Kenneth R. Gosselin
Hundreds of apartments, parking spaces and retail space are in the plans.
And, as another regular season of the Yard Goats draws to a close at Dunkin’ Park, the 1960s data center just beyond center field is still standing — vacant and an eyesore — but a new view from the city’s minor league ballpark is expected at the start of next season.
“We are all working hard on a schedule that should have the center field view at Yard Goats stadium clear by opening day next year,” Jeff Auker, Hartford’s director of development services, said. “On opening day, there will be a nice clear view.”
Demolition, which could take up to six months, is expected to begin this fall, Auker said.
The state is wrapping up its review of the redevelopment plans for the site that include a $90 million applied artificial intelligence center, a $30 million, 120-room boutique hotel and a 200-space parking garage. In addition to the hotel, with a possible rooftop lounge overlooking the ballpark, and the AI center, the garage could provide parking for Dunkin’ Park.
The review by the state Department of Economic and Community Development — known as “scoping” — kicked in after the state awarded $6 million toward the redevelopment of the data center, part of the larger North Crossing development around the ballpark.
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The $6 million in state brownfields funds will be used to demolish and rid the nearly 3-acre property just east of Dunkin’ Park of contamination. Because there are redevelopment plans, the scoping was launched to give the public — and other state agencies — the opportunity to weigh in.
Just one comment was submitted by last week’s deadline, from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. DEEP raised no major concerns, except to point out that the need for attention to managing storm water flowing from the site, given the closeness to the Connecticut River.
Leveling the data center is expected to cost $9.4 million including other state and city funds.
Matthew J. Pugliese, DECD’s deputy commissioner and chief investment officer, said scoping helps identify environmental, social and economic impacts of projects qualifying for state funding under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act. DECD regularly scopes projects that are approved for brownfields clean-up funding, Pugliese said.
“The agency is excited to award funding to the City of Hartford for the remediation and demolition of the vacant data center at 150 Windsor Street, which will pave the way for future development,” Pugliese said. “At this time, DECD does not anticipate any issues that would negatively impact the project from moving forward.”
Hotel may come first
So far, North Crossing — often still referred to by its former name, DoNo, short for Downtown North — has focused on apartments and storefronts.
The first phase, known as “The Pennant,” added 270 apartments in 2022 and has an occupancy of 95%, according to state statistics from June. The apartments cost $56 million to build and financing included a $12 million, state-taxpayer backed loan from the Capital Region Development Authority.
The first half of a second phase will soon add another 237 apartments, plus a 541-space parking garage at a cost of $63 million, partly financed with a $13.5 million CRDA loan. The parking garage will provide spaces for both halves of the phase.
Stamford-based RMS Cos., the developer of North Crossing, said the first of the apartments now under construction should be ready for leasing early next year, likely February or March. And as the heavy construction starts to wind down in the next two or three months, RMS will be looking to begin building the second half of the residential rentals, according to RMS founder and chief executive Randy Salvatore.
“We going to get right into getting going on the site work next door,” Salvatore said. “Our intention is to flow right into the second building.”
All together, the second phase will have 532 apartments, plus 10,000 square feet of storefront space, at an estimated cost of $120 million.
RMS also would be the developer of the data center site. Once the building is demolished, Salvatore expects construction on the hotel and parking garage to start first. Planning for the Connecticut Center for Applied AI also is expected to require a longer timeline.
Construction of the AI center also heavily depends on a roughly $50 million for the state’s “Innovation Clusters” program. The program seeks to promote the expansion of next-generation technology such as AI and quantum computing that are expected to drive future economic development and job growth.
Hartford also is competing with New Haven and Stamford as finalists for funding from the state’s program.
A DECD spokesman said Friday there is not an expected timeframe for an announcement on the grants.
Consequential technology
If it is successful, the city said it is confident it will be able to line up the balance for the AI Center not covered by the Innovation Clusters grant. Online giant Google already has expressed interest in helping an applied AI center in Hartford outfit itself with crucial, rapidly-evolving technology.
Auker acknowledged that some might question pursuing new construction when there is a glut of empty office space downtown.
“It’s an area that incredibly important to the look and the flow of people around the city,” Auker said.
The area around the ballpark was listed in 2020 in the city’s 15-year plan of development as one of the top 10 spots that could transform Hartford by 2035. In 2035, Hartford will mark its 400th anniversary.
“It’s a key point of why we want to develop there,” Auker said. “It will inspire and activate redevelopment around there. Not just the hotel but hopefully makes the (former Rensselaer Polytechnic} campus more attractive and we already have folks that own the lots across (Market Street) looking for development opportunities.”
City officials have said the AI center would be separate from what the corporations are spending on AI — estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. But collaborations with them — especially in insurance and health care — are absolutely foreseen, they said.
The city also isn’t focusing on the incubator space for start-ups that could too easily relocate.
Hartford’s sweet spot is the area between the large companies and the start-ups. This is where new ideas — some developed at colleges and universities — are tested and worked on in a lab using digital tools that are commercially available.
But a key part of the vision also targets training to prepare a workforce for using AI, which many believe will be the most consequential technology in the future, its impact even deeper than the development of the internet.
A survey released last week by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association found that many small businesses in the state are unsure of how to use AI.
“In the urban centers, we certainly have not provided on-ramps, points of access for our residents and some of our small businesses who don’t have the capital to invest in some of these technologies,” Auker told the Courant in June. “So, the essence of this is really to create a center and then make the declaration that Hartford is here to unlock the value of AI.”
That means also collaborating with institutions of higher learning and nonprofits focused on technology “to really funnel that into ways that our residents and our small businesses can get access to those skills and capabilities that AI is transforming all around us,” Auker said.
Brian Gioiele
ANSONIA — The city is another step closer to making a new middle school a reality.
City officials purchased 25 acres of undeveloped land on Pulaski Highway between Farrell Drive and Fitzpatrick Road for $4.5 million earlier this year for the construction of a new 126,776 square foot middle school at an estimated $100 million.
The voters approved the construction and land purchase in 2023 as part of a $132 million bond package.
Superintendent Joseph DiBacco said the School Building Committee has begun its work preparing bid documents for architectural designs. The goal, he said, is to begin work by mid-2026 to guarantee the city receives 87% reimbursement from the state.
“To lose this reimbursement opportunity would be a sin ... we’ll never see this again," DiBacco said.
The superintendent said construction of a new middle school was one of his original goals when he took the post.
“This building has served livable life,” DiBacco said about the mainly cinder block structure originally built in 1936. “We need space more conducive to teaching and learning. We need this now. Our kids deserve what students in neighboring communities already enjoy.”
DiBacco said the main issues focus on state-mandated safety protocols, lack of a student drop-off area and recreational space for nearly 600 students presently housed in the building. The building also lacks an adequate electrical system.
“We discovered right away there was no easy or cost-effective way to renovate this building,” he added. “The question was, would we throw good money after bad?”
The Board of Education contracted a facilities study in 2018, which found that to bring the middle school up to state-approved standards would cost some $15 million. DiBacco said that number is most assuredly higher now, meaning a new school is what is needed.
Three sites were pinpointed, Mayor Dave Cassetti said, but the parcel off Pulaski Highway was the choice. He said the negotiations were challenging but the deal was struck in June.
"I came in (as mayor) to rebuild the city I was born and raised in, that I raised my family in,” Cassetti said. “This project is part of that rebuild. We need this for our kids.”
City corporation counsel John Marini called the middle school build the latest in the city’s focus on development opportunities.
Those have included the new police station, field improvements, such as those to Nolan Field, and the city’s partnership with Shelton regarding remediation and infrastructure opportunities at the former Ansonia Copper & Brass site.
“This had become the land that time forgot,” Marini said about Ansonia prior to Cassetti’s election in 2013.
“This administration has focused on bringing the city back, whether it is the new police station, Nolan field, the new middle school ... there is an opportunity here. It will not be around forever,” Marini added.
The new middle school would feature a 126,776-square-foot structure with 230 parking spaces, a bus loop for 12 buses, a designated student drop off area and three playing fields — one a baseball diamond over an all-purpose field, a separate softball field and a practice field. The school district’s administrative offices would also be relocated to the site.
DiBacco added that he hoped a regulation track could become part of the project. At present, the city does not have a track and team members are forced to use Derby High School’s facilities.
The new building’s space would allow for core classrooms to provide opportunities for collaborative and interactive learning in the areas of reading, writing, math and social studies.
DiBacco said these rooms will feature integrated technology with one-to-one devices. Furniture and equipment should be flexible and movable to accommodate different instructional arrangements.
Core classrooms will be organized by team and by grade. Teams will consist of four total classrooms, with one classroom for each core subject. Science labs and special education resource rooms will be embedded within each team.
Each grade will consist of two teams who will share a corridor with student lockers and will have access to a shared storage room (one per grade), and a shared group study room (one per grade).
The present building was constructed in 1936, with additions built in 1960 and 1980. From 1936 through 1999, the building served as Ansonia’s High School. A new high school opened in 1999, and the building was converted to a middle school.
The facilities review states the existing middle school building is obsolete, and “its age and layout do not align with the district’s 21st Century teaching and learning objectives.”
One of the major constraints of the existing middle school is the undersized site, according to DiBacco, which at 4.5 acres is significantly smaller than the State Site Selection and Design Guidelines.
This results in significant operational and safety deficiencies, DiBacco said, including inadequate parking and inadequate bus and parent pick-up and drop-off areas. In addition, there is insufficient space on site for outdoor green space and athletic fields to support the school’s physical education and interscholastic athletics programs as well as community use programs.
Based on the district’s long range planning process, it was determined that building a new school on a larger site would allow the district to construct a state-of-the-art school that meets teaching and learning needs.
Building on a larger site, DiBacco said, will also provide the necessary space for parking, bus and parent pickup and drop off, outdoor athletic facilities and play areas.
The larger site will also allow the district to construct a new central office space, which was identified as a need during Ansonia’s long range planning efforts.
Middletown YMCA looks to community to close last bit of funding on $16M 'bold,' new expansion
Cassandra Day
MIDDLETOWN — The Northern Middlesex YMCA has so far raised $14.6 million, or 91% of its $16 million goal, for an ambitious project involving extensive renovations and an 8,800-foot expansion at the circa 1928 facility.
The Y is looking to the community and major donors to “bring home” the remaining $1.5 million of the All Together Better campaign, President/CEO Michele Rulnick said.
“While there has been investments in this building over the years, they’ve been hard won,” Rulnik said. “This is an investment this organization has never seen: the size and scope is very significant. It’s been a dream for so long.”
The “bold” plan, a “labor of love,” will be “transforming the Y in a way the Y has never been over all these years,” said Rulnik, who began her career at the facility 35 years ago as the director of camp and child care.
That dream is becoming a reality.
“To know we’ll be able to do something significant that’s going to improve this facility for the next generation is amazing," she said. "It’s been a labor of love."
The 99 Union St. facility, which serves upper Middlesex County and is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and Middletown’s Historic Properties List, was last renovated in 1972.
The 46,164-square-foot building will increase to about 54,827 square feet.
QA+M Architecture, of Farmington, is the architect of the project.
Grants make up a majority of financial support: $1 million in federal funding, a $2 million Urban Act Grant from the State Bond Commission, $8 million in state Community Investment Funds, and $1.4 million in historic tax credits.
So far, nearly $2.5 million of the $3.5 million goal for philanthropic gifts and grants have been received. The final dollars will be challenging to raise from the public, Rulnik acknowledged.
The redesign is focusing on accessibility, efficiency and flexible program spaces. Plans call for an additional 3,900 square feet of naturally lit wellness space, including areas for adult fitness classes; elevator access, and new weights and cardio equipment. The new entrance will be in the back, steps away from the parking lot.
The addition will consist of a three-floor glass exterior, with a new welcome center, expanded wellness center on the second floor, and community space and studio on the upper level, Rulnik said.
There will also be a new space for youth and teens, and enhanced child watch for parents while they exercise.
The child care program will also be expanded
“We recognize there’s a need and demand for more affordable, quality child care,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re serving that need within our community.”
During the 1972 renovation, the Y added the large pool and fitness plus center, Rulnik said. It was a time when women and families began to frequent the facility.
“They needed to transform the Y in a way that was new, where mothers could bring their children, and families could come together," she said.
Minor renovations in the early 2000s brought the fitness center from the basement youth area to the upstairs, and upgraded the lobby.
The YMCA is using the former Community Renewal Team building now owned by Wesleyan University at 44 Hamlin St. for their preschool program. The college donated the space as an in-kind gift, Rulnik said.
Already, the Macdonough Elementary School preschoolers have moved in while renovations are underway at the North End school. All the other preschools will be moved prior to construction, she said.
The goal is to begin construction, which is estimated to take about 15 months, next summer, Rulnik said.
Developer seeks zone change, updates plans for Enfield Square Mall overhaul
Greg Bordonaro
The long-struggling Enfield Square Mall could soon be transformed into a mixed-use community hub, as Nebraska-based developer Woodsonia Acquisitions LLC moves forward with plans to redevelop the property into what it calls the Enfield Marketplace.
Woodsonia has filed a zone change application with the town, seeking to reclassify seven parcels totaling more than 72 acres from Business Regional to a Special Development District. The change would be the next step in clearing the way for a master-planned redevelopment of the 1970s-era mall, which has been plagued by store closures, high vacancy and even a partial roof collapse in 2022.
The application is scheduled to be received by the Planning and Zoning Commission at its Sept. 11 meeting.
In a separate application to Enfield’s Planning Division, Woodsonia has also asked to merge the mall’s seven existing parcels into one large parcel to enable redevelopment.
The proposal envisions a mix of housing, retail and commercial uses on the site, anchored by three distinct “nodes”: a 12-acre residential section with up to 703 apartments; an 18-acre retail corridor extending from the existing Target; and an eastern zone designed for restaurants and commercial tenants along a walkable, “Main Street”-style layout
The master plan calls for 342,000 square feet of multifamily housing and up to 296,000 square feet of commercial space, supported by new internal roads, sidewalks, green space and modern infrastructure.
Developers say the project would generate fewer car trips than the old 662,000-square-foot mall and provide adequate surface parking.
Town officials have already secured a $10 million state Community Investment Fund grant and a brownfield remediation award to support demolition and site preparation. If the zone change is approved, individual tenants will still need special permit approvals for their buildings, according to the project application.
The mall, once a regional shopping destination, today sits nearly 86% vacant and was recently dubbed a “zombie mall” by the Wall Street Journal. Woodsonia officials said the Enfield Marketplace represents a “fresh start” for the property and a chance to rejuvenate a key commercial corridor along Elm Street and Hazard Avenue.
According to property records, Namdar still owns the mall site, but Woodsonia said previously it has an agreement to purchase the property, contingent upon receiving the necessary redevelopment approvals.