Naugatuck’s Rubber Avenue project rolls on
ANDREAS YILMA
NAUGATUCK – Borough delegates praised the teamwork between
themselves and local officials to secure funding for the enhancement of the
Rubber Avenue corridor and highlight some details of the funds.
The borough was awarded last month a $5.7 million in a
Community Investment Fund grant to improve a section of Rubber Avenue. The CIF
grant will be used for the Scott Street and Nettleton Avenue area to address
stormwater issues and improve the development of the Risdon property, a 12-acre
former manufacturing site at 0 Andrew Avenue. The funds will also supplement
the borough’s current Rubber Avenue project that is underway.
Mayor N. Warren “Pete” Hess alongside state Reps. Seth
Bronko (R-70) and David Labriola (R-131) as well as state Sens. Jorge Cabrera
(D-17) and Joan Hartley (D-15) held a press conference on Monday at the site of
the former Risdon Property located 1 Andrew Ave. They were all grateful to the
CIF board awarding the funds.
“These funds will go a long way towards the Naugatuck
Renaissance which so ably has been advanced by Mayor Hess and his entire team,”
Labriola said as a portion of Rubber Avenue behind officials was closed due to
construction.
Bronko said the grant is going to revitalize the Rubber
Avenue corridor.
“This was a full team effort. This project is going to
really connect Rubber Avenue, our Rubber Avenue. corridor to our downtown
transit oriented development,” Bronko said. “It’s going help improve safety for
our residents with sidewalk repair and help with drainage.”
Hess the borough is an industrial town that started with the
river and after the industry left, officials are looking to remake Naugatuck.
“The land that I’m looking at is going to be a new municipal
area with a new street department,” Hess said.
Hartley said this major infusion into the borough is all
thanks to when CIF was first initiated by legislation in 2021 and eventually
kicked off in 2022. where after the completion of four rounds, the borough has
been predominant in two.
“This program is about unlocking untapped economic potential
and Rubber Avenue is a prime corridor in the borough of Naugatuck and so with
this infusion of state dollars, it will leverage significant private dollars
and businesses will want to come here,” Hartley said.
Cabrera said this was a real group effort across regardless
of partisanship
“It shows what can be done when you work across party lines,
when you work with the state and the local elected officials to make sure that
Naugatuck gets the funds that it needs.” Cabrera said.
In an effort to upgrade the area, the current Rubber Avenue
project calls for a reconstruction of about two-thirds of a mile of Rubber
Avenue from the intersection of Melbourne and Hoadley streets to Elm Street.
That project will include drainage improvements, new sidewalks, landscaping
along the road and a new modern roundabout at the four-way intersection of
Rubber Avenue and Meadow and Cherry streets.
“With this CIF infusion, we will be able to put in place the
infrastructure that is so important to really make this a key stone project. So
this is a great project and I’m very pleased to be with my colleagues and Mayor
Hess and his vision and being the renaissance man of Naugatuck,” Hartley said.
It’s a very unusual Connecticut situation for drivers.
When Route 9, a high-speed freeway, hits the center of
Middletown, drivers can suddenly run into two red lights.
“We don’t have any others on any freeways in the state,”
said Stephen Hall, the state Department
of Transportation’s project manager for the project
that will remove the signals. “It’s a very surprising situation if you’re
not familiar with it either. A lot of crashes, a lot of injuries, and then a
lot of congestion as well.”
Backups go as far north as Cromwell on weekdays, Hall said.
The safety issues with the signals at Washington Street and
Hartford Avenue are so bad that there’s a crash on average every other day and
an injury every week, Hall said.
There’s another safety issue too.
“The signals also make it far too easy to get on the wrong
lane on the freeway,” he said. “Unfortunately, we’ve had fatalities that are
caused from cars getting on the wrong way, and these signals create situations
that can be difficult at 2 in the morning, especially for an impaired driver.”
The solution of removing them will make other improvements
to the roads outside of downtown Middletown, including a roundabout at River
Road south of downtown and a raised section of highway to allow for a
northbound entrance at Hartford Avenue.
The signals are 0.36 miles apart and “don’t just congest
Route 9, but actually cause a lot of the congestion on Main Street, because
cars are kind of trapped with these signals, and they can’t get into or out of
Middletown efficiently,” Hall said.
While the project to remove them won’t begin until 2027 and
take four years, there will be a public informational meeting April 30 at
Wesleyan University’s Beckham Hall (Fayerweather) at 45 Wyllys Ave.
“However, one of the benefits … is a lot of that work can
happen off the highway,” Hall said. “So that entire new exit, that entire
roundabout, can be fully constructed without impacting the traveling public, so
it does help out with our construction operations quite a bit.”
That roundabout is going to be what drivers come to when
they leave Route 9 at a new exit at Walnut Street, bringing them to River Road
and into the city without having to take the highway into downtown at all, Hall
said.
Harbor Drive access closed
The access to Route 9 at Harbor Drive will be closed, he
said.
“And this ties in very well with the city’s riverfront
redevelopment,” he said. “I know they’re putting in NoRa Cupcakes and Eli
Cannon’s Tap Room down there, so it’ll change the nature of Harbor Drive from
an on ramp to a nice low-speed and urban street to provide access to the
riverfront.”
The traffic flow into downtown would be changed:
“Union Street to DeKoven Drive would be the decision
points,” Hall said. “They can stay on DeKoven Drive, still passing Washington
Street onto Rapallo … And then Rapallo at Main Street is where they would turn
right onto Main Street to go over the bridge, that’s the primary access over
the bridge.”
A new turn lane will be added to Rapallo Avenue to
accommodate northbound traffic.
Washington Street exit gone
At Washington Street, Exit 23C, there will be no more access
to Route 9 North and South. “Left turns to Washington Street are being
removed to get rid of the signal on Route 9,” Hall said. “It’s a little bit
counterintuitive, but that access actually caused a lot of problems with
Washington Street and work significantly better if we remove the access at
Washington.”
At Washington Street and DeKoven Drive, “it’ll be a much
simpler intersection than what we have today,” Hall said. “Much shorter rail
crossing, much simpler operations and significantly less traffic on Washington
Street.
“It’s very challenging to get into Melilli Plaza at most
times of the day because Washington Street backs up with so many vehicles,” he
said. “That’s going to be gone by removing that access from Route 9 South to
Washington Street.”
Farther north, at Exit 24, Hartford Avenue, “that northbound
left turn to Hartford Avenue is being removed,” Hall said. “The other movements
remain the same that are still accessed from Route 9 South free flow to
Hartford Avenue. There’s access from Hartford Avenue onto Route 9 South and
from Hartford Avenue onto Route 9 North.”
Those accesses to and from Hartford Avenue will be normal
highway exit and entrance ramps, Hall said, eliminating the intersections with
the signals.
New lane on to Cromwell
“Now once you get past St. John Square, that’s a free-flow
acceleration lane and this left lane from Hartford Avenue continues all the way
to Cromwell,” Hall said. “So we’re actually going to have three lanes north of
the city to help get people out of the city as well.”
Another feature will be a wide pedestrian bridge to Harbor Park. “The city maybe a couple years ago started doing a lot of work with Cooper Robertson, an architectural firm for their Return to the Riverbend development,” Hall said.
The city of Middletown is planning to redesign Harbor Park,
which is located along the Connecticut River.
“We met with them a few times, they had some ideas for a
pedestrian bridge that’s really more of a destination than just a means of
getting over Route 9.”
The bridge would connect with a raised platform planned
behind Main Street. It’s actually part of a different DOT project that “would
likely ride on the coattails of the removal of the traffic signals,” Hall
said.
The traffic signal project’s $115 million cost will be paid
for with 80% federal funds and 20% state funds.
The public meeting will begin at 5 p.m. with an open house,
with a formal presentation at 7.
2 Wilton developments refine plans for hundreds of apartments on Route 7
Monica Salazar
WILTON — Two housing developments located on Route 7 are
seeking approval from Wilton’s Planning and Zoning Commission to advance their
proposed projects.
As both AMS Acquisitions and Fuller Development refine their
plans, they are approaching the final approval stage, promising a future with
more housing options in Wilton. The projects are among a handful
of developments proposed or underway in the area that would add
hundreds of apartments.
At 131 Danbury Road, AMS Acquisitions, a housing developer,
has put forth plans for a four-and-a-half-story
apartment building that would provide 208 apartments. Following their
third public hearing on April 8, the applicants addressed adjustments made in
response to feedback from the Planning and Zoning Commission.
During the previous meeting, concerns were raised regarding
a waiver request aiming to reduce the 10-foot green buffer between the property
and its northern neighbor. Following discussions with the
owners at the 173-unit apartment building nearing completion at141 Danbury Road,
AMS withdrew its waiver application and committed to preserving the 10-foot
buffer zone, recognizing its potential to create a diversified four-season
landscape. This adjustment required a reduction in the building’s size and the
elimination of a proposed retaining wall. Additionally, three speed bumps were
incorporated into the site plan to mitigate speeding in the parking lot.
Although public concerns were voiced about potential traffic
impacts, a conducted traffic study, peer-reviewed by experts, concluded that
the development would not significantly affect traffic conditions, as stated by
Neil Olinski of SLR Consulting during the April 8 meeting.
In the days leading up to the April 8 meeting, the Wilton
Police Department expressed traffic safety concerns regarding the proposed
separate entrance and exit driveways, given the existing curb cuts along
Danbury Road. While the traffic engineers supported separate driveways for the
property, AMS Acquisitions approached their neighbors at 141 Danbury Road
regarding a joint driveway, which was ultimately declined. The developers
pledged to engage with the Wilton police to address traffic safety concerns.
“It is always our nature to incorporate comments and
concerns to the extent that we can,” said Craig Flaherty, attorney for AMS
Acquisitions, at the April 8 meeting.
At 64 Danbury Road, Fuller Development, LLC, is proposing
the construction of 93 apartments near Wilton Corporate Park. The
project consists of eight, three-story colonial buildings and a
2,683-square-foot amenity building, along with various recreational facilities.
Throughout the application process, Fuller Development has
made design modifications based on input from the Planning and Zoning
Commission to enhance the project’s aesthetic appeal. Similar to the 131
Danbury Road development, traffic engineers have approved the traffic impact
assessment for the 64 Danbury Road project.
Due to its proximity to Wilton Corporate Park Common
Interest Community, one of the proposed buildings falls within a DE-5 zone
which would prohibit multifamily residential development. Fuller Development
seeks to rezone this unit to the DE5R overlay, allowing for multifamily
residential development, and has also requested an amendment to zoning
regulations to permit construction on steep slopes in DE-5 and DE-5R Zoning
Districts.
While the developers wait on the commission to approve
their waiver, Fuller Development is also anticipating the completion of a peer
review of the wetland report.
The Planning and Zoning Commission will convene for another
public hearing on April 30 to assess whether AMS has addressed the safety
concerns raised by the police department and to review progress made by Fuller
Development.
Danbury school roof, classroom walls and more capital projects proposed in $10.17M construction bill
DANBURY — State lawmakers later this month will act on a request from the local legislative delegation to provide grant funds that would support a series of school infrastructure improvements, including new classroom walls at King Street Primary, air conditioning system upgrades at multiple schools and a partial roof replacement at one building.
The funding
is requested
in a proposed bill, No. 5183, which was introduced by state Reps. Bob
Godfrey, D-Danbury, Rachel Chaleski, R-Danbury, Farley Santos, D-Danbury,
Raghib Allie-Brennan, D-Bethel, Patrick Callahan, R-New Fairfield, and state
Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, totals $10.17 million. The bill was referred to
the legislature’s Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding.
The funds, if approved, would support 20 proposed projects,
which include a $3.5 million project to install walls at King Street Primary,
$1.45 million to replace air conditioning systems at multiple schools, a roof
section replacement at Ellsworth
Avenue School, an elevator replacement at Rogers Park Middle School, among
others, according to a list of school district capital project needs
that Godfrey shared with Hearst Connecticut Media.
Godfrey, who has taken the lead on the funding request, told
Hearst that the local delegation is waiting to hear from state legislative
leaders to find out which parts of the request will be included in the state’s
final school construction bill.
The district’s list of capital needs also includes a $1.05
million request that would fund the replacement of windows and blinds at
Pembroke School, $800,000 for the construction of new playgrounds across the
district and another $600,000 for the installation of new security vestibules
in 10 school buildings.
“We’re fighting for every single dollar that Danbury should
get,” Santos said, adding that Mayor Roberto Alves “has been very active in
that fight.”
“The needs are there,” Santos added, saying those needs have
mounted “because of neglect over the years.”
Local leaders will not find out whether the funding will be
approved until May 8, the last day of session, said Santos, who also serves
as the city's community relations and constituent services advisor.
Board of Education Chairperson Gladys Cooper, when reached,
said the board backs the projects that are proposed.
“We’re in favor of making sure our schools are safe. That’s
what it adds up to be,” Cooper said.
Cooper said she hopes the bill will be approved.
If that happens, Cooper said, the board’s Sites and
Facilities Committee and Interim Superintendent of Schools Kara Casimiro will
review the next steps.
SOUTH WINDSOR — The mysterious "Project Fin" development could take a major step forward Monday, as the Town Council will vote on a proposed seven-year tax abatement for a $71 million renovation of a Talbot Lane facility.
A previous Town Council agenda listed the location of
"Project Fin" as 30 Talbot Lane, but the final resolution to be
considered Monday night is for a potential development at 50 Talbot Lane, the
19.85-acre property that includes the former Carla's
Pasta food production facility.
The resolution on the Town Council's agenda states that the
development, to be conducted by an out-of-state company named Project Fin,
includes an estimated $71 million of investment for "significant upgrades
to the existing building, equipment, and a planned expansion of approximately
28,000 square feet." The developers, in the proposal, say it is expected
to create 210 jobs.
The resolution provides no specific numbers or percentages
for the proposed tax abatement beyond the length of seven years, beginning on
the grand list after a certificate of occupancy is obtained. A condition in the
tax abatement would require Project Fin to refund all tax benefits to the town
if it does not meet the estimated $71 million construction cost and continue to
pay real estate taxes for at least seven years after the certificate of
occupancy is issued.
Mayor Audrey Delnicki did not return a request for comment
Friday.
South Windsor officials granted Carla's Pasta a seven-year,
70 percent tax abatement in September 2016, as a way to help keep the company
in town as it considered a move to Utah. The company finished construction of a
70,000-square-foot expansion in the spring of 2018, nearly doubling the
facility's floor space to roughly 153,000 square feet.
Carla's Pasta filed for bankruptcy in February 2021, citing
losses due to the pandemic and debt liabilities between $10 million and $50
million. The company was purchased at auction for $26.3 million by
Wisconsin-based Tribe 9 Foods in April 2021. In May 2021, the 50 Talbot Lane
property was purchased for $13 million by NFP Real Estate LLC, a company
sharing a Wisconsin business address with Tribe 9 Foods.
Director of Planning Michele Lipe said in 2015 that Carla's
Pasta was approved for a larger expansion than the company had ever completed.
She said future development of the property could use those existing approvals
to build out the facility further.
Town Manager Michael Maniscalco declined to comment on
Project Fin and the proposed tax
Assistant Town Manager Scott Roberts discussed "Project
Fin" with members of the Economic Development Commission at a January
meeting. Roberts said he met with the MetroHartford Alliance and the state
Department of Economic and Community Development to discuss a company's plan to
"invest between $85 million and $185 million" at the 50 Talbot Lane
building.
Roberts and representatives from the DECD and the
MetroHartford Alliance did not return a request for comment Friday.