July 24, 2025

CT Construction Digest Thursday July 24, 2025

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Wisconsin packaging company building large warehouse in northeast CT

Luther Turmelle

A Wisconsin-based company that makes shipping, industrial and packaging materials is developing a 1.25 million square foot warehouse off of Interstate 395 in Plainfield that will create 200 jobs.

The company, Uline, got approval to build the warehouse from Plainfield officials in April, said Kevin Cunningham, the town's first selectman. Construction of the warehouse on Plainfield Pike Road started in May, Cunningham said, and the facility is expected to open in June 2026.

"It's coming along nicely," he said. "They already have the four walls up and they're finishing up on the roofing."

Cunningham said having the warehouse built in Plainfield "is great for the town, the region and the state."

"It's one of only 10 warehouses of this type that the company has in the United States, so it's something the state should be proud of," he said.

Right now, a Uline warehouse in Allentown, Pa. serves all of its customers in New England. 

The Uline warehouse is expected to bring in over $1.5 million in revenue to the town each year, Cunningham said.

A limited liability company affiliated with Uline acquired the property at 143-151 Plainfield Pike Road in August 2023. The land had been part of an apple orchard at one time, according to Cunningham.

The Uline warehouse will join a Lowe's distribution center as major employers in town, he said. The location off of Interstate 395 makes it an attractive location for warehouses, according to Cunningham.Electronic commerce giant Amazon is expected to open a 200,000 square-foot warehouse, which the company refers to as a delivery station, in October, he said. Amazon's delivery stations represent the so-called "final mile" in the company's delivery process, the last stop in the distribution network before a package is delivered to a customer's address.

"Our facility in Plainfield is slated to launch in the coming months in time for the holiday season," said Amber Plunkett, an Amazon spokeswoman. "We'll share more specific information about our hiring initiatives and opening plans soon."

Plans for the Amazon warehouse, which is being developed on Lathrop Road at the site of the former Plainfield Greyhound Park site near Interstate 395, were first announced in 2021.


New Haven riverfront project includes floating market and senior housing in Fair Haven

Steven Goode

NEW HAVEN — With the addition of a $950,000 grant for brownfields remediation, a Fair Haven redevelopment project that will be called Oyster Harbor Village closer to having its floating market along the river and more housing.

The funding, awarded last month by the state Department of Economic and Community Development, will be used for demolition and remediation of several long-blighted industrial buildings and contaminated soil at 185, 212 and 213 Front Street in the Fair Haven neighborhood on the banks of the Quinnipiac River.

The project is the vision of local developer and architect Fereshteh Bekhrad, who moved to Fair Haven in 1993.

"The vision I have brings this all together," Bekhrad said Wednesday at the site of the planned development.

Under the plans, the 1.34-acre site will be developed for 70 units for senior housing with 10% set aside as affordable housing and have a 10-unit live-and-work suite for artists. There will also be 18,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, and commercial space.

The project also plays on its proximity to the water and includes a marina and floating market along the river and a 600-foot public promenade of new waterfront access from three different points for city residents.

The $35 million multi-phase project will take about three years to complete, officials said.

Bekhrad was joined at the property by city and state officials to celebrate the grant that will allow the city to continue remediation and other environmental work that has been going on since 2005.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker applauded her efforts over the years, calling her a thoughtful developer who is an important part of the community.

"She could have made this all private," Elicker said of the plan to make a portion of the project open to the public.

Elicker also received praise for his efforts to build more housing in the city, which makes projects like Oyster Harbor Village attractive for state investment.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said the state needs 100,000 units of housing and has awarded about $18 million in brownfield grants for 227 acres of blighted properties in 19 towns with a focus on projects that focus on building new housing.

"Remediation costs a lot and construction costs a lot," Bysiewicz said. "Remediation grants leverage private development."

Democrat state Senate President Martin Looney, who grew up in the Fair Haven neighborhood, also applauded the project and the city's efforts to add housing and regrow its population.

Looney said the goal is to get the city population, which stands between 130,000 and 135,000, back up to a minimum of 150,000 and that Fair Haven can play a role in that.

"Fair Haven has an extraordinary future ahead of it," he said.


Plans to cull 19 wooded acres for a solar farm in Torrington draws concerns over forest, wildlife

Sloan Brewster

TORRINGTON — Speakers at a hearing on an application for a solar farm on West Hill Road say wildlife living in a core forest area may have to move for the solar, but the impact to the overall forest will be minimal.

During Tuesday’s Siting Council hearing, City Council members and attorneys discussed the application by Lodestar Energy to develop a 3-megawatt ground-mounted solar photovoltaic electric generating facility on 41 acres on West Hill Road. The public was not invited to speak Tuesday. 

In May, the city officially joined the discussion after city attorney Bruce L. McDermott requested the municipality be given party status, which allows the city to participate in the proeceedings including presenting evidence.

Mayor Elinor C. Carbone has voiced concerns that the city is already overburdened with solar farms.

In February, the Siting Council granted approval for Lodestar to put in a 3-megawatt solar farm next door to Country Woods Condominiums on Lovers Lane. The city also objected to that application but did not become an intervener in the process.

A solar farm is also going up at the former landfill and there are two other solar farms in the city, Carbone said.

During Tuesday’s hearing, ecologist Matthew Sanford fielded questions about the ecological impact of culling 19 acres of forest for the West Hill Road solar array.

Of the 19 acres, 10 acres are “core forest” with the remainder consisting of “edge forest,” Sanford said. 

Connecticut defines core forests as forests surrounded by other forests and forest features more than 300 feet from the forest-nonforest boundary, according to the state's website. Core forests provide habitat for wildlife unable to tolerate significant disturbance. The loss of such forest cover diminishes water purification and habitat values.

Edge forests, are areas between core forest and non-forested land.

McDermott asked questions, including why Lodestar develops on core forests and is also willing to build on prime farmland but has said it will not build on wetlands.

Samantha Valone, of Lodestar, said the company avoids areas with excessive wetlands. 

Lodestar’s Jeff Macel said the law prohibits development on wetlands while building on core forests and prime farmland is allowed.     

McDermott also asked how close the project would be to neighbors.

Valone said the equipment will be more than 300 feet from existing residences.

“We do like to eliminate visibility,” she said. “You cannot see the solar array from the road and we have additional vegetative screening to further reduce visibility.”

Pinky Johnson, who lives on a neighboring West Hill Road property, missed Tuesday's hearing but sat through the one in June.

“To me it’s all a money laundering scheme,” she said last week. “Torrington is just overloaded already.”

Council Vice Chairman John Morrisette wondered if taking down 10 acres of core forest means an equivalent measure of forest now considered core would be converted to edge woodlands.

Sanford concurred that some forest would shift from core to edge. He said he does not believe the change would have a significant impact as it represents only 1.6% of area core forest.

There are 671 acres of core forest in the area, with only 19 acres where the solar farm would go, he said.

“It’s my professional opinion that this 1.6% is negligible in terms of its impact on the actual core forest and the wildlife that currently utilizes the core forest,”

Wildlife that currently use the core forest for habitat would have the 600-plus acres to migrate to, he said.

Anyone with concerns or views on the application can submit written statements to the Connecticut Siting Council at 10 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT 06051 until Sept. 22.


Change in Plans For Stonington Bridge Could Threaten Local Homes And Businesses

Brian Scott-Smith

STONINGTON – Elissa Bass, a homeowner in Stonington, is raising the alarm over revised proposals by the Connecticut Department of Transportation to replace a major bridge into the borough.

Bass, whose property on North Main Street, which was built in 1835, backs on to the Alpha Avenue viaduct, which carries traffic into the borough and over Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor rail line.

She told CT Examiner that she wasn’t aware the proposed bridge replacement project would affect her property and her family’s life until they received a letter and map from the state’s Department of Transportation last week.

“They want to take a piece of our property on North Main Street that the viaduct runs over. And up until this letter that we received, we were under the impression that there would be no impact from this project on any neighboring properties.”

The bridge construction, which is in its early stages, proposes replacing a large portion of the bridge deemed structurally unsafe and increasing the clearance height for traffic and for trains to current height requirements.

The bridge was built in 1940 and state transportation officials say it hasn’t had major work performed on it since 1991-1993.

Bass said it’s not just her property that will be affected. A neighbor could see their property demolished if the project is approved, a thrift store could be displaced and ground owned by Dodson Boatyard temporarily taken over.

“They sent us a drawing that shows the piece of our property that they want. We are on less than a quarter of an acre, and they basically want the back third of our house. So, it would be for construction staging, and based on where we know the line is, it would put the back corner of our house six feet away from the construction site itself. Which to me renders our entire property unlivable. We would not be able to use our backyard. I can’t imagine we would be able to live in this house.”

Bass thinks state officials haven’t been transparent about their plan and proposals and said that the latest maps she’s received differ from the ones made available to the public.

“They’re two totally different plans. They have been saying throughout this whole process that the original footprint of the bridge would not change. That is no longer true. Their plan now involves a new bridge moved 12 feet closer to our side of our property. So, they’re moving the entire bridge, and they’ve changed everything in terms of what they need around the property.”

Bass said the Connecticut Department of Transportation hasn’t been honest about traffic flows if the project goes ahead and about the environmental impacts.

“My house dates back to 1840, if there’s pile driving, if there’s excavating six feet or 10 feet or 12 feet from my house, we will lose our house. Our foundation will crumble. We’re going to have to hire appraisers, structural engineers, possibly a lawyer. This whole thing came literally out of the blue.”

A timeline for the project shows it breaking ground in November 2027 with anticipated construction to take two years to complete.

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The cost of the project is estimated currently at $48 million, with 80% of that figure being funded federally, the town of Stonington covering $1.2 million and the balance covered by the state.

Asked about the apparent discrepancy, Josh Morgan, a spokesperson for the department, said the changes were in response to a request by local officials.

“The initial design for this bridge replacement project included utilizing one-way alternating traffic during construction. We proposed this to minimize impacts to neighboring property owners. In discussions with local officials, they made clear their desire to see two travel lanes remain open throughout construction. As design of the bridge maintaining two lanes of traffic during construction progressed, as requested by local officials, a larger footprint for the new bridge structure and additional impact to abutting properties was recognized. If we kept the one-way alternating traffic as initially proposed by CTDOT, the property impacts would be reduced.”

Morgan said his department met with local officials on July 21 to update plans and received feedback on the proposed design.

He said the project is still in the preliminary design phase with final design for the project expected in Spring 2027, saying the timeline allows for plenty of public comment and input.

A Public Informational Meeting about the project will take place on Thursday July 31 at Stonington High School starting at 6.30 p.m. and will involve a presentation by the Department of Transportation and a Q&A for residents to ask questions.


$2.8M property buy gives Southington construction company room to grow

Michael Puffer

A trucking company that filed for bankruptcy in 2023 has sold its Southington trucking terminal to a nearby construction company for $2.8 million.

Allan R. Heinke, president of Mohawk Northeast, is also principal of a limited liability company that bought a trucking terminal property from Kansas-based New Penn Motor Express LLC through a deed recorded by the town on July 11.

The trucking company filed for bankruptcy in 2023.

Heinke’s nearly 60-year-old construction company employs about 350 people performing bridge construction and other civil projects across New England and New York. The company, headquartered at 170 Canal St., had not been looking to purchase, but decided to acquire the New Penn property at 130 Canal St. for expansion space and to control who operates nearby, Heinke said.

“I didn’t need somebody else as a neighbor or have to buy something somewhere else,” Heinke said Wednesday.

Mohawk’s headquarters at 170 Canal St. include two warehouse buildings totaling 46,776 square feet on a 4.7-acre property. The property Heinke recently acquired includes a 19,972-square-foot, 1986-vintage truck terminal building with 14-foot wall heights on 5.3 acres.

Heinke said his company is already using the newly acquired property for storage of materials and equipment, as well as parking.

Christopher T. Metcalfe and Kyle Roberts of CBRE were the listing brokers for the property.


CT town's historic factory with 'a lot going for it' is on the market for possible redevelopment

Kurt Moffett

THOMASTON — The Drawn Metal Tube factory at 219 Elm St. is closed and the property is for sale.

According to a posting on the Crexi commercial real estate web site, the sale price for the 125-year-old brick structure is $2,250,000.

Drawn Metal Tube had operated in the 48,000-square-foot, three-story building in the center of town since 1937. The company made a variety of products using drawn metal, primarily from copper, brass and bronze alloys. The metal tubes are used in plumbing, electrical systems, and heat exchangers, as well as components for industries like automotive, energy, and construction.

Lewis Brass & Copper Co., based in Middle Village, N.Y., is the property owner and lists it as a warehouse on its website. Company President and Chief Executive Officer Luke Anderson declined to comment for this story.  

Economic Development Commission Chairman Lissa Jennings said the building has many advantages as it is right off the highway, is in the center town, and walkable to other destinations.

In addition, construction is set to being on the town’s portion of the Naugatuck River Greenway on Elm Street. The entire 44-mile trail will extend from Derby to Torrington. 

“It’s got a lot going for it,” she said.

Jennings said the commission is open to different possibilities for the building, like a mixed use of commercial and residential tenants. But she also acknowledged that any redevelopment of the site will require “a significant amount of money.” 

She also noted that there might be a environmental issue at the site. 

James Fowler, spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the agency does have “a history of environmental oversight” at this property, dating back to 1996.

Lewis Brass & Copper Co. is “responsible for site investigation and remediation” at the site, which is being conducted under the oversight of a licensed environmental professional, he said.

Lewis Brass recently submitted a technical report and request to permanently release the Environmental Land Use Restriction that has been recorded on the property’s land records, Fowler said. The “request is based on recent soil testing that shows historical petroleum contamination had degraded to levels below the residential direct exposure criteria of the Connecticut Remediation Standard regulations.”

If the release is granted, that would remove the restriction that limits the site to just industrial or commercial uses, “allowing a broader range of development options,” Fowler said.

But he added that the “anticipated LEP verification, which attests that the site now meets the RSRs, may still be subject to a DEEP audit before it is finalized.”