Crystal Mall conversion has new timetable for Electric Boat workers arrival
The conversion of the former Crystal Mall in Waterford into
a satellite corporate campus for General Dynamics Electric Boat is underway and
company officials say that some some workers could begin moving into the former
retail center as soon as the end of September this year,
Construction of some portions of the mall that will be used
as training space is ongoing, according to a company spokesman. But Scott
Ritter of Electric Boat said the conversion of the mall into office space is
being done in phases, with the renovation of the former mall's first empty
anchor store space, which housed Macy's, to begin in the fourth quarter of
this year.
It wasn't clear on Thursday how many Electric Boat employees
will be making the initial move into the renovated former mall space this
September. The renovated mall space won't be fully occupied until the middle of
next year, when between 4,000 and 5,000 workers will begin working there.
Electric Boat bought the mall in phases last year, completing
the purchase in October 2025. The mall's last tenants moved
out this spring.
Crystal Mall had nearly 783,000 square feet of space spread
over two floors when it was operating and that will give Electric Boat plenty
of space to work with. Much of the work being done now is what Electric Boat
refers to as "occupancy programing," which Ritter described as
"figuring out what functions are going where and how the available space
can be best used.'
When the renovation of the former mall is completed, it will
provide space for Electric Boat to expand its engineering, training and
software development on one site to support the Columbia- and Virginia-class
submarine production. Moving those function from Electric Boat's Groton
corporate campus will allow more space for manufacturing functions.
Waterbury plans to remove Risdon Dam to spur redevelopment of former factory site
WATERBURY — The city plans to remove a dam that officials
said should benefit the redevelopment of a South Main Street property.
Waterbury was awarded a $339,000 grant from the state’s
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to support the project.
Jim Nardozzi, the executive director of the Waterbury
Development Corporation, said the removal of the Risdon Dam “will contribute to
the economic redevelopment of the property” at 2100 South Main St., which is
the former site of Risdon Manufacturing.
“(Waterbury Development Corporation) supports the removal of
the dam and thus were happy to learn of the recent grant award for the study
and planning of the dam’s eventual removal,” Nardozzi said.
The city said the funding will be used for the
“environmental investigation, engineering design and permitting” needed to
remove the dam. That process could take a year to unfold before the city
contracts a construction company to remove the dam.
“This grant represents another important investment in
Waterbury’s infrastructure and environmental stewardship,” Mayor Paul K.
Pernerewski Jr. said in a statement. “Removing the Risdon Dam will improve
the health of Hopeville Pond Brook, reduce flood risks, and help restore a more
resilient ecosystem for future generations. We appreciate DEEP’s partnership
and support in helping us move this important project forward.”
Hopeville Pond Brook is a tributary of the Naugatuck River
and within the Long Island Sound watershed, according to the mayor’s office.
The city said the project would “improve aquatic habitat, reconnect stream
corridors, reduce flood risk, and eliminate a deteriorating structure that
poses potential safety concerns for nearby properties and infrastructure.”
Explosions planned at Bridgeport's Remington Woods. Here's why.
BRIDGEPORT — If you live near or happen to be passing
by the
former Remington Woods ammunition testing grounds this month and mild
explosions again ring out, do not be alarmed — it is supposed to be the
sound of progress.
Mayor Joe Ganim’s administration has warned residents
of possible “open destruction of munitions and explosives of concern” within
the fenced-in 400-plus-acre urban forest, between July 6 and July 31.
“The Bridgeport fire, police and health departments have
been made aware of these plans and encourage all residents living near … to
remain calm during periods of loud noises in the area,” concludes the
announcement issued last week.
But why exactly is it happening?
Owner Sporting Goods Properties is making certain there
are no dangerous remnants from the site’s old days as a playground for the
military industrial complex as efforts proceed to transform the long-dormant
property and its Lake Success into a
clean energy park with a public nature preserve.
“Sporting Goods Properties is conducting additional scanning
work in several areas to ensure that no munitions remain on site,” Thomas
Stilley, who has been helping to oversee the property remediation at Remington
Woods, responded when asked to expand upon the city’s warning. “The scanning
will cover several work areas that were used during the lake remediation
project for processing sediment and separating munitions.”
Basically this
clean-up has been done before but for obvious reasons the company
wants to guarantee nothing dangerous was missed.
“This is a quality assurance check to make sure all
munitions were recovered and safely disposed,” Stilley said, adding that the
public notice was needed so if any materials are discovered, “trained
technicians would be able to proceed directly to planning and safely executing
the controlled detonation of any munitions without incident or delay.”
But because that will not be done near the boundary,
“most people won’t hear it at all,” Stilley specified. “If it does need to
happen, people could hear a sound like a firecracker or a car engine
backfiring.”
The future of the property has been a source of speculation
for decades given it is prime green space in Connecticut’s largest urban
center. So far, other than the occasional tour organized by the owners, that
lush forest has also remained tantalizingly off limits to the public given the
potential hazards there from when it was a testing ground.
As the slow remediation, overseen by federal and state
environmental authorities, has progressed, reuse plans have been formed. In
2021, Bridgeport officials approved a new land use policy allowing eventual
construction of
an office park while saving open space.
Sporting Goods, however, last
fall pivoted and been focusing on
establishing an energy park with a solar generation and battery
project that can help finance converting about 365 acres into a preserve for
hiking and bird-watching.
Last month it was announced that United Illuminating
had awarded the solar component a competitive contract.
But do not start lacing up those hiking boots quite yet.
According to Stilley, there is still plenty of remediation to be done over the
next roughly six months to a year: “Some small excavation projects,
installation of a protective cap, wetland restoration plantings, along
with continued groundwater monitoring and testing.”
“The timeline for the clean energy and open space plan is
still to be determined because the schedule depends on the approval process and
construction cycles for the solar and battery storage projects,” he said,
noting the former could start in 2027.
Killingly wetlands commission rejects Amazon distribution center plan
Gianni Salisbury Alison Cross
Killingly — A controversial proposal to build a 1.3
million-square-foot Amazon distribution center on Westcott Road was voted down
by the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission on Monday.
In a 3-2 decision, the commission denied a permit for the
development, which has
been opposed by neighbors and community groups for months.
The commission denied the application without prejudice,
which means the developer can make changes and resubmit it. The denial can also
be appealed to Superior Court.
Commission member Corina Torrey made a motion to reject the
application because it would cause "irreversible and irretrievable loss of
wetlands or watercourse recourses," by impacting 23,056 square feet of
wetlands. The motion also stated that Amazon has not met state Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection standards and did not demonstrate that
there was no feasible alternative that would cause less environmental impact to
the wetlands.
The commission debated whether the project should be denied
with or without prejudice based on the fact the application was incomplete.
Ultimately, members decided to deny it without prejudice.
The Amazon development, also known as “Project Husky,” is
currently undergoing a site plan review by the town Planning and Zoning
Commission.
In past meetings, Town Attorney Kenneth Slater has explained
that site plan reviews leave zoning commissioners with little to no discretion
when deciding whether to approve a permit. Slater has said that the commission
is obligated under state law to approve the application if it complies with all
regulations.
Wetlands commission approval is required before the zoning
commission can make a decision to approve the project.
Before Monday night’s vote, former town councilwoman
Michelle Murphy of the Keep Killingly Rural coalition had said her group
intended to appeal the wetlands decision in the event that the commission
approved it. Murphy had said a GoFundMe started by the group had already raised
enough money to cover the legal costs.
Murphy said Tuesday that no matter what changes are made to
the plan, the group will still be opposed to it.
"Our next step is based on what they do. If they appeal
we will go one direction and if they resubmit we will go a different direction.
… It's too big. We don't want it to happen at all," Murphy said.
She said she also disagreed with the finding of "no
prejudice" and that the application was incomplete.
"It is the applicant's job to provide proof that there
was no feasible and prudent alternative to the project that exists that would
cause less damage to the wetlands. That is the law of the land. The motion and
points presented by Corina (Torrey) was enough, in themselves, and legitimate
enough to veto the project," Murphy said.
In town meetings, residents have repeatedly raised concerns
that the construction and operation of the warehouse would destroy ecosystems,
pollute the groundwater that feeds local wells, decrease property values, and
create new traffic, light and sound nuisances, among other concerns.
The proposed 24/7 Amazon fulfillment center would employ 500
workers, bring in more than 400 trucks a day, and serve as the company’s “most
advanced robotics facility” in the state, according to Amazon Economic
Development Director Brad Griggs.
The fulfillment center and additional tractor trailer
loading docks, parking lots and driveways would be built on roughly 264 acres
of undeveloped, wooded land at 228 Westcott Road. The project would also set
aside nearly 300 acres of land surrounding the project for conservation.