Delayed, over-budget Bridgeport flood control project on track for $47M federal boost
BRIDGEPORT — The federal government is expected to bail out
a delayed, over-budget South End flood control initiative, but the release of
the dollars, and actual construction, are still months away.
U.S. Rep. Jim
Himes and a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection last week confirmed the Resilient Bridgeport project has
qualified for an additional $47.5 million, though there are still several steps
to go for the grant to be finalized.
That $47.5 million is in addition to the $40.8 million
previously set aside around eight years ago.
"Had that not happened this project would have been
dead," said Himes of the funding boost, made possible by a Federal
Emergency Management Agency grant program for the prevention of natural
disasters.
The massive coastal flood risk reduction initiative was
launched locally after the destruction Hurricane Sandy caused in the South End
in 2012. Once installed, the infrastructure network of new pumping stations,
flood walls, raised streets and other related improvements are not only
intended to safeguard lives and property, but expected to significantly lower
flood insurance costs, spurring more private investment in the area.
But the hope that Resilient Bridgeport initially inspired
for the South End's future has over the years given
way to some frustration with the slow pace of the ongoing design process and
the subsequent spike in the originally estimated budget.
"Everything that could go wrong, did, including a
global pandemic," Himes said.
He attributed some of the difficulties to having so many
parties — the city, plus state and federal agencies — involved.
"You have all these entities. Everybody has a little
piece," Himes continued. "This would be a much easier project if it
was a one-department or one-agency project. ... I think we're in a much better
place than we were five years ago. But it pains me to just say, 'Five years
ago.'"
Over
a year ago state officials applied for the additional $47.5 million from FEMA.
And the grant is not quite a done deal.
"That final approval may take some time, as there are
many factors that need to be evaluated and boxes checked before we potentially
receive the $47.5 million grant," Paul Copleman, media relations
manager for the state DEEP, said this week. "We’re in the midst of a
process where we supply FEMA with a lot of information and address questions
they may have; in our experience, that’s not unexpected ... and should take
several more months before a contract with FEMA is in place. The back-and-forth
helps clarify the project execution and delivery."
Himes said FEMA wants to be sure the state can obtain access
to several private parcels of land needed for Resilient Bridgeport's
construction. He is aiming for shovels to be in the ground around next
February.
“Were hoping to have all of the pre-construction activities
— land acquisition, easements, design, all of the permitting, updating of the
initial environmental impact statement, contracting, bidding — all tied up
properly in 10 months or so," he said.
Maisa Tisdale, president of the Mary and Eliza Freeman Center,
has spent years working to preserve the Mary and Eliza Freeman houses. The
two South End homes are remnants of Little Liberia, a 200-year-old community
founded by free African Americans and Paugusett Indians.
Tisdale said she is "really excited" that
Resilient Bridgeport is moving forward and that the FEMA money is being made
available. But, she said, given so much time has passed she hopes the plan will
accommodate more recent major changes since Sandy struck a dozen years
ago. Those include the
planned demolition of the former coal-fired power plant, which went
off-line a few years ago, and construction of the new Bassick High
School, which
state officials had initially urged be delayed until Resilient Bridgeport's
completion.
"Could it have gone faster? There's no need to look
back to see about that," she said of the slow pace of Resilient
Bridgeport. "What I think we really have to be wary of now ... is to make
sure it's now updated to reflect the circumstances. ... If it takes a little
more time to really update and revisit those plans, I think it's better to get
it right than do it fast."
Stratford approves updated plans for 100-unit Lordship apartment building
Richard Chumney
STRATFORD — A developer who sought
to increase the size of an already approved apartment building planned
for Lordship Boulevard has agreed to keep the structure at 100 units, but has
been allowed to tweak the number of affordable apartments.
The Stratford Zoning Commission on Wednesday voted
unanimously to approve updated plans from Stamford-based Empire Residential to
construct the building next to an old hotel at 225 Lordship Blvd., which the
company previously converted
into an apartment building.
The vote was held more than seven months after the developer
applied to revise the initial plans for the building, which were approved in
2022, to increase the total number of units from 100 to 127 and raise the
number of floors from four to five.
But Chris Russo, an attorney representing Empire, said the
developer instead agreed to maintain the originally proposed size of the
structure in exchange for increasing the number of affordable units from 30 to
36 while changing the eligibility requirements.
“It's obviously a property that has high visibility and a
great location with access to Interstate 95,” Russo said Friday. “We think it's
a perfect spot for apartments.”
The application was filed under state statute 8-30g, which
allows developers to bypass local zoning laws and regulations — including
height restrictions — if at least 30 percent of the project’s units are set
aside for affordable housing.
Towns and cities can only deny the project if it could cause
a significant health or safety concern. Developers, meanwhile, can only take
advantage of the law if less than 10 percent of a municipality’s housing units
are designated as affordable.
Under the originally approved plan, half of the 30
affordable units would have been rented to residents who make 60 percent of the
area median income while the other half would have been rented to residents who
make 80 percent of the area median income.
The changes approved by the zoning commission increased the
number of affordable apartments in the 100-unit building to 36. Additionally,
each of those units will be rented to tenants who make 80 percent of the area
median income.
According to site plans, the building will include a mix of studios,
one-bedroom units and two-bedroom apartments. Representatives for the developer
have said the market-rate studios would likely be rented at $1,200 to $1,400 a
month, while the deed-restricted units would go for around $800 to $900 a
month.
The structure will also feature a gym, a parking garage on
the first level and more than 1,000 square feet of commercial space, the plans
show.
The building is part of a larger redevelopment of the once-dilapidated
4.7-acre site. The structure is set to be built directly adjacent to a
relatively new 69-unit apartment building that previously housed the Stratford
Hotel and Conference Center.
Empire purchased the old hotel, which was once a Radisson,
and the surrounding site in 2016 for $4.2 million. In addition to converting
the hotel into apartments, the company built a 120,000 square-foot self-storage
facility in the rear of the property, providing a buffer between the
residential buildings and the town’s nearby waste transfer station.
“Before my client bought the property, it was a significant
headache for the town,” Russo said. “It was blighted and the fire marshal and
cops frequently had to visit there. It was a real eyesore with a lot of
problems. Since then, my client has really done a complete
revitalization.”
Russo said the developer will likely begin work on the
building sometime during the start of next year. He said it could take 18 to 24
months to complete the building, but noted that a firm timeline for the
construction process was not yet available.
Connecticut energy officials and their counterparts in
Massachusetts and Rhode Island have received offshore wind project proposals
from four developers: Avangrid Renewables, Orsted, SouthCoast Wind and Vineyard
Offshore.
The developers submitted their bids on Wednesday, and
Connecticut officials say they are reviewing the proposals. Details of the
plans were not immediately available.
The first project developer, Avangrid Renewables, is a
subsidiary of the Orange-based energy holding company Avangrid,
while Orsted is a Danish energy company. SouthCoast Wind is a joint
venture by EDP Renewables, a Spanish energy company and ENGIE, which is based
in France.
Vineyard
Offshore is a subsidiary of Copenhagen
Infrastructure Partners, a Danish investment company focused on renewable
wind projects. That company has proposed a 1,200-megawatt offshore wind project
to the three states, which recently joined in a historic agreement allowing
potential coordinated selection of offshore wind projects.
The proposal Orsted made to the consortium is a project call
Starboard Wind, which would deliver 1,184 megawatts of wind power to the three
states. SouthCoast Wind's proposal calls for providing 1,200 megawatts of
power to the consortium members, while Avangrid Renewables is proposing a pair
of projects — the 791-megawatt New England Wind 1 project and 1,080 megawatt
New England Wind 2 project.
Officials
in the three states announced last October they would form a consortium to
evaluate wind power proposals from developers. Collectively, the three states
are seeking 6,800 megawatts with Connecticut looking for up to 2,000
megawatts of that total.
Now the consortium has the bids in hand, its members will
evaluate the proposals through the beginning of the third quarter of this year,
said Paul Copleman, spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection.
Some time during the third quarter, Copleman said the three
states will announce if any of the wind projects will advance to negotiations
with electric utilities for power purchase agreements. Any agreements made with
Connecticut electric utilities would be subject to review and approval by the
state's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, or PURA.
The 2,000 megawatt of new offshore wind that Connecticut is
seeking would be in addition to the 304 megawatts of offshore wind power that
Connecticut will be receiving from the Revolution Wind project. That project
is now under development and was jointly selected by Connecticut and Rhode
Island energy officials in an earlier procurement.
Connecticut DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said Wednesday
that state officials "look forward to evaluating the submitted proposals
received."
"(We will be) coordinating reviews of any multi-state
proposals received with Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as we explore
opportunities to bring more clean, affordable, and reliable energy sources
online for Connecticut residents," Dykes said.
The affordability of these new wind power proposals may
benefit from an announcement made last week by the Biden Administration.
Federal officials provided updated guidance to ensure that more offshore wind
and other renewable energy projects are eligible to receive federal tax credits
under the Inflation Reduction Act.
New London Mayor Michael Passero said the city will
benefit from Vineyard Offshore's proposal, which may make land fall there and
include underground transmission lines.
"I am confident that we can capture that benefit for
our community," Passero said.
Avangrid Chief Executive Officer Pedro Azagra said the two
New England Wind projects will create up to 9,200 jobs and $8 billion in direct
investment across the three southern New England states.
“At this historic turning point for climate action, New
England Wind answers the region’s call for projects that reflect the urgency,
ambition, and certainty the moment demands,” Azagra said. "New
England Wind 1 in particular builds on this momentum by offering a shovel-ready
project that is prepared to start construction as soon as next year. With
nearly all local, state, and federal permits in hand, all interconnection
rights secured, and a project labor agreement signed with a skilled, local,
union workforce, Avangrid is ready to go.”
New England Wind 1 is a revamped version of
the Avangrid Renewables project that was formerly known as Park City
Wind. Avangrid
pulled out of Park City Wind last October saying it was no longer
financially feasible.