New Haven area economy to get $50.5 million boost from CT for life sciences industry
NEW HAVEN — The state plans to invest $50.5 million to
create public infrastructure and facilities in downtown New Haven to boost the
state's life sciences industry and the emerging sector of quantum technologies.
These investments will be supported by the first grant award
in the state’s Innovation Clusters program, a $100 million initiative that aims
to support research, innovation and business growth in industries and
technologies that state officials expect to be long-term economic
engines.
“We’ve always been one of the most innovative states in the
country. And now the competition is on us,” Gov. Ned Lamont said at a
press conference Friday afternoon at the life-sciences building at 101
College St., in New Haven. “We’re competing against other states, we’re
competing against other countries. And we’ve got to believe in the
future.”
The projects that will be supported by the new funding
include:
$17.5 million for public infrastructure, including pedestrian-focused streetscapes, stormwater management and “climate-resilient mobility infrastructure” to support a new building for life sciences and quantum technology on an undeveloped lot, known as Parcel B, which is adjacent to 101 College St.
$14.5 million to facilitate the development of Parcel
B, whose building would cover more than 200,000 square feet, as well as the
construction of a life-sciences building covering more than 277,000 square feet
at 265 S. Orange St., at the Science at Square 10 property, which is located on
the site of the former New Haven Coliseum.
“At a time when so many states seem to be moving way from
science and technology, Connecticut has chosen instead to increase its
investment in the future, to invest in the places, partners and existing
industries to create transformative growth and impacts for the people in the
state of Connecticut,” said Carter Winstanley, principal of Winstanley
Enterprises, the developer of properties including Parcel B and 101 College St.
Completed in 2023, the 525,000-square-foot, 10-story building at 101 College St.,
is anchored by Alexion Pharmaceuticals and Yale University, and also includes
a BioLabs
incubator.
$10 million for QuantumCT, the nonprofit, statewide
coordinating body for infrastructure and “testbed deployment” for quantum
computing, technology that is based
on the principles of quantum mechanics.
“What makes Connecticut is unique is not just the science —
though Yale and UConn are global leaders in quantum research — it’s the way
those strengths connect with the entire higher education system,” said
QuantumCT CEO Albert Green. “Together, they are preparing a diverse and skilled
workforce that will drive this innovation.”
“By building shared infrastructure and training the next
generation of innovators, we can ensure that quantum technologies take root and
grow here in New Haven and Connecticut,” said Michael Crair, vice provost
for research at Yale University. “These are incredibly promising areas of
innovation, and this is a very exciting time for our city and state.”
“When you look at quantum technologies… it touches upon
every sector of the state. That includes our defense sector, the national
security sector, the insurance sector, the fintech sector, the pharmaceutical
sector,” said Pamir Alpay, vice president for research, innovation and
entrepreneurship at the University of Connecticut. “By putting together this
comprehensive program, you are going to make sure our companies are ready for
the future.”
$4.2 million for the creation
of a multi-modal pedestrian corridor, encompassing an Arch Street bridge and
Church Street promenade, to connect Union Station to the downtown and Hill
neighborhoods
$3 million for programming led by BioCT, a
life-sciences advocacy organization, to bring together civic, academic and
business partners
“We are the voice of 300 member organizations, and that
means countless individuals that need more from us each and every day,” said
BioCT CEO Jodie Gillon. “It is time to put a shovel in the ground. We need to
expand Connecticut’s capacity to train, develop, network and maintain our
incredible talent pool.”
$1.3 million for a New Haven Innovation Center, a
4,500-square-foot space for “early start” projects at 101 College St.
The timeline for the Parcel B and Science at Square 10
developments has not been announced, in part because the design plans for those
projects have not been finalized.
Citing another life-sciences hub, at 100 College St., New
Haven Mayor Justin Elicker argued that the impact of the new developments would
reverberate throughout the city.
“100 College (St.) pays over $5.6 million in taxes every
year. That’s one building paying more than our entire library budget in taxes
in a year,” Elicker said. “At a time when New Haven is working very hard to
address our historical financial challenges, and also there’s a lot of pressure
for us to invest more in our community, these types of developments are hugely
important to helping ensure that taxes remain somewhat moderate and level, and
that we’re able to invest in our community — in our schools, streets, police
and all those things.”
While the speakers at Friday’s event were all bullish about
Innovation Clusters’ potential, the life sciences represent a nascent industry
in Connecticut, based on employment. There were about 25,500
bioscience positions in Connecticut in 2023, compared with around 25,800 in
2022, according to data from the state Department of Labor. (Data for 2024 was
not immediately available.) The dip in the head count reflected layoffs and
fundraising challenges at a number of companies.
State officials were hesitant to estimate how many jobs
could be created by Innovation Clusters' investments.
“Your question about how many jobs this might create is a
little bit of an imponderable because we are literally talking about what the
economy is going to look like in 25 years,” Daniel O’Keefe, commissioner
of the state Department of Economic and Development, said in response to a
question from CT Insider. “But I can say if we’re 3.6 million people (in
Connecticut), we’re trying to prepare ourselves for what that future is going
to look like for our children and our grandchildren.”
In addition to the life sciences and quantum technology
cluster in New Haven, artificial intelligence-focused teams in Hartford and
Stamford are also finalists for Innovation
Clusters funding. Funding for the Hartford and Stamford groups will be
announced at later dates, according to officials in the state Department of
Economic and Community Development, which is administering Innovation
Clusters.
Each submission to Innovation Clusters was required to have
at least a dollar-for-dollar match of non-state funding.
Bridgeport power plant demolition seemed like an earthquake to some: 'Felt the house shake'
BRIDGEPORT — That early-morning rumble many city residents
awoke to early Sunday morning wasn’t an earthquake — it was the sound of a
controlled implosion targeting a
shuttered coal-fired power plant in the South End.
The demolition of the city’s distinctive power plant,
located just off of Interstate 95, was captured
on video as the explosion sent ripples felt in nearby towns.
Around 4 a.m., officials set off a series of charges that
destroyed a large portion of the power plant. While much of the plant was
detonated Sunday morning, the plant's three distinctive smoke stacks —
considered a local landmark by some — will remain in place until they, too, are
torn down next year.
A series of pops were heard before a large plume of smoke
could be seen across the city's harbor as the plant was demolished, and several
nearby residents reported feeling the earthquake-like ripple waves from the
implosion in the early morning hours of Sunday.
"Did we just have a earthquake? Did anyone feel
shaking?" one person wrote in the Ring doorbell app neighborhood section
for Fairfield.
Another person wrote, "Did anyone just hear a loud
bang/crash? Woke me up out of a dead sleep and felt the house shake."
Located along the harbor, the facility was retired in 2021
as part of an arrangement with the city allowing then-owner PSEG Power to
build a new gas-run plant nearby.
Bridgeport Station Development, a New York-based LLC, purchased
the property in 2023 for future redevelopment. Those plans are still
being finalized but are expected to focus on housing.
The
state provided $22.5 million to help pay to tear the old plant down.
Its three smokestacks, including the 500-foot red-and-white striped tower that
is considered a Bridgeport landmark, are supposed to be demolished next
spring. Some
are trying to save the "candy cane" but so far Bridgeport
Station Development is sticking with its plan to raze it.
Much of the plant had been slowly disassembled over the last
few months to remove asbestos and other hazardous materials, leaving a 13-story
industrial skeleton that was brought down Sunday by charges strategically based
on supporting columns.
"They're just going to cut through that steel very,
very quickly," Chad Parks, a partner in Bridgeport Station
Development, said
last week.
The explosion was expected to generate what
Parks described as "residual coal dust" that might lightly
coat some nearby areas like pollen.
The rubble will be removed over the coming months. The soil
also needs to be remediated before anything new is built there.
West Haven OKs $32.9M to replace two pump stations that could be health hazards if they break
WEST HAVEN — The city will rebuild two shoreline pump stations that are beyond their useful life.
This week, the City Council approved a $32.9 million bond ordinance for the planning, design and construction of new pump stations on East Avenue and Dawson Avenue. City officials said the cost of not doing so could have a deleterious impact on public health.
"Generally pump stations are designed for 20-year useful life even though they last longer," said city engineer Abdul Quadir in an emailed comment following the vote. "However, maintenance becomes very expensive because most of the components become obsolete and difficult to get."
Quadir said the Dawson Avenue pump station, last upgraded in 1993, and the East Avenue pump station, last upgraded in 2005, could present a health hazard if they were to break down as it could lead to sewage overflow.
"We cannot upgrade these stations because they are on the coast and in (a) flood zone and need to be above the flood elevation," Quadir said.
State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and federal Environment Protection Agency regulations require coastal pumps to be positioned at least three feet above the 100-year flood elevation in anticipation of future sea level rise, so Quadir said the city plans on demolishing and rebuilding the current structures with electrical and HVAC equipment.
The city will finance the costs with a mix of local and state funding, applying for a DEEP Clean Water Fund grant to cover 20% of the project and using sewer use charge payments to cover the remaining 80%, which will accrue 2% interest over a 20-year period.
Last summer, after city officials realized that West Haven was not collecting any fees for new construction for connecting to the municipal sewer system, the council passed a new ordinance allowing the city to charge a fee.
West Haven has made numerous capital investments in shoreline resiliency in recent years, including raising Beach Street after Superstorm Sandy and Tropical Storm Irene flooded shoreline businesses in 2011 and 2012, respectively. However, the city has also struggled financially and deferred maintenance on city projects for years. The city's finances placed it under review by a state financial oversight board from November 2017 to May 2025, and access to funding for major infrastructure projects was often limited.
Norwalk breaks ground for $2.7M West Rocks Road sidewalk improvement project
NORWALK — Standing on the corner of West Rocks Road at St. Mary’s Lane Wednesday afternoon, Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said that over the years, he's gotten many calls from residents about people speeding on the road.
“It’s always happening, and it’s a shame because there are the schools .... and a lot of children… so this is going to help slow people down,” he said, referring to the West Rocks sidewalk improvement project at its groundbreaking ceremony.
The project will create connected sidewalks fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act for all of West Rocks Road, Rilling said. It will also create three raised crosswalks near Winston Preparatory School, West Rocks Middle School and All Saints Catholic School so pedestrians can cross safely.
"The neighbors are really excited because the raised crosswalk and bike lanes and wider sidewalks tend to be traffic calming as well," said Rilling, who was joined at the event by other local and state leaders, including U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, state Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, Common Council President Barbara Smyth, and Jim Travers, Norwalk's director of Transportation, Mobility and Parking.
At the ceremony, leaders gathered together in front of a mound of dirt to put a shovel in the ground, signifying the beginning of the construction of the $2.7 million project.
Star Construction Corp. in Stratford will perform the work, which is expected to be completed by next summer.
Funding for the project includes a $1.4 million federal grant and a $1 million Local Road Accident Reduction Program grant through the state Department of Transportation, Rilling said.
Once the project is complete, Duff said, more school children will be out walking in the area.
“I live pretty close by here," he said. "I see a lot of people who run and who walk themselves as adults, but I don’t see a lot of school kids walking to school, and I think that’s because these sidewalks are not deemed safe for kids to be able to walk to and from school in a safe way."
"After these sidewalks are done, I think that’s going to change," he said. "You’re going to see more school kids walking to school because it is safer, and it’s safer for the parents."
Smyth, who recalled being concerned for the safety of her two sons crossing in the area when they attended West Rocks Middle School, said it’s important to remember all the people who live in all the condominium units in the area, and there’s a lot of seniors who walk as well.
Rilling said making Norwalk's streets safe has been an ongoing priority and will continue to be so, going forward.
"This is just not the beginning," he said. "It's not the end. We've been focusing on sidewalks, focusing on the complete streets, focusing on roads, traffic calming, making sure that our young people can get from here to there, allowing bicycle lanes so that we can have young people riding bicycles."
Central roof among more than $20 mil of approved projects
BRISTOL — More than $20 million in bonding for several facilities upgrades, preventative maintenance projects and construction of a new animal control facility was approved at Tuesday’s Board of Finance meeting.
In addition to the animal control facility, the Board of Finance approved improvements at local schools and the Rockwell Park Revitalization Project. They also approved some streetscape repairs.
Mayor Jeff Caggiano said the city is expected to see some shared reimbursement from the state of Connecticut on most of these projects. The Rockwell Park improvements will be matched with a grant from the Federal government, he said.
On the school side, the Board approved bonding $400,000 for Bristol Eastern High School mechanicals improvements and $8.8 million to replace the roof at Bristol Central High School.
“We wanted to learn our lesson from what happened at Edgewood School and take care of this roof before it became a larger problem,” Caggiano said.
This February, a leak in the roof resulted in Edgewood Pre-K Academy being closed. Students were relocated to the senior center at 240 Stafford Ave. for the remainder of that semester. This semester they were moved to the Giamatti Little League Facility on Mix Street.
At last week’s Board of Education meeting, the Board approved a $28.8 million “renovate as new plan” for the school, which would have a projected state reimbursement of 84.64%, leaving $4.42 million for the city to cover. That plan will need Board of Finance and City Council approval, but were not on the agenda Tuesday.
Caggiano said he estimates that repairing the Edgewood Pre-K Academy roof will likely take 2 years. Caggiano expressed interest in seeing how students were doing with having classes at the Giamatti Little League facility. He said that he thinks that facility might be a possible long-term option for housing pre-K students.
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“Right now they just have baseball there two weeks out of the year in late July and mid-August,” he said.
The Board of Finance also approved bonding $3.86 million for the Rockwell Park Revitalization Project. Last September, Superintendent of the Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services Department Joshua Medeiros announced that the city was getting the federal money for this project. He said that the funds will be used to renovate the splash park, playground, pool bathhouse, disc golf course and basketball courts. They will also be used to provide ADA upgrades to the trail system and at the Fraser Little League Field.
“Rockwell Park is a gem and these funds will allow us to revitalize the park to provide for our residents and future generations of park users,” he said at the time.
The Board of Finance also approved $2.7 million for the design and construction of a new Animal Control Facility at 100 Cross St. Caggiano said the state is requiring all municipalities to upgrade their animal control facilities by 2028.
“The city recently purchased the new building for $1 million,” Caggiano said. “It will actually save us about $3 million by not having to build a whole new building.”
Caggiano said the new facility will have improved HVAC systems. The state mandates also require an indoor running track for dogs and separate areas for different types of animals such as dogs, cats, reptiles, etc.
The streetscape improvements included bonding $929,750 for the replacement of a culvert on Andrew Street and $400,000 for the design and construction of a retaining wall on Broad Street. Caggiano said that the wall was old and the city wanted to avoid it falling down into the road. It is also in close proximity to Quinlan Park.