Norwalk wants new SoNo elementary school to be 100 percent solar-powered
NORWALK — The city hopes to power the proposed South
Norwalk Elementary School entirely by solar energy, according to Adam
Blank, attorney for the school district on the project.
He said the city has been collaborating with South
Norwalk Electric and Water to make plans.
“The city's been working diligently with SNEW to come
up with a feasible approach for the installation of not just rooftop solar, but
some ground-mounted solar at the rear of the site,” Blank said during July
5's Planning
and Zoning Commission meeting. “We hope and think it will meet 100
percent of the electricity required for the site.”
In the meeting, members also discussed logistics of
ground-mounted solar panels and how to enclose them on the school’s property to
prevent vandalism.
During the meeting, the commission also discussed the
existing site plans for the proposed $76 million school, which will be South
Norwalk's first
in over 40 years
Blank said the school, when construction is completed, can
accommodate a maximum of 682 students, though the expected student population
is closer to 85 percent, or 580 students.
The attorney said they expect 146 students enrolled
in pre-kindergarten at the elementary school.
The 12-acre space, formerly
home to the Hatch & Bailey Co., will contain the school, 127 parking
spaces, an athletic field and a playground, according to the plans Blank
discussed.
Blank said the city plans to reduce the impervious surfaces
of the space from 60 percent to 30 percent and add vegetated swales, a
rain garden, 140 new trees, 385 shrubs and additional ground cover plantings.
Impervious surfaces are hard surfaces that easily allow
precipitation carrying pollutants to runoff into waterways or storm drains that
connect to them.
The Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to discuss
the school at future meetings.
GREENWICH — Residents may be on the hook for millions of
dollars in school construction work because officials missed the deadline to
apply for state aid.
And while both the Central Middle School and Old Greenwich
School projects will eventually be done, base costs are expected to skyrocket
because of inflation, in one case swallowing up whatever fiscal advantage might
be granted down the line.
If all things had gone according to a best-case-scenario
timeline, the new CMS building project would have been approved in time to make
the June 30 deadline for next year’s state budget with a 6 percent
reimbursement rate on
the more than $100 million project.
But the CMS building committee had problems with the size,
scope and layout of the new building, so the group decided in May that it did
not have enough details to move the project forward for reimbursement.
Board of Education Chair Joe Kelly said because the CMS
committee did not apply for state reimbursement this year, the project could
get delayed if the aid is necessary to complete the project. By waiting, the
overall cost of the project is estimated to escalate by 6 percent, but he said,
“the escalation arguably can cost the same as we can get in
reimbursement.”
“If we have to do an analysis on if we put a shovel in the
ground today and put the 6 percent reimbursement at risk, then is that equal to
or smarter than waiting a year so that way we can secure the reimbursement with
the escalation possibly being equal to the reimbursement?" Kelly
said.
The financials of renovating Old Greenwich School — for an
estimated $42 million — in the next state fiscal year were dependent on
approvals by the town's Representative Town Meeting and Board of Estimate and
Taxation. Despite
getting a shut down from the BET during its budget Decision Day in
April, that didn’t stop the committee from pushing for official OKes to
draw up plans and talk about financing.
“There is a risk that the project would be delayed a year at
a cost of $3 million because of the state reimbursement process, which is that
June 30 deadline,” OGS Building Committee Chair James Waters told Greenwich
Time. “So not only are we risking Greenwich taxpayers taking on the extra $3
million, but the BET is putting at risk the over $6 million of state
reimbursement for the project. So literally the combination of that is that
they’re putting at risk about $10 million of taxpayer funds for this
project.”
Now that both projects missed this year's state
reimbursement deadline, the only way for financial approval to happen in next
year's budget is by special legislation. State legislators can ask that either
project be added to the 2024 Priority List, but that can only be done after it
is submitted by the state's Department of Administrative Services.
For now, however, any proposed construction projects
submitted to the state have a new deadline — June 30, 2024 — and reimbursement
won’t be available until the 2025 fiscal year. And, officials cautioned the
district, there is no guarantee that the reimbursement will be available since
the money is dependent on how the legislature votes on the school priority list
bill and whether the governor will sign the list bill into law.
In the meantime, CMS project Building Committee Chair Tony
Turner said the committee is taking steps forward. A schematic design package
from the architects, SLAM Collaborative, should soon be in the committee's
hands.
“This will allow us in the month of July to have both Turner
Construction Company and the architects, SLAM, to work on getting us a new
project cost estimate,” Turner said. “It will be far more accurate than the
previous one that we received. And all of that is due at the end of July."
Then, Turner said, most likely in September, the committee
will go to both the BET and RTM to ask for funding for the new middle
school based on the new cost estimate number.
Turner added that at 7 p.m. July 12, the CMS committee
will be hosting another community forum. The
last forum was May 17.
“This will be, most likely, the final opportunity for the
community to give us feedback, ask us questions about the final design that we
voted on, about the site plan and so forth,” Turner said.
As of Old Greenwich School, Kelly said the
reimbursement rate is around 15 to 16 percent so “we would be smart waiting for
the June 30, 2024, submission.
“At that point the cost analysis is not worth making because
it’s clear that’s a lot of money,” Kelly said.
While Waters said the BET’s decision against funding OGS in
next year's budget was a bump in the road, the committee is in “execute mode,”
by working to develop the renovation’s design, creating the documents for the
contractors that will include designs and specifications they will need and
working to get land use approvals.
“We’re committed to doing this by the book in accordance
with the town charter, incorporating feedback,” Waters said. “We’ve gotten a
lot of great feedback from the community so far. I think we continue to be
excited to move this project forward and really at the end of the day, it’s
going to depend on when the BET is willing to provide construction funding for
the project, but that’s out of our control. We’ll do everything we can to get
this done.”
East Hartford mayor says he will 'not receive a penny' in his new 'job'
Joseph Villanova
EAST HARTFORD — Democrats plan to nominate a candidate for
mayor later this month after Mayor Mike Walsh announced Monday that he would
not run again this year. Meanwhile, Walsh insists he's not being paid for his
new gig.
Walsh announced this week he will leave
office in November, along with his $106,000 salary, to serve as the
organizer and "champion" of Port Eastside, a plan to redevelop
Founders Plaza alongside other projects in East Hartford.
"It is not a paid position, it's not a job I'm
taking," Walsh said, adding that he would "not receive a penny"
from any parties involved.
Democratic Town Chairwoman Moriah Moriarty said there is one
Democrat that she knows is interested in being nominated to run and seems to be
well received as a potential candidate.
Moriarty said it is unclear if anyone else will step forward
before the Democratic Town Committee makes its nominations on July 20.
"Until July 20, I'm staying neutral and letting the
process play out," Moriarty said.
Town Council Minority Leader John Morrison said the
Republican Town Committee is currently vetting candidates for mayor, especially
with the news of Walsh's departure.
"Not that we weren't looking for somebody, but now it
seems like we really have to put someone out there," Morrison said, adding
that the competition could help drive voter turnout.
Morrison said the RTC plans to make their nominations at a
meeting later this month, and Republicans have until then to choose a candidate
willing and able to serve.
Walsh planned to run for re-election earlier in the year,
having hosted campaign events as recently as June 22. Walsh will have served as
mayor for a single two-year term when he steps down on Nov. 13. He succeeded
former Mayor Marcia Leclerc, who took office in January 2011 after then-Mayor
Melody Currey resigned to take a position with the state.
Walsh said redevelopment of Founders Plaza is the one item
left on his list for town priorities going into 2024, and it became apparent to
him in the past two weeks that he would not be able to give the project his
full focus while serving as mayor.
"Nine mayors, including me, over 50 years have had no
success developing Founders Plaza," Walsh said.
Walsh said his new commitment will have him work with
private developers and local, state, and federal agencies to bring
vibrancy to the Founders Plaza area, with new housing, retail, and
entertainment.
Comparing the region to Hartford's side of the Connecticut
River, "it is not a mirror image," Walsh said.
Walsh said East Hartford has the advantage of direct highway
access, but the area has nothing but the Riverfront Condominiums.
"We've got to connect the dots on Founders Plaza so
East Hartford gets some of the luster it originally had," Walsh said.
The State Bond Commission approved $6.5 million in grants
for demolition and abatement of buildings in the area, alongside reallocating
nearly $7 million for construction of a new apartment complex at the former
Showcase Cinemas site.
Walsh said the next step in development is to work on
development and tax agreements, an involved and complicated process. He said
the agreement between the town and the Showcase Cinemas apartment developer
took a little over a year to finalize the plans after the town agreed to
the project.
Walsh, who will be 60 in September, said he had initially
planned to limit himself to two terms as mayor, but clarified that he is not
retiring by choosing not to run again.
"I am antsy by nature," Walsh said. "I think
my wife would kill me if this was a retirement."
Moriarty said Walsh's announcement came as a surprise to her
and many others. She said Walsh has done a great job as mayor since November
2021, accomplishing many items on his "aggressive" agenda.
"I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I hope
the next mayor keeps up that pace," Moriarty said.
Morrison said he was also surprised by the news, and that he
and Walsh have mostly worked well together since November 2021.
"I would have hoped Mayor Mike would have gave me a
heads up, but it's his prerogative and that's the way things are in town
sometimes," Morrison said.
Morrison said Walsh has had a lot on his plate including a
myriad of development projects, and he hopes a new mayor would be able to
handle it all.
"Finding an individual that's going to step into that,
how that's all going to work out, that's what's kind of bothering me,"
Morrison said.
U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, said a project like
Founders Plaza needs someone with the ability to pull levers at the federal,
state, municipal, and private sector levels.
"There's no person better equipped to make that vision,
that for so long has eluded this great community," than Walsh, Larson
said.
East Haven zoners approve Strong Street housing project, luxury apartment building
Austin Mirmina
EAST HAVEN — Two major housing projects have been approved
by town zoning officials this week, including one that had been delayed
for more than a decade.
The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved
applications for a luxury apartment building on South Shore Drive and a housing
project on Strong Street.
The Strong Street development will include 69 detached
single-family homes on about 17 acres on Strong Street, project officials said.
The units will not have an age restriction or affordable component.
Autumn View LLC, the project's developer, also received
approval for a five-lot subdivision on Strong Street, bringing the total number
of homes to 74.
Officials estimated the project would take about three years
to complete, with construction on the homes expected to begin as soon as
possible. Prices for the homes have not yet been determined.
Vicki Imperato, managing member of Autumn View LLC,
said she was relieved the project finally could move forward after a 16-year
holdup. "It was very difficult but I'm so happy that we finally reached a
decision that the town is as happy with as we are," Imperato said.
Although she voted in favor of the application, PZC Chair
Marlene Asid said she wished the project was "not happening." She
clarified after the meeting that she believed the project was "too
aggressive" and that it "doesn't conform with the area." But she
noted during the meeting that the proposal was being approved "under
the best possible conditions."
The board placed nine conditions on the Strong Street
project as part of its approval, one of which stated the applicant must install
measures to deter flooding on the property.
Much like the 55-plus
housing complex approved on Sperry
Lane before it, the Strong Street project has gone through
several iterations and been the subject of intense scrutiny over the
years.
In 2007, the commission approved plans for 51 age-restricted
units on 14 acres at the property. But five years later, Autumn View filed an
application with the commission to rezone the project to be 17 acres with 105
units. The application removed the age restriction but included affordable
housing units. Several denials and court appeals ensued. The end result
was a stipulated
agreement from a Superior Court judge that spelled out the current
version of the project.
For the 71 South Shore Drive project, a four-story,
21,000-square-foot apartment building to be called Mariner's Point Apartments
will be located on 3.4 acres on the private road in the southwest corner of the
town's Momauguin section, plans show. It will contain 72 one- and
two-bedroom, market-rate units, and also feature a fitness room, rooftop deck
and other amenities, according to the plans. Project officials said the
apartments will be geared toward housing young professionals.
PZC member Louis Fusco said he was "very
impressed" with how project officials worked with residents to resolve
some of the issues they raised about the apartments during previous meetings.
"I think if all of the people who came before us acted that way, it'd
be better off for all of us," Fusco said.
Several residents had complained
about the proposed apartment building at an April meeting, arguing
that it would disrupt the local beach community.
Following the meeting, project officials came to terms with
two of the disapproving homeowners, the applicant's attorney,
Leonard Fasano of Fasano, Ippolito, Lee and Florentine, said Wednesday.
The residents, who both live on Catherine Street, must sign off on agreements
before any work on the project can begin, according to Fasano.
The initial project plans did not include any affordable
units. However, Fasano had said his client, Branford-based Vigliotti
Construction Co., would be willing to designate some of the units as
affordable.
The project site is bounded by Silver Sands Road to the
north and west, Catherine Street to the east and the Cosey and Silver
Sands beaches to the south, less than a half-mile away. South Shore Drive also
is home to The Village at Mariner's Point, an assisted living facility.
With the town aiming to increase its affordable housing
stock, the PZC recently approved a four-month ban on applications for
multifamily and multi-unit developments. Officials said the moratorium would
allow time to craft regulations requiring developers to include affordable
units as part of future projects.
New tower for Hartford-Brainard Airport proposed as officials study site's future
A plan to build a new air-traffic control tower for
Hartford-Brainard Airport is up for review under a federal environmental report
posted for public comment last week.
The plan, drafted by the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), proposes replacing Hartford-Brainard’s 1973-vintage tower with a more
modern design including all-electric building systems, recycled steel and
harmful-chemical-free materials.
Hartford-Brainard was named earlier this year as one of 31
small airports nationwide targeted for upgrades under a $25 billion airport
package in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in 2021.
In addition to Hartford-Brainard, other small airports in
New England on the FAA list include West Lebanon, N.H. and Tisbury, Mass.
Hundreds of small airports across the country operate with
outdated air traffic control towers that don’t meet current safety and
efficiency standards, the FAA said in its report.
“These new air traffic control towers will mean that smaller
airports can handle more flights, more sustainably and more affordably,” U.S.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in April.
The current FAA report, a broad environmental review of all
of the tower replacements, outlined impacts of construction on air quality,
noise wildlife, climate and farmland.
Hartford-Brainard’s
future is currently being evaluated by consultant BFJ Planning ahead
of a July 13 public meeting. The
land occupied by the airport has long been eyed as part of redevelopment plans for
the South Meadows district of Hartford.
Information on redevelopment proposals for the airport
property can be found at the website Hartfordbrainardpropertystudy2023.com.
Study finds Tolland would benefit economically from increase in multifamily housing
Jamila Young
TOLLAND — A recent study found that building additional
multifamily housing could have a significant, positive impact on the town
economically.
Director of Planning and Development David Corcoran
said that the Economic Development Commission hired urban economics consulting
firm Strategy 5 LLC to conduct an analysis of the town to explore the economic
and fiscal impacts of additional multifamily housing after two multifamily
projects were approved in recent years, the 83-unit College View Village behind
Merrow Road and the 240-unit Fieldstone Ridge behind Big Y.
Both developments are currently under construction.
The study found that Tolland businesses could expect to see
between approximately $2.5 million and $5.8 million per year in expenditures
from residents in new multifamily housing, with 15% of expenditure potential in
the transportation sector and 50% in the food sector.
It also found that the additional housing would make more
construction jobs available, with wages between $47,000 to $62,000 per worker
per year, based on the average construction wages in Connecticut from current
data.
"The intent of this study is to be hypothetical,"
said Corcoran. "Part of the intent of this study was to get a feel
for what the market demand might be to help inform the Planning and Zoning
Commission as they make decisions on how to zone for multifamily."
The study focused on the possibility of 250 additional units
in multifamily complexes in town.
Currently, there are 630 units in town at Stone Pond,
Crystal Springs, Tolland Meadows, Somerset Woods, and Ivy Woods Apartments, as
well as College View Village and Fieldstone Ridge.
In the study, the additional homes could include dwellings
at different price points, as well as duplexes, with a mix of one-, two- and
three-bedroom units. Studios, live/work space, handicapped-accessible
apartments, and other types of spaces could also be included.
The study estimates residents with an income between $60,000
and $140,000 per year would be most likely to reside in the homes.
Economic Development Commission members reviewed the study
at their meeting on Wednesday.
Adam Grossman said that residents would be more concerned
about how much the additional homes would cost than how the town would benefit
economically.
"The financial impact seems to be the concern when we
talk about multifamily housing," Grossman said.
Corcoran said that the report is still being finalized, with
a joint meeting of the EDC and the PZC scheduled for July 24, adding that a completed
draft will be available on the town's website about a week and a half before
the meeting.
Stamford Democrats Question the Public Benefit of ‘Luxury’ Development
Angela Carella
STAMFORD – During a Board of Representatives meeting this
week, Democratic city Rep. Megan Cottrell laid out a view of the development
that has earned Stamford the moniker “fastest-growing city in Connecticut.”
“The goal, for many, is to turn Stamford into a luxury
place,” Cottrell said. “We are attracting affluent people from New York and
surrounding areas, and pushing people out of Stamford. It’s a massive giveaway
to the real estate industry, and we have to recognize that.”
Development is at the core of a controversy that began last
month, when Democratic Mayor Caroline Simmons, a former state representative,
quietly launched a bill in Hartford to block Stamford from changing
consequential zoning regulations in the city charter.
Changes that would have gone to Stamford voters for approval
are now moot. The bill has been signed into law so, from now on, Stamford and
all other Connecticut towns governed by charters, about 110 of them, cannot
revise significant zoning regulations in their charters. They have to ask the
state legislature to do it.
Simmons’ move has angered fellow Democrats, who outnumber
Republicans 36-4 on the board. During the meeting at which Cottrell spoke, city
representatives passed a resolution urging Gov. Ned Lamont to call a special
session of the legislature to repeal the law blocking charter revisions. But
Lamont refused.
Simmons has said she took action against the charter
revision proposals because they would discourage development, economic growth,
job creation, and private investment, and shrink the housing stock.
Cottrell and other city representatives who supported the
charter revisions, however, say the kind of development happening in Stamford
needs the checks and balances proposed by the Charter Revision Commission.
“When you put up luxury building after luxury building,
prices are going to go up and up. We keep being told to add more housing and
prices will go down. But they have not gone down,” Cottrell said during the
meeting. “In fact, it’s increasing rent prices at non-luxury buildings around
it. Real estate (experts) have told us that wouldn’t happen, but guess what?
It’s happening.”
She referenced a December report from the U.S. Bureau of
Economic Analysis that found that, between 2011 and 2021, rents in Connecticut
dropped to levels nearer the national average in all metropolitan areas, except
one.
In the Stamford-Norwalk-Bridgeport area, rents increased
from 56 percent above the national average to 57 percent, according to the
report, which showed that nearly all of it was driven by Stamford. Rents in
Stamford, for example, are more than double what they are in Bridgeport.
Cottrell said the push for more affordable housing, which
Simmons said would be harmed by the charter revision proposals, has a flaw – it
excludes the city’s affluent areas.
“New housing is not being built … in all neighborhoods,”
Cottrell said. “It’s specifically the working-class and middle-class
neighborhoods that are being asked to give and give.”
When residents of those neighborhoods push back against
development because they are already congested with multiple-unit housing,
illegal apartments, and vehicles parked on lawns and bumper-to-bumper at curbs,
they are labeled Not In My Back Yard, said Democratic city Rep. Jeff Stella,
who also supported the charter changes.
“When I hear NIMBY, it’s so offensive to me, because anyone
who opposes an affordable housing project is called NIMBY,” Stella said during
the meeting. “You should call us EIMBY, Everything In Our Back Yard.”
In his West Side neighborhood, multi-family structures go up
next door to single-family homes, along with all manner of commercial projects,
Stella said.
“We’re tired of change that’s supposed to be better for our
districts, when it’s not,” Stella said. “When we fight it, they say you guys
are NIMBY, but it will never happen in their districts, it will never affect
their quality of life. They will never have to worry that their house will be
worth less when they sell it because somebody put a container store next door.”
Supporters of the charter revisions say they were proposed
to allow people most affected by development more say in zoning matters.
The proposals would have allowed residents to appeal zoning
decisions by gathering 300 signatures from anywhere in the city, rather than
just in the immediate area of a development; allowed modification of planning
and zoning regulations, such as increasing the number of public hearings; and
required approval from a larger percentage of officials before the city could
take private property by eminent domain or sell public land.
Cottrell said it’s a lot easier to gather signatures to
appeal a zoning decision in single-family, owner-occupied neighborhoods. It’s a
different story in neighborhoods where property owners are limited-liability
companies or absentee landlords, she said.
“In areas where development is happening quite rapidly, it’s
a lot harder to petition,” Cottrell said, so Simmons’ action “basically
preserves the status quo (petition rights) of the single-family homeowner in
certain affluent parts of Stamford.”
Charter Revision Commission members Frances Lane, Cynthia
Bowser and Karen Camporeale have said during their meetings that they wanted to
raise the vote threshold for condemning private property because officials
nearly always take property in working- and middle-class neighborhoods where
residents don’t have the means to fight the city in court.
Charter revisions were on the table in Stamford on June 7,
the state legislature’s closing day, when the law advocated by Simmons passed,
nearly unnoticed, as part of a major bonding package authorizing billions in
spending for capital projects statewide. Laws passed in this way are known in
Hartford as “rats.”
The controversy over the charter prohibitions will likely
continue over the summer, as the Board of Representatives debates the rest of
the Charter Revision Commission’s proposals. Meetings are set for 8 p.m. Monday
and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. See http://www.boardofreps.org/ for
details.
Hartford’s development strategy hinges on tax-fixing agreements
Greg Bordonaro, Michael Puffer, Hanna Snyder Gambini
and Michelle Tuccitto Sullo
In an effort to jump-start development in three key areas in
or near downtown Hartford, city officials want to establish various tax-fixing
agreements they say will make it more attractive for developers to build
mixed-use projects.
Mayor Luke Bronin and the city council are considering
tax-fixing agreements for future developments that occur at: Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute’s former Hartford campus; existing buildings and empty
parking lots near the Bushnell Theater; and a vacant parking lot in the
Parkville neighborhood.
Tax-fixing agreements are nothing new for the city of
Hartford, which has one of the highest property tax rates in the state at 68.95
mills. That, and other factors, make it more expensive to build in the city compared
to the rest of the state.
The cost to build in Connecticut, in general, is higher than
most parts of the country.
Tax-fixing deals essentially give developers a temporary
lower property-tax rate.
Here’s a look at the deals city officials are considering:
RPI campus
Bronin has proposed a 20-year tax-fixing agreement for any
development that occurs at RPI’s former Hartford campus, at 275 Windsor St.,
which went up for sale earlier this year.
The 12.7-acre property features two existing buildings,
including a nine-story, 148,881-square-foot commercial building, and a
four-story, 179,744-square-foot parking garage.
The site has been vacant since 2020, and the city wants to
attract a developer willing to either re-use the existing facility or support
new construction, to transform the site into residential apartments and
commercial space.
The property currently has an assessed value of $1.19
million, with an annual tax bill of $82,050.
Bronin’s proposal would fix the assessed value of the
property so the annual tax bill remains at about $82,050 for five years. After
that, the tax rate would be adjusted at five-year intervals, up to the 20-year
mark, based on a percentage of gross revenues produced by any development.
Parkville
Bronin also wants a tax-fixing agreement for an
underutilized parking lot at 17 Bartholomew Ave., in the city’s Parkville
neighborhood.
The lot is owned by prominent developer Carlos Mouta, who is
seeking to build a $16.72 million mixed-use residential development.
Mouta plans to subdivide the property into two parcels.
Parcel A would contain a new multi-story building with 57
apartments, 30% of which would be affordable, and first-floor commercial space.
That project would be partially financed by a $5.5 million
state grant. Bronin is requesting a 15-year tax abatement.
The city would take ownership of parcel B and enter into a
development agreement and long-term lease of the parking garage. Mouta and the
city would evenly split parking revenues.
Bushnell South
The city is also considering a tax-fixing agreement program
for redevelopment in the “Bushnell South District,” which includes 15
properties bounded by Elm, Trinity, Hudson, Buckingham and Washington streets
in downtown Hartford.
The tax-fixing agreements would cover the construction
period of any new development, and last up to 15 additional years.
An estimated $200 million in housing and mixed-use
developments are currently targeting the roughly 20-acre area south of
Hartford’s Bushnell Park.
Ultimately, the master plan calls for about $400 million of
investment in a new neighborhood of approximately 1,800 residents in 1,200
households, and more than 63,000 square feet of retail, cultural and commercial
space.
Within the district, Spinnaker Real Estate Partners has
already launched a $67 million transformation of a former state office building
at 55 Elm St., into 164 apartments.
Philadelphia-based Pennrose and The Cloud Co., of Hartford,
are trying to finalize financing for an estimated $45.35 million conversion of
former state office buildings at 18-20 and 30 Trinity St., into 108 apartments
and a restaurant.
New Jersey-based The Michaels Organization has pitched a
plan to redevelop a 2.8-acre parking lot south of Hartford’s Bushnell Park into
a $100 million development containing 233 apartments and several townhomes.
CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth said the conditions
outlined in the district mirror a tax-fixing agreement the city already granted
to Spinnaker for the ongoing 55 Elm St. project. The agreement is intended to
keep yearly taxes around $2,000 per apartment unit rather than the $3,000 to
$4,000 developers might otherwise pay, he said.
This allows developers to dedicate more project income to
larger mortgages, paving the way for bigger projects and less public subsidy,
Freimuth said.