Final State Pier cost remains unknown
Greg Smith
The final cost of the State Pier construction project is
likely to go up again but by how much and how it will be funded remain a
lingering question.
Connecticut Port Authority Executive Director Ulysses
Hammond, at a board meeting on Tuesday, signaled that the answers should come
within “the next few weeks,” as negotiations with the key involved players near
an end.
“We have been engaged in a series of complex negotiations
with multiple parties regarding the development of a fair final path forward to
the project completion this fall,” Hammond said.
He said he expects to call a special meeting of the port
authority’s board later this month regarding the price tag of the project,
which now stands at $255.5 million. Negotiations on the final cost of
construction at State Pier, which have steadily risen from a $93 million
estimate in 2019, involve construction project manager Kiewit and offshore wind partners Orsted and
Eversource, among others.
The state has already committed at least $180 million
towards the project that has been redesigned and faced permitting delays,
supply chain issues and construction obstacles. The Port Authority, a
quasi-public agency, has also faced increased scrutiny by the state and been
the subject of investigations related to ethics, financial management and
contracts.
Negotiations on costs are nearing the final stages even as
Gateway prepares to begin its run as terminal operator at State Pier, which
will be used initially as a staging, assembly and delivery site for Orsted and
Eversource’s offshore wind projects.
About 60% of State Pier will switch from construction site
to terminal in time for the expected arrival next month of vessels associated
with Orsted and Eversource’s South Fork Wind offshore wind project under
construction off Long Island.
Last month, Gateway parent company Enstructure said it was
finalizing contractual agreements with the International Longshoremen’s
Association, whose members will load and unload vessels at the pier. Gateway
said it estimates in total there will be 60 to 80 employees from various
companies at State Pier working on South Fork Wind.
Gateway is expected to arrive at State Pier by the end of
the month.
Hammond said the obstacles that have slowed construction and
pile driving at State Pier are expected to continue into the summer with
dredging resuming at the end of the year.
Orsted and Eversource jointly issued a statement in response
to questions about South Fork Wind, saying in part that “State Pier is expected
to begin to see activity associated with South Fork Wind next month, beginning
with the arrival of the first vessel carrying prep packages to support wind
turbine staging and assembly at the site. In June, we expect the blades and
nacelles to arrive at State Pier, which will lead to further activity
supporting the project.”
Meanwhile, Hammond said there have been behind-the-scenes
activities in advance of the arrival of offshore wind vessels in May. Licensed
marine pilots and tugboat operators from Thames Towboat Company were trained
earlier this month at the U.S. Maritime Resource Center in Newport, R.I. Those
pilots will guide the incoming vessels to the pier.
The changeover to Gateway as terminal operator triggers
lease payments to the port authority of $2 million per year from Orsted and
Eversource and additional funds from Gateway that are based on revenues and
expected to amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
The city of New London is receiving a minimum of $750,000
per year for at least seven years from a host community agreement with Orsted
and Eversource. The city received an initial $500,000 payment in June and
expects a second payment next month.
Hammond said he remains encouraged by the progress at State
Pier.
“While we still have about 40% to complete before the
champagne celebration, the current momentum and commitment is promising,”
Hammond said.
West Haven residents, officials prepare for long-awaited Beach Street raising
WEST HAVEN — City officials are prepared to initiate work on
the long-awaited project to raise Beach Street 11 feet above sea level
— a project expected to make way for more development along that
stretch of the city's beach — following the approval of a $4.8 million
construction contract by a state oversight board.
The approval of the contract by the Municipal Accountability
Review Board, which maintains approval authority on all of the city's non-labor
contracts greater than $50,000, comes about three years after state
Rep. Dorinda Borer, D-West Haven, secured about $5 million in state and federal
funds to support the raising of the road in May 2020.
The raising of the road initially was projected to be
finished in fall 2022, but lagging
response times between the city and the state Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection delayed the start of the project. During the
permitting process, DEEP
officials found a protected species of grass in the area that required
a protection and relocation plan, further pushing back the road raising start
date.
Following the MARB's approval of the city's contract with
construction company Laydon Industries LLC, the city received permission to
execute a 240-day contract.
“I'm thrilled. This was the last hurdle to overcome in order
to move forward, and this project has been a rough road,” Borer said. “It's
been a few years and there's been many obstacles, and with determination and
commitment we’ve been able to work through a lot of the challenges.”
In a email, City Engineer Abdul Quadir did not commit
to a specific timeline for the beginning of construction, saying the contractor
will sign the contract after arranging for bonds and insurance, and after the
signing of the contract the contractor will submit its schedule.
"I expect that project will be done by December
depending on if no adverse events happen," he said.
Borer said she also was happy to see a "contingency
cushion" as the construction contract is roughly $500,000 below the funds
that had been obtained.
Michelle Coletti, president of the Sandy Point Neighborhood
Association, a nonprofit community organization representing neighbors in the
area of the Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary, said she and others feel content with
the city's collaboration with the neighborhood association on the project's
design.
"I think the dialogue opened up and we were able to
really partner with the city in bringing forward some refinements to the form
and function and design," she said.
Neighbors' concerns that were addressed included beach
access from the road, the infill materials, landscape design and the slope and
grading of the bird sanctuary's parking lot.
Despite the waiting, Coletti said she's content with the
current pace of construction and development.
"I feel like the southeast section of West
Haven has gained a lot of positive momentum in a short period of
time," she said.
City Council member Meli Garthwait, R-2, resides in a home
that will see impacts from the road raising. She said her home has not yet
flooded, and now she hopes it never will. She said she is hoping there will be
enough drainage, because although the road raising is intended to protect
against flooding coming from the beach, it also will create sloping toward the
residential area on the other side of Beach Street.
Garthwait said she was "thankful" that city
officials altered the design to avoid creating stairs leading onto her property
because of her accessibility concerns.
"I think the majority of the neighborhood is ready to
get this project completed since it has been pending for a few years now,"
she said. "In addition, a lot of residents in the area are looking forward
to the road closure as it will bring a peaceful summer without all the beach
traffic."
City officials did not respond to questions about how the
city would direct drivers to the beach during construction this summer or what
measures might be taken to preserve the conservation of protected species in
the bird sanctuary..
Borer said the initial purpose behind seeking to raise the
road was because of the devastating
flooding from Superstorm Sandy and Tropical Storm Irene, but now she
expects there to be economic development benefits, as well.
“I think we’ve seen that, since the announcement of the road
raising, even though it took a little longer than I expected, we saw the Chick's
property purchased, we saw Audubon
decide to make it [the shoreline] their home, we procured $2
million for the pump station to install bathrooms for more expected
activity down there. I think it was a springboard for positive transformation,”
she said. "It would also be a good time for the city to bring
the owners of the Debonair back to the table to better understand
their plans."
Danbury brothers approved to build $2.3M multifamily apartment building in New Milford
NEW MILFORD — New housing options are coming to town in the
form of a multi-family apartment building on Church Street.
Danbury brothers Scott and David Benincasa’s site plan
application to construct
a four-story, $2.3 million apartment building on the property at 25 Church St. was
approved at the Zoning Commission’s April 11 meeting.
In addition to providing modern housing options in New Milford,
David Benincasa said the building will draw more people to the downtown area
and contribute “to the liveability of downtown, which is vital to the future
prosperity of the town.”
00:00 / 00:32
Scott Benincasa, who owns the construction business
GoodHouse in Danbury with his brother David, said the next step is to apply for
the building permit for the project.
The proposed apartment building will have 18 units —
six of which will be designated as affordable housing units, according to the
site plan application. The Benincasas applied through the state statute
8-30g, which allows developers to bypass local zoning laws — with certain
exceptions — if they promise to build a certain percentage of affordable
housing.
The first and second floors will each have seven,
one-bedroom apartments and the third floor will have four, two-bedroom
apartments. The three floors of residential apartments will be above the
parking on the ground level. The ground floor will offer covered parking for
the tenants’ vehicles and there will be an elevator from the ground floor to
all floors.
David Benincasa said the apartment rents will be “typical
market rent in New Milford with the exception of deemed affordable units by
state law.” He said typical market rent in the area is $1,500 a month for a
one-bedroom apartment and $1,800 for a two-bedroom apartment.
The property at 25 Church St. previously had a two-story
mixed used building with a retail paint store on the first floor, an apartment upstairs
and two large barns, according to Zoning
Enforcement Officer Laura Regan’s memo to the Zoning Commission.
The town acquired the property in 2001, but Regan’s
memo said it is unclear what the town’s intended use was for the property
“because aside from the continued use of the barns for storage, it appears that
the main building, for the most part, sat vacant until 2013 when the New
Milford Commission on the Arts opened Gallery 25.”
The town put the property at 25 Church St. up for sale in
2017 after Gallery 25 relocated to Railroad Street. No acceptable bids were
received for the property, so the property was taken off the market, according
to Regan’s memo. The property was later put back on the market and the
Benincasa brothers purchased the property in April 2021.
The property has an existing 2,340 square foot, two-story
building that will be demolished and removed, according
to the site plan application. The Benincasas have contracted J.
Dasilva Services LLC in Danbury for the demolition, which is anticipated to
start April 24 and be completed May 5, according to the
demolition notification form.
The demolition's estimated cost is $10,000 while the
estimated cost of the apartment building’s construction is $2.3 million.
For sale in CT: Huge company headquarter that could be a senior living campus
After a court fight over a
proposal to convert a Trumbull business headquarters into a senior living
community, the property has been put up for sale by its owners as a
shovel-ready deal for another developer to take on.
The campus at 48 Monroe Turnpike in Trumbull was once
the headquarters of Oxford Health Plans, owned today by UnitedHealthcare
which moved the administrative office operation to Shelton in 2015.
The property has
been owned since 2018 under a limited liability company controlled by
Senior Living Development, whose principal runs KindCare Assisted Living
based in Fairfield. Senior Living Development acquired the property for just
under $3.3 million, with the city's most recent appraisal calculating a value
of $3.9 million.
"We continue to have current residents call inquiring
about when this development will begin construction and how to get on a list
for the future," stated Rina Bakalar, Trumbull's head of economic
development, in an email response to a CT Insider query. "In our recent
housing survey where over 1,300 residents responded, the need for all sorts of
senior housing options (market rate and affordable) came out strongly as
something residents feel is needed in Trumbull."
The proposed Rivers Edge facility would have nearly 200
apartments with access to assisted living services and living quarters for
dementia patients, and the ability to rebuild a garage structure as a second
building with nearly more 150 units as an "active adult" community.
In a document posted on the LoopNet commercial real
estate website, Senior Living Development projects a 23.4 percent return on
investment for any would-be buyers. At the time Senior Living Development aired
its plans in 2018, the town estimated the cost of the conversion at $100
million.
Mark De Pecol, a Senior Living Development principal who is
CEO of KindCare Assisted Living, could not be reached immediately Tuesday for
details on any decision to sell the property to another
developer. KindCare is opening a newly constructed community this spring
in Bristol.
A legal challenge to the project had
been filed in state court by Old Mine Associates, the limited liability
company that owns a retail complex next door anchored by Home Depot, with both
properties abutting Old Mine Park. A judge ruled last September in favor of
Senior Living Development, with Old Mine Associates appealing the decision without
success.
In filings with the Connecticut Secretary of State, Old Mine
Associates lists as its main point of contact a principal of Bridgeport-based
Peter Dinardo Enterprises, which has a dozen properties in Trumbull and a
number more throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties. Peter DiNardo
Enterprises could not be reached immediately Tuesday for comment on any current
stance on the Senior Living Development project.
Trumbull has added several senior living communities in
recent years as part of a larger apartment boom, with facilities including
Bridges by Epoch at Trumbull, Middlebrook
Farms at Trumbull, River Valley Retirement Community and Spring
Meadows by Monarch. In January, the town renewed
a moratorium on new apartments to analyze any impact by the Residences
on Main nearing completion next to the Westfield Trumbull mall.
Hartford developer takes on transformation of antique Litchfield courthouse into boutique hotel
Over the past 133 years, people have visited the
granite-block courthouse just south of Litchfield’s Town Green for everything
from murder cases to child-custody disputes.
In less than two years, however, the roughly
18,000-square-foot historic building could become a mecca for leaf peepers,
wedding guests and tourists seeking an escape to the tranquil Litchfield hills.
A planned $14-million redevelopment spearheaded by
Hartford-based Lexington Partners will transform the building into a 20-room
boutique hotel.
Under the plan, the main second-floor courtroom will be
converted into an upscale restaurant, accentuated by a rooftop lounge
overlooking a portion of the town center and wooded hills beyond.
With all needed approvals in hand, Lexington anticipates finalizing
the purchase this month and beginning a 15-month renovation in May.
The firm specializes in developing and managing large-scale
multifamily properties, but opted for a hospitality development after hearing
from locals, including the Litchfield Preservation Trust Inc.
The nonprofit acquired the property after the court
relocated to Torrington in 2017.
“We listened to the townsfolk and did our own due
diligence,” said Martin Kenny, owner of Lexington Partners. “If we did
apartments or condos, it wouldn’t generate the traffic to help support the rest
of that beautiful center. To me, it’s one of the most iconic architectural
buildings in the state, particularly in the area.”
Proud history
The Romanesque Revival-style courthouse — adorned with a
Seth Thomas clock tower — dates back to 1889, and was designed by noted
Waterbury architect Robert Wakeman Hill, according to state historical records.
The exterior was remodeled in 1913 and 1914 to more closely
reflect the town’s colonial style.
Kenny said he initially saw the courthouse conversion as a
relatively modest effort, something that his younger staff, including his sons
Kevin and Patrick, could lead from design through construction.
However, challenges have crept up.
Patrick Kenny, Lexington’s vice president of development,
said federal historic preservation guidelines and state and local desires
haven’t always perfectly meshed.
For example, there were disagreements over the design of a
planned tower addition that’s needed to make room for stairs, a dumbwaiter and
elevator that will carry people and food from the basement to the rooftop
lounge.
Lexington and Hartford-based Tecton Architects proposed
cedar-board siding to complement the town’s colonial-style buildings; town
officials and the National Park Service preferred brick.
The brick design won out.
“That’s an example of getting every board and committee on
the same page, and why it was so time-consuming,” Patrick Kenny said.
The courthouse interior currently has cracks in plaster,
loose and threadbare carpeting and at least one broken window covered with
plywood. Patrick Kenny said the planned renovation will transform the
deteriorating building while maintaining its historic character.
Eight fireplaces will remain. A judge’s bench from a
first-floor courtroom will be repurposed and used in the reception area, as
will a scrolled wooden rail from the jury box.
Other courtroom furnishings will be incorporated into the
restaurant. A massive safe will be redesigned as a bathroom for one suite.
“We are used to doing projects of $50 million and up,”
Martin Kenny said. “This deal has been just as complicated as some of the
larger projects we have done. But it’s a labor of love. I’ve told people that
this little project is probably going to be one of the most significant things
we have done in our body of work.”
Development costs pencil out to about $700,000 per hotel
room. The restaurant will be an important source of additional revenue.
The project is relying on $3 million worth of state and
federal historic tax credits, in addition to $2 million in Connecticut Green
Bank C-PACE financing for energy efficient building technology.
Massachusetts-based PeoplesBank is loaning $7.5 million.
Parking magnate Alan Lazowski, a longtime business partner
to Martin Kenny, is among a group of friends and family also investing in the
hotel.
Patrick Kenny said Lexington is working to fill a small gap
in the private equity portion of financing.
Eagerly anticipated, much needed
The new hotel will complement fashion boutiques, antique
stores, restaurants and other Litchfield center shops far better than what came
before, said Andrew Goldstein, who runs a jewelry shop a few doors down from
the shuttered courthouse.
Goldstein moved his Ideal Jewelers business from downtown
Waterbury to Litchfield shortly before the court closed in 2017.
The consensus among retailers was that the court didn’t
generate much business for merchants along the stone-brick sidewalks of the commercial
core, Goldstein said. Most staff seemed to bring their lunches and head right
home after work.
The planned hotel, however, will provide much-needed lodging
for an area that springs to life with tourists Thursdays through Sundays,
Goldstein said.
“It’s a great addition,” he said. “I know everybody on the
street is very excited about it. It is going to bring in people. You can’t
imagine how much business we do from people who want to escape the city on the
weekend.”
JoAnn M. Ryan, president and CEO of the Northwest
Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, said the area will greatly benefit from
another hotel, especially one that is more moderately priced than some existing
options.
“I’m a resident of Litchfield and live not too far from the
Green, and the weekends are filled with New York cars,” Ryan said. “You have to
make reservations at the restaurants to get a meal.”
Ryan said it can be hard to find an available hotel room,
and existing options can run above the average visitor’s budget.
For example, the 113-acre Winvian Farm resort and spa in
nearby Morris rents luxury cottages starting at $799 per weeknight during the
off season; daily rates jump to $1,599 for weekend nights during the September
and October peak foliage season, according to its website.
The 35-room Mayflower Inn in Washington costs $520 to $708
for a weekday night stay in mid-May, in addition to a $40-per-night resort
charge, according to its website.
The 32-room Litchfield Inn on Bantam Road has more
affordable rates — $236 to $289 per weeknight in May — but fills up quickly.
“There are bed and breakfasts, but you really have to
search,” Ryan said. “If you have a larger party, it’s really kind of hard to
find a place. There is no question there should be more places that could
accommodate a number of people.”
Patrick Kenny said he anticipates rooms will rent somewhere
between $200 to $300 during off-season months, and $400 to $450 during peak
season.
Unique offering
Provincetown, Massachusetts-based Salt Hotels will have a
10% stake in the courthouse redevelopment and manage the day-to-day functions
of the restaurant and hotel – neither of which yet have a name.
Salt currently operates boutique hotels in Provincetown,
Nantucket, Miami Beach, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Mexico.
David Bowd, who co-founded and owns Salt Hotels with Kevin
O’Shea, anticipates opening in late 2024 or early 2025.
O’Shea said Salt is still working on concepts for the
restaurant, which will be accessible to the public. Special attention will be
paid to complement, rather than compete with, existing eateries, he said.
The courthouse represents the unique and niche offering Salt
Hotels prizes for its boutique destinations, O’Shea said.
“Obviously, this building is really iconic and just an
incredible piece of architecture,” O’Shea said. “As a courthouse, this building
was open to the public but not necessarily a place you would want to be in. I
think this is such a wonderful opportunity as a hotel to be able to invite
people in and have them experience this incredible piece of architecture in the
center of Litchfield.”