Hartford HealthCare plans new cancer center as part of major Capital City expansion
Hartford HealthCare has filed an application with the city
of Hartford seeking to expand its 65-acre flagship hospital campus by adding
five buildings.
The special permit application to the Hartford Planning
& Zoning Commission outlines Hartford Hospital's draft “facilities master
plan.” The projects eyed for the next decade include:
A new parking garage with up to 1,600 spaces and
ground-floor space for clinical and community support programs, totaling about
600,000 square feet.
A new, 470,000-square-foot inpatient bed tower.
A new 80,000-square-foot patient bed wing expansion.
A new 80,000-square-foot cancer center and Emergency
Department expansion, and
A new 35,000-square-foot medical office building and
President’s Corner revitalization.
The garage expansion would be done in two phases and include
demolishing the existing garage at 127 Jefferson St., which is slated to begin
in early December. The proposal also would combine the lot at 127 Jefferson St.
with lots at 143-145 Jefferson St.
The special permit request is on the agenda for the next
meeting of the Planning and Zoning and Inland Wetlands Commission, which is
scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. There was no official price tag on all the
projects.
A Hartford HealthCare spokesperson said in an email that the
organization is "in the preliminary stages of this project and there is no
confirmed financial number at this point."
The spokesperson said there are “many steps as we
evaluate potential future buildings and share those plans with the city.” The
email added that the proposal is “conceptual in nature to show how the Hartford
Hospital campus could evolve to better serve the needs of the community and
improve the patient experience.”
The application comes three years after Hartford
HealthCare officially
opened its $70 million, four-story Bliss Expansion building in October
2021.
That building, at 71 Jefferson St., features 18 critical
care beds and five operating rooms. It expanded the hospital’s intensive care
unit by 20%, its MRI and diagnostic capabilities by 25% and its operating room
capacity by 10%.
With demolition at old train station plaza done, construction to begin on $30M 'Greenwich Crossing'
GREENWICH — The demolition phase at the Greenwich train
station plaza has been completed, and now workers are beginning the
construction phase of the $30 million revitalization project that will yield a
modernized train station, a new restaurant and new retail space on Railroad
Avenue.
Demolition work started
earlier this year at the train station complex, taking down the
defunct Bow Tie Cinema and gutting a row of stores and eateries next to the
train station.
Ryan Harvey, the chief executive officer of the Ashforth
Company, which owns the site, told a gathering of local business leaders and
elected officials Monday morning that the project was on schedule and ready for
completion by the end of 2025. The event marked the construction phase of the
project called
Greenwich Crossing.
Gov. Ned Lamont, citing his longtime ties to Greenwich, said
the region would benefit from the construction work.
"I love what this means to Greenwich, my hometown, and our vibrant downtown. I love seeing Greenwich Avenue come to life, I love to see the outdoor dining," he said, "And I love to envision what Greenwich Crossing is going to be right here." Lamont said he was looking forward to having a glass of wine at the new transportation complex.
Noting that Greenwich is billed as "the gateway to New
England," Lamont said: "This is a big front door to our state and the
entire region."
The next phase of the development will build a
5,000-square-foot restaurant with a large outdoor patio, according to the
development team. New retail space and the refurbishment of the train station
will follow.
The station was originally built in the early 1970s and was
widely seen as outmoded. The modernized station will be recast with
granite, cedar and a metal alloy that looks like bronze, and a large
clock will be installed in the style of a European train station.
Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo called the project a
"transformational" one for the town.
Architect Frank Prial said the work he has done for
Greenwich Crossing was a landmark in his career. "It's the kind of project
that every architect goes to architectural school for," he said.
The architect said the new station would "make it more
than just a place where people ran through quickly to get a train." Prial
said he hoped the station would become "a place where people wanted to
stay, to enjoy and engage and connect with community around them."
Downtown Meriden's black box theater project also adds housing, possibly restaurants
MERIDEN — A 10-year-old plan to build a 600-seat
black-box theater with potential to draw musical acts to Meriden is
being reviewed by the city's building
department so construction may begin in several months.
The proposed 7th House Music Theater at 143 W. Main St. is
in the final stages of financing with a bond closing expected later this week,
said Robert Cappelletti, executive director of the Meriden Housing Authority.
The Meriden Housing Authority and its development arm the
Maynard Road Corp. has site plan approval to build the 55,000-square-foot mixed
use commercial development and is now waiting for the building department to
give it the green light to begin construction. If approved, construction will
last 18 months.
"143 W. Main St. is a pretty amazing building,"
Cappelletti said. "We designed it to meet the end of the historic
district."
The complex will have 54 market-rate studio, one bedroom,
and two-bedroom units on the second and third floors of the building. The first
floor will be designed for potential restaurants, shops and performing arts
studios.
The 7th House Music Theater will be built into a hill and
feature flexible seating, total soundproofing and recording
space. Cappelletti and other partners have allied with booking agent Pike
Street LLC, a Live Nation contractor, and the Crofoot Theater in Pontiac
Michigan.
"Why Meriden?" Cappelletti asked a group of city
councilors assembled to hear an economic development presentation last week.
"Not only is this location mid-way between New York and Boston but between
New Haven and Hartford. They are pretty active in the area. You have a good
advantage to attract artists in this area. And because of its portability you
can have theater, music and social events."
The theater has generated interest with local and statewide
music promoters and radio stations and expects to book 80 acts a year. Schools
and the YMCA Youth Theater colleges and community groups will also be
given available space and dates, Cappelletti said.
The Meriden Housing Authority and Maynard Road Corp.
introduced the idea in 2014 but has struggled to find financing because Low
Income Housing Tax Credits could not be used on the project.
There is a $22 million debt now in litigation on a
2022 preconstruction loan. However a change in federal tax laws allow for
rebates on construction using energy-efficient technology. The 7th House
Theater complex, like other MHA development, will use solar and geo-thermal
construction.
"You will get exposure for all this, it is very
important for the success of downtown," Cappelletti said.
City Manager Brian Daniels informed city council the
venue is
one of two downtown projects that will significantly change the
transit-oriented district and can be built in about 18 months. The Colony
Project is developing six lots along Colony Street to market a lifestyle center
to Millenials who want to take advantage of living near the train station.
The proposed 7th House adds to the linear trail, parks,
airport, golf course and other amenities available nearby, city officials said.
"You're looking at over $100,000 million in investment
in downtown," Daniels said.
Busy West Hartford intersection the focus of state's $7.8 million construction plans
WEST HARTFORD — The state's Department of Transportation has
expanded on its plans to overhaul and reconstruct the
busy Bishops Corner intersection at North Main Street and Albany Avenue.
The plans, which
were first revealed last summer, are intended to make the area safer for
pedestrians. The plans will be the subject of a public meeting on Tuesday, Oct.
22, at the Bishops Corner Senior Center at 6:30 p.m.
"The purpose of the project is to improve pedestrian
mobility and overall operations at the intersection," the state wrote in
its project description. "The deficiencies with current pedestrian
facilities, undesirable geometry, and traffic congestion make this area
unfavorable for pedestrian travel."
The state has also implemented bike facilities, which were
requested last summer by some residents during a public feedback meeting. The
current sidewalks will be replaced by eight foot side paths that will be
equally divided for use by pedestrians and cyclists. West
Hartford itself is currently in the process of creating its own bike facility
plan that will guide them in expanding and updating its bike lane
network.
Currently, pedestrians trying to cross at North Main Street
and Albany Avenue have to cross a channelized right turn lane that has no
crosswalk signal. Then, once on an exposed pedestrian island, the pedestrian
has to wait for their signal before crossing to another pedestrian island,
where they must again cross against a channelized right turn lane without a
signal.
The state's plans would eliminate those pedestrian islands,
creating what they said would be a shorter crossing distance.
"Pedestrian push buttons will be relocated from the
islands to the corners of the intersection," the state said.
"Relocating the pedestrian push buttons and eliminating the islands will
allow pedestrians to cross directly from one side of the road to the other,
providing the shortest crossing distance."
The plans are estimated to cost the state around $7.8
million, an increase from the previous estimate of $5.5 million, which was
before the inclusion of the new side path meant to accommodate pedestrians and
cyclists. The state said that 80 percent of the project will be funded by
federal money, with the rest being state funds.
The proposed plan will require some property acquisitions
and easements, the state said, and construction is not expected to begin until
2027.
New Britain OKs $5.4M in Long-Awaited Upgrades to John Downey Drive
Robert Storace,
NEW BRITAIN — For nearly a decade, businesses on the busy
John Downey Drive commercial strip have dealt with drivers racing on the wide
three-lane road and potholes causing vehicle damage.
After years of complaints from around 65 businesses along
the road, city officials have secured funding to start making the area safer
and more attractive.
The Common Council voted unanimously at its Oct. 9 meeting
to approve a $5.4 million bid for the project by Bristol-based Martin Laviero
Contractor, Inc. The project will be paid entirely with state funds.
New Britain Public Works Director Mark Moriary said the
extensive project will begin in the spring and be completed by summer 2026.
Moriarty told CT Examiner that the project will include
narrowing 1.25 miles of roadway from 48 feet to 32 feet, installing new granite
curbing, creating a new multiuse trail, building new concrete sidewalks and
pedestrian ramps to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards, installing
new catch basins, milling and paving, new signage and pavement markings and new
trees. No rehab work has been done on John Downey Drive since 2004, officials
said.
Business leaders with shops along John Downey Drive, which
hasn’t had an upgrade since 2004, say the work is long overdue.
Brian Bugnacki, owner and co-founder of the Alvarium Beer
Company, told CT Examiner that he, along with his workers and clients often see
speeding and accidents.
“It’s turned into a speedway,” he said.
Bugnacki, who has owned the 26,000-square-foot business for
nearly eight years, said he feels safe, calling the speeding more of a
“nuisance.” However, he noted that it doesn’t create a good impression for
those who work in or visit the area.
“Someone got arrested there for going 88 mph,” he said of
the area, which has a speed limit of 25 mph. He said it’s disconcerting to “be
sitting on the front lawn having a beer” with a client when “all of a sudden
two cars drive by at 70 mph.”
Moriarty said the plan is to decrease the opportunity for
speeding by considerably narrowing the road.
“Right now, it’s conducive for speeding. It’s just too wide.
Narrowing of the road will better accommodate normal traffic. Putting in street
trees will also help slow down traffic,” he said.
Bugnacki, who employs 38 workers, said the pothole-ridden
roadway has also caused wear and tear on the company’s three delivery vans.
“I really believe the [project] will elevate the road, which
is seen as a beat up industrial road,” he said. “Right now, it is littered with
potholes. There is a lot of commercial traffic on it and I know Public Works is
doing the best they can.”
Mayor Erin Stewart, who is serving in her sixth two-year
term, said the John Downey project has “been on our radar for about four years
now as we have been hearing from residents and businesses about their concerns.
… As we know these types of projects are incredibly expensive, so as much as
I’d love to, we cannot just snap our fingers and find funding for these
infrastructure improvements, regardless of how much they are needed.”
Stewart said she worked closely with the city’s Public Works
Department over the past few years on a plan that would benefit the city’s
taxpayers. The project is being funded completely by a grant from the state’s
Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program.