New Jersey developer gets tentative nod to build major downtown Hartford mixed-use development
A Camden, New Jersey-based housing developer and investor
has received a selection committee endorsement to build a mixed-use development
worth tens-of-millions of dollars on a 2.8-acre parking lot south of Hartford’s
Bushnell Park.
A committee that included Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, along
with staff and board members from the Capital Region Development Authority,
endorsed The Michaels Organization – a company operating housing in 35 states –
ahead of three other companies seeking the right to build on a vacant parking
lot at 165 Capitol Ave.
That endorsement is set to be presented to the larger CRDA
board Thursday. Attempts to reach a CRDA representative Wednesday morning were
not immediately successful.
The four applicants responded to a request-for-proposals in June, seeking a
chance to build a portion of a 12-acre redevelopment zone in the blocks south of
Bushnell Park. A master plan for the larger redevelopment zone envisions new
housing for up to 1,800 residents, along with restaurants, retail, arts and
entertainment venues.
The proposals submitted for 165 Capitol Ave. each included
about 300 units of multifamily housing and roughly 25,000 square feet of retail
space, with estimated costs ranging from $90 million to $130 million, CRDA
Executive Director Michael Freimuth said in June. Those plans are not set in
stone, however, Freimuth said at the time. More important was the vision and
capabilities of the applicants, he said.
Two of the applicants are well-known to the city, having
built or renovated hundreds of units of multifamily housing in Hartford. These
include Spectra, an offshoot of New York-based Wonder Works Construction, and
Norwalk-based Spinnaker Real Estate Partners.
The fourth applicant was Charlotte-based builder LCM, which
has subsequently rebranded to Quarterra Multifamily.
After interviews and follow-up presentations, the selection
committee ranked Michaels with 12.45 points, closely followed by LCM with
12.275 points, trailed by Spinnaker with 10.025 points and then Spectra/Wonder
Works with 9.35 points.
According to its website, Michaels operates about 60,000
units of housing in more than 425 communities in 35 states, along with
Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company says it has built
more than 55,000 units of housing.
In Connecticut, Michaels manages four affordable housing
communities with a combined 359 units in Meriden and New Haven, according to
its website.
DOT looks for ways to improve I-95 between Branford and Rhode Island
Kimberly Drelich
Interstate 95 in the area of the Raymond E. Baldwin Bridge,
the span between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme, carried an average of 40,000
vehicles a day in the late 1950’s.
That number more than doubled to 97,000 vehicles a day in
2016, and is projected to increase to 126,000 vehicles in 2045.
That is one of the challenges facing state Department of
Transportation representatives who have begun a new study of
Interstate 95 from Branford to Rhode Island that will help identify both the
short and long term solutions needed to address the increased traffic since the
highway was built and the anticipated increase in the coming years.
The DOT and CDM Smith, an engineering and construction firm,
gave two virtual presentations Tuesday on the I-95 Eastern Connecticut Planning
and Environmental Linkages Study, which started this year, and said they are
looking for residents’ comments on how they think the highway can be improved.
The study comes at a time when the corridor area is
projected to see an 18% population growth and 26% employment growth between
2016 and 2050, a faster pace than Connecticut overall, said Krista Goodin,
project manager with CDM Smith.
Goodin said the I-95 corridor from Branford to Rhode Island
was previously
studied in 2004 and later studied in an update in 2018. Both studies
identified the need for additional capacity to address increasing congestion
and recommended improvements, including widening in some areas and safety and
design improvements at interchanges.
The DOT is now undertaking a Planning and Environmental
Linkages study of the corridor, a type of study intended to
“consider environmental, community, and economic goals early in the
transportation planning process” and “use the information, analysis, and
products developed during planning to inform and streamline the transportation
project development and environmental review process,” according to the project
website. The study also is “intended to provide the framework for the long-term
implementation of transportation improvements as funding becomes available.”
Becca Hall, deputy project manager with CDM Smith, outlined
issues with the corridor, where many of the shoulders are too narrow, six
bridges are in poor condition, and nearly half of the interchanges, including
Exits 86 and 87 in Groton, are too closely spaced.
The 59-mile long stretch of highway has 5 left-hand on- and
off-ramps, which can lead to slower traffic in the left lane, Hall said. In
addition, 70% of the off-ramps and 55% of the on-ramps are too short, which causes
drivers to slow down on the highway. In addition, 40 off-ramps and 33 on-ramps
have curves that are too tight, and the highway itself has steep grades and
seven curves that are too tight.
Hall said that according to the Connecticut Crash Data
Repository, there were 2,925 crashes in the study area from 2018-2020. About a
quarter of the crashes resulted in an injury and 19 were fatal. During summer
weekends, crashes were 67% higher than the annual average.
The project team said it has gathered and analyzed data of
the corridor, but stressed that there are no specific recommendations at this
phase of the study. The team said it is looking to hear from residents about
their feedback based on their day-to-day experience of I-95.
After the presentation, people asked the DOT questions.
In response to questions about bottlenecks on I-95 in
East Lyme, Scott Harley of CDM Smith, said the team noted a number of issues in
that area, including narrow shoulders, steep vertical grades, and very close
spacing between the Exits 74, 75 and 76 on- and off- ramps. The northbound Exit
76 off-ramp is on the left side, which is opposite of drivers’ expectations as
most off-ramps in Connecticut are on the right side.
Harley said next spring the DOT plans to begin a project centered
around the reconstruction of the Exit 74 Interchange and includes the replacement of the
bridge carrying I-95 over Route 161. He said the design team also will continue
to investigate solutions to reduce congestion and improve safety in this
section of I-95.
The DOT asked residents to comment on the Draft Purpose and
Need statement for the corridor and what they think needs to be improved based
on their day-to-day experience. The formal comment period ends Nov. 30, though
the DOT said it will welcome comments throughout the project.
According to the DOT, comments can be submitted on the
study website, by email to info@i95EasternCT.com, or by mail at I-95
Eastern CT PEL Study Team (CDM Smith), 77 Hartland Street, Suite 201, East
Hartford, CT 06108.
More information is available at the project website
at https://www.i95easternct.com.
There is also an online survey on the website.
A final report is slated to be completed by the fall of
2023, Goodin said.
Developer looks to build large mixed-use project on Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield
FAIRFIELD — A new proposal seeks to build a large, mixed-use
development on Black Rock Turnpike, that would add thousands of feet of
co-working space and nearly 250 apartments.
Post
Road Residential is asking the Town Plan and Zoning Commission to
conduct a non-binding pre-review on its plans for a five story building with
243 residential units, a 10,000 square foot amenity space and a 6,000 square
foot co-working space at 81 Black Rock Turnpike, also known
as the Reiner Property.
According to town documents, the approximately five-acre
site would host a 300,000-square-foot building that also has parking,
courtyards and roof decks. The documents report the building would be 61 feet
tall, have a parking garage with 232 spaces and a parking lot with 102 spaces.
It notes most of the property's frontage would be on Ash Creek Boulevard.
"The proposed use will also be a tremendous support to
nearby commercial businesses, including the brewpub and other retail stores on
the northern side of the train tracks," it said. "The rehabilitation
of the site will turn the property from an economic drain to an economic boost
for the neighborhood and the town of Fairfield."
The site is currently vacant.
Chris Russo, the attorney for the developer, said the
property is currently an eyesore and the proposal will completely turn that
around. He said it has been designed in a way that is in line with the town's
transit oriented development study.
Russo said the pre-application process allows the developer
to show the plans and get feedback from the commission before it begins the
formal process.
The developer, Andrew Montelli, said his team built The
Anchorage, an apartment complex on Unquowa Road, as well as other large
residential facilities in Connecticut and Massachusetts. He said the site for
the development, which is industrial, does not have any neighbors who would be
opposed to its construction.
"It's a very insulated project," he said.
"What we're moving towards is going to be a great building if we get
permission to do it."
Montelli noted there are contaminants on the site, which
will take millions of dollars to cap with concrete, adding they have state
approval to do so.
Commission Chair Thomas Noonan asked if the developers were
aware of the Fairfield
Metro development breaking ground nearby, and if they plan to complement
it. The developer's team said they looked at those plans.
Commissioners questioned the development team on topics such
as parking, aesthetics, pedestrian pathways, and whether solar panels could be
installed in the project. Noonan said the commission was interested in more
details going forward and was looking forward to working with them.
Quinnipiac University wins critical town approval for new south quad
HAMDEN – Quinnipiac
University has won a controversial zoning approval, a critical step in its
plans to construct
three new buildings in an area traditionally zoned for single-family
housing.
Hamden’s Planning & Zoning Commission voted to designate
Quinnipiac’s Mount Carmel Campus as a Planned
Development District, according to Mayor Lauren Garrett, who said four
commissioners voted in favor while three abstained.
A PDD is an independent zoning district that lends projects
flexibility by allowing modifications to bulk zoning regulations. In Hamden,
they can be established in mixed-use zones and properties owned or operated by
universities.
The proposal sparked hours of public debate and intense
pushback from residents, some of whom said they believed allowing Quinnipiac to
designate its campus as a PDD was an overreach.
Others worried there was too much uncertainty as to how the
regulation would play out, since Hamden only implemented the PDD zoning
mechanism this year.
Meanwhile, Quinnipiac said the project will benefit the
larger community by supporting “a long-term goal to decrease the number of
students living off campus, while also creating economic growth for the town of
Hamden through permitting fees, job creation and contracts with builders and
construction suppliers in the region,” according to a university statement
provided Wednesday by spokesperson John Morgan.
The construction project, which the university estimates
will cost $293 million, will include a new 417-bed residence hall, a school of
business and an academic building, Morgan said.
“This $293 million investment in new facilities will enhance
our students’ living and learning experiences while ensuring that QU remains a
distinctive and transformative life experience for future learners of all
ages,” Quinnipiac’s statement said.
Quinnipiac was required to submit an initial development
concept plan with its application. Now that the PDD has been approved, the
university will have to submit a final development plan for review, according
to a
copy of the town’s PDD regulations.
If the final plan were to differ significantly from the
concept plan, the Planning & Zoning Commission could choose to hold a public
hearing.
The PDD covers a 223-acre area that includes some Quinnipiac
properties not located on its Mount Carmel campus, although the “south quad”
project is slated for construction on the campus’ existing footprint.
The district will require front yard setbacks of 40 feet
from public streets and 50-foot setbacks from abutting properties, according
to Quinnipiac’s
application, which is available on the town website.
It allows a maximum building height of between 35 feet and
60 feet, depending on where the building is in relation to the setback lines.
The town estimates the construction would bring in about $3
million in revenue through building permit fees.
Grievance against Lamont officials from embattled former official dismissed
Dave Altimari, CTMirror.org
The state Employees’ Review Board has dismissed a grievance
filed by Konstantinos Diamantis, ruling that it had no jurisdiction to hold a
hearing on his case because he wasn’t an employee of the state at the time he
filed it and they had no authority to rescind his resignation.
In a six-page ruling, the three-member board made it clear
it sided with the state’s analysis of the grievance: that Diamantis voluntarily
resigned as deputy secretary of the Office of Policy and Management in October
2021 — when he learned he was going to be placed on administrative leave while
a federal investigation of the state’s school construction grant program was
underway — and therefore had no standing to try and get his job back. Diamantis
was also the head of the school grants program at that time.
“During his employment, [Diamantis] filed no appeals with
the ERB. Only a month after his resignation did he raise a multitude of
allegations in his appeal, some of which may have been viable at the time of
his employment,” the decision states.
At a hearing in September before two members of the board,
Diamantis’ attorney, Zachary Reiland, argued that the governor’s top lieutenants
created an unbearable working environment for him and “set a trap” that forced
him to retire rather than fight an investigation into the school construction
grant program that he oversaw.
“Mr. Diamantis is
claiming that he was constructively fired from his position because a situation
was created in which his working conditions were so confrontational, so
unbearable,” Reiland said.
But the board rejected Diamantis’ claims of a “hostile work
environment.”
“[Diamantis’] claim of a hostile work environment, even if
filed with ERB while he was employed, would be invalid,” the decision states.
“The ‘hostility’ … was directed at the Secretary of Policy and Management
[Melissa] McCaw, an African American, and not [Diamantis]. He was not even in
the ‘protected class’ (race). He claims to have been ‘disturbed’ by the alleged
racism. This ‘hostility’ does not rise to the level of a ‘constructive
discharge’ as a cause for his resignation.”
“We have the ability to appeal to the Superior Court, and I
am discussing those options with Mr. Diamantis,” Reiland said.
The Employees’ Review Board was Diamantis’ last option under
the state contract.
Documents obtained by the CT Mirror show that Diamantis’
grievance had already been denied in two other closed sessions, before a DAS
human resources officer and an arbitrator.
On Oct. 28, Gov. Ned Lamont removed Diamantis from his
appointed position as undersecretary at the Office of Policy and Management and
suspended him with pay from his position as the director of the Office of
School Construction Grants and Review, a classified job with civil service
protections.
The move came shortly after reports surfaced that Diamantis’
daughter had gotten a job at then-Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo’s
office at the same time that Colangelo was seeking Diamantis’ help in getting
raises for himself and other state’s attorneys. A federal investigation into the
school grant program that includes projects in Enfield, Manchester, and
Tolland, was also underway.
Rather than accept the suspension, Diamantis retired.
Within hours of retiring, Diamantis tried to rescind his
retirement, only to have then-DAS Commissioner Josh Geballe deny it because he
had resigned “not in good standing.”
“Mr. Diamantis wasn’t demoted. He was not suspended, and he
was not dismissed,” Garelick said during the September hearing. “He was placed
on paid administrative leave pending investigation. He has not been aggrieved
as a result of alleged unlawful discrimination. He chose to resign immediately.
That was his decision. In fact, he had been noticed that he could remain on the
payroll on paid administrative leave,” Garelick said.
Garelick also said that the state denies all of Diamantis’
allegations of racial discord within the administration or that anyone made his
work place “unbearable.”
“If Mr. Diamantis had believed that there was a violation of
any sort of workplace rules or regulations or statutes, he could have filed a
complaint with the Employees’ Review Board at any point, and he didn’t,”
Garelick said. “Instead, he waited until 30 days after he was removed from his
appointment as deputy secretary and placed on paid administrative leave.”
In his grievance, Diamantis alleged that then-DAS
Commissioner Josh Geballe and Chief of Staff Paul Mounds held a grudge against
him for speaking out about the way they and other commissioners treated McCaw.
(Geballe’s mother, Shelley Geballe, a lawyer and professor of public health at
Yale, is a founding board member of the nonprofit Connecticut News Project
Inc., operator of CTMirror.org.)
McCaw has since left her OPM job and is now the town of East
Hartford Finance Director.
Diamantis describes secretly listening, at McCaw’s request,
to Zoom meetings with other commissioners and state officials so he could
“witness the treatment she was receiving.”
The grievance describes another Zoom meeting among state
commissioners where McCaw addressed an unnamed commissioner’s “abusive and
disrespectful behavior toward the Secretary” and charged it “was rooted in
racial discrimination/animus.”
Diamantis’ initial complaint goes into detail about his last
day as a state employee — Oct. 28, 2021.
Diamantis said he was at the UConn Health Center with his
gravely ill mother when McCaw called and asked him to come to her office. When
he arrived, McCaw informed him that he was immediately terminated from his
appointed position as OPM’s deputy secretary and that he was being placed on
paid administrative leave from his classified position as director of the
Office of School Construction Grants pending an internal investigation.
Diamantis had held the dual positions for nearly two years.
McCaw told him that the misconduct investigation pertained
to his daughter’s hiring as an executive assistant to the Chief State’s
Attorney and that it was an “improper quid pro quo” arrangement, in which the
Chief State’s Attorney would receive approval of a beneficial salary action by
OPM and his daughter would receive the executive assistant position. Diamantis
claims the combination of his mother’s illness, the accusations made against
him and his potential termination left him distraught and emotionally
compromised.
An hour later, he met with OPM’s human resources officer to
discuss which retirement benefits and possible payouts he would be owed
depending on whether he retired or was fired.
At the same time Diamantis was reviewing his retirement
papers, he received a letter from Lamont informing him he was relieved of his
appointment at OPM. Diamantis then signed a letter of resignation and his
retirement papers, according to the complaint.
The grievance said the decision to resign “cannot be
separated from the surrounding circumstances. He was distraught, confused and
overwhelmed by the fact that his 25 years of public service had inexplicably
unraveled in less than two hours.”
State-funded $3 million upgrade to one of New Britain's most-traveled roadways is on horizon
NEW BRITAIN – A highly-anticipated and state-funded $3
million upgrade to one of the city’s most well-traveled roads is about a year
away.
Among the largest commercial and light industrial centers in
New Britain, John Downey Drive was selected by the state to receive roadway and
pedestrian improvements, Mayor Erin Stewart told the Herald Wednesday.
“This project we are embarking on is 100% funded by a LOTCIP
construction grant (Local Transportation Capital Improvements Program) and it
involves a Complete Streets upgrade to the entire 1.2-mile length of John
Downey Drive,” Stewart said.
City Public Works and Engineering staff are designing the
project in-house and will be seeking input from impacted stakeholders and
business owners beginning in Jan. 2023.
“This project is a priority for us,” Stewart said. “We know
that it’s a longstanding concern for that area of town and it’s important for
us to support our business community especially as businesses in the corridor
continue to grow.”
The entire roadway will be repaved with new curbing
installed, in addition to drainage and pedestrian improvements to meet ADA
standards. A new sidewalk will be installed all along the road’s west side and
a multi-use trail will be built on the east side. The design will include the
replacement of the traffic signal at the intersection with South Street as
well.
The roadway itself is currently 48 feet wide from curb to
curb and the shared-turn lane down the center of it will also be eliminated.
“We need to rethink the size of the road and the type of
turn lanes in the road itself to address the safety and security of driving
down John Downey Drive,” Stewart said.
Her office has received lots of calls about the condition of
this particular thoroughfare. Stewart also heard from people advocating for
improvements during a Mobile Mayor’s Office this past summer at Alvarium
Brewing Company, a popular destination along the roadway.
In addition to housing many large businesses and
manufacturers, John Downey is also home to Lincoln Technical Institute and the
Solterra Academy.
“The occupancy rate along the street is over 90% and it has
an average daily traffic count of almost 7,000 vehicles,” Stewart said. “It’s a
very busy thoroughfare and it’s only continuing to grow…that has really driven
the need for this project. It’s going to take a lot of work to make sure it’s
done and done correctly. We hope to break ground about a year from now.”
Check back in the Herald for updates on stakeholder meetings
within the next few months.
Road construction causing headaches in downtown Meriden
Mary Ellen Godin
MERIDEN — It’s been a rough week for people traveling
downtown with signal changes and repaving operations clogging West Main Street
and over the railroad tracks.
“The traffic is pretty bad,” said John Benigni, executive
director of the YMCA. “They’re not coming down. They’re avoiding downtown. Our
numbers are dropping because people are skipping their workouts because it’s
too congested. And parking (on Butler Street) is a nightmare.”
The repaving project has closed one lane of traffic along
West Main Street and side roads allowing motorists to crawl along West Main
from East Main to Cook Avenue. The repaving work began last Wednesday and West
Main could be completed as early as today, according to the city.
“Obviously it’s congested like any paving project,” said
Meriden Public Information Officer Darrin McKay. “We were having issues with
people stopping on the railroad tracks.”
McKay said the city worked with Amtrak and its Engineering
Department to hire an additional flag person to clear the tracks when the
trains approach Meriden Station.
McKay said motorists were trying to get as far up as they
could on West Main Street but not leaving a gap for the trains. Some
out-of-towners can be unaware of the frequent train traffic in the area.
“Obviously, you’ve got to keep that gap,” McKay said. “We
anticipate West Main being completed today or tomorrow. Anytime you do a major
paving project, you’re going to have congestion.”
Mayor Kevin Scarpati said he’s heard a few complaints about
the overall inconvenience of traveling downtown, but more people are glad the
roads “are finally being paved.”
Two-way traffic
Scarpati is more concerned about the proposed two-way
traffic plan that will follow the repaving work.
“There’s confusion,” Scarpati said. “We’re going to have to
do a lot more educating on what it’s going to look like and what the final
result will be. It’s more confusing to explain it than to drive it. It’s
certainly going to be a learning curve for people getting downtown.”
Scarpati said the city will begin an informational campaign
that he hopes will encourage people to return.
“The more we can get people to come downtown the better for
our businesses,” Scarpati said. “We want to show we’re trying to make it easier
to navigate downtown but it’s only going to work if people know what to
expect.”
That project will converge with another project, which has
been ongoing — the installation and activation of the first set of six new
traffic signals along the spans of West Main and Hanover, according to
Associate City Engineer Emile Pierides.
New signals will be activated at those streets’
intersections with Cook, Butler, and South Grove.
The lights will first be activated under the existing
traffic configuration. Then they will be converted to new traffic flows.
Pierides told the Record-Journal earlier this month the work
is a two-step process, first to ensure that the traffic signals are
operational. The lights won’t be turned on until Eversource activates power to
them.
“Once they make sure all the signals are working, then they
will start turning over to the two-way conversion,” Pierides said.
Easier, eventually
Pierides outlined the planned redirection of traffic.
“So Cook Avenue is going to be a two-way. Butler Street is
going to still be a one-way, but will be a reverse direction — one way
heading north,” Pierides said. Traffic on that road currently travels
southbound.
“South Grove is going to be changed to two-way,” he said.
“Hanover from South Grove to Cook is going to be two-way as well. So when we’re
done it should be a lot easier to get through downtown.”
Benigni, of the YMCA, said that while he appreciates the
final result, the work has taken a toll on downtown businesses.
“It forces a business like the Y in a difficult position,”
Benigni said. “I understand this is a process. Ultimately at the end, I endorse
where they want to go. But it’s very inconvenient for our members and our
business.”
Even before the change in traffic patterns it’s not unusual
to see motorists going the wrong way on Butler or West Main streets, Benigni
said. He said he agreed with Scarpati that the new traffic pattern will mean a
re-education for everyone.
When informed that West Main Street could be completed by
Wednesday, Benigni quipped, “Great, you got any more good news for me?”