CT Construction Digest Wednesday June 17, 2026

Killingly zoning commission passes moratorium on new warehouses

Alison Cross

Killingly — A yearlong moratorium on new warehouse developments will take effect in July after receiving near-unanimous support from the Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday. 

The moratorium represents a major win for residents whose opposition to large-scale distribution centers has dominated zoning, wetlands and town council meetings since January. 

While the moratorium will have no effect on the group’s most loathed projects — a 1.3 million square-foot Amazon fulfillment center at 228 Westcott Road and a pair of 178,750-square-foot and 297,500-square-foot warehouses at 90 Putnam Pike — the moratorium will put a 12-month pause on any new zoning applications for warehouse or distribution centers starting on July 20. 

The architects of the moratorium, former Town Councilor Michelle Murphy and Lisa Danberg of the Keep Killingly Rural coalition, said the goal is to provide zoning commissioners with time to evaluate whether the town's regulations adequately address the scale, scope and environmental impact of modern distribution centers. 

“The intent of this application is not to shut down the building of all warehouses. It's really only geared towards the giant distribution centers, fulfillment centers, e-commerce centers,” Murphy said. “The moratorium will allow the Planning and Zoning Commission time to reassess and revise its regulations in keeping with the goals of the town's plan of conservation and development and the town's aquifer protection areas and to hear the concerns of the citizens of Killingly.”

In a statement after the decision, Murphy thanked the moratorium’s supporters and thanked the commission for “hearing the people of Killingly.”

“Thank you to everyone who stepped up and helped us tonight to get the moratorium in place so that the commission can step back, slow down, and reevaluate the regulations that allowed these two mega distribution center monstrosities to come into our town,” Murphy said on Monday evening. 

The moratorium received support from every commissioner but John Sarantopoulos, who warned that the moratorium could open up the town to lawsuits from property owners. 

Before the vote, Sarantopoulos argued that the moratorium “would not be legally defensible” and “would be viewed as exclusionary and reactionary zoning.”

“Our responsibility is to regulate land use fairly and consistently, not to prohibit uses simply because they are unpopular at a particular moment,” Sarantopoulos said. 

Sarantopoulos also argued that “Killingly already has the tools to regulate warehouses responsibly” and address concerns related to traffic, noise, stormwater runoff, building scale and environmental impacts. 

“A moratorium would discourage investment, push development to neighboring towns, reduce future commercial tax revenue, (and) increase reliance on residential property taxes,” Sarantopoulos said. “Our charge is to plan for responsible, balanced growth, not to halt economic activity without cause.”

Town Planner and Zoning Enforcement Officer Jonathan Blake said moratoriums are not a new concept. Blake said the town adopted a moratorium on subdivisions in 2010 and a moratorium on cannabis establishments in 2021 to reevaluate its zoning regulations. 

“It is a planning action that has been done historically in the town,” Blake said. 

According to its language, the warehouse moratorium will prohibit developers from filing new applications for “distribution centers, fulfillment centers, e-commerce centers, truck and freight terminals” in the town’s general commercial, mixed-use interchange, business park or mill mixed-use development districts until June 30, 2027. 

The moratorium received a unanimous endorsement from the Town Council. 

“At least this is an attempt to try to look at the regulations again,” Town Council Chairman Ed Grandelski. “If we say ‘There’s no issue,’ then everybody who’s come forward the last five months was for naught.”

Councilor Ulla Tiik-Barclay noted that beyond height requirements and a mandatory 50-foot setback from residential property lines, the zoning regulations do not set standards for building square footage. 

“There’s no restrictions, there’s no limits, it’s just a wide open door for these developers to come in and level the town,” Tiik-Barclay said. 

Resident Jasmine Berti said that the upcoming warehouse developments will be "the stepping stone to what we allow in our town."

"This is our last green valley, and if we let these people come in and do warehouse after warehouse, we're going to have nothing left," Berti said. "You can't come back from that."

Greenwich approves new $41.2 million Dorothy Hamill ice skating rink after years of debate

Eric Bedner

GREENWICH — Despite objections from some, members of Greenwich’s Representative Town Meeting overwhelmingly gave final approval to a new $41.2 million Dorothy Hamill ice skating rink.

The project also calls for a complete redesign of Eugene Morlot Memorial Park, including relocating a baseball field, adding parking and creating a new entrance and exit.

Following a lengthy and sometimes contentious debate on Monday, the proposal passed after a 159-32 vote, with 13 abstaining.

While the majority of speakers supported the project, many of the critics argued the proposal should be rejected, citing a lack of transparency, impact to residents adjacent to the park, potential adverse impacts to open recreation space, and potential for costs to increase significantly.

Proposals to build a new rink at the former teen center on Arch Street were reviewed and voted down twice by the Hamill rink task force, due largely to the property being in a flood zone, RTM Finance Committee Chairman Scott Kalb said.

Many RTM committees, including the Finance Committee, voted unanimously to approve the project.

In the case of the Finance Committee, “the committee did not see any material reasons to justify the rejection” of the proposal, Kalb said.

Regarding transparency, First Selectman Fred Camillo said the Hamill rink task force had 38 public meetings and two public hearings, providing ample time for input. 

“There has not been a more transparent and more vetted project in the last 50 years than this rink,” he said. “This task force looked at every single possibility.”

Task force member Steph Cowie said the group received “hundreds of letters in support of this site,” and the town’s plan of conservation and development was “a dominant factor.”

“This project is about finally delivering a safe, modern gathering place for our children, families, veterans, athletes and residents of all abilities,” she said.

Hockey coach and resident Neal Rich said the plan improves the community, “turning a location into a destination that is on par with representing Greenwich, CT.”

Public Works Commissioner James Michel said his department worked for a year and a half to address concerns raised by the public, and also heard “overwhelming support” from the RTM when members voted to fully fund the project when deciding on the town’s budget last month.

He said input from the public will continue to be welcome over the final design period in the next several months before breaking ground sometime in 2027.

Peter Berg, one of the most vocal opponents of the project, called supporters of the proposal “suckers” for buying into an idea he claims will cost taxpayers more money than necessary.

The RTM member also said the task force was a “sham” that ignored his ideas.

“There is something seriously wrong with a municipal improvement process that ignored a lower-cost plan, the one with less impact on cross-town traffic and more affordable skating fees,” Berg said. “You should be outraged. I am outraged.”

Moderator Alexis Voulgaris reprimanded some speakers, including Berg, during the meeting for their lack of decorum.

Last month, RTM members from Districts 9 and 10 attempted to cut $38.5 million from the rink project — leaving only $2.7 million for final planning and architectural designs — but the measure failed by a margin of roughly 90 votes.

Those in favor of the cut argued the approval of both design and construction costs at the same time limits the oversight of the RTM as the project advances and costs potentially increase.

Members against cutting rink funding, however, said the project has been thoroughly vetted, will provide a safe and modern space for residents and visitors, and was the result of a transparent process.

Gold medal Olympian and local legend Dorothy Hamill — and namesake of the current rink — voiced her support for the project during a Board of Estimate and Taxation public hearing in March.

Federal funds bring Hamden closer to new emergency operations center, fire station

Brian Zahn

HAMDEN — Just like the complex network of first responders who have to work together during an emergency, the town of Hamden and the state are collaborating to help create a new emergency operations center in town.

On Tuesday, Hamden received over $1 million in earmarked federal funds for a new emergency operations center, to be located at a planned new fire station in the southern part of the town.

“This is a result of years of cooperation and of partnership between the residents of Hamden, elected officials and emergency services personnel,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro at the Tuesday morning press conference in the Memorial Town Hall rotunda. “We are celebrating today.” 

The total project — including both the fire station and the emergency operations center — is expected to cost about $17 million. Town Engineer Stephen White said the federal funds bring the amount raised for the project, known as Fire Station 2, to $13 million. The new structure will be at 466 Putnam Ave. and construction is slated to begin in late 2027.  

DeLauro said the town completed a comprehensive feasibility study and secured the necessary matching funds before the procurement of the federal funds to make it “a shovel-ready project.”

She said the $1.03 million in federal dollars will support “a comprehensive update and renovation” of the town’s emergency operations center that will provide “a nerve center during emergencies” for police, fire and rescue crews with new technology and communications equipment, flexible work stations and “state-of-the-art audiovisual systems allowing real-time information sharing between field operations and the command staff with the specialized technology they need” around the clock.

Currently, the town has an emergency operations center located within its police department, but town officials said the space is not large enough to accommodate modern technology or communications systems and is not readily accessible, as the police station is a secure building which requires an escort. However, Fire Chief Shelly Carter said there is not always someone working the front desk at the station around the clock, which can deter and delay representatives from utility companies seeking to access the center.

Mayor Adam Sendroff said that the Fire Station 2 project is a key priority of his administration. Sendroff, who is in his first term, is serving the town’s first four-year mayoral term after residents voted to amend the charter in 2022.

CT Construction Digest Tuesday June 16, 2026

After Great Recession and pandemic setbacks, CT construction employment reaches highest level since 2008

Michael Puffer

Nearly two decades after the Great Recession devastated Connecticut’s construction industry, employment in the sector has climbed to its highest level since before the housing market collapse.

Connecticut’s construction workforce reached 65,200 workers in April, its highest level since 2008, according to seasonally adjusted state labor data.

Industry leaders credit the milestone to years of workforce development efforts, infrastructure investment and a growing pipeline of public- and private-sector projects.

“The volume of really nice projects — large, complex healthcare, higher ed, K-12, housing and whatnot — is far beyond what I’ve seen in my 20 years in this market,” said Eric Cushman, a vice president leading Gilbane Building Co.’s Connecticut operations. “The demand is coming across all market sectors at a collectively impressive scale.”

The national construction and real estate development firm’s Connecticut revenue has grown by nearly 70% since 2021, Cushman said. As a result, Gilbane has expanded its Connecticut workforce by about 10% over the past year, to 130 employees, and continues to hire project managers, engineers and superintendents.

Much of the hiring is aimed at meeting future demand. While Gilbane’s workload in Connecticut has remained consistently strong in 2025 and 2026, Cushman said the company expects even more activity over the next three years based on current inquiries and requests.

He said the growing pipeline includes projects across a range of sectors, from publicly funded infrastructure and institutional work to private development, reflecting what he sees as continued economic growth in Connecticut.

This April’s construction employment number was the highest since April 2008, when the industry employed 67,600 people, according to the Connecticut Department of Labor.

Employment plunged during the Great Recession, falling to 50,500 in April 2010 as the collapse of housing and mortgage markets rippled through the economy.

Construction employment gradually recovered over the following decade, climbing back above 60,000 by 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic briefly reversed that progress, pushing employment down to 49,400 in April 2020, before the industry resumed a steady recovery.

Infrastructure spending bears fruit

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said employment in highway, street and bridge construction is at its highest level in more than a decade. In July 2025, there were 7,700 people employed in highway construction, a 15-year high, Eucalitto said.

Federal and state transportation spending in Connecticut has trended upward over the past dozen years, doubling from $1.3 billion in fiscal 2014 to a planned $2.69 billion in the current fiscal year.

Transportation projects take many years to design, permit and fund, Eucalitto said. As a result, many of today’s projects can be traced back to investments made a decade ago.

In 2015, state lawmakers and Gov. Dannel Malloy approved the $2.8 billion “Let’s Go CT” transportation bonding package, a long-term initiative aimed at modernizing the state’s infrastructure.

The funding supported planning and design work for projects that later became eligible for federal dollars under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. State lawmakers also increased Connecticut’s transportation borrowing cap, allowing the state to secure matching funds needed to maximize federal aid, Eucalitto said.

Those investments helped advance major transportation projects, including the seven-year, $712 million reconstruction of the interchange connecting interstates 91 and 691 with Route 15 in Meriden.

Donald Shubert, president of the Connecticut Construction Industries Association, credited the sector’s growth to a combination of federal infrastructure spending, increased state transportation investment and rising private-sector development.

“You take all these things together, you’ve got a tremendous amount of momentum going in Connecticut right now,” Shubert said.

He also credited a culture change at the state Department of Transportation with accelerating project delivery after years of sluggish activity.

“The department has changed its focus,” Shubert said. “They’re finding the balance where you can get all your compliance done and still get projects on the street.”

Despite the employment milestone, Shubert said he does not believe the industry has reached its ceiling. Connecticut contractors, material suppliers and construction firms still have capacity to take on additional work, he said.

Marc Okun, Connecticut regional manager for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, said interest in the trades has risen along with construction activity.

Attendance at the union’s monthly information sessions at its Wallingford training center has nearly doubled over the past year, regularly drawing between 80 and 100 people, compared with roughly 40 to 50 previously.

Concerns about automation and artificial intelligence, combined with student debt and uncertainty about traditional career paths, are helping drive interest, Okun said.

The carpenters’ union’s membership has increased by roughly 2.5% over the past year, to about 3,000 members, he added.

Economic momentum

Daniel O’Keefe, commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, said the state’s economy hit a turning point in 2018 and has since grown by nearly $100 billion.

Housing permits, business investment and growth in industries ranging from advanced manufacturing and professional services to healthcare and finance are all up, he said.

“That’s the market betting on the forward Connecticut economy,” O’Keefe said.

In a March blog post, O’Keefe noted that Connecticut’s 18.3% increase in housing permits in 2025 was the fastest percentage growth in the nation.

He expects continued investment as businesses and developers respond to growing economic activity.

“I do fundamentally believe we are in a positive self-amplification cycle right now,” he said.

Bill Jodice, owner of Bloomfield-based PDS Engineering & Construction, said projects delayed by the pandemic, supply chain disruptions and inflation are now moving forward.

“We’re really busy and we may even do much more than $70 million (in revenue) this year, but I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch,” Jodice said.

Moderating inflation has helped restore investor confidence, he said.

“Once it was down around 3% for a while, then people got comfortable. And then I think it opened the floodgates,” Jodice said.

His 45-person firm typically manages about 15 commercial projects at a time, including warehouses, municipal and medical facilities, schools and apartment developments. Projects can range from $2 million jobs lasting several months to $50 million developments spanning multiple years.

He sees work everywhere he turns.

“It’s not just commercial vertical construction,” Jodice noted. “You drive down any highway in the state or roads, and there’s always construction signs everywhere. You’re always going around some kind of road work. That’s employing a lot of people right there.”

Despite the industry’s recent growth, Eucalitto said future construction activity will depend in part on continued federal investment.

The current five-year federal transportation funding bill expires this year. Eucalitto said a version of its replacement being advanced in Congress would not keep pace with inflation, potentially reducing future buying power for transportation projects.

“We’re talking about a 0.5% increase in growth in funding, which ensures that we would go backwards,” Eucalitto said.

$50 billion bridge-and-tunnel plan to connect Connecticut and Long Island gets renewed push

Austin Mirmina 

HARTFORD — Supporters of a proposed bridge across Long Island Sound say they plan to renew their push for a feasibility study next legislative session, arguing the $50 billion project deserves a closer look. 

State Rep. Joseph Hoxha, R-Bristol, who sponsored a similar measure that failed to advance earlier this year, said Monday he plans to reintroduce the legislation when lawmakers convene in January 2027. He emphasized that “nothing is set in stone” as it relates to the project’s final cost and other details.

The announcement came during an informational session at the Legislative Office Building hosted by Fairfield County developer Stephen Shapiro, who recently unveiled a new bridge-and-tunnel design for the crossing. The proposal would link Bridgeport to Long Island and, advocates say, shorten commutes, reduce traffic congestion and generate billions of dollars in economic activity, among other purported benefits.

The proposal is a long way from becoming reality and has so far struggled to gain traction with key decision-makers. In March, members of the General Assembly’s Commerce Committee shelved legislation calling for a feasibility study. Gov. Ned Lamont, who was invited to Monday’s session but did not attend, has also expressed skepticism.

Shapiro and other supporters said Monday the state should not dismiss the ambitious idea without first studying its merits. They compared the proposal to other massive undertakings that once seemed impossible, such as the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.

“This isn’t the first idea that people think is a pipe dream,” Shapiro said. “The moon landing was a lot more crazy back then than the bridge is now.”

The latest design calls for a 12-mile bridge with mile-long underwater tunnels at both ends. Shapiro showcased renderings of his new design that were generated with artificial intelligence.

Many of Shapiro’s images have been made with AI. He noted Monday that detailed engineering plans would come later.

“We’re at the point now where the studies need to get going, and once the studies get going, you hire the professionals to do the engineering,” he said.

A Sound crossing would cut commutes from more than two hours to about 15 minutes, Shapiro said. By easing congestion on existing highways, he said, it would also reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality.

He also contends the bridge, once paid off, would generate $3 billion to $5 billion in annual revenue for Connecticut and New York, while creating tens of thousands of jobs in construction, tourism and freight.

Shapiro, a Bridgeport native who now lives in Easton, said the crossing would provide a major economic boost to the Park City by leveraging its location in the tri-state region.

The project will cost about $50 billion, Shapiro estimates. Most of that would be covered through private and federal funding, with Connecticut and New York each chipping in 2.5%, according to the project’s website.

It would take about five years to secure the necessary approvals and another five to 10 years to build, he said, acknowledging there “could be some litigation” from environmental groups that causes delays.

The idea of a Long Island Sound crossing dates at least to 1938, when U.S. Sen. Royal Copeland, a New York Democrat, proposed an 18-mile bridge linking Long Island to either Connecticut or Rhode Island. The concept has resurfaced repeatedly since then, including in 2021, when North Atlantic Rail proposed a tunnel between Port Jefferson, N.Y., and Milford, Conn., as part of a high-speed rail line connecting New York City and Boston.

None advanced beyond the planning and feasibility stages, derailed by concerns over cost, environmental impacts and political opposition.

In 2017, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo  for a Long Island Sound crossing. A similar study in Connecticut “should be significantly less” because much of the groundwork has already been done, Shapiro said.

“We can take that data and just prorate it out,” he said. 

Supporters argued Monday that worsening traffic makes the project more urgent than ever.

Stamford ranked as the 17th-most traffic-congested city in the United States and the 63rd most congested in the world, according to a December 2025 study by transportation analytics firm Inrix. Another Inrix study identified the southbound stretch of I-95 from Westport through Greenwich as the busiest interstate corridor in the country in 2024.

“Our traffic is a huge problem,” Shapiro said. “People are not home for dinner with their families because of our traffic. It’s the worst in the country." 

Anthony Afriyie, president of the Stratford Town Council, said the state should be willing to consider any proposal that could help ease the strain that heavy traffic places on households, employers, roadways and ports, rather than dismissing it outright.

“A feasibility study is not a ribbon-cutting. It’s not a blank check. It’s not a commitment to build regardless of the consequences,” said Afriyie, a Democrat. “It’s a disciplined first step that responsible government takes before making major decisions.”

State Sen. Ryan Fazio of Greenwich, the Republican-endorsed candidate for governor, said he attended Monday’s meeting because he was “genuinely here to learn.” While he stopped short of endorsing the proposal, he said a project of that magnitude should at least get a feasibility study.

“They’re advocating for a study, not to do the job tomorrow,” Fazio said. “But a study is what you need on something like this.”

Tweed New Haven Airport to outline expansion plans at annual community meeting Tuesday

Mark Zaretsky

NEW HAVEN — Neighbors of Tweed New Haven Airport will have an opportunity to learn more about the airport's expansion plans and ask questions about operations, ongoing projects and long-term planning efforts during Tweed's annual Ward 18 Community Meeting Tuesday night. 

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. and runs to 8 p.m. at Nathan Hale School, 80 Townsend Ave.

“Public assets like HVN belong to the communities they serve — and the residents who show up to these meetings are exercising a civic responsibility that makes this airport better.” said Robert Reed, chairman of the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority. 

“We are grateful for that engagement, and for the residents and stakeholders who make the time to be part of this meeting every year,” Reed said. 

“Maintaining an open dialogue with our surrounding neighborhoods has been a priority at every stage of the airport’s growth,” said Michael Jones, CEO of The New HVN, a subsidiary of airport operator Avports LLC which runs Tweeds.

 “This annual meeting is an opportunity to share additional updates, provide clarity, hear directly from residents, and continue building the strong community relationships that make responsible growth possible,” Jones said.

Among the topics that will be covered in the meeting are a review of 2025-2026 that will cover concerns raised by residents and stakeholders over the past year, including a summary of the improvements, investments and operational changes implemented to address key issues, including traffic and parking management, noise mitigation, air quality initiatives and community engagement.

Airport and Avports officials also will give a presentation on the Memorandum of Understanding between Tweed, East Haven and New Haven and the collaborative framework guiding future airport planning and community investments.

That will be followed by a community question-and-answer session, with an open discussion focused on current airport operations, future planning efforts and topics related to the MOU and community questions and feedback.

The latest deal to expand Tweed New Haven Airport, announced in early April  — and then unanimously approved by the airport authority — infuriated some longtime opponents.

For more information about the airport and future community events, visit: https://flytweed.com/community/.

CT Construction Digest Monday June 15, 2026

Deal appears to advance Costco mega-warehouses in CT. Traffic a worry: ‘Awful lot of trucks here’

Don Stacom

Barely two months after Costco sued a town for blocking two proposed mega-warehouses, the town agreed to a negotiated settlement that will probably let plans for both buildings move ahead.

Plainfield’s planning and zoning commission in March turned down Costco’s plan for an accessway to its planned 1.1-million-square-foot freight depot in Canterbury, a decision that also stopped the company from building a second, relatively similar building on Plainfield land nearby.

If a court approves the settlement, Costco would move much closer to being able to construct the Canterbury depot. But the second component, the 1.1-million-square-foot Plainfield distribution center, wouldn’t be guaranteed because Costco would still have to go through a special permit review.

In the settlement, Costco agreed to some changes in landscaping and a long driveway from Route 12 to address complaints from neighbors. But there is still widespread public concern that several hundred trips a day by tractor trailers will severely worsen traffic on Route 12 and other nearby roads.

Costco plans a 1.1 million-square-foot of warehouse space split between two separate buildings next to each other, with one in Canterbury and the other in Plainfield. Canterbury has already approved its half, which would receive wholesale deliveries from suppliers and warehouse them before they’re shipped to Costco’s stores. Costco describes the Plainfield building as a distribution center that would process online orders.

Many Plainfield residents have balked at the prospect of clearing scores of acres of vacant fields and former farmland to accommodate two enormous buildings, fleets of trucks and sprawling parking fields. But others say the projects offer hundreds of jobs as well as major new tax revenue; Costco has estimated the Canterbury side alone will yield more than $750,000 a year for that town.

When Plainfield’s zoning commission rejected a zone change by a 3-2 vote in March, it affected both halves of the project since the best access to the Canterbury land is across property on the Plainfield side. Costco and the owners of four large tracts in Plainfield sued, saying commissioners ignored evidence at hearings.

When he laid out terms of the proposed settlement this week, Plainfield Town Attorney Mark Branse told commissioners that the deal allows them to lock in some specific promises from Costco that legally couldn’t be required during the standard review for a zone change request.

Branse also emphasized that while the public doesn’t get a voice about the settlement proposal, residents will get to speak about the project itself when Costco undergoes a hearing for its special permit request.

Rep. Doug Dubitsky, R-Chaplin, this week said he’s available to help Canterbury or Plainfield officials if they want to speak with state transportation officials about infrastructure improvements that might reduce the traffic impact.

“My concern is finding a way to get the trucks in and out without danger or clogging up the roads,” Dubitsky said.

“Many Plainfield people are concerned because they already have (large, new distribution centers from) Amazon and Staples, and they just got Uline. There’s also the tire-shredding plant and the wood gasification plant. There’s an awful lot of trucks here already.

“If the towns want some engineering on Route 12 or the intersection of Lathrop and Route 12, I’m here to help,” he said. “You can’t deliver anything without going through that intersection, and if you add a few hundred more truck (daily) there will be problems.”

Construction begins on 150 apartments along Connecticut River in East Hartford

Joseph Villanova

EAST HARTFORD — Construction has begun on a 150-unit apartment project along the Connecticut River, with leasing expected to begin next year.

West Hartford-based developer Simon Konover, in a partnership with Fairfield-based Eastpointe LLC, plans to build 150 apartments on a 35.3-acre property at 341 East River Drive. Previously billed as a $47.5 million project, the planned development would include 21 studio units, 36 one-bedrooms, 67 two-bedrooms, and 26 three-bedrooms, spread across three three-story buildings and one four-story building. 

Simon Konover has owned the property for more than 40 years, and company officials have previously said they explored an office development at the site but pivoted away as the region's office-space market weakened.

The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a subdivision for the development in August 2025, and a special permit application in September 2025. The developers held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday to celebrate the beginning of construction, which is expected to take 15 months.

Greg Konover, president of Simon Konover, said Thursday that each building will be constructed sequentially and leased out as they are completed, with the first scheduled to go online in about 12 months.

"We will begin leasing in that first building immediately after it's delivered," Konover said. "This time next year, we expect to be signing our first leases and having our first move-ins."

The project is supported by both state and local governments. The company sought a 10-year, $6.5 million loan from the Capital Region Development Authority to help fund the project, and the State Bond Commission awarded the loan in December 2024.

Town officials approved a tax agreement for the project in May 2025, abating taxes and capping permit fees for the new construction over an eight-year period. Under the agreement, taxes will be fully abated on the first year, decreasing annually on a set schedule to 35% by the eighth year.

Konover said the project is also being funded by a 3.5-year, $37 million construction loan from M&T Bank.

A press release from the development team states that planned monthly rents range from $1,800 to $3,400. Amenities to be included with the apartments include private garages, access to Riverfront Recapture's trail system, a clubhouse with various fitness and leisure facilities, and seasonal outdoor amenities including a pool. Once complete, the property would be managed by Konover Residential Corp.

Konover said many of those amenities are expected in new construction at this point, but the greatest and most unique amenity will be the riverfront access. He said it will provide both a wide variety of outdoor recreation and an easy way to get to Hartford on foot or with a bicycle.

"You can fish. You can run, jog. There's an amphitheater back there. ... It's a pretty nice amenity and maybe overlooked by some because, you know, we don't have a lot of residential in the area," Konover said. 

The development would take up roughly 10 acres of the 35.3-acre property, with the developer having donated 19.7 acres to East Hartford for conservation.

Konover said his company owned land that went nearly right up to the river, and even included some trails and walking paths that were already being used by the public. He said that land made little sense for its plans, so donating it to the town for passive recreation is a "win-win."

"The last thing we would want is development between us and the river," Konover said.

Proposal for $69.5 million rehabilitation hospital heads to Branford planners

Mark Zaretsky

BRANFORD — A proposal for what could eventually become an 80-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility on the former Hilltop Orchard property off East Main Street is headed to the Planning and Zoning Commission, even as the developer awaits a state ruling on whether the project can move forward.

Encompass Health, a Birmingham, Ala.-based for-profit company and the nation's largest provider of inpatient rehabilitation services, is seeking approval to build the facility at 596, 612 and 616 E. Main St. The company operates more than 175 hospitals nationwide and served at least 225,000 patients in 2024.

An Encompass spokeswoman declined to comment.

The company filed an application last year with the state Office of Health Strategy for a required Certificate of Need, which must be approved before construction can proceed. The proposed one-story facility would total 54,765 square feet and be built on land owned by Wayne Cooke and entities associated with his family.

Designed for patients recovering from serious illnesses and injuries, the facility would be constructed in two phases. The initial phase would include 50 beds, while a second phase would add 30 beds and a gymnasium, according to plans filed with the town.

Encompass does not provide drug or alcohol rehabilitation services, according to its zoning application.

A Certificate of Need hearing was held April 16 in Hartford. Local officials, including First Selectman Josh Brooks, spoke in support of the project, while two potential competitors — Gaylord Specialty Healthcare of Wallingford and Hospital for Special Care in New Britain — voiced opposition.

The state has not yet issued a decision, according to Wendy Fuchs, a spokesperson for the Office of Health Strategy.

The Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to consider Encompass' application during a remote special meeting June 23 at 7 p.m.

Town officials say the estimated $69.5 million project would be a significant asset for Branford. The site sits across Route 1 from property once proposed for a Costco warehouse club.

“It’s definitely a plus for not only the town but the region,” said Perry Maresca, Branford’s manager of economic and business development.

“We’ve got a need. … We’ve got an aging population. … You’re getting more operations. It’s just something that’s desperately needed in the area,” Maresca said.

The property currently includes two homes — one where Cooke and his late wife, longtime WFSB anchor Denise D'Ascenzo, raised their family, and another that belonged to Cooke's late parents — as well as the Hilltop Gallery & Design Center.

A preliminary “site concept” map shows a future second phase that would add 30 beds and a 900-square-foot gymnasium, totaling 18,050 square feet. A company representative said last year the expansion area was included to allow for additional beds "when and if it is needed" and was not part of the initial application, a  company representative said last year.

Encompass previously developed a 40-bed, $39 million rehabilitation hospital in Danbury on a 13-acre site in The Reserve near the New York border.

Maresca has said Branford's sewer infrastructure, along with the site's proximity to Interstate 95 and Tweed New Haven Airport, likely helped attract Encompass to the location.

The accessibility also makes it easier for out-of-town family members to visit loved ones recovering at the facility, he said.

“If somebody’s had an operation, they can come back and they can check in on them and see how they’re doing, and it’s easy to get in and out,” he said. 

Torrington road paving project to begin next week on several streets

Ciara Hooks

TORRINGTON — Traffic-flow disruptions and detours are expected Monday as the city is set to begin milling and paving on five roads in town.

Road construction, reclaiming and paving will be done on Persechino Drive, Crestwood Drive, Eno Avenue, Riccardone Avenue and Starks Hill Road, weather permitting.

The work is expected to take about two weeks.

Residents and visitors are not allowed to park their vehicles within the street right-of-way at any time. Tickets will be issued and vehicles in violation will be towed at the owner’s expense.

Drivers can also anticipate traffic and detours throughout the time of construction, as there will be one-way alternating traffic and daily road closures. 

Residents can stay up to date with project progress, changes and other information by signing up for the Torrington Alerts Community Notification System at torringtonct.gov. 

Updated Liberty Crossing plan to be unveiled at public forum in Stonington

Lee Howard

Stonington — An updated plan for a massive, mixed-use development first approved by the town years ago on Route 2 directly off Interstate 95 will be discussed at a public forum at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Pawcatuck VFW Post 1265 in Pawcatuck.

The original Liberty Crossing development plans that included a Lowe's hardware store and Target never came to fruition, but now a new project is being proposed by Breslin Realty Development Corp. of Long Island nearly 20 years later. In a letter inviting residents to the public forum, David Orwasher, chief development officer for Liberty Crossing LLC, said Breslin Realty is now "pursuing with the town a new development proposal with a modified character."

First Selectman Bill Middleton said Thursday in a brief interview that the public forum idea was his, as this was a big project that citizens deserved to hear about in advance.

"Just really information for the neighborhood," he said. "The biggest fear is the fear of the unknown."

The Breslin project is planned diagonally across from another large-scale development approved in 2024 that is currently under construction. The $80 million READCO development, known as Stonington Village, is at the former Regal/Hoyt's Cinema site on Route 2 in Pawcatuck, and it includes 232 apartments in six buildings along with an 80,000-square-foot Technology Center.

Middleton noted that previous administrations had set aside the Route 2 corridor for commercial development, and a similarly large 68-acre plan had been previously approved for the Breslin site but never built.

"That area was built for this," he added.

According to online plans for the sites at 480 and 534 Liberty St., the project is tied to an unspecified new grocery store, yet unbuilt, and includes 80,000 square feet of retail space, four build-to-suit areas supporting drive-through outlets as well as 142 townhomes, 12 villa apartments, 82 garden apartments and 162 residential units in a three-story, mixed-use retail area. A 5,000-square-foot office building is also part of the development plans.

Orwasher, in a phone interview Thursday, said the number of housing units and the mix of retail is still not settled. But he said while the Liberty Crossing plans that ended in the 2008 financial crash was focused on big-box stores such as Lowe's and Target, the new plan calls for smaller retailers.

Reports of an Aldi's and Starbucks as part of the development, he said, were premature.

Orwasher said he was particularly proud of the residential properties being planned as part of the development, though he didn't want to give anything away before showing plans to the community on Thursday.

"We're not the type that think of the neighbors second," he said. "It's a challenging site with a big hill, but we're not planning to tear down paradise."

Orwasher said he expects neighbors to express concerns about a number of issues, including traffic, but noted that the road nearby already had been widened in anticipation of the development originally expected to start around 2008, and new stoplight infrastructure is also in place.

He added that traffic studies are in progress.

Orwasher said he expects to submit a formal plan for the site within a few months of Thursday's forum. He didn't have an estimate on how long the Planning & Zoning review process would last.

"Breslin has been working to thoughtfully plan a mixed-use residential and commercial development intended to provide a broader range of housing opportunities, along with commercial uses designed to complement the character and scale of the surrounding community," Orwasher said in his note to residents. "Before formally submitting an application to the town, we would like to invite neighboring property owners to meet with the ownership group, development team, and key design consultants to review the proposed plans and learn more about the project and solicit your input."

Online information promoting the new development indicates Breslin is "now leasing" commercial space in the development, which will include town water and sewer services. The Breslin Realty website also promotes the site as being close to Rhode Island beaches, the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos, Mystic Seaport and local golf and boating destinations. A nearby Electric Boat warehouse is also highlighted.

"Stonington, Connecticut, is a charming coastal town known for its picturesque harbor, and historic homes," the website added, "making it a popular spot for both residents and tourists."

The Breslin letter to residents highlights the need for sharing "accurate information" and for hearing feedback "in a constructive and collaborative setting."

"As fellow members of the Stonington community," the Orwasher letter said, "we want this project to contribute positively to the area by creating thoughtfully designed housing opportunities and community-oriented commercial and recreational spaces."

The public forum will be held at 160 S. Broad St., Pawcatuck.

Google vows $50M for skilled trades training

Zachary Phillips

Major tech companies are pouring their money into the skilled labor crisis. Google announced Thursday it would invest $50 million into training for the building trades.

The money will support 14 labor unions and four trade and contractor associations, aiming to reach 300,000 workers across 20 states. The goal is to help level up training and outreach, which will better educate a new wave of workers to help meet the sky high demand on construction projects, including data center builds. 

Google’s announcement follows a similar move from Meta just days earlier. The social media giant on Monday pledged $115 million to form America’s Workforce Academy and create a pipeline of workers for its various projects.

Where Google’s effort differs greatly from Meta’s is the end goal.

The investment from the company behind Facebook and Instagram promised free skills training, followed by a job opportunity on data center construction projects in regions where it is pursuing builds.

Google, on the other hand, is investing in workforce development for people interested in the trades “no matter where they want to work,” Maggie Johnson, global head of Google.org, wrote in the post announcing the funds. 

The tech giant’s announcement outlined some of the specifics with partners who will use the funds to pursue closing the skilled labor gap.

For example, TradesFutures, an organization created by North America’s Building Trades Unions, will increase union construction career access by scaling placement for apprenticeship readiness and registered apprenticeship programs.

Google previously had invested in the electrical training Alliance — an organization created by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association — intending to train 100,000 electrical workers and 30,000 new apprentices in the U.S. Now, etA will aid local training programs by bringing resources to infrastructure hubs in a mobile training center pilot.

Meanwhile, the United Association’s International Training Fund, in partnership with the Mechanical Contractors Association of America, will develop a five-year roadmap for scaling the plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration sectors. That will help give workers skills necessary for the construction and maintenance of infrastructure for data center builds.

Finally, the International Training Institute for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Industry, backed by the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers and Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors, will modernize its coursework and apprentice support and implement new AI tools.

“No single entity can solve this American workforce shortage on its own,” Johnson wrote in the announcement. “There needs to be engagement across industry, civil society and government, so we can build modern on-the-job training and expand apprenticeships together.”

CT Construction Digest Wednesday June 10, 2026

Developer’s new plan for cross Long Island Sound: Combination bridge and tunnel

Don Stacom

Looking to build support for building a $50 billion bridge linking Connecticut and Long Island, developer Stephen Shapiro will pitch Albany and Hartford lawmakers in mid-June on what he sees as a game-changing new design: mile-long tunnels on the northern and southern ends.

“The whole idea is not to interfere with any residential neighborhods” in either Bridgeport or Kings Park, N.Y.,” Shapiro said. “In Bridgeport, the bridge would go into a tunnel about 1 to 2 miles off the coast. The tunnel would come up right onto Route 25 and Route 8 near I-95.”

The idea would reduce the visual impact from the coastlines and do away with concerns about concrete piers, supports and an overhead highway appearing in established neighborhoods, he said.

Shapiro has invited state and local elected officials from both states to a June 15 presentation in Hartford, where he and other supporters of the idea will lay out the case for building a direct 14-mile link across the Long Island Sound.

Connecticut legislators this winter considered ordering a feasibility study, but opted against it. But Shapiro and other advocates say they’ll keep pressing the idea.

“A direct link to Long Island for cars, trucks and rail would certainly be visionary and transformational,” Bill Finch, a former Bridgeport mayor and one of Shapiro’s key allies, told legislators in the winter. “Imagine a direct route between Long Island and Connecticut and the time and pollution it would save compared to the current circuitous and slow route now required.

Over the past century, there have been periodic proposals for some form of direct connector, since all other highway links require a costly and time-consuming trip through New York City.

But all previous plans fell through, usually because of the construction expense or potential environmental damage. Planner Robert Moses pursued a bridge proposal between Rye and Oyster Bay, N.Y., in the early 1970s; usually known for getting his way, he couldn’t overcome opposition that time. More recently, high-speed rail advocates a few years ago suggested an underwater tunnel for trains between Bridgeport and Milford; that idea, too, has gotten no traction.

Shapiro last year raised a different version of a bridge idea, saying it’s long overdue and would slash driving times, prevent air pollution, lighten traffic on I-95 and the Long Island Expressway, and provide an important evacuation link at times of flooding. He suggested a span starting at I-95 in Bridgeport and running to the northern end of the Sunken Meadow State Parkway in Kings Park, a suburb on Suffolk County’s north shore.

While many transportation and community leaders dismissed the idea as overwhelmingly huge and expensive, Shapiro has maintained that a public-private partnership could get it done with private investment covering half the expense. The federal government would come up with another 45%, and Connecticut and New York would each contribute about 2.5%.

The bridge would charge a toll of about $40 one way, and public and private investors would be repaid through that revenue in the following decades, according to his plan.

When asked about the numerous ambitious, high-profile public transportation projects that have blasted through their original budgets or simply never been built, Shapiro pointed to the $4 billion, 3.6-mile Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge that replaced the Tappan Zee in 2018. Finch was director of the New York Thruway Authority when construction was completed, and Shapiro suggested that Finch could be the right leader for building a Long Island bridge.

Shapiro’s newest vision is sort of a reverse of the famous Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia, which starts out from each shore with about 6 or 7miles of bridge. When they’re about a mile apart in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, both spans slope down into tunnels and then meet undergound. It’s an entirely unbroken route for drivers, but the tunnel location allows boat traffic to pass by.

Importantly, designers could save construction costs by building the rest of the above-water bridge much lower since they didn’t have to leave room for boat traffic, Shapiro noted.

His plan would have a tunnel-bridge design, but with the tunnels starting inland from the two coastlines. At about 1 to 2 miles into the Sound, each would rise from the water and the roadways would continue as a regular bridge, joining in the middle of the Sound. With no obstruction near either coastline, all boats could pass around the bridge — rather than under it.

Supporters note the Chinese government built a substantially longer bridge-tunnel linking Hong Kong and Macau. They contend a Long Island bridge would help the environment by reducing the long, pollution-causing traffic tie-ups that plague I-95 through Fairfield County as much of the Long Island Expressway. In addition, a new bridge would be a backup to the Throgs Neck and Whitestone bridges in Queens.

He envisions a deck carrying commuter and freight train traffic, noting that the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North are the two busiest commuter lines in the country. The presentation to elected officials is set for June 15 at noon at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

Advocates ramp up pressure on Lamont to reject pipelines, citing economic data

John Moritz

Hoping to put pressure on Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration to reconsider the state’s longtime reliance on natural gas, environmental advocates are zeroing in on one aspect that’s particularly salient in an election year: affordability.

A report released this week by two economists with the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at the University of Connecticut — conducted on behalf of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters — argues that past efforts to increase the use of natural gas in the state resulted in costly infrastructure upgrades that were passed on to customers, without any decrease in the price of fuel.

In addition, the report blames the state’s existing gas-fired power plants for worsening local air quality while exporting large amounts of electricity to other New England states.

A copy of the report was shared with the Connecticut Mirror last week, ahead of its publication on Tuesday. The report was also shared with the governor and lawmakers.

The report largely focuses on the impact from policies put in place under Lamont’s predecessor, Gov. Dannel Malloy, to expand access to natural gas pipelines to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.

“Frankly, we didn’t get a good deal,” said Fred Carstensen, the director of CCEA and one of the report’s authors. “The expansion of natural gas led to the kind of development in which we bear the cost, but we got no benefit, essentially. So that raises the question of why, in the last year or two years, has there been a discussion of expanding natural gas further in Connecticut? It didn’t help us the first time around.”

Carstensen wrote the report along with Peter Gunther, a senior research fellow at the CCEA.

The report comes at a time when several New England governors, including Lamont, have embraced the possibility of expanding gas pipelines in order to address the region’s soaring energy prices. Much of their interest has to do with gas that is burned to fuel power plants, supplying more than half the region’s power.

Connecticut, like the rest of New England, gets all of its gas shipped in from other states through pipelines or, to a lesser extent, by ship. The region’s existing pipeline network operates at or near capacity, so expansion would be necessary to meet growing demand and help lower prices, supporters say.

In a statement on Tuesday, Lamont called the report a “timely and important study,” but did not renounce his past support for an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that includes natural gas.

“Lasting affordability cannot be achieved through volatile fossil fuels alone, and the green energy technologies outlined in this report will drive down electricity costs while positioning Connecticut as a leader in the clean energy economy,” Lamont said.
 
He continued, “My administration remains committed to growing Connecticut’s green economy, especially by strengthening offshore wind, to build a cleaner, more resilient grid, reduce our dependence on gas, and deliver long-term rate relief for Connecticut families and businesses. The only sustainable path to lower rates and greater energy independence is a diverse, locally sourced energy portfolio.”

Natural gas consumption in CT

Rising demand for natural gas has exacerbated Connecticut’s energy issues and led to higher prices, the CCEA report argues.

Between 2012 and 2024, total consumption of natural gas in Connecticut increased by 33%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Power plants were responsible for much of that increased demand. The amount of natural gas burned to create electricity climbed by more than half. And three new gas-fired power plants have been built or expanded in Connecticut over the last decade, the report noted.

The report argues that because Connecticut is a net exporter of electricity, it has to bear more of the environmental and health-related costs associated with pollution from gas-fired plants, while much of the electricity produced is sent to power homes in states like Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

In addition, it argues that a reliance on natural gas makes Connecticut vulnerable to occasional price spikes caused by global events such as the wars in Ukraine and Iran.

Lori Brown, executive director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, said her organization commissioned the report after hearing politicians touting more natural gas as a solution to the state’s high cost of electricity.

“They don’t know how to respond when someone says, ‘My bill is too high, and oh, it must be the renewable energy,'” Brown said. “Part of what this report really is about is to put something out there that shows the data that says no, renewable energy actually is part of the solution and there are different options — and gas, we should not be locked into.”

The report acknowledges some benefits from the shift toward natural gas in the last decade, most notably the closure of the state’s last coal-fired power plant, Bridgeport Harbor Station, in 2021.

But other benefits that were once touted as part of the push for more natural gas — such as ending the reliance on fuel oil to heat homes and businesses — have not come to fruition.

The share of Connecticut homes that rely on oil as their primary source of heat has fallen by around 18% in the last decade, according to U.S. Census data. But the data indicates that much of the shift over that time period has been toward electric heating, while the number of homes relying on gas has increased only slightly.

Carstensen said that is likely because the cost is prohibitively expensive for most homeowners to connect to the nearest gas distribution line. An incentive program that began under the Malloy administration to help people pay for gas connections ended in 2022, after falling far short of its original goals.

Instead of delivering more gas to homes and businesses, most of the increase in gas usage over the last decade went to fuel investments in power plants, the report argues. Those plants, in turn, necessitated the construction of new power lines to carry electricity over long distances, with the costs passed along to customers through their monthly electric bill.

The current state of natural gas expansion

The report did not address any specific proposals to expand or build new gas pipelines in Connecticut. Proponents of expansion argue that the supply of gas flowing through pipelines into Connecticut has not kept up with rising demand, causing prices to increase.

The Lamont administration is currently reviewing permits for a proposed compression-only expansion of the Iroquois Pipeline that crosses the state and underneath Long Island Sound before delivering gas to New York. The project, which requires the development of a new compressor station in the town of Brookfield, has attracted intense local opposition.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is scheduled to issue its final decision on the permits for the project later this month.

A second, even bigger expansion project was put forward last month by the owners of the Algonquin Pipeline, which cuts diagonally across Connecticut on its way from New York to the rest of New England.

The proposal, known as Project Beacon, could end up increasing the system’s overall capacity by about 10% according to the Algonquin Pipeline’s owner, Enbridge. The company is currently in the process of gauging demand for the expansion from gas utilities and power plants, before submitting the project for regulatory approval.

Melissa Sherburne, a spokeswoman for Enbridge, said that if it is approved, the project could save the region up to $2 billion a year in energy costs by 2030.

“For many years, the Northeast has faced energy costs that are significantly higher than the rest of the country, particularly during very cold winters and hot summers when demand is at its highest,” Sherburne said. “These price swings place real pressure on families, small businesses, and local economies. Project Beacon seeks to provide relief by improving access to natural gas supplies located only a few hundred miles away.”

But Connor Yakaitis, the deputy director at CTLVC, said the region’s struggles with high energy costs weren’t simply the result of stagnant supply and rising demand.

“I think there’s more at play with rising costs, especially in the last year or two,” Yakaitis said, pointing specifically to the ongoing impact on fossil fuel prices from the war in Iran. “Is it worth investing in the infrastructure — and the time that it is going to take to build that infrastructure — for something that is historically very volatile?”

The report on the impacts from natural gas expansion is the first of two studies that CTLCV plans to release over the next few weeks regarding Connecticut’s energy future.

The second report — also conducted by economists with CCEA — will focus on the potential for greener technologies such as solar, wind, battery storage and geothermal to meet the region’s rising electric demand by 2050 and beyond, according to the authors.

“The question is going forward, what do we expand?” Carstensen said. “The historical record says natural gas does not look like a good strategy for expansion. We’re not saying, ‘Get rid of it.’ We’re just saying, ‘Let’s see.’ As we get new generation capacity, what is the one that is the most efficient? What is the one that is going to have the most resilience, the highest reliability?”

$4M project begins to improve Groton's Sutton Park

Kimberly Drelich

Groton — Drew Hasson, a resident and skater, said Tuesday Groton Skate Park at Sutton Park is much more than a recreational facility — it's a meeting place for the community.

"I’ve seen people make friendships here," he said. "I’ve seen people who have adopted their rescue animals from people that they’ve met at the skate park. I've seen lovers meet for the first time at this skate park, and I've seen beginners at all levels who come here: they have fun, they fall, they get up, they have fun, they repeat the process as necessary."

Hasson is looking forward to seeing how it will look once a renovation project at Sutton Park is complete.

Members of the skating community, local and state officials and town staff gathered Tuesday at Sutton Park, off Fort Hill Road, for a groundbreaking ceremony to officially mark the start of the yearlong construction project.

"Today marks the beginning of the transformation that will bring a renovated skate park, a new restroom facility, multi-use path, new playground, and a second basketball court that will serve residents of all ages for years to come," Mark Berry, director of Parks and Recreation for the Town of Groton, said during the ceremony.

"Five years ago, a group of young skaters came before the Town Council with a simple and powerful message," Berry said. "They asked the town to invest in the skate park and shared how important the facility was in their lives."

He said one skater described the park as "concrete therapy" and "a place that provided not only recreation, but also community confidence, and a positive outlet."

"Their passion, advocacy, and willingness to speak up helped inspire the vision we are celebrating today," said Berry. He also thanked previous and current town councilors, and Representative Town Meeting members for their commitment to the project and for recognizing the value of investing in public spaces that strengthen the community.

Town Mayor Juliette Parker added, "This was a project that we all collaborated on together. This is what community is all about: to make sure that we are helping each other out. This was a long time coming, and I'm glad that this is going to be done."

During the ceremony, skaters and officials ceremonially lifted piles of dirt with golden shovels to mark the project's start.

The renovation project represents an investment of nearly $4 million in one of the community's most important public spaces, said Berry. The funding is from a variety of sources, including a Community Connectivity Grant, the American Rescue Plan Act, and town Capital Improvement Program funds.

Berry explained the project will improve and expand the skate park, which is designed for skateboarding and in-line skating, and remove some of the fencing so the skate park is more open and welcoming. The skate park also will have a new entrance.

The existing playground will be replaced with a bigger, more nature-based playground.

The renovations include a new seating area, a permanent bathroom facility, and a second basketball court. Both basketball courts and the skate park will be lit.

A multi-use bike trail will connect to an existing multiuse path on Route One and also connect over to Midway Oval, making a connection to the neighborhood, Berry said. 


The construction is currently anticipated to be completed by June 2027, he said.

Berry said once the project is complete, he thinks it will transform the neighborhood.

"It's going to be a welcoming park for all ages and all interest groups," he said.

State commits $2M to Newington town center plan as HHC vacates 50-acre campus

Andrew Larson

Connecticut has awarded Newington $2 million to fund the first phase of a town center revitalization effort covering nearly 90 acres, as Hartford HealthCare departs from the sprawling campus.

The state Bond Commission approved the grant on May 29, directing the funds toward infrastructure improvements identified in a master plan the town adopted earlier this year.

The plan envisions a walkable, mixed-use town center rebuilt around two large underused or vacating properties — the former Keeney Manufacturing site on Main Street, where a developer has already proposed a 244-unit mixed-use complex, and Hartford HealthCare’s roughly 50-acre campus, which the health system has been winding down in recent years.

The HHC parcel is the largest single site in the study area. The town’s master plan consultants, Camoin Associates and Colliers Engineering & Design, flagged the campus as offering what they described as “significant redevelopment opportunities at a scale distinct from the town center’s existing development pattern.”

For the Keeney property at 1170 Main St., plans are further along. Manhattan-based Stillman Development has proposed a 244-unit mixed-use project it is calling Town Square and Garden, featuring 47,750 square feet of retail, a 21,500-square-foot performing arts theater and 658 underground parking spaces.

The project, designed by Spivak Architects, is currently in pre-application review with the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

 The master plan divides the overall study area into three zones. The first, Constitution Square, is the existing commercial core and is seen as the most immediately improvable with streetscape and pedestrian upgrades.

The second covers the Lowrey Place and Northwood Plaza corridor, which consultants described as car-dominated and at risk of further decline without a strong anchor use.

The third is the former HHC campus, where residents told consultants they want commercial or mixed-use development along Constance Leigh Drive and outdoor recreation with trail connections to Cedar Mountain, along with housing targeted at older adults.

The town has identified roughly $5 million in total infrastructure improvements needed to support the plan, with the $2 million bond allocation going toward intersection upgrades, improved sidewalks, streetscape enhancements, new gateway and wayfinding signage, and the activation of pedestrian alleyways and gathering places in Constitution Square.