DOT says it will tie funding to birth, marriage rates
Zachary Phillips
A new, undated memo from the DOT urges the department
to give
grant preferences to “communities with marriage and birth rates higher
than the national average.”
The action comes after the DOT announced that Transportation
Secretary Sean Duffy — who was confirmed to the position on Wednesday —
had authorized
a series of actions to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda to
“rescind woke policies” and roll back regulations.
Jessica Tillipman, associate dean for government procurement law studies at The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., said she and her colleagues don’t believe they have ever seen a federal government policy tied to marriage and birth rates, and said it’s not clear how it would be enacted.
The federal government can effectively wield spending to
enact an administration’s policies, Tillipman said. That can include setting
preferences for disadvantaged businesses, women- or minority-owned businesses
or areas in need of economic development.
“The way that this can be best explained is that the
government has extraordinary power with its purse to impact socioeconomic
policy,” Tillipman told Construction Dive. “This is to my knowledge the first
time I’ve ever seen what I call a collateral preference for marriage and birth
rate.”
She said it’s also not clear how it will be implemented, as
the memo doesn’t provide definitions, nor where it will secure data.
“How are you defining marriage? Is it the place where ‘the
married couple’ resides? Or where the marriage took place? Because the top
state for marriage is Nevada because of Las Vegas,” she said.
The DOT declined to provide comment or answer questions
about the memo.
Though it remains murky, areas that could be most negatively
affected by this policy would include states
like Oregon, Colorado and California that have some of the country’s
lowest fertility rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. South Dakota, Texas and Nebraska have some of the highest.
Duffy isn’t the only administration official focused on the
country’s birth rate. Vice President JD Vance said in a speech this month that
he wants Americans
to have more babies.
“We need a culture that celebrates life at all stages, one
that recognizes and truly believes that the benchmark of national success is
not our GDP number or our stock market, but whether people feel that they can
raise thriving and healthy families in our country,” Vance said.
The memo also prohibits DOT support recipients from imposing
vaccine or mask mandates and requires local compliance with federal immigration
enforcement.
Julie Strupp contributed to this report.
Proposed rail link to Bradley International Airport gains traction with new bill
AHartford-based rail advocate who travels frequently, Casey
Moran, has pitched an idea to build a rail line that would connect Bradley
International Airport to the region's rail network.
The Bradley Airport Rail Link would provide a one-seat train
ride to Bradley from throughout much of Connecticut. It would have stops in
Hartford, Bloomfield and Windsor Locks.
The idea was picked up by Rep. Christopher Rosario
(D-Bridgeport) who has introduced a bill that would amend a state statute to
require the Department of Transportation to establish a new commuter rail line
from Hartford’s Union Station to the airport.
The goal is “to enhance the accessibility and
competitiveness of Bradley as a regional airport.”
Bradley’s rail spur would run off the existing Hartford
Line, which is served by CTrail and Amtrak trains, and runs between New Haven
and Springfield.
The Hartford Line connects to the New Haven Line, which
offers service to Grand Central Terminal via Metro-North Railroad, and to
CTrail’s Shore Line East between New Haven and New London.
Moran believes Bradley is at a disadvantage compared to
airports in New York City and Boston, which have rail access.
Adding frequent and efficient rail service would change
people’s perceptions of Bradley and provide a long-term return on state
investment, he says.
A theoretical rail trip from Hartford to Bradley would take
about 16 minutes – compared to a 2-hour drive to Boston’s Logan Airport,
according to Moran’s research.
A trip from New Haven to Bradley by rail would take just
over 1 hour, compared with a nearly 2-hour drive to the nearest major airport,
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, or a 2 hour and 15
minutes train trip to JFK.
Also, Moran says travel to Bradley would be convenient for
people in the Massachusetts cities of Worcester, Northampton and Springfield,
with rail travel times ranging from 1 hour and 25 minutes (Worcester) to 25
minutes (Springfield).
Also, Moran offers a compelling reason for residents of
Bridgeport and Stamford to use rail to access Bradley instead of JFK – a faster
transit time, without any seat changes. For example, a train ride from
Bridgeport to JFK takes 2 hours and 15 minutes (with three seat changes). A
one-seat train ride from Bridgeport to Bradley would take 1 hour and 29
minutes.
The Bradley Airport Rail Link could double the number of
fliers departing and arriving at Bradley every day – currently about 18,000,
Moran said.
Also, he pointed out that thousands of airport employees
could use the trains, along with employees of the adjacent Collins Aerospace
plant.
The state already owns 13 miles of the 18.3-mile
right-of-way along the route, according to Moran’s research.
Moran said the proposed Bradley rail line should be
incorporated into plans to rebuild Hartford’s Union Station, which are
currently underway.
The bill, HB 5061, has been referred to the legislature’s
Joint Committee on Transportation.
Moran said his goal is to get the bill passed and then begin
a feasibility study to determine routing and cost.
The project does not have a price tag, but Moran thinks it
will cost a few hundred million dollars.
For more information, contact Moran at
moran.casey.p@gmail.com.
East Hartford mayor touts progress on large apartment, other developments
From demolition of a portion of the former Founders Plaza
office park to the sale of town-owned property for a 400-unit apartment
complex, 2025 will be another year to push ahead large-scale economic
redevelopment projects in East Hartford.
In his “State of the Town” address Thursday night, East
Hartford Mayor Connor Martin outlined the headlining economic development
projects for the year ahead. Most will be continuation of ambitious, multi-year
efforts.
Town staff are setting the stage to invest a portion of a
$6.5 million state grant to demolish the former Bank of America office building
at 99 Founders Plaza, making way for a 300-unit apartment building facing the
Connecticut River, Martin noted.
This is the first installment of a multi-year effort to
build roughly 1,000 apartments mixed with retail, entertainment and other
commercial uses along the riverfront. Martin said the investors behind “Port
Eastside” have invested more than $22 million into the acquisition of various
parcels for the project.
“That shows a real commitment to East Hartford,” Martin
said. “This is going to help put East Hartford on the map and give people a
reason to come to East Hartford.”
Martin also announced progress on other projects, including:
Concourse Park: Martin said he expects to sign over the
25-acre former Showcase Cinemas site off Silver Lane in February to developers
for a project adding apartments in an amenity-rich community.
This transfer was made possible after officials finalized
the conditions for investing $10 million in state funds into infrastructure
upgrades to facilitate the development, Martin noted. Construction is expected
to begin this summer, he said.
Roberts Street hotel: New owners are transforming the former
Hartford Hotel and Conference Center on Roberts Street into a new facility
under two Marriott brands, Martin said.
A space that will host a Starbucks is taking shape.
The Rentschler Field logistics center: Massachusetts-based
National Development completed these neighboring warehouse buildings, totaling
2.5 million square feet of logistics space, last year. While Lowe’s Home
Improvement has occupied one building, internet retailer Wayfair has only
occupied a portion of the second building it has leased and is searching for
sublease tenants. Martin said Wayfair has told town officials it has
“interested parties” looking at the space.
Commerce Center apartments: West Hartford-based
developer Simon Konover is advancing plans to build 150 apartments in five,
three-story buildings on East River Drive, Martin said.
This will complement the nearby Port Eastside development.
It will also tie into the town’s Great River Park along the waterfront, he
said.
Silver Lane Plaza redevelopment: Last year, a town-led
effort spurred the demolition of a 107,148-square-foot retail building on the
22-acre “Silver Lane Plaza” site. The town acquired the blighted retail
property for $4.6 million through eminent domain in early 2023.
Investors have offered a plan mixing retail, restaurant and
housing on the site, but the town has not yet sealed a deal.
Meanwhile, Martin said, the town is preparing to demolish
the last two existing retail buildings on the property.
New single-family housing development: The Capital
Region Development Authority, working with the town, is expected to launch the
demolition of the former McCartin School building in February, Martin
said.
This will create a 7-acre blank slate set among
single-family neighborhoods near the Glastonbury town line.
The town wants the property redeveloped into 16 to 20
single-family homes, and has grant funding to help defray infrastructure costs.
Church Corners Inn: The town is continuing its effort
to redevelop a historic downtown building that had become a crime and
problem-ridden boarding house.
The town has partnered with developer Parker Benjamin in the
effort to redevelop the property into 24 apartments above three retail
spaces.
With hazardous building materials testing complete, the town
is working to hire an architect ahead of an effort to demolish the interior,
Martin said.
Downtown events plaza: Work continues to transform a
stretch of Bissell Street, right off Main Street, into a downtown events plaza
surrounded by retail and restaurant offerings – akin to Hartford’s Pratt
Street.
Martin said the street will be closed to traffic this year
in order to create a vibrant, pedestrian-only space.
In the meantime, the town is studying ways to reconfigure
roads behind Bissell Street in order to avoid any traffic delays from the
change.
5-acre site on Norwalk's Main Avenue tagged for development is listed for sale for $15M
NORWALK — The site of an approved residential and retail
project at 280
Main Ave. in Norwalk, once planned
to be a BJ’s Wholesale Club, has been listed for sale for $15 million.Skip Ad
Despite the listing, Planning
and Zoning Director Steve
Kleppin said the site still has the Planning and Zoning
Commission’s approval for
development. That approval allows for the construction of a three two-story
structures: a 19,000-square-foot retail space with 10 apartments above it; a
2,240-square-foot coffee shop; and a 2,200-square-foot restaurant, along with
an electric vehicle charging station.
The empty lot at 280 Main Ave. is just over 5 acres in size,
according to the Kravet
Realty listing. Senior broker Jeff Kravet was not able to comment Thursday.
A representative of the site’s owner did not immediately respond to a request
for comment.
"The owner can pull a permit to construct that
development if they wish, or they can sell and someone else can propose a
different project,” Kleppin said in an email Thursday. “If what they propose is
a completely different project, they would probably have to start from scratch.
If there were minor modifications, that might be a simpler process. Hard to say
exactly without seeing what was proposed.”
Over a decade ago, BJ’s
Wholesale Club planned a location at the site, though the plans were
later scrapped.
“There’s an advantage selling an approved project in that
the potential buyer has certainty on what they can build, but more importantly,
the buyer has to want to build that project,” Kleppin said in his email.
In June 2024, no tenants were lined up for the space.
According to the city’s public records,
272-280 Main Avenue LLC sold the site to Main Norwalk LLC for $7.995 million in
November 2015. In 2023, the city’s total appraisal for the site was $8,691,980.
Prospect sidewalk job gets $3.5M boost
ANDREAS YILMA
PROSPECT – The town has been awarded a $3.5 million federal
grant to construct a sidewalk on the east side of Route 69 from Prospect
Elementary School to the center of town.
The busy route also is known as Waterbury Road. Prospect was
awarded a federal Transportation Alternatives grant that includes a 20% match
from the town.
In 2019, the state Department of Transportation committed
$1.05 million for a 5-foot-sidewalk along the west side of Route 69, from the
intersection of Route 69 and Route 68 to the Hartford HealthCare Medical Group
building at 73 Waterbury Road. The sidewalk – about 4,500 feet long with a
strip of grass between it and the road – has since been completed.
The town’s sidewalk task force held a special meeting
Tuesday to get the latest project moving. It will start with an 18-month
planning and design process, and take an estimated three to four years to
complete.
“We’ve had a lot of feedback from people in town, especially
parents who have children at Prospect Elementary with concerns about accessing
that school in a safe way because right now several residents of Prospect, when
there’s events happening at the school, find themselves parking at Canfield
Park and walking along Route 69, which is absolutely treacherous,” said Carla
M. Perugini-Erickson, sidewalk task force chairwoman.
Chris Faulkner of VHB will serve as the liaison for the U.S.
Department of Transportation. The funds will come from the Federal Highway
Administration and be passed through DOT. The town initially will pay the
entire cost of the project before it applies for an 80% reimbursement.
Faulkner said if the town wants to be reimbursed for the
design phase, it will have to go through a consultant selection process.
“The one thing the town has to do is form a selection
committee,” he said, noting the panel must consist of municipal employees.
New Haven officials prepare for new commercial use, parking at former Bigelow Boiler site
NEW HAVEN — City officials are looking to press forward with
plans to develop
commercial space at the former Bigelow Boiler site on River Street.
The city filed an application with its City Plan Commission
to fill the site of 194, 198 and 200 River Street above the flood elevation and
to install a new parking lot, sidewalks and curb cut.
Michael Piscitelli, New Haven's economic development
administrator, said the work is related to remediation of the site prior to
"turning it over" to a developer for a commercial space that could
potentially house up to five businesses at 198 River Street and parking at the
other two parcels on the site.
In late 2023, the Board of Alders approved a number of
measures, such as ground leases for parking lots and grant application
approvals, that would allow for the development of a roughly 10,000 square-foot
commercial building by restoration company Capasso.
Under the plan, the city would retain ownership of the land,
which Capasso would lease to build a commercial facility. The planned
building will incorporate architectural features that would mimic the former
Bigelow Boiler facility, such as its arched windows and brick facade.
In September 2023, the city
demolished the last of the remaining buildings in the Bigelow complex,
which had been used to manufacture
industrial boilers that were sold internationally, a tie to the city's
industrial history.
According to the application materials submitted to the City
Plan Commission for approval, the city anticipates construction will begin in
the third quarter of 2025 and conclude in the third quarter of 2026.
The city acquired the property in 2006, years after the
buildings fell into disuse around the late 1990s or early 2000s.