CT officials lay out current, future infrastructure projects at summit
Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and local officials
from across Connecticut gathered in Hartford on Friday to highlight the array
of new infrastructure projects that are currently underway in the state and to
discuss what other changes residents are likely to see in the next decade and
beyond.
But amid the calls to boost Connecticut’s transportation and
energy infrastructure, officials focused their discussions on one aspect of
infrastructure growth: housing.
The gathering was billed as the first inaugural
infrastructure summit, which was meant to lay out a roadmap about what
investments Connecticut is likely to make between now and 2035.
The event, which was scheduled to coincide with the two-year
anniversary of the passage of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, included
mayors, first selectmen, state lawmakers, state agency leaders, economic
development officials and private developers.
The summit featured several panels that provided an overview
of the investments that were being made as a result of the federal
infrastructure law, which authorized more than $1.2 trillion in infrastructure
spending in the United States.
Connecticut’s Democratic leaders also used the summit as a
victory lap, touting their political support for the infrastructure law and
highlighting the state’s efforts to capture large portions of that federal
spending.
To date, more than $6 billion in federal infrastructure
spending has been announced for Connecticut. Mark Boughton, the state’s
commissioner of the Department of Revenue and Services and Lamont’s senior
advisor on infrastructure, said the state is focusing on winning additional
competitive grants from federal agencies.
“We here in Connecticut take its implementation very
seriously,” Boughton said.
Murphy, who is seeking his third term in the U.S. Senate,
joked that there were so many infrastructure projects under construction that
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal wasn’t able to keep up.
“There are so many ribbon cuttings in Connecticut these days
that Blumenthal can only make half of them,” Murphy quipped.
Even with all of the federal funding arriving in Connecticut
and other states, Murphy argued that Congress needed to do even more to improve
the country’s energy, water and transportation infrastructure.
Murphy noted that China was able to build a high-speed
railway from Beijing to Shanghai, and he noted that the distance between those
two cities is double the milage between Boston and Washington, D.C.
“This is not a moment for us to rest on our laurels,” Murphy
said.
Many of the other speakers at the event, however, were
focused on projects that are already in the works.
The panelists and attendees talked broadly about investing
in water and sewer systems, upgrading the state’s internet connectivity,
rebuilding bridges, reengineering highway exchanges, constructing new rail
stations, installing electrical vehicle charging stations, speeding up the
passenger rail between New Haven and New York and preparing the state for the
future effects of climate change.
But the most prominent topic of discussion was housing — a
vital but politically fraught issue at the moment.
Lamont, who is in his second term as governor, and many
other speakers voiced the need to build new housing stock in Connecticut, a
state with one of the lowest vacancy rates for apartments in the country.
Lamont and Daniel O’Keefe, the new nominee to become the
commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development,
emphasized that housing is a vital piece of the state’s infrastructure. And
they said it was a necessity for the state’s continued economic development,
which is why they highlighted the millions of dollars in state funding that has
gone towards new housing development.
“We are doing everything we can to build housing,” Lamont
said.
Lamont, however, continued to show deference toward the
Connecticut municipalities where local zoning ordinances have been used to
block new housing developments in recent years.
“For the towns, we are following your lead,” Lamont said
during one of the panels.
Housing advocates say those zoning laws — and the local
opposition to multifamily housing developments — are likely the biggest
impediment to Connecticut solving its housing crisis and boosting the number
apartments and homes that are available to lower-income households.
Lamont recognized the pushback that developers have faced in
many suburban municipalities when trying to build multifamily housing. He joked
that in his hometown of Greenwich, he has seen yard signs suggesting that state
lawmakers want to build the Empire State building on Greenwich Avenue.
The governor asked several of the panelists how they were
able to plan and build more multifamily housing when faced with that type of
resistance.
West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said she’s been able
advance housing developments in her town by explaining to residents that it was
necessary for the town’s growth and economic development.
But Cantor said that doesn’t mean that all of the housing
developments were supported by the entire community. As an example, Cantor
said, she was meeting with several town residents on Friday afternoon who are
opposed to one of the new housing developments that are in the planning stages
in West Hartford.
Jocelyn Ayer, the director of the Litchfield County Center
for Housing Opportunity, also spoke to her experiences in trying to counter
local resistance toward building new housing in Connecticut’s northwest corner.
“When we talk to towns about where they can locate new
housing, they shrug,” Ayer said.
Ayer said she counters that response by pointing to old
parking lots or vacant schools properties that could be developed into
multifamily housing.
“We can turn those into community assets,” Ayer said.
CT highway projects grab limelight. These 10 could come sooner, ‘so people see some progress.’
Tucked in a remote corner of Hartford near Dunkin’ Park is
a cage-like tower of ramps and steps leading to a pedestrian bridge over I-91
that connects downtown to Riverside
Park. But the structure does little to invite use, its chain-link enclosure
partly overgrown by climbing vines.
“We fondly refer to it as the ‘Shawshank Redemption‘ bridge,” iQuilt Executive Director Jackie Mandyck said, invoking the 1994 film, a prison drama. “You don’t know if you can get in, and you don’t know if you are ever going to get out once you get in.”
The iQuilt Partnership, a nonprofit promoting a more
walkable city, envisions a complete makeover of the bridge, which dates to the
late 1970s, with a ramp winding its way from the intersection of Market and
Pleasant streets to the bridge. There would a similar ramp in Riverside Park.
The proposal, known as RiverLink, is one of dozens of
lower-priced projects included in the Greater Hartford Mobility Study,
a 3-year examination by the Connecticut Department of Transportation of the
region’s transportation system.
The study sought to the find ways — both major and more modest — to improve driving, bus and rail riding, bicycling and walking in the region. The study seeks to reshape greater Hartford’s transportation system so all modes of travel work together better.
The big-ticket projects in the mobility study capture a lot of attention. They include relocating the I-84/1-91 interchange, a notorious bottleneck, and the lowering of the 1-84 viaduct and I-91 along the Connecticut River. The lowering of the two interstates seek to reconnect neighborhoods and restore more access to Hartford’s riverfront, projects that have been talked about for years.
But those major projects face significant hurdles, including
years of study and lining up billions of dollars in federal and state funding —
pushing what could be transformational transportation initiatives decades into
the future.
DOT officials say the more modest projects, which the study
defines as “early action,” also must pull together local, state and federal
funding. But the scope is narrower and could bring significant changes
years before ground is broken on the bigger highway redevelopments, perhaps in
the next 3 to 5 years.
The projects include closing highway exit and entrance ramps
that have outlived their usefulness or are contributing to crashes. The study
also points out the need for safer pedestrian crossing near heavily-traveled
highway ramps and better accommodations for bicyclists at train and CTfastrak
stations. There are recommendations to either design or study the options for
“Complete Streets” makeovers for Main Street in East Hartford and the Silas
Deane Highway in Rocky Hill and Wethersfield.
Nilesh Patel, principal engineer in the DOT’s highway design
division, said the more modest projects captured as much attention as the major
highway reconstructions in neighborhood meetings that contributed to the
study’s recommendations.
“In terms of trying to identify those projects that we could
identify early and get a benefit out of them as soon as possible, that’s all we
heard at some of the meetings, right?” Patel said. “A lot of the folks were
like, ‘All right. We know about the big picture. But when is some of this going
to happen?’
Looks like a prison
The existing pedestrian bridge over I-91 dates from about
the late 1970s, and its makeover would be one of the more expensive among those
designated as early action. The cost is pegged at as much as $25 million.
Right now, visitors to the pedestrian bridge must walk
through a wide, gravel parking lot off Market Street and behind the backs of
buildings to reach the stairs and ramps configured in a spiral. Mandyck said
she is not overstating in saying that the structure looks like a prison.
“Any visitor to the city would not think this is how you get
to the river,” Mandyck said. “I mean, we had the right idea when we went with
the pedestrian walkway up and over 91 to get us to the river. We just didn’t
execute it very well. So now, it’s how can we remedy that.”
The RiverLink project, proposed by iQuilt with the support
of the city of Hartford, would create a pedestrian and bicycle ramp that would
begin at a plaza in front of the mural at the Community Renewal Team building
at 333 Market St. From there, the ramp would gently rise and curve to follow
along the back of existing buildings and then straighten to connect with the
bridge over I-91. A similar design is contemplated for Riverside Park.
RiverLink could become a visitor destination, Mandyck said,
and is in the design tradition of the recently opened 41st Street
pedestrian and bicycle bridge in Chicago.
The DOT also has a design in which the ramp would begin on
Market Street but in a different location, and instead would hug the highway on
both sides of I-91.
Mandyck said iQuilt’s design makes sense because the walkway
would connect across Market Street to Pleasant Street. Along Pleasant Street,
there is Dunkin’ Park and emerging plans to redevelop the former Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute into housing and beyond that, North Crossing.
RiverLink also is a crucial component of the larger, 6-mile,
Hartline pedestrian and bicycle path. Hartline seeks a future link from
Hartford’s riverfront — much of it along the state-owned, single-track Griffin
Line corridor — into Bloomfield. The project is a major component of the
Hartford 400 plan that seeks to better balance the needs of all forms of
transportation, from cars and buses to bicycles and walking.
“RiverLink starts to do something quickly, so people can see
some progress,” Mandyck said. “It’s going to take some time to realize the
dreams of the Greater Hartford Mobility Study, and I think small projects like
this are extremely important with that.”
‘Trying to catch up’
A final report on the study’s recommendations is due by the
end of the year, and DOT officials say smaller projects shouldn’t get lost in
the debate over the massive highway projects.
“All these big things have to change, but there are places
where people have to walk and things that we have already — bus networks that
could be better supported and more functional,” Kevin J. Burnham, a supervising
engineer at the DOT. “They may not have as impressive a ribbon cutting but they
add to somebody’s quality of life.”
from the riverfront to Bloomfield, also filling in some gaps
in the East Coast Greenway. (iQuilt Hartford 400/Suisman Urban Design)
That is especially true for neighborhoods in Hartford and
East Hartford, Burnham said, where large populations of residents don’t own a
motor vehicle yet access to public transportation is limited.
“So what we’re trying to do here is trying to catch up with
that, in a way,” Burnham said.
For example, improvements could include changing CTTransit
bus hours to include service outside of traditional commuting hours, frequency
of stops or adding new routes.
Some say turning projects in the study into reality that
look good on paper may present larger-than-expected challenges.
For example, improving the five-way intersection at the
Albany and Main streets in Hartford — long considered a gateway area in the
city — is a high-level goal, said Jay Stange, transportation coordinator for
the Center for Latino Progress in Hartford.
Changes would better ensure the safety of pedestrians and
bicyclists who now navigate the area at their peril, Stange said.
But the problem, Stange said, is that the area is trying to
do two things that are in opposition to each other. On the one hand, the city
wants to encourage a vibrant area for foot traffic to support storefronts, even
as more apartments are developed. But on the other, the Albany Avenue corridor
— just one example in the city — is a major commuter thoroughfare between the
suburbs and downtown Hartford.
“We can’t have a design that works for both groups, for the
people that live in the city, and the people who want to drive quickly through
it,” Stange said.
Here are 10 near-term projects to watch that are included in
the Greater Hartford Mobility Study:
1. Improve Riverlink connection across I-91 between
Hartford’s Downtown North area and Riverside Park
The Problem: The existing pedestrian bridge across the
highway is difficult to reach from Market Street and the spiral design of its
existing ramps do not easily accommodate bicyclists.
Goals: Make a stronger connection for pedestrians and
bicyclists between Downtown North and the Connecticut River.
Possible Solutions: Construct new, longer ramps leading
to the pedestrian access bridge that invite bicyclist and provide more pleasant
travel between downtown and Riverside Park. The project would be led or
constructed in coordination with the City of Hartford and iQuilt.
Anticipated Cost: $15-$25 million
2. Make it safer for pedestrians at highway ramps
The Problem: Ramps on and off highways such as I-84,
I-91, I-291, Route 2 and Route 5/15 can be tricky and difficult to navigate for
pedestrians that are crossing them. Two prime examples are I-91 at Route 305 in
Windsor and I-84 at Sisson Avenue in Hartford.
Goals: Make it easier, safer and more comfortable for
pedestrians to navigate the areas in and around highway ramps
Possible Solutions: A total of 43 ramp locations in greater
Hartford could be improved with such measures as crosswalk markings and
signals; sidewalks and sidewalk ramps; curbs and medians to reduce crossing
distances.
Anticipated Cost: $500,000-$1.5 million per location
3. Strengthen the bicycle network around CTfastrak and
Hartford Line stations
The Problem: The local road network near of some
CTfastrak and Hartford Line stations is
focused primarily on moving automotive traffic.
Goals: Encourage the development of bicycle networks around
these stations.
Possible solutions: Introduce one or more improvement,
including shared roadways, or “sharrows,” bike
lanes, buffered bike lanes, separated bike lanes, and side paths, primarily
along nearby local streets and
connecting greenways. These initiatives will be led by the local municipality
to ensure that designs meet with local needs and will accommodate all users+.
Stations will evaluated for
appropriate amenities, such as bike racks or lockers.
Anticipated Cost: $500,000-$6 million per location
4. Incorporate Ramp Closures at High and Trumbull streets in
Hartford
The Problem: There is traffic congestion and an
elevated number of crashes tied to high traffic volumes and highway design
flaws. Closely spaced on and off ramps force motorists to weave in and out of
traffic.
Goals: Improve traffic flow on I-84 west of the I-91
interchange in Hartford.
Possible Solutions: Propose eliminating two ramps —
I-84 east off-ramp to Trumbull Street (exit 50) and I-84 west on-ramp from
Walnut and High streets — to ease the volume of vehicles entering and exiting
the highway at high crash sites. The removal of Walnut and High streets ramp
will allow the the extension of the existing westbound lane and eliminate the
weaving that now occurs.
Anticipated Cost: $3-$5 million
5. Reconfigure Hartford’s Pulaski Circle
The Problem: Pulaski Circle has five approaches with a
mix of stop and yield signs that make the area difficult and confusing to
navigate.
The Whitehead Highway traffic enters the circle at high
speed without a clear transition to a city road. There have been 109 crashes at
this location during most recent five-year period (2018-2022) with more than
half of them classified as rear-end collisions that can be attributed to
navigation difficulties. The high speeds and non-traditional controls make
pedestrian crossings uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe.
Goals: Address safety for all users, reduce vehicular
speeds particularly from the Whitehead Highway, simplify traffic control and
enhance pedestrian and bicycle connections. The solution must be sensitive to
the intersection’s status as a gateway to Hartford and to Bushnell Park, the
State
Capitol and the Bushnell South redevelopment area.
Possible Solutions: Reconfigure the circle into a
modern roundabout with safe routes for bicyclists and improved circulating
sidewalks, ramps, and markings for pedestrians.
Anticipated Cost: $15-20 million
6. Reimagine Main Street in East Hartford
The Problem: Main Street in East Hartford serves dual
roles as an economic engine for the town that is lined with shops, restaurants
and other businesses. But the street also is a major thoroughfare for travel in
the region. High vehicle speeds make for difficult for pedestrians and
bicyclists to share the roadway.
Goal: Improve safety and reduce motor vehicle speeds
along Main Street by creating an environment that accommodates vehicles, public
transportation, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Possible Solutions: Reconfigure Main Street — from the I-84 overpass to the railroad bridge — to incorporate a “Complete Streets” design. Those designs might include wider sidewalks, bike lanes, landscaped medians, shorter crosswalks. The Complete Streets philosophy ensures the needs of everyone using a roadway are met — including all ages and abilities — safety is improved and a stronger transportation network is created.
Anticipated Cost: $10-$15 million
7. Design improvements at the intersection of Albany Avenue
and Main Street in Hartford
The Problem: The convergence of five intersecting
roadways — Albany Avenue and Main, Ely, Ann Uccello and High streets — is not
designed well for vehicle traffic even though the Albany-Main artery has long
been heavily traveled by commuters. Wide and ill-defined crossings are
uncomfortable for pedestrians in a location that is considered a gateway to
both downtown and Hartford’s northside neighborhoods.
Goals: Improve safety for all users of the area and
better balance the needs of motorists with pedestrians, bicyclists and public
transportation riders.
Possible Solutions: Install sidewalks and sidewalk
ramps; crosswalk upgrades, traffic signal and timing upgrades; better curb
alignment and accommodations for bicyclists.
Anticipated Cost: $15-$20 million
8. Study potential improvements for the Silas Deane Highway
in Rocky Hill and Wethersfield
The Problem: The Silas Deane Highway is a major motor
vehicle thoroughfare with limited options for pedestrians and bicyclists and a
high number of crashes.
Goals: Improve safety and expand options for other
users beyond motorists.
Possible Solutions: Undertake a study to determine the
feasibility and prepare conceptual designs for expanding bike, pedestrian, and
bus amenities along the corridor. These improvements would expand the existing
use of the highway to integrate an Complete Streets design. The Connecticut
Department of Transportation would coordinate with Wethersfield and Rocky Hill
along with the Capitol Region Council of Governments for this study.
Anticipated Cost: $750,000
9. Complete and Improve Bicycle Networks in Moderate and High Demand Areas
The Problem: Areas where there is high demand for
bicycle lanes and other amenities lack continuity and connection.
Goals: Strengthen bicycle-riding networks by building
better connections between existing stretches and areas where they is now
demand or it is expected in the future.
Possible Solutions: Support municipal efforts to expand
existing bicycle master plans of West Hartford and Hartford. Solutions could
include 22 miles of shared roadway, 27 miles of bicycle lanes, 14.4 miles of
buffered bicycle lanes, 4.8 miles of separated bicycle lanes, and 6 miles of
side paths.
Anticipated Cost: $15-$18 million
10. Extend Evening Hours and Service Frequency in Public
Transit Priority Areas
The Problem: There is a lack of reliable bus and rail
options for workers employed outside of traditional commuting hours and for
those looking for options other than a car for non-work related evening trips,
such as social outings, shopping or health appointments.
Goals: Expand the options for disadvantage populations
and those dependent on public transportation without hurting minority and
low-income populations.
Possible Solutions: Perform an analysis to increase
service frequency on certain routes in priority area after 6 p.m. Bus service
might operate later in the day than the current schedule and some routes may be
added. Service frequency also could be boosted on certain routes between 9 a.m.
and 6 p.m.
Anticipated Costs: $1 million
SOURCES: Connecticut Department of Transportation, Courant
reporting
Torrington High School project progressing
TORRINGTON — The new middle-high school project is moving
along now: classroom walls are covered with sheetrock, and steel beams
lead visitors through hallways from one floor to the next.
On the fifth floor, a crew was busy laying red brick on the
exterior walls, while inside, members of the school building committee followed
staircases up from the ground floor during a tour with Brian Pracuta, O&G
project manager.
Vicki Mancini, assistant library media specialist at the
high school, joined a group that included Mario Longobucco and Ed Arum,
co-chairmen of the building committee, for a tour of the $179 million project.
She wanted to see her new space, she said. The library is on the third floor
and boasts curved glass windows on the northeast side of the crescent-shaped
building, office space, and plenty of room for books and study spaces.
"It's much more than I expected," Mancini
said as she stood, amazed, in front of what will be a panoramic view of the
middle-high school campus. "It's going to be just beautiful."
"I wanted you to see where you're going to be,"
Longobucco said to Mancini. "Now you have a picture in your mind."
"Just beautiful" was an exclamation heard
repeatedly as the group made its way through the project. O&G, the
project's construction manager, and the building committee, say the hope is to
move the high school students into the new high school by Jan. 25, followed by
the middle school in September.
O&G led a tour of the project in
April with the SLAM Collaborative, the architectural firm chosen to
design the new Torrington middle-high school. Also included were members of the
American Institute of Architects' Connecticut chapter. The building was a shell
then with newly poured concrete and steel structures. Now, that architecture is
coming into focus.
The ground floor features the building's engineering:
plumbing, heating, air conditioning and generators, electrical systems and
other equipment. There are also classrooms there, where students can get their
first taste of construction and engineering for future
careers.
The second, or main floor, connects the building to the new
performance theater, a round building that is also linked to the cafeteria and
other shared spaces. Music classrooms and rehearsal spaces are also found
there; the middle school is attached to this portion of the building. The third
and fourth floors are filled with classrooms and the media/library center,
while the top floor houses administrative and Board of Education offices,
including offices for the district's new
superintendent, Michael Wilson, and Assistant Superintendent Sue
Fergusson.
Outside the doorway of each classroom, a bar-coded card
reads "art" or "science" indicating the type of room it
will become; workers can scan the code and see the plans on a computer. The
classrooms can hold up to 24 students and is accessible for people with
disabilities. Piles of sheetrock are ready to be installed on one floor,
while on another, the rooms are already "rocked" and ready for paint
and electrical work.
A new
middle school gym is being constructed, and once the high school
students move into their new space, the high
school gym will be renovated. The old high school building will then
be torn down and that space will be used for parking.
Voters approved
the project in November 2020. At that time, the middle-high school
plan cost $159.6 million; in 2022, the building committee held a second
referendum to add $20
million to the plan, citing increased materials and construction
costs. Torrington is being reimbursed for 85
percent of the total cost, leaving about $27 million to be paid by
taxpayers.
The work is continuing at a healthy pace, Pracuta said
and attributed the steady progress to a mild winter in 2022, which allowed the
work to continue through the winter into the spring with little snow to hamper
the construction crews. The project is slightly ahead of schedule: but there's
still a lot of work to do.
As the group completed the tour, Pracuta stood in the
entrance to the construction site, near a 5-foot-high concrete drain structure.
"We're going to raise the (grounds) to go up to the top of that," he
said, pointing to the concrete drain. "There's going to be a lot of fill
coming in here for the new road. You won't even recognize it."
The school building committee meets monthly; its schedule is
posted at torrington.org, the
school district's website.
UI, Fairfield property owners take monopole plan to CT Siting Council
FAIRFIELD — Property owners would lose the right to develop
parts of their own land if a United Illuminating project moves forward in
Fairfield.
UI has so far resisted demands from local elected officials,
neighbors and business to alter its plan to minimize the potential impacts of a
proposed project that would hang
transmission lines from monopoles standing as tall as 145 feet high by 2029
along the Metro-North railroad corridor. The company plans to secure rights
to 19.25 acres of private property along the corridor through permanent
easements, where UI would launch construction zones, build the monopoles
and restrict structural modifications by the owner, according to a copy of a UI
easement contract.
During an evidentiary hearing Thursday before the
State Siting Council, Shawn Crosbie, UI's projects unit manager for
transmission lines, refused to consider revising the design of the monopole
project to avoid easements if a property could not be developed for its
"highest and best use," if it couldn't be approved for a desired use
or if it became non-compliant with local zoning regulations.
Crosbie responded with a simple "no" to each of
those scenarios when asked about them by Attorney Mario Coppola, who is
representing a group of residents opposed to the project.
The council has jurisdiction over the placement of
transmission lines in the state. On the council's website, Executive Director Melanie Bachman describes
the state panel as "responsible for balancing the need for
adequate and reliable public utility services at the lowest reasonable cost to
consumers with the need to protect the environment and ecology of the
state."
The state body has scheduled another hearing for Nov. 28,
and is due to deliver a final decision by March 17.
Pequot Library Executive Director Stephanie Coakley said a
monopole and development restrictions would limit parking, services,
programming and fundraising potential.
"Pequot Library is vehemently opposed to the
application because the application as proposed will adversely affect the
historic integrity, use and potential expanded use of Pequot Library's
property," Coakley said in pre-filed testimony before Siting Council.
Thomas Schinella, the owner of 2190 Post Road, where a team
of New York developers hope to construct a mixed-use complex at the site of the
former Exide Battery plant, said his property is slated to receive a six
to 21-foot easement. He said UI will be able to "veto" any
construction plans for the upcoming development at the site.
"How is this fair?" Scinella said in pre-filed
testimony. "Having UI's permanent presence means we, as rightful property
owners, will not be able to develop our land in a manner that UI could
determine (within its sole discretion) might interfere with or endanger UI's
access to or facilities on our land."
In addition to the library, the company also plans to build
structures on properties that house Trinity Episcopal Church, Rawley's
Drive-In, DSW and the Stop and Shop location on the Kings Highway Cutoff and
secure easements to other nearby properties.
A protest outside the Pequot Library on Nov. 5 rallied
hundreds to call on UI to bury the transmission lines instead of
elevate them, but company officials have said doing so would still require
easements, though the extent remains unclear.
In response to the rally, UI spokesperson Sarah Wall
Fliotsos said UI "respects and appreciates" the public's attention
toward the monopole project. She said UI officials will continue working with
Fairfield town government and following the Siting Council process for its
proposal.
"As essential functions like transportation and home
heating increasingly rely on electricity, transmission upgrades like this one
are imperative if we are to meet growing demand and connect clean energy
sources to residences and businesses across Fairfield and all of Connecticut,
in line with the public policy goals set out by the legislature and the Lamont
Administration,” Wall Fliotsos said in an email.
12 development lots proposed for new Norwich business park
Claire Bessette
Norwich ― A plan to create 12 development lots in the
384-acre, newly named Occum Industrial Center will be reviewed by the city
planning commission, starting with a public hearing Tuesday.
The Commission on the City Plan will open the public hearing
at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall on the proposed 12-lot commercial subdivision on
the land owned by the Norwich Community Development Corp. and proposed for a
second business park.
The hearing will begin with presentations by NCDC on the
subdivision plan, but the commission will not vote on the plan that night,
Director of Planning and Neighborhood Services Deanna Rhodes said.
NCDC’s plan to build an access road into the property from
Route 97 near Interstate 395’s Exit 18 ramp was approved last year by the
Inland Wetlands, Watercourses and Conservation Commission. The wetlands
commission will review modifications to the road plan at its meeting at 7 p.m.
Dec. 7 at the planning office, 23 Union St. The access road plan also is under
permit review by state and federal transportation agencies.
Rhodes said that along with waiting for the wetlands
commission vote on the road, the planning commission might require revisions to
the subdivision plan before voting on the application. In her report to the
commission, Rhodes suggested if the commission wishes to conduct a site walk,
it could be scheduled for noon Dec. 12.
December’s Commission on the City Plan meeting is scheduled
for 7 p.m. Dec. 17, when the public hearing will resume.
NCDC President Kevin Brown said the agency chose the name
Occum Industrial Center to provide interested developers a geographical
reference point, as opposed to the previous name of Business Park North.
“Right now, if you’re an industrial developer and you Google
‘Occum,’ it’s a recognizable geographical place,” Brown said. “You are hooked
in with a map.”
NCDC hopes to obtain permits to build the road by February
and put the project out to bid for construction to begin in late fall.
NCDC purchased the 17 parcels that make up the proposed
industrial center for $3.55 million last December. In spring, the agency
obtained an $11.3 million state Community Investment Fund grant to build 2,700
feet of roadway into the property and a $500,000 grant for engineering and
design work.
The proposed industrial center has been met with opposition
from Occum residents, who have called the plan excessive and not in line with
the rural former farmland and woodland property.
The land is zoned for business park or commercial
development, but the neighborhood group, Preserving Norwich Neighborhoods LLC,
has filed suit against the city’s new Plan of Conservation and Development,
which recommended the area for business park development. Ten years earlier,
the city’s plan of development recommended rural, low-density development
there, the group pointed out.
In the subdivision application, NCDC has proposed preserving
25 acres of the property, or 7.16%, as open space, either to be transferred to
the city or to a land trust organization. The area proposed for preservation is
adjacent to I-395 and contains a “prominent wetland,” Rhodes wrote in her staff
review of the subdivision application.
New London community center construction delay will cost $230K
John Penney
New London ― A six-month delay in breaking ground for the
city’s new community center has so far increased the cost of the project by
nearly $230,000.
City officials are not ruling out heading to court to
determine who’ll ultimately foot that bill.
The City Council on Monday could enter into executive
session to discuss the status of “pending and/or threatened litigation” by the
city regarding permit delays associated with the $40 million community center
project.
Several city officials, including Mayor Michael Passero,
Finance Director David McBride and Felix Reyes, director of the city’s Office
of Planning and Development, are slated to join the council in the closed-door
session, as are representatives of Downes Construction, the company building
the center.
Construction of the planned 58,000-square-foot facility on
the Fort Trumbull peninsula began in July, six months after the original start date.
City officials said the delay was largely due to waiting for a state Department
of Energy and Environmental Protection flood management certificate and a storm
water and wastewater discharge permit.
Passero on Friday said the city is still investigating who
involved on the project planning side was responsible for the delay and the
associated cost overruns.
“But it’s certainly not going to be on the city,” he said.
Passero said the option to head into executive session,
which council members could decline, was offered since any discussion on delay
and cost responsibility could “potentially be part of future litigation.”
“But that doesn’t mean we’re definitely going to court;
there could be a reimbursement agreement worked out,” he said. “Or we could end
up in litigation.”
A Nov. 10 change order evaluation submitted by the Downes
company notes three areas of additional project spending because of “DEEP
Permit” delays.
Nearly $194,000 in labor, materials, tools and equipment is
needed to account for anticipated winter conditions at the main work site. That
money will pay for ground heaters and additives to enable concrete to be poured
in low temperatures, as well as for insulating blankets and fuel.
Project site subcontractor Giordano is requesting $29,433
for new labor, material, tool and equipment costs related to upcoming
foundation excavation work
“This work was not originally anticipated to occur during
the winter months,” the change order document states.
Another $6,600 is needed to re-clear overgrown areas of the
site that grew back during the permit approval period.
The $229,586 total of winter change orders will initially be
covered by Downes.
Each of the cost descriptions ended with the same sentence:
“Funding for the expense will be covered using owner’s contingency as the the
team seeks compensation for costs associated with the permit-related delay.”
The change orders are not expected to delay the 2025 opening
of the facility, which will boast a host of amenities, including a community lounge, classroom
space for early childhood programming, a two-court gymnasium, eight-lane pool,
track area and workout and game rooms.
“We’re off and running and not slowing down work because of
the winter,” Passero said.
The project’s initial $30 million price tag, approved by the
council in 2021, jumped by approximately $10 million as more detailed cost
figures emerged, with the gap later filled with a combination of state and
federal funding. The city was also awarded a $1.2 million grant through the
state’s Brownfield Remediation program for pre-construction site work.
The City Council will convene at 7 p.m., Monday, at City
Hall.