Luther Turmelle
A spokesman for Orange-based Avangrid's Park City Wind project said the
company remains committed to the renewable energy project and plans to
redevelop a portion of Bridgeport's waterfront as a staging area for the
project, despite a delay of the completion date.
Craig Gilvarg, a Boston-based spokesman for Avangrid, said
Wednesday the delay was announced last week during the company's third quarter
earnings call with Wall Street analysts. Gilvarg said the delay, which pushes
back when the wind farm becomes operational from 2026 to 2027 "does not
impact AVANGRID’s plans for Bridgeport, which will play a central role in the
Park City Wind project."
"Avangrid continues to work closely with the Bridgeport
community and the State of Connecticut to create new, well-paying clean energy
jobs and build valuable Connecticut-based offshore wind capabilities along with
a trained workforce prepared for future projects, while helping the state meet
its clean energy goals," Gilvarg said in a written statement.
But when asked to provide a timeline for the Bridgeport port
of the project, he declined to comment beyond the statement. The wind farm is
scheduled to be built 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard an will produce
enough electricity to power about 400,000 homes.
Park City Wind's announcement of the delay was made by Pedro
Azagra Blàzquez, Avangrid's chief executive officer. Blàzquez said the one-year
delay in the Park City project as well as for Avangrid's Commonwealth Wind project, which
will supply renewable energy to Massachusetts, is necessary because the
company's focus "is on improving the project economics and
renegotiating our PPAs (power purchase agreements) because of the difficult
environment."
"As you know, we did these projects in 2019 and 2021
respectively." he said. "Since then, the markets experienced meaningful
and anticipated changes due to high inflation and supply chain constraints and
higher capital and borrowing costs, making it necessary for us to pursue
changes to the PPA terms, which we believe are modest and achievable."
Gilvarg said the delay will also allow the Park City Wind
project "to take advantage of the next generation of wind turbine
technology advancements."
When asked if Connecticut's power purchase agreement
contained any clauses that either prohibit renegotiating or provide for
financial penalties for delays, a DEEP spokesman said “DEEP will review any
Park City Wind Request for contractual amendment at the time it is submitted to
determine if such amendment is in the interest of ratepayers and helps further
the state’s energy goals including reliability, environmental, economic
development and equity."
Word of the delay comes at time when the project should be
moving ahead. Connecticut's federal legislative delegation announced this week
that the Bridgepport Harbor Authority will receive a $10.5 million grant for
design and construction of the staging area. Park
City Wind already has a construction office in the city and in 2021 announced
it had leased space at Barnum Landing to use as a construction and
staging area.
Barnum Landing is a 15-acre piece of land located at 525
Seaview Avenue. It will be used during the construction phase of the Park City
Wind project for storage and assembly of the portion of the wind turbines that
anchor the body of the machines to the steel foundation.
A three-acre port location will serve as an operations
and maintenance hub for the wind farm after the completion of the construction
phase is completed.
The Park City Wind project is expected to generate an estimated
$890 million in direct economic development for Connecticut.
Bridgeport Harbor Master Ryan J. Conrad referred calls
regarding to Mayor Joseph Ganim's office. Ganim did not respond to a request
for comment regarding the delays.
Park City Wind is one of three wind farms that Avangrid
plans has in various stages of development.
The company's Vineyard
Wind I project is the furthest along, according to Blàzquez, and is
already under construction. That wind farm will generate enough energy
for over 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts when it begins operating
sometime in 2024.
"The project is progressing well and remains on track
with the construction plan," he said.
Commonweath Wind is expected to generate 1,200 megawatts of
renewable energy for Massachusetts, enough electricity to power 750,000 homes.
But Blàzquez said told financial analysts that Avangrid has asked Massachusetts
officials to suspend its regulatory review of the project, which is located off
of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, for a month as the company negotiates with
Massachusetts officials to make the power purchase agreement more financially
viable.
The three New England projects would generate tens of
thousands of jobs during the construction phase, most of which will be in
Massachusetts and Connecticut, according to Blàzquez, and will generate over
1,500 long-term sustained jobs during the operational life of the project
Fairfield University Bellarmine Campus breaks ground in Bridgeport despite opposition
Eddy Martinez
BRIDGEPORT — Fairfield University staffers put shovels into
the ground at its planned Bellarmine campus on Wednesday, despite an
ongoing lawsuit against the project and now, an attempt by a local
city councilmember to halt construction.
The campus
will be located at the former St. Ambrose church grounds, as confirmed
by university officials on Wednesday. Construction is expected to conclude by
fall 2023. The new campus will offer a two-year associate's degree.
"I want to share my gratitude, in particular to our
local community leaders that Mill Hill and East End NRZ's for joining us, and
all who have engaged with us in fomenting this partnership," Fairfield
University President Mark Nemec said at the event.
But Bridgeport councilman Ernie Newton, who represents the
city's 139th district where the former church is located, pushed back on that
sentiment when reached after the event.
He said he didn't know the groundbreaking was happening and
said he plans on passing a resolution on Monday to have the university stop
construction. He has voiced concerns about the new campus before, including
traffic and a lack of communication between the university and that part of the
city.
"We're going to go into the next council meeting, to
pass a resolution to halt, for our building department, whatever plans and all
that stuff, they got to get approved, to halt those plans, until the university
treats the East End like they did the North End," Newton said.
Newton said he would also speak to the city's attorney to
see if there were steps that could be taken to make the university meet with
him and residents.
Ralph Ford, an East End resident, said he hasn't met with
the university since the school's initial community meeting in June and was
surprised to learn of the groundbreaking Wednesday.
Nemec said the university sent out invitations to everyone
involved and assumed Newton was invited.
Local and university officials also said the community in
the East End was consulted and Nemec said the university will meet with
residents again on Nov. 14.
But while Newton is upset about the project moving forward,
the mood at the St. Ambrose location was more celebratory.
Rev. Kevin O'Brien, the vice provost and head of the soon to
be constructed Bellarmine campus, said a prayer before the shovels came out.
Nemec praised local leaders for working with the archdiocese
and the university. He then went to join archdiocese, elected and
university officials as they picked up shovels emblazoned with the university's
logo and dug into the ground beside the former church.
Nemec said the school is still hiring
faculty and staff with an emphasis on hiring city residents. The
university is trying to be as community minded as possible, he said.
Nick Roussas, head of the Mill Hill Neighborhood
Revitalization Zone organization, previously said he had concerns about the
project. But he knew about the groundbreaking even if he's not up to date on
the project.
"Since the last meeting, I really haven't heard much of
anything about this," Roussas said.
The university campus will be built on the former church
grounds. Nemec said a charter school currently occupies the school though, so
the campus will be confined to the church, covenant and rectory for now.
While the grounds are no longer a refuge for the gospel,
Bishop Frank Caggiano said the new campus is a compromise and will breathe new
life into the space.
"I think we've met ourselves in the middle so that
those needs are being met," Caggiano said.
Nemec said the school would be ready by next fall even
though an ongoing lawsuit is attempting to halt construction.
John Ricci, a former city employee, sued the university and
the archdiocese in August claiming the campus would impact his property values.
Nemec declined to speak about the lawsuit, and the
university's attorney Raymond Rizio did not return a request for comment.
While there is concern over parking and traffic in the area,
the location is actually the second choice for the university which abandoned
plans to construct the campus on the North End in the face of local opposition
earlier this year.
Despite the ongoing opposition, the university is going
ahead with making the school a reality.
"Now that we have our academic program in place, we
have our team in place, we've been recruiting students already. The idea here
is that we'll be eager and ready to go by September 2023," Nemec said.
Promotional flyers for the Bellarmine campus were also set
up at the event, stating the campus will offer a two-year program supporting
under-served students wishing to get an associates degree and the application
portal is now open.
Keith Williams, head of the East End Neighborhood
Revitalization Zone, said he's been in contact since that June meeting and did
know about the groundbreaking, but stopped short of saying the university
alleviated their concerns.
"We're waiting to see if they're going to live up to
what they said and see how the campus turns out," Williams said.
New Haven chooses Pennrose over Glendower to redevelop former Strong School
NEW HAVEN — The city has chosen Pennrose,
a developer active in 20 states, over the Glendower Group, development
arm of the Housing Authority of New Haven, as preferred developer for mixed-use
development at the former Horace H. Strong School site in the heart of Fair
Haven, officials announced Wednesday.
Pennrose proposed
an "adaptive renovation" of the former Strong School building that
would include 58 affordable units as well as community arts and culture space
including live/work spaces for local artists.
An LGBTQ-friendly environment — something Pennrose has
provided in several previous projects in places ranging from Boston to Philadelphia
to Cincinnati — is a key aspect of the proposal.
The city's decision was based on the recommendation of a
selection committee that included both community members and representatives
from the city's planning, economic development and housing agencies.
“The Strong School is a truly special building and site, and
the City of New Haven is excited to begin this redevelopment and renovation
project with Pennrose to deliver more affordable housing to the Fair Haven
community," said Mayor Justin Elicker.
"The project’s added focus on creating community arts
spaces will also help highlight the artistic contributions of residents and the
cultural vibrancy that truly defines Fair Haven,” Elicker said in a release. “I
want to thank Fair Haven residents for engaging in such a robust public
process, as their inputs and contributions will help ensure this is a
high-quality project that is responsive to the community’s values, needs, and
concerns.”
The Pennrose plan, presented at a
community meeting Sept. 14, would preserve the original school
building as affordable housing and live/work artists space and create an
LGBTQ-friendly, 100 percent affordable rental development.
It would repurpose the existing auditorium as a community
arts and gathering space.
“Our vision for the project is inspired deeply by the Fair
Haven community’s passion and commitment to the historic Strong School,” said
Pennrose Regional Vice President Charlie Adams in a release. "This
redevelopment will bring a former cultural asset back to life and allow the
Strong School to continue to serve the community for many more decades to
come.
"We are very excited to become part of the Fair Haven
community!” Adams said.
The estimated total cost of the project is $25 million, with
a projected completion date of 2025, the release said.
All 58 residential units, a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and
two-bedroom apartments, will be affordable units for households between 30
percent and 80 percent of the area median income. Forty-eight of the units will
be "deeply affordable" housing for households between 30 percent and
60 percent AMI, it said.
City officials said in the release that Pennrose was the
right choice.
"Based on Pennrose’s thoughtfully submitted proposal,
site visits to other Pennrose-developed properties as well as their proven
track record of rehabilitating historic properties into affordable housing
throughout New England, we have every confidence in Pennrose’s ability to
complete the important project,” said Arlevia Samuel, executive director of the
city's Livable City Initiative.
“Fair Haven community leaders have collaborated for over a
decade to achieve the highest and best use for this unique asset on our main
street,'" said Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller, D-14. "The partnership
is a breakthrough for our community that will make Fair Haven an even better
place to live, work, and visit.”
Karen DuBois-Walton, president of both the Glendower Group
and Elm City Communities, said the city told her in a letter that they were
impressed with Pennrose's experience doing a similar project in Massachusetts.
She said she was disappointed that that authority wasn't the choice but was
looking forward to other opportunities in the area.
"It's an exciting project. We would have loved to do
it," said DuBois-Walton, who lives in Fair Haven, about two blocks away
from Strong School. "We go into each of these things hopeful that we will
get it. We know the project well, we know the community, we know the landscape
here."
She said she felt Glendower's proposal "really gave the
community what it asked for." But "each one of these is an
opportunity to strengthen the team we have" and "we will continue to
do what we do in this community," DuBois-Walton said.
The Glendower plan included 32 new housing units, several
third floor artists live/work spaces, several second floor community spaces
such as conference and meeting rooms, a possible fitness studio or recording
studio and ground floor retail and small business space.
The former Strong School was built in 1915, replacing a
previous building built in 1808 that was the first public school in New
Haven.
Pennrose’s proposal "reflects the community’s values
and priorities of artistic and cultural enrichment, accessibility and
inclusion, and historic preservation, which were expressed through a two-year
community engagement process that involved hundreds of neighborhood
residents," the city said in the release.
Pennrose is ranked among the nation's top 25 affordable
housing developers "and has unique expertise in historic school
restoration," the city said in the release. "Pennrose recently
redeveloped the historic Mary D. Stone School in Auburn, MA into mixed-income
senior housing and was awarded the 2022 Affordable Housing Finance Magazine
Reader’s Choice Award for the conversion."
The company's redevelopment of the William Barton Rogers
Middle School in Boston, which is near under way, will be New England’s first
LGBTQ-friendly senior affordable housing development, the release said.
Pennrose has done similar restoration projects in a number of Connecticut
communities, including Hartford, Torrington and Meriden.
In addition to Pennrose, the development team includes The
Cloud Company, a Connecticut-based, 100 percent minority-owned real estate
development firm; WRT Planning and Design; and historic consultant PAL Inc.
Following construction, the property will be managed by the Pennrose Management
Co.
The city anticipates a three-year planning and construction
timeline, officials said. A definitive development agreement will be negotiated
and submitted to the Board of Alders for review and approval. Quarterly status
updates will be provided to the community via the meetings of the Fair Haven
Community Management Team.
The first such update will be at the management team's
regular meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Fair Haven Public Library Branch, 182
Grand Ave., and also on
Zoom. Additional details can be found at fhcmt.org.
Connecticut’s major development and construction projects underway
JONAH DYLAN, DEREK TURNER
Construction is seemingly happening all around us. Wherever
we go in Connecticut a new building is going up, a road is being reconfigured
and airports are being expanded.
While the construction may be a burden now, when it's
complete hopefully you can where you're going quicker, park easier and enjoy
the region a little more.
Here is a look at some of the major development projects
impacting the state and when they should be completed.
Bradley airport upgrades
Completion of the $210 million ground transportation center
at Bradley International Airport was celebrated Thursday, June 30, 2022. |
Abigail Brone / Hearst Connecticut Media
Bradley International Airport competed its $210
million ground transportation center in July and already has
its sights set on other projects. In July, the airport received a $20 million
federal grant that will go toward a larger $185 million redevelopment of Bradley’s
facilities. That project is expected to take about two years, officials said in
July.
The money will be used to increase the capacity of the
ticket counter area and improve baggage handling throughout the airport. The
centerpiece of the project will be relocating the baggage security screening
machines from the area adjacent to the ticket counters. The screening machines
will be relocated to an 80,000-square-foot, multi-level addition that will be
added to the rear of the terminal building, said Kevin Dillon, executive
director of the Connecticut Airport Authority.
The grant will also allow the airport to meet certain
requirements in the Americans With Disabilities Act and enhance other
requirements that have already been met.
Charter Oak Bridge
I-91 Charter Oak Bridge. | Connecticut Department of
Transportation
The Charter Oak Bridge Project combines two initiatives that
officials say will help reduce congestion and improve safety on Interstate-91
in Hartford County.
The project – which cost about $240 million – has mostly wrapped up. The work included relocating an exit
ramp on I-91 to provide an extra lane and ease safety concerns from merging
traffic. The project started in 2019, and also included resurfacing lanes in
the area, updating signage and adding more drainage.
The main I-91 roadway was also updated, with a stretch from
exits 27 to 29 getting an extra lane to ease traffic congestion.
Dunkin' Donuts Park and the Downtown North development area in Hartford. | (Clockwise from left) Google Earth, Jonah Dylan, Patrick Sykes
Officials and developers have been trying to revitalize the
area near Dunkin’ Donuts Park for years, but the situation is still enveloped
in roadblocks and legal issues. The home of the Hartford Yard Goats opened in
2017, but an ongoing lawsuit regarding the original developer of the baseball
stadium – who was subsequently fired and replaced – is ongoing and threatens to
hold up the situation for even more years.
A new apartment building, The Pennant at North Crossing,
opened this year directly across from the stadium, and developers hope to break
ground on similar projects in the area soon. An unrelated project just blocks
away to create a mixed-use building on undeveloped property is awaiting city
approval, with developers hopeful they can break ground next year.
Located between downtown and the city’s North End, officials
hope the development of the “North Crossing” area can be part of a larger
revitalization of the city.
Foxwoods casino expansion
Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket celebrates its 30th
anniversary in 2022.
The largest resort casino in the Northeast is adding
more space for its 30th anniversary. In November, Foxwoods Casino will open its 80,000-square-foot Rainmaker Expo
Center for trade shows and sporting events.
The casino will also begin construction for a $85-million
project that will add 50,000 feet of gaming space and a 13,000-square-foot
restaurant to the Ledyard resort.
The new casino is set to open the summer of 2023 in
Foxwoods' Grand Ballroom, officials announced in September. The facility will
include a celebrity chef-owned restaurant and a gaming space with table games,
slot machines and a high limit slot machine.
Foxwoods also plans to build an indoor water park and
hotel in partnership with Great Wolf Lodge, officials announced in February.
The facility will open in 2024 and will be located adjacent to the
casino.
Middletown riverfront development
A massive, 10-year master plan of riverfront redevelopment,
now in the initial stages, just received a $12 million infusion from the state, and officials are
going after other grants. The money will be instrumental in allowing the
cleanup and demolition of a trio of properties along the Connecticut River that
will help kick off the Return to the Riverbend project.
The overall goal of the master plan, created by Cooper
Robertson of New York, is to reconnect the city with its riverfront, something
lost when Route 9 was built, by creating a vibrant arts and culture,
entertainment, retail, market-rate housing, public spaces, and, most notably, a
pedestrian bridge over the highway.
Already, there are several developments underway or in the
planning stages on and right off Main Street to build hundreds of apartments,
and some business space downtown, by refurbishing and repurposing older
facilities. The latest, which involves a three-parcel plot behind the police station, is
being conducted by Spectra Construction & Development in conjunction with
the city.
Affordable housing is also elemental to the plan.
An essential component is to rebuild the city's parking arcade, which significantly cut into
available spots downtown, and affected economic activity.
One development includes the creation of a Latin-style restaurant, gourmet grocery and more on
Main Street; another is turning an old skating rink into a multi-use complex.
Overall, most of the riverfront project depends upon work at
that dangerous exit, and the exit lights that bring speeding drivers to an
unexpected stop, being complete first.
When Route 9 was built, several streets near the river were either eliminated
or neighborhoods were "cut off," so they're forced to navigate a sort
of maze (with one-ways or no access) to get downtown, over the bridge to
Portland, and to the highways. (My neighborhood, too).
The concept of a pedestrian bridge from near the police station (Main St), with
people walking over Route 9 to Harbor Park/CT River (where tons of economic
activity will be generated) is a symbol of the long-lost connection being
returned.
Route 8/I-84 Mixmaster in Waterbury
An effort to rework the Route 8 and Interstate-84
interchange in Waterbury is underway and is expected to provide a 25-year
service life to roads and bridges connecting the two roadways, including full
replacements for some bypasses and decks.
The project is expected to cost $212 million, according to
the project’s website. Originally slated to conclude this year, the project is
now expected to be finished in June 2023.
Officials also decided to build a temporary bypass in the
area while construction is ongoing.
“Deck patching, deck end reconstruction, waterproofing
membrane installation, paving, joint installation, steel repairs and
strengthening, painting and substructure repairs and the installation of sign
support structures are all in progress on both sides of I-84 through the Mixmaster,” the project’s website says.
Route 34 in Derby
A big project to expand Route 34 through Derby. Route 34 is
a state highway that runs from I-84 in Newtown to I-95 in New Haven. But it
also functions as Derby’s Main Street, where it narrows from 4 lanes to 2
through downtown and had multiple stop lights
The project will double the number of lanes, add angle parking on both
sides, add pedestrian access downtown. This also means the decrepit buildings that line Derby’s Main Street had to be
demolished.
The project is underway after more than a decade of delays.
Rochambeau Bridge
The reconstruction of the Rochambeau Bridge started in June 2020 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023. The project involves rehabbing two bridges (collectively called the Rochambeau Bridge) that carry Interstate-84 across the Housatonic River. The state Department of Transportation posts weekly updates on the project website.
Since there are two existing bridges, each individual bridge
will be used for traffic in both directions while work is done on the other
crossing. Workers finished the first half of the project in early 2022 and
reopened the westbound bridge before starting to work on the other side.
The total cost of the reconstruction is around $53 million,
according to the project’s website.
Stamford train station parking garage
Construction on the Stamford Transportation Center parking
garage. | Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media
The new Stamford Transportation Center parking garage will
serve one of the state's busiest train stations.
City and state leaders broke ground on the $81.7 million, 928-spot edifice in October 2021 to
much fanfare. The car depot is meant to replace a crumbling garage on Station
Place, directly across from the station.
Plans for the new garage on Washington Boulevard include
improvements to the roads surrounding the garage — like dedicated lanes for buses, rideshares and taxis — and
direct pedestrian connection to Track 5 of the train station where the
Metro-North Railroad takes passengers down to Grand Central Station.
Work is expected to be complete by summer of 2023.
I-84 in Hartford
I-84 viaduct presentation materials from 2016. | Connecticut
Department of Transportation
Hartford County residents have wanted to reimagine
Interstate-84 and Interstate-91 for years, but most proposed projects have not
gotten off the ground. At issue: I-84 effectively takes a massive chunk out of
downtown Hartford, dividing the area from the North End.
U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-Hartford, has proposed a renovation
that would put the two highways in underground tunnels and allow Hartford to
reclaim the space taken up by the massive roadways.
But that project has not seen major progress. Another
potential project, to build a new bridge to move the path of I-84, also has not
gained momentum.
In 2021, another group proposed a similar project as part of Hartford 400, a
series of development initiatives to complete as the city nears its 400th
anniversary in 2035. But that project is still in the “idea” phase, according
to the Hartford 400 website.
Abby Weiss, Cassandra Day and Ignacio Laguarda contributed
to this story.
If Cromwell grants a tax abatement and state traffic
officials give their approval, a developer says the deteriorating and
long-vacant Red Lion hotel in Cromwell could soon be razed to make way for 254
apartments, 20 townhouse condos and a mid-sized restaurant and retail plaza.
Town planners on Tuesday gave zoning approvals for the
massive project, with several saying that it stands to revitalize a prominent
blighted property while creating housing
Developer Martin Kenny said he will set aside 5% of the apartments
as affordable housing, but cautioned that the entire project is contingent on
getting property tax breaks from the town. He has not specified how much he’ll
seek, but is expected to make that request this fall to the economic
development commission and the town council.
Despite reservations from a half-dozen neighbors, the
Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved permits Tuesday night.
Cromwell has been concerned about the future of the 13-acre property ever since
the Red Lion, already in steep decline, was abruptly shut down by state tax
inspectors in January of 2020.
So-called urban explorers have gotten into the building and
posted YouTube videos showing the lobby, restaurant, pool and hot tub areas
covered in debris from falling ceiling tiles. Puddles of brackish water,
exposed wiring and broken wallboard are also visible.
“It has become a target for vandals and others. It has been
heavily damaged, anything of value has been stolen, it’s full of mold and
mildew,” according to Kenny’s attorney, Peter Alter.
The Crowne Plaza was already in decline when it was
rebranded as a Radisson, and guest reviews and overall maintenance slipped
further when it later took on the Red Lion name.
“It is in every way beyond redemption,” Alter told the
commission during a three-hour hearing Tuesday night. “Everyone is aware of the
unfortunate demise of that business over the past several years.”
Kenny’s plan would start with demolition of the entire
building along with part of its parking garage. Because of environmental
contamination, that job alone is estimated to cost $2.4 million, Alter said.
The Cromwell project will have a 31,000-square-foot
commercial building along Berlin Road, with a restaurant, coffee shop and
possibly retail tenants. Farther north on the property, the developer plans 254
apartments in four-story buildings, along with nearly 13,000 square feet of
amenities space for a pool and other features.
Part of the hotel’s parking structure will be retained, and
in total the new project will have 481 parking spaces.
Kenny’s Lexington Partners LLC has built The Borden, a
150-apartment mixed-use project in Wethersfield; the 130-unit Windsor Station
apartment buildings in Windsor; and The Tannery, a complex of nine buildings in
Glastonbury with a total of 250 apartments.
Closer to the Christian Hill Road neighborhood at the far
northern end of the land, the company plans 20 townhouse condominiums. The
theory is that they would serve as a transition between the existing
single-family home residences and the commercial and high-density apartment
buildings .
Construction is estimated to take two years, but won’t start
until after the demolition and cleanup are completed. The company and its
consultants emphasized that it’s too soon to discuss a specific schedule or
completion target.
The regional chamber of commerce and about a dozen town
residents sent letters of support for the project. Several homeowners from the
Christian Hill Road neighborhood said they’re concerned about traffic,
nighttime lighting for parking lots, noise and the overall size of the plan.
“Four stories is way too much,” neighbor Eugenia Falco said.
But the commission agreed that the developer’s engineers and
consultants had addressed those concerns.