban a business from legally operating and putting in
place a moratorium for a single developer could trigger “emergency” legal
action by that developer to challenge the city’s actions, Dalena said.
City representatives have flirted before with a building
moratorium. Former Rep. Carl Franzetti, a District 14 Republican, in 2017
proposed a citywide moratorium on building permits for multifamily development.
The Law Department's special counsel James Minor shot down
the ordinance. Minor argued that the ordinance sought to govern zoning
regulations, something that only the Zoning Board can do.
However, the zoning board has "the power to impose a
moratorium that is limited in scope and time," according to Minor.
Even a “temporary stop order for one or two months” like
Stella suggested, comes with legal limitations, according to Dalena. If the
developer challenged a potential action from the Board of Representatives in
court, the board would have to prove that stopping BLT construction was the
best option.
Dalena said that courts would likely ask two questions: “Was
such a broad and sweeping measure justified based on what you know and the
concerns you had?” and “What other options did you have available to address
that concern?”
Given the city’s ongoing investigation into the
infrastructure at Allure and other structures built by BLT, Dalena argued that
other actions underway are sufficiently thorough.
Going to court is something the city should avoid, Rep. Mary
Fedeli, R-17, argued.
“I think we should wait for the full investigation to be
had,” she said. If the city sees the need to stop BLT’s construction projects
after the findings are released, then action would be more appropriate.
“I just don't want to jump the gun and make the city liable
in any way to get sued on the other side of it,” she said.
Despite the skepticism from some board members, BLT
spokesperson Rob Blanchard said in a statement that the company “continues to
work closely with the city on both their inspection of Allure and any further
inspections they require.”
“Both the third-party engineers hired by the city and by BLT
have agreed on the cause of the issue at Allure, believe it is isolated, and
have found no other issues in the building,” he wrote. “Attorney Dalena
indicated that the city plans to ‘go the extra mile’ and inspect some of our
other buildings and we are working closely with the city to facilitate this.”
Winsted selectmen take first step to repair roads, fix lake drainage
WINSTED — Voters will soon be asked to approve an ambitious
spending proposal that will launch road repair projects, repair drainage around
Highland Lake, provide a new ladder truck for the fire department and begin
payments on Hinsdale School’s renovation.
Town Manager Josh Kelly and Public Works Director Jim
Rollins first
presented the road repair proposal in December 2021, targeting five
areas of Winsted with roadways in dire need of resurfacing and other repair
work. Kelly added
a plan to repair drainage around Highland Lake, and to buy a new
ladder truck, for total of $18.3 million.
During Monday’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Winsted’s bond
attorney, Glenn Rybacki, explained that because Winsted is about to begin
repaying for the $6 million Hinsdale renovation, it made sense to combine that
debt into the bonding proposal, bringing the total bonding amount to $24.700
million.
Rybacki brought a complete proposal with four resolutions as
a way to consolidate the process of approving the road repair project,
primarily.
“The Board of Selectmen can vote to approve this bond
resolution (for $24.700 million) and set the town meeting and referendum
dates,” Rybacki said. “What this resolution does is appropriates the money for
bonding, giving you the authority to spend the money.”
The approval vote also began the process of applying for the
money, he said.
“I’m here to help put these authorizations together ... when
you’re ready, I do all the paperwork (that) validates the borrowing and makes
sure it complies with federal tax rules,” Rybacki said. “If you get any grants
for these projects, it reduces the (amount of the) bonds, so you don’t double
up.”
Money will come to Winsted as the projects progress, the
bond attorney said.
“Borrowing mirrors cash flow need, so if you’re spending a
certain amount across a four-year period, the federal government doesn’t want
you to borrow it all and sit on it for three years. That’ll just cost you more
money,” he said. “I protect you in that regard. If you approve this tonight, it
sets the town meeting and the referendum date.”
Selectwoman Candy Perez asked if the board absolutely had to
vote Monday night. “We’re seeing these numbers for the first time tonight; we
could meet Thursday to decide. Or do we have to do it now?”
Rybacki said, “By setting everything tonight, we get it on
the calendar, but you can always pull back.”
The tax rate impact hasn’t yet been determined and wasn’t
discussed at the meeting. It’s likely that when the proposal goes to the town
meeting, those questions could be answered.
Rentschler redevelopment: Builder predicts 2,000 jobs, $4 million in new taxes for East Hartford
With a major municipal review completed, East Hartford
officials are hoping to see construction begin on the redevelopment of
Rentschler Field as soon as this fall.
Raytheon Technologies last year agreed to sell the old
airfield to National Development, which this month won city approval of its
master plan to build on the 300 acres.
“I’m told concrete could begin to be poured in October,”
Mayor Michael Walsh said Wednesday. “National Development is a known developer
to Raytheon and has been pleased with its experience with East Hartford.”
Developers predict the project will bring hundreds of
construction jobs for more than a year, and ultimately up to 2,000 permanent
jobs at a massive logistics center and accompanying high-tech research and
development buildings.
The planning and zoning commission this month unanimously
approved National Development’s plan to create two mega-warehouses of more than
1 million square feet each on the former airfield.
National Development isn’t publicly naming the two
prospective tenants it’s negotiating with, but said they are well-known
industry leaders drawn partly by the site’s proximity to I-84 and I-91.
“Access to a regional highway network is exceptional. Being
able to get on and off the highway without going through neighborhoods is the
gold standard,” Ed Marsteiner, manager partner of National Development, told
city planners.
The two warehouse buildings will take up a combined 2.5
million square feet of space, and the property will have also have two
100,000-square-foot buildings for research and development, he said.
“The (Greater Hartford) workforce is also a huge benefit.
It’s hard to find talented employees today, and there are going to be 1,800 to
2,000 jobs created out of the projects here,” he said.
Construction of the warehouses will take about a year and a
half, and each one will require 300 to 400 construction workers, Marsteiner
said. When it’s fully built out, the project will generate about $4 million a
year in new taxes, he estimated.
Marsteiner said National Development’s Forge Park in
Franklin, Massachusetts, has much of what the company envisions for Rentschler.
“It’s a very well-located site near a regional highway
network. We developed a mix of R & D and technology buildings and logistics
buildings,” he said.
National Development describes Forge Park as a mixed-use
project with 2.75 million square feet of commercial space, a retail center, a
child care center, a hotel, a commuter rail station and residential
development.
New housing on the heavily industrial East Hartford site
doesn’t work because of the expense of environmental remediation, according to
the company. And large-scale retail development isn’t financially feasible now,
even though the roughly 200,000-square-foot Cabela’s currently on the
Rentschler site will remain, Marsteiner said.
“Cabela’s is doing well there. In the foreseeable future
there’s no goal of moving them along,” he said. “But retail was really struggling
pre-Covid, and Covid accelerated shopping at home — which further hurt the
bricks and mortar retail stuff.”
The region is saturated with warehouse clubs and home
improvement stores, and there’s little market for new office space because of
the uptick in people working at home, he said. That leaves other commercial
development as the best use of the sprawling Rentschler property, he said.
“The warehouse distribution side has really taken off,” he
said.
The new buildings would cover about 20% of the 300 acres,
with large tracts of wetlands used to shield them from the surrounding
neighborhood.
“This site is incredibly well buffered from existing
businesses and residents. The buildings will be a quarter to a half a mile away
from the nearest businesses and residences — that’s unheard of,” he said.
National Development emphasized that all traffic will reach
the property from East Hartford Boulevard, with no access from Brewer or Main
streets.
The planning and zoning commission voted 7-0 to approve the
master plan. National Development still needs to get wetlands approval as well
as an OK for a detailed site plan.
Touching the Surface — Federal Highway, Bridge Funds Steadily Increase Due to IIJA
LUCY PERRY
Funding for America's surface transportation needs has
increased markedly over the past two years — that's due in large part to
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
In 2021, approximately $53 billion in highway formula funds
were made available to states. The DOT FY 2023 budget includes $68.9 billion
for the Federal Highway program, representing a $19.8 billion increase from the
2021 enacted level.
"The investments in the president's budget make
traveling safer, easier, cleaner and more affordable for the American
people," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said of the funds.
"From roads, tunnels and bridges, to airport and port
improvements, electric vehicle chargers, safe bike lanes and more, we are
building a first-rate transportation system for all Americans."
The transportation research non-profit TRIP logged several
key facts about the benefits of funding the U.S. surface transportation system:
Investments in surface transportation boost the nation's
economy in the short-term by creating jobs and in the long-term enhance
economic competitiveness, stimulate sustained job growth, improve access and
mobility, improve traffic safety, reduce travel delays and improve road and
bridge conditions.
Roads and highways allow the nation's motorists to travel
2.9 trillion miles annually and move a significant portion of the $18.7
trillion worth of commodities shipped around the country each year.
Vehicle travel in the United States dropped by 40 percent in
April 2020 due to the pandemic, but by November 2021 rebounded to 3 percent
above November 2019 levels.
The design, construction and maintenance of transportation
infrastructure in the United States supports approximately 4 million full-time
jobs across all sectors of the nation's economy.
Approximately 62.9 million full-time jobs in key industries
like tourism, retail sales, agriculture and manufacturing are completely
dependent on the transportation network.
The IIJA, signed into law last November, will provide $407
billion in funds for highway, bridge and transit investments in the United
States over the next five years, including a 39 percent funding increase in FY
2022.
IIJA investment in the nation's roads and transit system
will add an additional $82 billion in GDP per year over the next five years.
"The increased economic activity due to the IIJA will
benefit U.S. residents – increasing disposable income by an average of $232 per
household," according to TRIP researchers.
Recap of 2021
ARTBA reports that in 2021, states leveraged $31.4 billion
in federal funds for federally supported projects.
Included were those projects covered by formula funds,
discretionary grants, COVID relief funds and supplemental appropriations for
years 2018 to 2021.
Basing formulas on real-world outcomes, states also
obligated funds toward eligible projects already under way.
Beyond those figures, some $14 billion in more than 5,000
projects approved using future federal funds, were not included in the total.
According to the road builders association, federal
investment over the past decade has accounted for more than 50 percent of state
highway and bridge capital outlays.
Of those outlays, nearly half were for repair or
reconstruction of highways. Existing roadway capacity was added through an
additional 20 percent of funds in the form of new lane or major widening jobs.
"This investment has supported the repair and
reconstruction of structures on the National Highway System [NHS], which
includes the Interstate Highway System and the major roads that connect U.S.
airports, ports, rail and truck terminals, pipeline terminals, and intermodal
facilities," reports ARTBA.
Just 6 percent of funds were invested in new roads or
bridges, stated ARTBA.
"One of the most attractive benefits of major public
investments in transportation infrastructure is they foster immediate economic growth
and create tangible capital assets that are long-lived," said ARTBA Chief
Economist Alison Premo Black. "In addition to creating jobs and generating
tax revenues throughout the economy during the construction cycle,
infrastructure improvements also foster economic growth and efficiency over
many years beyond the initial investment."
FHWA maintains that for every $1 billion in highway and
bridge infrastructure investment at least 13,000 jobs throughout the U.S.
economy are supported.
This includes work in retail, manufacturing, transportation
and warehousing, food services and other industries.
Missouri, with more than 1,000 projects, lead the way in
highway and bridge improvements for 2021. Michigan at 903; Ohio at 796;
Indiana, 731; and Tennessee, 663, followed close behind.
ARTBA's Federal Highway Investment Benefits by State
dashboard data show how each state deployed federal funds. It also tracks the
top projects to receive federal support.
"We expect to see even more projects in the coming year
as states work to obligate the record increase in FY 2022 federal funding
available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was approved
by Congress earlier this month," said Premo Black.
The five largest projects were earmarked by federal, state,
local and private funds, including $3.8 billion in Georgia for the SR 400 North
Sprints Marta Station to McFarland Road Express Lane; $899 million in Arizona
for the I-17 Split; $715 million in Texas to construct new roadway lanes on IH
35E, and $524 million to Louisiana for Phase 2 of the LA 1: Leeville to Golden
Meadow project.
State transportation departments have until Sept. 30 to
obligate the highway funding, according to ARTBA. Bridge formula funds can be
spent over five years.
Status Report for 2022
The $52.5 billion earmarked for FY 2022 is an increase of
more than 20 percent over 2021 for federal highway apportionments.
Distributed annual by FHWA for the Federal-aid Highway
Program, the funds are based on a statutory formula contained in the IIJA.
"We are committed to delivering on the promise of the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and putting people to work modernizing our
infrastructure and making it safer, more sustainable, and more efficient,"
said Buttigieg.
Through IIJA's implementation, the Department of
Transportation and FHWA believe the apportionments, additional Highway
Infrastructure Program monies, and grants will address critical safety and
performance needs of America's roads, bridges and highways.
"Today's funding will help reduce the backlog of major
repairs for highways and bridges and increase the number of communities that
have strategies to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries," according
to a DOT announcement.
Additional funding to be announced in 2022 will contribute to:
fixing up to 10 of the most economically significant bridges
and more than 15,000 smaller bridges across the country;
reconnecting as many as 20 communities by removing portions
of interstates and redesigning rural main streets; and
spurring the creation of a nationwide network of 500,000
electronic vehicle chargers by 2030.
"Providing states with information on their apportioned
funds today is an important first step in using the resources provided in the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make transportation systems across the country
safer and more resilient," said Stephanie Pollack, deputy federal highway
administrator. "We look forward to working with transportation agencies
and the communities they serve to use these resources to build a better
America."
DOT explained that Federal-aid Highway Program funds are
authorized periodically by Congress in multi-year laws "to assist the
states in providing for construction, reconstruction, and improvement of
highways and bridges on eligible Federal-aid routes and for other special
purpose programs and projects."
The IIJA establishes or continues FHWA programs and
authorizes funding for those programs from the Highway Trust Fund.
FHWA is distributing funds through the apportionment
process, using a statutory formula to determine the amount available to each
state.
The agency also issued obligation limitation, allowing
states to commit part of their apportioned funding, for the period through
Feb.18, 2022, when the current Continuing Resolution for Federal Fiscal Year
2022 appropriations ended.
"Obligation limitation represents the ability of a
state or other entity to enter into a project using Federal funds, with the
federal government making a binding promise to pay or reimburse the state or
other entity for the Federal share of the project's eligible costs,"
according to the DOT.
Wish List for 2023
In late March, the Biden administration submitted to
Congress its FY 2023 proposed budget. Including $27 billion in guaranteed IIJA
advanced appropriations, the DOT reports its total budget will be $142 billion.
The department noted that FY 2023 will be the second year of
the implementation of the IIJA, which "provides a once in a generation
opportunity to modernize our transportation infrastructure and build the
foundation the American people need to compete and win in the 21st
Century."
The president's budget makes critical investments in the
American people that will help lay a stronger foundation for shared growth and
prosperity for generations to come, stated the department.
Advance safety on highways is an aim of the Biden
administration, which has earmarked funds accordingly. Some $3 billion is set
aside for FHWA's Highway Safety Improvement Program, which seeks to reduce the
number of lives lost on our nation's highways, bridges, and roads.
The DOT budget also supports transportation projects
designed to lower commute times, improve safety, reduce freight bottlenecks,
connect communities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Those investments include $4 billion for the National
Infrastructure Investments grant program to support transportation projects with
significant benefits across multiple modes. This figure is $3 billion above the
2021 enacted level.
The budget also earmarks $1.64 billion for the
Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant program, which has a focus on
reducing freight and highway bottlenecks. CEG