Friday December 18th Bond Commission Agenda
Crucial vote on Old Lyme sewer project Tuesday
Jask Lakowsky
Old Lyme — Voters this week will decide if they want the
town to spend $11 million more on a massive sewer installation project at the
town-owned Sound View Beach after the $9.5 million residents approved in 2019
for the job was determined to be insufficient.
The additional funding ask would bring the cost to the town
to about $20.5 million. Sound View neighborhood residents are on the hook for
about half of that, which needs to be paid back to the state Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection over 20 years, or in one lump sum,
according to town information.
Polls are open noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Memorial Town
Hall Meeting Room, 52 Lyme St.
The state has been pushing the town to move the project
forward and threatened to pull $15 million in state funding for the work.
Officials have emphasized the need to remove septic tanks based on a state
study that found the containers are polluting
Long Island Sound.
Neighborhood residents opposed to the project say they can't
afford the yearly costs, and that it's unfair that the whole town, not just
Sound View, gets to choose if the project gets funded and moves forward. Many
have also called the study outdated.
The cost to Sound View residents per equivalent dwelling
unit, or EDU, the formula used to determine cost, would be about $2,300 per EDU
per year.
The town recently included fees to connect to systems in
East Lyme and New London, as well as maintenance costs the town's Water
Pollution Control Authority had not included in its original estimates, a move
that's been highly criticized.
Those costs bring the total annual cost to Sound View
residents to about $3,100 each. That's $62,413 paid over years, which also
includes paying back the $8.5 million state Department of Energy and Energy
Protection loan at 2% interest, and maintenance and operating fees.
Then there's the estimated one-time cost for homeowners to
connect to the system, pegged at about $5,000. Those costs were not included in
the town Water Pollution Control Authority's previous estimated yearly cost of
about $1,900 a year.
The new costs brings the total lifetime cost of the project
to about $67,400 per EDU.
Three other private beach associations — Old Lyme Shores,
Old Colony and Miami Beach — are also under state decree to install sewers.
That work is expected to cost $85 million.
$70 million mixed-use redevelopment of former Waterbury brass mill gets boost
WATERBURY—The former Chase
Rolling Mill brass manufacturing building could see a redevelopment
project that includes housing, child care and and a neighborhood grocery.
The mill, built in 1910 and covering more than 186,000
square-feet of space at 526 North Main St., once produced 100 million pounds of
brass annually, but has been sitting vacant and in disrepair for decades.
Officials with NEST have
been working on plans for several years to redevelop the building without much
change. But they believe that the recent designation to the State Register of
Historic Places will unlock state and federal tax credits that could lead to a
$70 million mixed-use redevelopment. That development would include 90 or more
mixed-income residential units, commercial and community space, a child care
center, a fitness center and a neighborhood grocery.
“The historic designation of this project is a crucial first
step, as it unlocks the State of Connecticut's Historic Rehabilitation Tax
Credit”, said Kevin Taylor, NEST’s executive director.
“This program provides a tax credit of 25 percent of all
qualified construction costs, which can increase to 30 percent if the project
is in a federally designated opportunity zone or includes affordable housing,
Taylor said. "When combined with the Federal Historic Preservation Tax
Credit, which offers an additional 20 percent and our next designation to
acquire, we can receive a total tax credit of up to 50 percent of our qualified
construction costs."
Officials said they plan to retain the six-story Chase Mill
building's early 20th century character, including its brick detailing,
expansive windows and original structural framework while adding design and
modern amenities.
Officials said the Crown Project is part of NEST’s broader
Crownbrook Homeownership Initiative Redevelopment Plan, which
aims to revitalize historically dis-invested neighborhoods through affordable
housing, financial education, and
inclusive community development with a goal of turning long-dormant
industrial relics into a living example of what inclusive
revitalization can look like.
Joseph McGrath, director of economic development for
Waterbury, said Monday that the city welcomes private efforts to continue to
grow its commercial and residential space.
Ridgefield infrastructure upgrades may cause traffic delays on Danbury Road, Aquarion says
RIDGEFIELD — Aquarion Water warned Ridgefield residents
and businesses along Danbury Road that they may face traffic delays starting
early next month as crews begin replacing underground water
infrastructure.
The construction work is scheduled to start on Jan. 5 at the
intersection of Tanton Hill Road and Danbury Road, according to a news release
from the utility provider, which is owned by the power
company Eversource.
“We greatly appreciate residents’ patience during this
project,” Aquarion official Mike Hiltz said. “We will work closely with our
customers, contractors, and town officials to coordinate the work and minimize
any disruptions.”
Officials said the project involves the replacing of an
underground pressure-reducing facility and is designed to maintain water main
pressure and fire flow capacity for the town. The work is expected to be
completed by spring.
Aquarion said the construction could cause minor traffic
delays between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. along Danbury Road. Officials said
residents can stay up to date about scheduled and unscheduled work on the
company’s website.
Manchester approves site plan with 232 apartments for revamp of Broad Street's Parkade
MANCHESTER —
Town officials have approved plans for a
multi-family and commercial redevelopment of part of the Broad
Street Parkade.
Texas-based
Anthony Properties wants to build an $80 million project with 232
apartments to be accessed from Green Manor Boulevard and 13,000
square-feet of commercial space with frontage on Broad Street. The
developer has been in talks with Manchester for more
than three years, and the town has sought to revitalize the property
for over
a decade.
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously on Dec.
8 to approve a special exception permit, site plan, and erosion and
sedimentation control plan for the Anthony Properties project.
The approved plan includes 96 two-bedroom units, 88
one-bedroom units, and 48 studios, splut between four 48-unit buildings and
four 10-unit buildings. Those units would be supported by 381 parking units,
both on-site and on-street, as well as a clubhouse and other amenities.
Town officials have said Anthony
Properties could break ground in the spring if approvals are secured
in time.
The commission also moved to issue a favorable report on the
sale of the four Broad Street properties that make up the project site, a sale
that will ultimately be decided upon by the Board of Directors. A memo
regarding the mandatory referral to the PZC, dated Dec. 3, did not mention
a price for the sale.
PZC member Eric Prause said at the Dec. 8 meeting that he
was relieved to finally approve a plan for the redevelopment of the
Parkade after years of effort, and that he felt optimistic for the future.
"It's been a long trip," Prause said. "I am
very proud of the commission and staff, the applicant, and everyone on the
[Redevelopment Agency] that has worked so hard to get us to where we
are now."
The RDA's work began back in 2008, when the Board of
Directors charged the agency with creating a plan for Broad Street.
Manchester adopted the RDA's plan in 2009, the same year that voters approved
$8 million in bonds for Broad Street redevelopment.
The town purchased the part of the Parkade, a blighted
shopping mall, in 2011 and demolished the property in 2012. Canadian developer
Live Work Learn Play, the only respondent to a town bid, was chosen to study
development of the site in 2013. Manchester signed a contract with the company
in 2016, but it lapsed in 2018 before construction could begin.
Easton-based Manchester Parkade I LLC began talks with
Manchester in 2019 and signed a redevelopment agreement in 2021, but Manchester
declared it null and void in 2022. The developer responded with a lawsuit
that the
town later settled for $2 million.
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation announce new tribal and community health center
Alison Cross
Mashantucket — A 21,000-square-foot health center is coming
to the Mashantucket reservation as part of a new partnership between the
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Hartford HealthCare.
The project will transform a parking lot at 102 Pequot Trail
into two separate, but interconnected health facilities: A "Tribal Health
Services" center serving members of federally recognized tribes and a
Hartford HealthCare clinic for the broader public.
In an announcement on Thursday, representatives of both
parties said the facility aims to improve health care access in New London
County while providing exclusive, culturally affirming services to tribal
members.
“True wellness comes when the entire community has access to
the care and support they need,” Rodney Butler, the chairman of the
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, said in a statement.
“This project is about more than bricks and mortar; it is
about reclaiming our health future,” Butler said. “We are proud to create a
space that combines modern medical care with cultural affirmation, one that
serves not only Tribal citizens, but our neighbors throughout Southeastern
Connecticut.”
Michele Scott, a tribal councilor and member of Hartford
Healthcare’s East Region Board of Directors, said the project “sets an example
that can be replicated across Indian Country” by championing a “new model of
care … that blends Western medicine with Tribal traditions.”
Officials said the facility’s design is fused with native
plants, water elements and other cultural symbols. The building will also
include rooms for community gatherings and support spaces.
“This health facility reflects the vision, land, and
investment of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation,” Scott said in a
statement. “It demonstrates what is possible when Tribal sovereignty and
healthcare innovation come together.”
While Norwich, New London and Groton serve as hubs for
emergency care and walk-in clinics, similar options are limited or nonexistent
in surrounding towns.
Jeff Flaks, Hartford HealthCare’s president and CEO, said
the collaboration with the tribe will “ultimately improve health outcomes for
communities across our state.”
“We are creating an innovative model of care that honors
Tribal heritage and delivers world-class services close to home,” Flaks said in
a statement. “We are deeply grateful to partner with the Mashantucket Pequot
Tribal Nation. This is an extraordinary privilege and a meaningful opportunity
to work together to make health care more accessible, more affordable, and more
equitable for everyone.”
Officials said they hoped to break ground on the project in
the spring. The facility will be located on Pequot Trail near the tribe’s
public safety building, museum and research center, and public works building.