Work begins on $500M project to improve busy I-91, I-691 and Route 15 interchange in Meriden
State transportation officials have quietly ramped up work
on a nearly $500 million project overhauling one of central Connecticut’s most
congested and headache-inducing highway corridors.
On Thursday, the state Department of Transportation opened
bidding for the second
of three construction phases on the Meriden interchange formed by the
merger of three highways — Interstates 91 and 691, as well as state Route 15 —
that collectively carry around 260,000 vehicles every day.
Where I-91 meets Route 15, the two highways form an X-shaped
tangle of merging lanes, weaving traffic and exit ramps. As the two highways
begin to split apart again to form the top of the “X,” they intersect with
I-691, forming another web of entrances and exits.
The complexity of the interchange, as well the narrow design
of several connecting ramps, snarls traffic and contributes to a higher number
of reported crashes than on other similar highway connectors, according to
a 2019
report by highway consultant Parsons Corp. One particularly notorious
segment of the interchange, the southbound, one-lane off ramp connecting I-91
with Route 15, routinely causes traffic to back up by as much as a mile.
“Anyone who has driven through the I-91/I-691/Route 15
interchange knows there are major backups and crashes, and that major
improvements are needed,” Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said in
a statement. “We’re moving forward with a multi-year program that will improve
safety, reduce crashes, and ultimately reduce congestion.”
Work began earlier this year on the initial, $85 million
phase of the project to repair bridges, add one lane of traffic to I-91 north
and make related road improvements, according to DOT spokesman Josh
Morgan.
The final two — and largest — phases of the project,
however, will begin early next year and work is scheduled to last until 2029.
Both of those phases will focus on restructuring the northbound and southbound
interchanges between I-91 and the other highways. In October, the State Bond
Commission agreed to
borrow $31.7 million toward the second, northbound phase of the
project, which is also slated to receive $220 million in federal funding.
The new interchanges between I-91 and Route 15 will each
have two lanes of traffic in either direction to ease the flow of traffic,
according to planning documents. Workers will widen three other existing exit
ramps, while removing Exit 17 on I-91 northbound and reroute traffic onto the
new two-lane off ramp at Exit 16, which will connect to both Route 15 and East
Main Street.
Construction of the existing interchange was completed in
the 1960s, and proponents of the project argue that it has become outdated both
in its design and its ability to handle a growing volume of traffic traveling
through central Connecticut.
“Depending on the time of day, it’s certainly one of the top
three or four problem areas in the state of Connecticut,” said state Rep,
Roland Lemar, D-New Haven, who serves as co-chair of the Transportation
Committee.
The area of the project will extend from where I-91 crosses
the Wallingford-Meriden town line to the weigh station in Middletown, a
distance of roughly 4.2 miles. Other sections of both Route 15 and I-691 will
also undergo repairs. Morgan, the DOT spokesman, said the agency will aim
to conduct much of the necessary roadwork at night, while spacing out lane and
exit closures over the project’s six-year timeline in order to minimize the
impact on drivers.
Still, he cautioned, the project “certainly may create some
additional traffic congestion over the next couple of years,” and urged
patience among those traveling through the area. The alternative, he noted,
would involve completely shutting down highways in order to speed up
construction.
Earlier this year, the DOT began another
project renumbering exits along I-691 to a mileage based system,
conforming to federal standards. That project is expected to be completed in
mid-2024.
Feds Give Okay to Tweed Expansion with ‘Finding of No Significant Impact’
Sophia Muce
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a “Finding of
No Significant Impact” on Friday, meaning that the planned expansion of Tweed
New Haven Airport can move forward without further environmental study.
For the last seven months, FAA has been reviewing an environmental
assessment of the $165 million expansion, which includes an extension
of the runway and the construction of a new terminal, parking garage and
parking lot on the East Haven side of the airport.
The expansion of the public airport will be funded by
Avports – an airport management company which signed a 43-year lease with
Tweed in 2022 and agreed to invest at least $100 million to improve the
facility.
The proposal and review process have faced significant
criticism from East Haven Mayor Joseph Carfora, neighbors, elected officials,
environmental nonprofit Save the Sound and Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel
Levine.
In the decision, FAA
concluded that the expansion would actually improve Tweed’s environmental
impact by reducing the total number of flights, reducing noise for neighbors,
lessening the airport’s effect on air quality and abutting wetlands.
In a Friday press release from the airport, Gov. Ned Lamont,
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and Tweed officials celebrated the “major
milestone” in their efforts to expand flights out of New Haven and East Haven –
two environmental
justice communities.
“The release of this assessment today is a big step forward
to ensuring that south-central Connecticut has the reliable transportation
opportunities this region needs to grow economically,” said Lamont.
“Additionally, it will ensure that there are commonsense noise and traffic
mitigation measures in place that will retain the neighborhood’s quality of
life. I am appreciative of Tweed’s partnership with the state and look forward
to the airport’s many more years of success.”
Elicker, who has supported the expansion since it was
announced in 2021, said the FAA decision serves as another step towards the
“responsible and sustainable” development of the airport.
“I am grateful for the work of the Tweed-New Haven Airport
Authority, the many technical professionals and our residents who participated
in this process,” said Elicker. “This is a big step, but just one of many
steps, as we support Avelo and build the new terminal all with the lens toward
economic growth and the wellbeing of the surrounding community.
In a separate statement, Carfora said he is beyond
disappointed in the federal decision.
Carfora, who originally supported the expansion, has since
changed his position to oppose the project given what he says are an
inequitable share of economic benefits and environmental impacts between East
Haven and New Haven. He is also one of the many who has argued that an
expansion would actually allow for an increase in flights – not a decrease –
making the assessment “fundamentally
flawed.”
“The Town of East Haven has committed a number of
well-placed assets to
provide the FAA with detailed information about our concerns
from traffic, public safety to the environment,” Carfora said. “The substantial
impact that the proposed action will have on our community is monumental. Our
experts, and my staff will fully evaluate the FAA’s findings before announcing
our next steps.”
By issuing a finding of no significant impact, per the
National Environmental Policy Act,
the agency rejected two other possible courses of action – either rejecting the
project outright, or requiring a more detailed environmental impact
statement.
In recent months, a number of East Haven and New Haven
residents and officials have called on FAA and the airport authority to
undertake a further environmental study regardless of the outcome of the
federal ruling.
Opponents of the expansion are predicting that instead of no
significant impact, the expansion will worsen already heightened rates of
asthma in the surrounding area, route traffic to the airport through
residential neighborhoods and increase existing flooding in the neighborhoods
surrounding Tweed. More than 70 people signed up to speak at an April hearing
and hundreds submitted comments on the study.
On a Friday phone call with CT Examiner, Roger Reynolds,
senior legal counsel for Save the Sound, said the decision ignores the reality
of the project, and fails to address the criticisms from opponents.
“There’s no acknowledgement of any of the extensive
criticisms that were submitted by federal agencies, state agencies, the public,
municipalities,” Reynolds said. “And instead, they basically accepted the
remarkably flawed document in its entirety.”
Reynolds also questioned the timing of the decision’s
publication, given its proximity to the holidays.
“It’s a grim and cynical Christmas gift, dropping December
22 – the business day before Christmas – to try to hide it,” he added.
But Tweed Executive Director Tom Rafter has long maintained that
the airport would follow FAA guidance and push the project forward if given
approval.
In the press release, Rafter affirmed his intention to
continue the expansion under the new FAA approval.
“This determination by the FAA marks another major milestone
in the work to enhance HVN and fully realize a more-than $100 million
investment by Avports in Southern Connecticut, and this ruling from the FAA is
another step toward the promise fulfilling a more sustainable future for HVN,”
Rafter said.
Norwalk schools wrap up projects, prepare to break ground on two new buildings
NORWALK — Two large construction projects in the Norwalk
Public Schools were ready for public use in 2023, and there are plans to begin
wrk on two new projects in the New Year.
Cranbury Elementary School welcomed the inaugural classes at
its new campus this past fall, with athletic facilities due to be completed
this coming year. The new driveway and parking lot at Silvermine Dual Language
Magnet School, a much smaller endeavor, were completed in August before the
school year began.
The groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Norwalk High
School and South Norwalk School — that neighborhood's first elementary school
in over 40 years — will be held in 2024.
NHS and P-TECH's new campus
The biggest construction project coming around the bend in
the Norwalk Public Schools is the new Norwalk
High School, which is slated for a February groundbreaking.
The new school building, which will house NHS as well as
P-TECH on its campus, will accommodate over 2,000 students, according to the
NPS construction website.
In the five-year project, a 332,628-square-foot school
building will be built on the existing Testa Field to replace the current aging
building, which students, faculty and staff say has deteriorating
conditions.
The project requires a shift of the boundary line between
the NHS campus and the neighboring Naramake
Elementary School before the February groundbreaking, though, said
Alan Lo, building facilities manager for the city.
The shift is a “technicality,” Lo said, to make sure the
$239 million project can get the state-approved 80
percent reimbursement, which won’t happen if any of the high school’s
construction takes place on Naramake property.
Students are slated to begin classes in the new building in
fall of 2027, and the demolition of the old campus will commence shortly after
that, Lo said. The new athletic facility and parking lot will then go where the
current high school campus is now.
By the completion of the project, the school building and
athletic field on the campus will have switched places, and Naramake Elementary
School will get a new softball field.
The new parking lot should open in fall 2028, with the new
field, followed by the tennis courts in spring 2029. Between fall 2027 and the
fall 2028 demolition, students
will not have access to Norwalk High School's athletic facilities; to
minimize disruption to athletic programming, students will be bused to use
facilities at Nathan Hale Middle School, West Rocks Middle School, Cranbury
Elementary School, Brien McMahon High School and Oak Hills Park.
South Norwalk School groundbreaking
The next project slated for groundbreaking is the South
Norwalk School — a $76 million elementary school that will be the
neighborhood’s first in 40
years.
The district's construction website said the groundbreaking
is scheduled for spring, with students set to be welcomed at the beginning of
the 2025-26 academic year.
Last September,
the city’s Common Council approved two separate capital appropriation requests
for funding the South Norwalk School project, totaling $4.9 million.
Of that nearly $5 million, $2 million will go toward road
and flood improvements surrounding the property, an 11.7-acre parcel
that is the former home of Hatch and Bailey Co. that the city also purchased
for the school project.
These improvement funds were pulled equally from the free
balances of Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School and Ponus Ridge STEAM
Academy. For the acquisition of six
properties surrounding the new school, the $2.9 million comes from the
Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School improvement project capital budget.
The purchases, though, will be administered by the city’s general obligation
bonds.
The six properties that will expand the construction site
are 28 Oxford St., 32 Oxford St., 36 Oxford St., 38 Oxford St., 16 Meadow St.
Ext., and a 1.13-acre S. Main Rail Corridor, as identified in documents
displayed in an August
meeting of the city estimate and taxation board.
The $2.9 million will cover costs related to the
acquisitions, including the purchases and the relocation costs for the
residents or tenants.
When the school is completed, it will accommodate 682
students in prekindergarten through fifth grade. In its first
year, the school will serve about 580 students, or 85 percent of the
maximum capacity.
‘Beautiful’ new Cranbury School
The old Cranbury Elementary School building was
demolished this
summer and the new campus opened
in August, welcoming students on the first day of classes in this academic
year.
The new $45 million school building opened to community
fanfare, Principal Jennifer Masone said in August.
“We said, ‘Park on the street, make an event, walk your
child up,’” Masone said. “It was a really sweet moment. It was unlike anything
I've ever experienced: the amount of joy and energy around.”
The new building boasts leading security features, modern
construction, cedar decking, stone masonry and natural light pouring in from
nearly floor-to-ceiling windows in airy common spaces — considerable upgrades
compared to the outdated former school built in 1959.
“People just want to be in that space, the adults and the
children,” Masone said in August. “It's so beautiful.”
The principal said new athletic facilities for the school
will replace the demolished campus. The softball field, tennis and
pickleball courts will be ready in “early spring,” said
Lo, the city building and facilities manager.
Silvermine Magnet’s driveway
The former parking lot and driveway at Silvermine Dual
Language Magnet School was always congested when parents dropped off students
each morning, officials
said in January.
In a January meeting of the Board of Estimate and Taxation,
Mayor Harry Rilling said the space was a hazard.
“It’s a dangerous situation,” Rilling said on Jan. 9, 2023.
“The configuration … needs to be completely redesigned so that people can come
into the parking lot, drop their children off in a safe fashion.”
The $1.75 million “redesign of all driveways for protected
traffic flow and parking lot enhancements,” as described on the NPS
construction website,
was completed in August, according to a letter from
Principal Yesenia Paredes.
“Our school has received a beautiful facelift that fits our
community's needs,” Paredes said in the letter before the school year started.
“We can’t wait for the weeks ahead as we welcome our families and see how the
improvements in our driveway positively impact pickup and drop-off.”
What's Norwalk's roadmap for 2024? Mayor Rilling focuses on sustainability, school construction
NORWALK — As the city enters a new year, newly
reelected Mayor
Harry Rilling lays out his vision for Norwalk’s future in 2024,
emphasizing key priorities that span education, environmental sustainability,
and enhancing the overall quality of life for residents.
“Children are the future and our most precious resource, and
I believe that a community that invests in education invests in the
future,” Rilling said.
Looking back at recent accomplishments, he highlighted the
renovations of Ponus
Ridge School in 2020 and Jefferson
Elementary School in 2022. The year 2023 marked the opening of Cranbury
Elementary School, the city’s first new school in over 50 years.
Education will continue to be a central focus for the city
as more major projects are in the pipeline.
“In 2024, we are moving forward with the next steps for the
new Norwalk High School and a new neighborhood school in South Norwalk,”
Rilling said.
Moments after winning his sixth term as mayor of Norwalk,
Rilling declared he wanted to make Norwalk
the greenest city in Connecticut.
“I am committed to making Norwalk the greenest city in CT,”
he said.
Through the recently
relaunched Mayor’s Dashboard, Rilling is tracking the city’s
sustainability efforts and progress.
“You can see how, year after year, Norwalk has been
increasing the number of newly planted trees, as well as newly installed
sidewalks, bike lanes, and bike racks to enhance walkability and connectivity
and protect our environment by reducing our carbon footprint,” Rilling said.
Further sustainable goals include switching to electric.
“In 2024, we plan to expand our sustainable transportation
options by also growing our electric and hybrid fleet of city-owned vehicles
and investing in electric vehicle charging infrastructure to reduce our
reliance on fossil fuels,” Rilling reported. “We will continue to invest in
sustainable infrastructure that proactively addresses the threats of climate
change, while looking for new ways to advance the efficiency of our citywide
waste management and conservation services for residents.”
Norwalk has made headlines across the nation as a
premier place to live. Recognized in 2023 by Fortune Magazine, Livability.com,
and CT Insider as a top city to live in, Mayor Rilling expressed his commitment
to enhancing the quality of life for Norwalk residents in 2024.
“We are committed to continuing to beautify our
neighborhoods by addressing more blighted properties and zoning compliance
inquiries,” he said.
Rilling said he plans to improve the quality of life by
continuing to invest in parks and open space. This year, Norwalk released a 10-Year
Recreation and Parks Master Plan, which includes creating the city’s
first indoor recreation center, adding more pickleball courts, and
improving playgrounds across the city.
“We will continue to offer our summer camps, kayak rack
rental opportunities, field use permits, event permits for parks and more,
encouraging community involvement at parks and green spaces to help build
community and increase residents' overall quality of life,” Rilling said.
Shelton development projects to watch in 2024
SHELTON — Developments are continuing to rise throughout the
city, and several will be getting underway or being completed over the next
year.
Here are some of them to keep an eye on.
Clock Tower Apartments
Construction of Clock Tower at Petremont — a 100-unit
development on Petremont Lane off River Road — has been underway and the
opening is planned by the end of 2024.
Attorney Stephen Bellis, representing Good Guys Development,
said the developers have already seen strong interest from potential
renters.
"We had 100 hits in 10 minutes (on the Clock Tower
Apartments website),” said Bellis.
The development will include a fitness center, a lounge with
pool table and golf simulator, a conference room, a dog park and wash station,
rooftop lounges overlooking the Housatonic River and electric vehicle charging
stations.
Canal Street developments
Work on Riverview Park Royal and Chromium Commons, which sit
across from each other on Canal Street, is expected to begin in earnest this
coming year, according to developer John Guedes.
Site work already started at Riverview Park Royal, which will be a five-story structure at property listed as 113-123 Canal St.
The building will have 13,000 square feet of retail or
commercial space and 92 apartments, with nine units set aside as affordable
under state statute 8-30g, one of the state’s affordable housing laws.
Overall, there would be 28 studio apartments, along with 16
one-bedrooms, 44 two-bedrooms and four three-bedroom apartments.
Structured parking will be provided on a deck at street
level, at the rear of the commercial space and under the apartments, with a
lower level of parking at the basement level. There will be 205 on-site parking
spaces, with one designated for each apartment.
Chromium Commons will sit in what has become a popular
parking lot downtown on the former Chromium Process site.
Guedes said the parking lot will remain available to the
general public until more intensive site work begins next year.
Guedes said Chromium Commons is a “smaller building,” and
should be fully completed within 16 months once it begins.
The plans call for construction of a four-story building,
with first floor retail and 30 apartments — at least three of which will be
affordable units — on the top three floors.
“I anticipate both developments will be ready by the
beginning of 2025,” Guedes said.
Cedar Village at the Locks
Shelton developer Don Stanziale, known for building Cedar
Village at Carrolls and Riverwalk Place, both along Howe Avenue, said he
expects one of his projects, located in Derby, to be done by end of 2024 while
a second at the end of Shelton’s Canal Street will begin this coming
year.
Stanziele, owner of Midland Development and Contracting,
said work on Cedar Village at the Locks at 287 Canal St. will begin in 2024
with the expected completion date in 2025.
The four-story structure on property known as the Ascom
Hasler site will have 129 apartments and 1,745 square feet of retail space.
Stanziale said his plans for the end of Canal Street also
call for him to complete the Riverwalk and create a seating area so people can
look over the Shelton canal locks and the Housatonic River. The new building
would have views of the river.
In Derby, Stanziale has partnered with fellow
Shelton-based John Brennan Construction to turn what has been a long-vacant
eyesore on Minerva Street into the Cedar Village at Minerva Square.
The project, on land listed as 67-71 Minerva St., calls for
construction of a four-story complex with under-deck parking and 90 market-rate
units. The apartments will be broken down into 39 studios and 51 one-bedroom
apartments.
Wilton's biggest issues to watch in 2024 — from 500 proposed apartments to $100M in school repairs
WILTON — The year 2023 brought a new
first selectwoman and new police chief to town, not to mention
the approval
of Wilton's first hotel and controversy over a proposed turf
field.
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Many of this past year's biggest stories — from the news
that the schools
need over $100 million in repairs and the discussions around hundreds
of proposed apartments — will have ramifications for the New Year. It's a sign
the year 2024 could bring more change to Wilton.
These are some of the major local issues that will affect
residents in the New Year.
New first selectwoman is in charge
Toni Boucher returned to elected office in late November
after she ran unopposed to replace Lynne Vanderslice as first
selectwoman.
Boucher, a longtime Republican state representative and
senator, has said she
wants to make "town government accessible and productive" for
residents and employees. Among the challenges she has cited for the town in the
coming year are the upcoming
property revaluations and the school district's capital needs.
School repairs needed, report says
A consultant's
report released in 2023 found that Cider Mill, Middlebrook and Wilton
High need more than $100 million in infrastructure improvements. Now, the town
must figure out how to prioritize and pay for these school projects.
Before leaving office, Vanderslice said the town could bond
the projects for up to 20 years, with expected Grand List growth helping to
offset the costs.
The growth in the town’s Grand List from multifamily
projects and the ASML expansion would likely bring in over $1 million per year
in new property taxes, less than the cost of projected new students,
Vanderslice said.
Proposed apartments under review
Plans for more than 500 new apartments along a 2.5-mile
stretch of Route 7 will be considered in the New Year. Three separate proposals
for housing projects on Danbury Road and Old Danbury Road are in the early
stages of the approval process in Wilton.
The largest of the projects, which comes from AMS
Acquisitions, calls for 208 apartments at 131 Danbury Road. The development
would be 4 1/2 stories and constructed north of Ring's End and south of a 173-unit
multifamily project under construction at 141 Danbury Road,
according to the application.
Wilton’s Architectural Review Board and Village District
Design Advisory Committee blessed
the project in November. Meanwhile, the Planning and Zoning Commission
is expected in 2024 to review the developer's
application for a zone change, site plan and special permit.
Also under consideration is Toll Brothers' plan to replace
the vacant Commonfund office building with 207 apartments. The
4.2-acre property is nestled between Route 7 to the east, Merwin Meadows Park
to the west and the train station to the south. Toll Brothers Inc. acquired
part of the 15 Old Danbury Road site from CD Station LLC in
mid-September, according to the
application documents.
Toll Brothers went before the Planning and Zoning Commission
for a preapplication review in late October and can be expected to return the
commission sometime in the new year.
At 64 Danbury Road, the Architectural Review Board on
Jan. 4 is expected to again review Fuller
Development's latest plans for eight buildings with 93 apartments. In
late 2023, the developers revised their design and scaled down the number of
apartments from 100, based
on the board's feedback.
Man charged with murdering neighbor to appear in court
One of the most tragic stories in Wilton in 2023 was the
murder of Arinzechukwu Red Ukachukwu, a husband
and father of a young son who police say was stabbed
to death in his driveway on Partrick Lane on March 21.
Sebastian Andrews, Ukachukwu's neighbor, was charged with
murder after Andrews' father told police he saw his son stabbing the victim,
according to an arrest warrant. Andrews has been held on $2 million bond, and
his attorney has said that Andrews is expected to plead
not guilty by reason of insanity.
Andrews is scheduled
to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Jan. 23, according to
court records.
Dana Dam project enters final phase
The Dana
Dam on the Norwalk River was removed in 2023, a move experts say has
numerous environmental benefits. But the final phase of the project will
continue into 2024.
Save the Sound, a New Haven-based nonprofit, received
a $250,000 grant to support post-removal management at the site,
continued community engagement and reconnaissance of the next upstream barriers
in the Norwalk River watershed. The organization has said it also plans to
target fish species using "newly restored upstream habitats" and
ensure native vegetation has been established.
Turf and athletic fields
One of the biggest controversies in town in 2023 was
the $1.9
million proposal to build a turf field at Allens Meadow. In part due
to environmental
concerns, voters narrowly rejected the project in May.
But residents should anticipate that, if not artificial
turf, the state
of Wilton's athletic facilities will become an issue again in 2024.
For example, former First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice has noted that many
fields lack proper lighting for night games and practices.
The town plans to install
lights at Guy Whitten Field and wants to refurbish that field in
conjunction with the approved drainage
project for the Wilton High School Sports Complex.
New police station begins construction
Construction on the town's
new police station began in the fall and will continue into 2024. The
new building is going up near the existing headquarters and will be double the
old structure's size.
In her holiday
newsletter, First Selectwoman Toni Boucher said the building will be
constructed in two phases. The first phase "entails making enough progress
on the new building so that our police can take up occupancy around April
2025," she said.
In the second phase, the existing station will be demolished
and replaced by a "much-needed" car park by September 2025, Boucher
said.
The work on the police station comes after the town
hired a new police chief in February. Thomas Conlan became chief after 23
years with the Wilton Police Department.
Town to get its first hotel
Residents should watch for progress on Wilton's
first hotel. In June, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the
four-story iPark Hotel to be constructed on Route 7 on the Norwalk
border.
Although much of the 29-acre iPark campus is in Norwalk,
more than 10 acres of it lie in Wilton. The hotel will be built in the
northeast section, just off Kent Road.
Work on retail component of Cheshire's Stone Bridge Crossing slated to begin this spring
The transformation of a long vacant 107 acre parcel in the
north end of Cheshire into a mixed use complex is expected to gain momentum in
2024.
The Stone
Bridge Crossing mixed-use complex off Interstate 691 at the highway's
Route 10 interchange includes a 300-unit apartment complex as well as a retail
component. The project's main retail component includes about 20 stores
spread across 136,000 square feet, as well as between four and six restaurants,
depending on the space needs of individual eateries, said Dan Zelson, a
founding principal of Fairfield County-based Charter Realty and Development,
which is marketing the the retail portion to potential tenants.
The mixed use development will also include an extended stay
hotel and a convenience store, according to the web site created by Charter
Realty for Stone Bridge Crossing. The retail component will be anchored by a
40,000-square-foot supermarket, a pet retailer and a store that sells bedding,
apparel and home goods, according to plans for the complex and testimony given
at public hearings held during the lengthy approval process for the site.
Zelson said the company isn't identifying any of the tenants
of the retail portion of the development at this point.
"Hopefully, we'll have some good news to announce early
next year," he said in an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media.
Site clearing work is currently underway on the retail
component. Zelson said construction of the retail component is expected to
start in the spring with completion of that portion of the development to occur
within 12 to 18 months.
Construction has already started on Stone Bridge Crossing's
apartment complex. Fairfield-based Eastpointe LLC is building a
10-building apartment complex that will be know as Riverpointe.
A neighboring development of town and carriage homes is
further along in terms of construction and has a separate entrance off of
Dickerman Road, near the Cheshire-Southington border. The townhouse and
carriage house complex, known as The Reserve at Stone Bridge Crossing, is
being built by Southbury-based EG Home.
Robin Lawson, vice president of sales and marketing for EG
Home, said the town and carriage home development is a separate entity from the
components of the Stone Bridge Crossing development, even thought the two
projects will be connected by a footbridge and homeowners will benefit from the
close proximity of the nearby retail.
"We've been very well received by the community,"
Lawson said. The development is being built in three phases, with
four townhouses per building or two carriage homes per
building.
Prices for a townhouse start at $429,000, while the carriage
homes are priced starting at $579,900. Lawson said EG Home has sold 12 of the
16 townhouses that are available and 21 of the carriage homes that are part of
Phase One portion of the development.
"We are now selling homes in Phase Two," she said.
From former factories to vacant lots: Five Hartford developments to watch in 2024
Emily DiSalvo
HARTFORD — One of the city's most prominent developers said in the final days of Mayor Luke Bronin's administration that he has "never been more bullish" on development in Hartford.
Randy Salvatore, CEO of Stamford-based RMS Companies, completed the first phase of the North Crossing development near Dunkin' Park, The Pennant Apartments, and has since turned his focus to the former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus and "Parcel B" across from the park.
These three developments are not meant to be a self-sufficient community. Rather, Salvatore said he hopes it will begin to drive economic activity elsewhere in the city.
"We want them to cross over to be able to shop at Pratt Street to go to a restaurant over on that side, and vice versa," Salvatore said at a press conference Dec. 22. "And that really gets rid of the barrier. It's not to duplicate. It's to be complimentary and to knit this whole thing together."
Development on these two North Crossing projects is set to kick off in 2024, but Salvatore isn't the only developer eyeing the city heading into the new year. There are projects, big and small, entering design and construction phases across the city in the year ahead as Hartford's new mayor Arunan Arulampalam takes over on Jan. 1.
Michael Seidenfeld, COO at Shelbourne, which is responsible for some development on Pratt Street and the Fuller Brush Factory, said the company is "optimistic" about Hartford's future.
"Shelbourne is encouraged by Mayor-elect Arunan Arulampalam's pro-growth and forward-thinking approach to business in general and development in particular," Seidenfeld said in an email to CT Insider.
Here are five capital city developments to watch in 2024:
1 Developer: Randy Salvatore, RMS Companies
Current status: On Dec. 21, Bronin signed the agreement that will allow the development of the parcel of land located across Main Street from Dunkin' Park to redeveloped into apartments, a parking garage, and some mixed-use retail.
The lot is currently uneven and paved with lots of loose gravel. While there are no construction vehicles on site, the prefabricated parking garage is already in the process of being created.
What to expect in 2024: Without giving a specific date, Salvatore said construction on the property will begin "this winter" pending permits and is expected to be ready for some residents in about 20 months. The project will be constructed in phases, the first part including 237 apartments and the 500-space parking garage.
2. Former RPI campus to become housing, parking
Developer: Randy Salvatore, RMS Companies
Current status: In late November, Salvatore closed the deal to buy the 13-acre vacant campus that also includes a parking garage. While apartments are one of the ideas he's proposed for the land, it's certainly not the only one.
Earlier this year, prior to the settlement of the lawsuit between the city and the former developer of the park, development of Parcel B had been stalled so Salvatore planned over 200 apartments for the RPI location. But after the lawsuit settled, he said he's considered other projects including a grocery store.
What to expect in 2024: Salvatore said he intends to start demolishing the 1970s-era buildings on the lot within 30 days, leaving the 450-spot parking garage, which would be part of any future development at the site. He also plans to continue his hunt for a grocery store.
"Ultimately — I'll say when not if — when we're successful to get a grocery here, then that becomes the uniter, as well as the ballpark, that people come from the north down to this south, and people come from the south up to the north, to shop," Salvatore said.
Salvatore and Bronin, along with a slew of activists, have been on the hunt for a grocery store for the area for years.
3. First major development in the North End in decades, Fuller Brush
Developer: Shelbourne
Current status: The former Fuller Brush Factory on North Main Street has been abandoned for years. In between its time as a brush factory and its current state, it was a building where families would go to collect welfare. Now, the site will be redeveloped into 160 one- and two-bedroom units. The project has been called "Bristle and Main," an homage to the brush factory of the past.
"Our entire company has made Hartford its home," Seidenfeld said at the groundbreaking in December. "And it's home because we believe in the people of Hartford. We believe in the people in North End."
Shelbourne secured the funding for the project from the Capital Region Development Authority late this year.
What to expect in 2024: The company expects to break ground on the first phase of construction in January, which will include 155 apartments in the portion of the factory facing Main Street. This phase will last 18 months.
4. Bushnell South project to include residential units, retail
Developer: The Michaels Organization
Current status: The sea of surface lots south of Bushnell Park is the target of a sweeping plan for residential and office space. In June, Bronin said the project may require tax breaks to be built. Officials say the development would bring over 1,800 residents to the area, with more than $400 million in development construction value and over 63,000 square feet of retail space.
What to expect in 2024: The project does not have a distinct timeline because details of the financing for the project are still being ironed out.
5. Mixed-use developments moving ahead in Barbour, Albany corridors
In addition to the major projects taking place across the city, some that will create entirely new neighborhoods like North Crossing and Bushnell South, there are plans smaller, mixed-use development popping up across the city. These developments are usually three or four stories tall with retail on the first floor and residential units above.
A proposal for the corner of Barbour Street and Westland Street in Hartford would bring about 60 apartments and first-floor retail. The development is the result of a partnership between Citadel of Love and Mutual Housing of Greater Hartford. The project is likely to go before planning and zoning for permit approval in 2024.
The city is also working on plans to redevelop a lot on the corner of Albany Avenue and Woodland Street. The includes a 31,700-square-foot, multistory building that would provide more than 16,000 square feet of space to house most of the city's health department offices, a Liberty Bank with a drive-thru and ATM, space for more commercial operations, and a restaurant with rooftop dining.
Spurring and encouraging development of all sizes has been a top priority of outgoing Bronin, who remained hopeful for the city in his final week.
"I think we've planted a lot of seeds that I hope and believe are going to grow and blossom in the months and years ahead," Bronin said Friday.
Darien biggest 2024 plans include opening Great Island, flooding repairs and funding school projects
Mollie Hersh
DARIEN — Over the past year, Darien has seen some major
changes, including electing new first selectman Jon Zagrodzky and closing
on one of the biggest real estate purchases in the state in 2023.
With a brand new asset in need of attention and some much
needed reinvestments in its infrastructure, here are some of the top items on
the agenda for Darien officials to tackle in 2024.
What's next for Great Island?
At the top of most residents’ minds is the million dollar
question, or rather the $85 million question — what is Darien going to do with
Great Island?
In May 2023, Darien
became the official owner of the 60-acre estate — including several
homes, a horse stable and valuable open space — marking the culmination of more
than a year of negotiations.
Since taking over, the property has been closed to the
public. The town has since been working to remove arsenic contamination found
in the ground and improve roadway access, most recently purchasing
the property’s traffic circle following the sale
of a neighboring property, Ziegler Farm.
During a Dec. 20 meeting, members of the Great Island
Advisory Committee said parts of the Island could be open to pedestrians later
this winter into early spring ahead of construction on the entrance. Work on
road access is slated to start in May and wrap up in mid-July.
Some Darien locals already have ideas in mind of what they
would like to see in the future after getting
a first look of the property in October, suggesting walking and bike paths,
outdoor concerts, community gardening and open-air art events.
Several members of the advisory committee said they would
like to offer more tours at a future date for those who were waitlisted or
couldn’t make it on the tour.
Designing new flood infrastructure
As storms continue to worsen, work is currently underway in
designing new systems to reduce flooding in Darien.
Following damage from storms
Elsa and Ida in 2021, Darien commissioned studies into regions that
experienced some of the worst damage, despite not sitting in a flood zone, to
identify what happened and propose solutions.
In the residential neighborhood around Salt Box Lane, the
system replacement would get rid of undersized pipes and bottlenecks, estimated
to cost as much as $6.7 million.
In downtown Darien, the Tilley Pond study would likely
need an
estimated $3.4 million to repair too-small pipes and too-shallow
slopes that added to the flooding downtown.
Both the Salt Box Lane and Tilley Pond proposals are in the
design phase, which Zagrodzky said were on track to finish in January 2025 and
June 2026 respectively during his State of the Town speech. Construction is
expected to last about a year beyond that.
“That may seem like a long time, and it is,” Zagrodzky said.
“But given these processes, state involvement, environmental concerns — a lot
of stuff that’s out of our control — those projects remain on track.”
School budget and renovations hit a steep increase
With budget discussions set to start the first week of
January, Darien’s school district could be facing some tough financial
decisions for the next year.
In November, district officials, including Superintendent
Alan Addley and Board of Education vice chair and finance subcommittee chair
John Sini, warned that there would be a
steep budget increase.
According to Sini, the school board budget is slated to go
up by as much as 6 to 8 percent to accommodate increases in staff salaries,
insurance and special education.
As of the end of October, the district had a deficit
of over $600,000 for the current year, though the Board of Education
has been narrowing that gap with budget transfers. If there is still a deficit
by March, the school board will have to ask for an appropriation from the town.
Outside of the school board budget, renovations for the
Hindley, Holmes and Royle elementary schools rose significantly, which include
replacing portable classrooms with new building wings, brand new playgrounds
and libraries and new entrances.
Work was slated to begin at the end of the last school year,
but the project was delayed by a year. Construction is now expected to begin
this summer once school ends and continue through the school year. The project
is expected to finish by the end of summer in 2025.
The project is expected to cross the $100 million mark, with the HHR Building Committee requesting an additional $19 million to account for additional work and higher priced construction bids.
Stratford developments could add 500 housing units, multi-story apartment buildings in 2024
Richard Chumney
STRATFORD — The town could be in for a bit of revitalization
over the next several years, with the planned construction of dozens of
new housing units, including renovations that will transform old buildings into
apartments.
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Local land use boards this year approved four small-scale
residential projects that will add a total of 66 units across town. Meanwhile,
zoning officials are set to consider several larger proposals that could lead
to more than 500 additional units. Here are some of the developments to keep an
eye on in 2024 and beyond.
3191 Broadbridge Ave.: 234 units
One of the largest proposals involves the old
Dictaphone Corporation property off Broadbridge Avenue. The owners of
the vacant office park want to transform the site into a 234-unit housing
complex by converting an existing building and constructing a pair of new
ones.
“The redevelopment plan is the adaptive reuse of the
property into three buildings, all of which will be residential,” Barry Knott,
an attorney representing the developers, wrote in an application submitted last
summer.
The project is a part of a larger push by developers to
convert unused office space into more profitable residential rentals, a trend
that has accelerated in recent years amid a nationwide housing
shortage and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which shuttered many larger
offices.
55 Sutton Avenue: 154 units
The long-planned redevelopment
of the old Center School property near the heart of Stratford is also
set to see significant movement next year. The town council voted late last
year to sell the property for $1.69 million to Romano Brothers Builders, which
plans to construct a 154-unit housing complex.
The development, which was one of two proposals that were
considered by the council, calls for a four-story apartment building with 134
units plus 20 two-bedroom townhouses facing Sutton Avenue.
“We’re very excited and we’re looking forward to doing
this,” Mark Romano, the developer behind the project, told Hearst Connecticut
Media following the council’s decision.
Town officials have long eyed the Center School site for
redevelopment. The 3.6-acre property sits just a few hundred feet from the
town’s Metro-North train station, making it an attractive location for
developers.
The school, which opened in 1970, was decommissioned in 2005
and demolished
in 2018 with the help of a $1.2
million state grant. Local officials began soliciting proposals to build on
the vacant town-owned site about four years ago.
Though the council has voted in support of the proposal, the
project still needs to be approved by the zoning commission before construction
can officially begin, according to Stratford Planning and Zoning Administrator
Jay Habansky.
99 Hawley Lane: 129 units
The future of at least one proposed residential complex
could depend on the outcome of an ongoing court case. The developer behind a
129-unit apartment building proposed for Hawley Lane has asked
a judge to reverse a decision by a land use board to reject the
project.
The inland wetlands commission, which is charged with
determining whether construction projects follow local environmental
regulations, rejected the proposal after staff members determined the
construction plan did not include enough protections for local wildlife and
safeguards in the event of a stormwater system failure.
Mountain Development Corporation, a New Jersey-based
development company responsible for the Merritt
8 Corporate Park, has since revised the plan in an effort to address
the commission's concerns, according to Christopher Russo, who represents the
group.
Russo noted the revised application includes changes to a
pump station, a plan to restore more than an acre of wetlands, and protections
for vulnerable animals, such as box turtles.
225 Lordship Boulevard: 127 units
Zoning officials are also set to take another look at a
project that should be familiar to some of them. The developer behind an
already-approved apartment building planned for Lordship Boulevard is seeking
permission to expand the project to a total of 127 units.
The expansion was proposed a little more than a year after
zoning officials approved a similarly designed, but smaller structure on the
same site. At the time, the developer was authorized
to construct a 100-unit, five-story residential building in what has
traditionally been an industrial area off Interstate 95.
Chris Russo, an attorney representing the developer, has
told zoning officials that the project may not be economically viable unless
his client is allowed to increase the number of rental units and add an
additional floor to the building.
“Unfortunately, since the beginning of the project, the
economy has changed,” Russo said last summer. “Obviously inflation and interest
rates have impacted everybody. It has also impacted development.”
Approved projects
2590 Main Street: 38 units
Residents interested in living in the old Masonic Temple on
Main Street will soon be in luck. The owners are now working
to convert the historic structure, which sits near the Stratford Train
Station, into an apartment building.
The plans call for the developers to gut and renovate the
interior of the 102-year-old building and construct a three-story expansion
that will double the size of the former temple. Barry Knott, an attorney
representing the property’s owners, has said the apartments will be made up of
one-and-two-bedroom units that will be rented to tenants at market rate.
600 Silver Lane: up to 16 units
The Masonic Temple is not the only old building that will
soon become housing. The owner of a 56-year-old church in the town’s North End
has been approved to transform
the building into a handful of condominiums as part of a slightly
larger development.
Site plans show the developers plan to convert the 2,100
square-foot church into multiple residential units, potentially up to six
one-bedroom units. They also plan to build nine new detached condominiums
directly to the east and south of the church.
The developers originally aimed to build a 64-unit apartment
building on the site, but later scaled back the proposal as part of an
agreement with town officials.
3589 Main Street: 12 units
A dozen new apartment units will soon be available on
Paradise Green. Zoning officials this fall approved plans to construct a two-story
building next to a shopping plaza at the corner of Main Street and
Paradise Green Place.
Site plans show the proposed 7,744-square-foot structure
will replace an existing 83-year-old office building that the Stratford-based
developers described as “past its usable life” due to its deteriorating
foundation.
“The replacement will mirror the residential building on
Paradise Green side of the project, bookending the strip shopping center,” the
developers wrote in an application submitted to the town earlier this
year.
2152 Barnum Ave.: 6 units
A unique project is set to change the appearance of a Barnum
Avenue building that has historically been home to restaurants. The owner has
been given
the green light to build a new floor with a half-dozen apartments on
top of the existing single-story structure.
The addition will sit directly above the Mangoz Bar
& Lounge, a sports bar that is also known for serving seafood dishes. It
will feature six one-and-two-bedroom apartments, according to site plans.
Mixed-use development, library among Manchester's Main Street projects in 2024
MANCHESTER — A handful of town-led projects along Main
Street are expected to take big steps forward in 2024.
Between redevelopment of the so-called
Tong building, plans to build a
new "21st century" library across the street, and a proposal
to overhaul
the streetscape, the look and trajectory of downtown Manchester could be
very different by the end of next year. Each began to take shape prior to 2023,
but this year saw major developments across the board, including funding and
key approvals.
Though the library was approved
by voters in a November 2022 referendum, the town's ongoing projects
have come with concerns, criticism, and controversy from some stakeholders.
Tenants of the retail building at 942 Main St. were critical of the town's
planned $1.75 million purchase of the site before the Board of Directors
approved the move in February, and some businesses in downtown Manchester are
worried about the future of parking
on Main Street.
Mayor Jay Moran said Main Street looks a lot different now
than it did five to 10 years ago, and he hopes that the town's work builds
upon the area's current success.
"We have a great Main Street that many communities
would love to have, and it's just going to get better over the next few
years," Moran said.
Streetscape project would see 'road diet,' potential
roundabouts
Manchester published a concept earlier this year, called
the Downtown
Manchester Improvements Project, that would see Main Street undergo a
"road diet" to reduce the number of travel lanes for automobiles in
an effort to make travel faster and safer while expanding space for pedestrians
and bike travel.
The plan would reduce the number of lanes from four to three
along much of Main Street, with one lane for each direction of traffic and a
center lane for left turns. Other areas of the road without accessible
driveways would only have the two travel lanes and a buffer between.
On-street parking would also be adjusted to remove the
angled parking lanes in many places, leaving only parallel parking. The town
would use the saved space to install dedicated bike lanes, improve landscaping,
and provide more space for community use of Main Street frontage, like
outdoor dining and sidewalk vendors.
The plan would also put roundabouts at either end of Main
Street, billed as a safer, more efficient alternative to traffic signals and
stop signs.
Moran stressed that Manchester's current streetscape
plan is preliminary, as was required to let the town seek funding from the
state, and said that town officials have heard concerns from residents and
businesses over parallel parking, roundabouts, and bike lanes.
As for that funding, Manchester secured
$7.5 million for the plan earlier this year through Connecticut's
Community Investment Fund 2030, though town officials have said more would be
needed for completion of a streetscape overhaul.
Moran said on Tuesday that said the town is in the process
of meeting with business owners and Main Street stakeholders to further develop
the plan, and will hold public hearings to get more feedback from residents. He
said he expects the Board of Directors to decide on a final plan next year, as
early as May, after the latest municipal budget is passed.
"We’ll have some discussions at the Board of Directors,
get feedback from the community, and ultimately approve a final plan,"
Moran said.
942 Main St. could see new mixed-use development
Manchester saw ups and downs with its planned redevelopment
of the so-called Tong building at 942 Main St. and the adjacent Forest Street
parking lot. The town purchased the 0.79-acre property for $1.75 million in
February from WJSJM LLC, a company operated by the parents of Attorney
General William Tong.
The town planned to relocate six tenants in the one-story
retail building located on the property in order to facilitate demolition,
originally scheduled for February 2024. Town officials said earlier this month
that it had ongoing negotiations with two tenants, with the other four out of
the building or under an agreement with the town to move out.
Manchester still plans to demolish the building, but it is
unclear when that might happen. Officials said one of the remaining tenants
plans to move out by the end of March 2024.
The town put out a bid for redevelopment of the site, with
hopes for a mixed-use development, but submissions closed in the spring
with no
formal responses. Town Planner Gary Anderson said last week that the
project would be put out to bid again once the 942 Main St. building had been
demolished.
Moran said he hopes that developer interest in 942 Main St.
and the Forest Street parking lot will improve with interest rates down, and
that development will begin within "the next couple of years."
Referendum-backed library
Manchester began planning its $39 million new library branch
this year, with plans for completion by late 2025.
Back in November 2022, voters approved up to $39
million in bonding to construct a 75,000-square-foot library at 1041 Main
St., currently the site of a Webster Bank branch. Before the construction can
begin, the town must finalize plans for the building and purchase 1041 Main St.
A town committee selected
an architect in August, with an expected design timeline taking 10
months. The architect hosted talks over the fall to gather
public input on the new library, and town officials submitted an
application for $9.5
million from the Community Investment Fund earlier this month.
Manchester had previously secured $5.5 million in grants before the November
2022 referendum was approved, leaving up to $34.5 million to be accounted for.
The bid for development of 942 Main St. put out earlier this
year specified that space should be included for leasing to Webster Bank, which
would allow the bank to leave 1041 Main St. while maintaining a presence in the
area.
Dredging company seeks approval for amended dredging facility plan in Montville
Daniel Drainville
Montville ― A North Branford-based company is seeking to
amend its 2022 state approval so it can build a dredge processing facility at a
Depot Road salt yard along the Thames River.
The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
found discrepancies between a plan it had approved in 2022 and the one
submitted to the town for approval in September.
The difference is that the plan approved by the state called
for dredged materials to be processed on a barge in the Thames River while the
town plan called for the material to be processed on land.
“My understanding is the methodologies that we had presented
in the town application were the preferred method of handling the processing of
the dredged materials,” said attorney Harry Heller, representing the two
applicants.
Heller said Tuesday Marine Management Materials LLC was
forced to withdraw its site plan application from the town earlier this month
because of the inconsistencies and because the Planning and Zoning Commission
had reached a deadline to make a decision.
Marine Management Materials is working with the DEEP to get
the permit amended so it can then resubmit a site plan to the town, Heller
said.
Property owner Uncasville LLC leases the site to Gateway
Montville LLC, which uses it to store and distribute road salt.
In September the two entities authorized Marine Management
Materials LLC to submit an application to the town to process dredged materials
on a concrete pad at the site, which is the last remnant of the former AES
Thames power plant.
No new buildings would be constructed, Land Use and
Development Director Liz Burdick said Tuesday.
The facility would operate six days a weeks from Oct. 1 to
Feb. 28, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m with the exception of Sundays and holidays,
Heller said in September.
A 2022 study from engineering firm F.A. Hesketh and
Associates said the facility would generate approximately 260 new truck trips
per day from the 11.9-acre site, with a maximum of 35 trips per hour.
“The proposed development is not a high traffic volume
generator, either daily or on an hourly basis, but the traffic that it does
generate is mostly truck traffic,” the study said.
Besides trucks, an October noise control plan submitted to
the town by Marine Materials Management listed possible sources of excessive
noise that include bulldozers, excavators, power tools and generators, some of
which exist at the site already. The company wrote in that plan that it intends
to install noise-reducing barriers and acoustic enclosures around particularly
loud equipment as needed.
Heller told planning and zoning commissioners in September
the facility would bring dredged material from Connecticut and other states to
the site by barge.
Once at the site, Marine Materials Management would
determine if the dredge contained any hazardous materials, which cannot be
brought onshore according to state regulations, Heller said Tuesday.
Heller said the dredged material would be unloaded and
placed in bins where, if the material needs to be made more stable, it would be
mixed with cement. It would then be loaded into trucks or rail cars and shipped
to various contractors, which use it for construction projects, he added.
Husband-and-wife team buy 47.3 acres in East Hartford/Manchester, plan ‘hundreds’ of housing units
Ahusband-and-wife team of entrepreneurs from Farmington paid
$1.2 million Wednesday for a 47.3-acre property straddling the Manchester/East
Hartford border, with plans for a large-scale residential development.
Viswanatha Nayunipati and his wife, Radhika Nagineni, plan
to build a large-scale multifamily residential development on the wooded
property. It was purchased from Ruth Stanford, Charles Glode, Raymond Glode,
Steven Glode and Joyce Glode.
Nayunipati, on Wednesday, said he is working with local
officials to develop plans that best fit the site and community, but expects to
build hundreds of units.
Those could be townhouses or apartments, he said.
Most would be market rate, and some would be developed as
affordable, he said.
“We will definitely build a nice community there,”
Nayunipati said.
Farmington-based Amodio and Co. Real Estate brokered both
sides of the sale.
Nayunipati is the founder, and his wife is an executive, of
Farmington-based Niktor LLC, a company that provides computer and internet
services and staffing. Nayunipati said his company employs about 400, most of
whom are embedded in client companies.
The limited liability company used for Wednesday’s purchase
– Saina Homes LLC – is headquartered at the same Farmington address as Niktor.
The properties sold Wednesday include about 28.5 acres in
East Hartford at 90 Long Hill Road and 1152 Tolland St. The balance of the
acreage is in Manchester, at 1769 Tolland Turnpike, 104 Glode Lane and 104-A
Glode Lane.
Nayunipati and Nagineni have real estate experience. They
rent single-family and multifamily properties in Farmington, Bristol, East
Hartford, Vernon and New Britain. They are also building offices and condos in
Austin, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I am building in Charlotte and Austin, why not in my own
hometown?” Nayunipati said of his plans.
Broker Eric Amodio said there had been various expressions
of interest for the properties during the year they were on the market, but
Nayunipati and Nagineni were the ones who “pulled the trigger.” He said market
jitters probably extended the listing period.
Nayunipati said he expects to begin building as soon as a
project is permitted. That could mean starting in one town and then extending
into the other, depending on the permits scheduling.
East Hartford Town Planner Carlene Shaw said the site had
previously been approved for a roughly 60-house development restricted to
seniors, but that plan has since expired. She confirmed planning staff are
working with the new owners to develop a plan.
“We are really excited to see what they come up with,” Shaw
said. “This is one of the only vacant parcels we have left that is
developable.”