In downtown Stamford, construction set to finally begin on 13-story apartment building
STAMFORD — Plans for a 198-unit apartment building at 128
Broad Street were
approved over two years ago by the Stamford Zoning Board, but the site
has remained vacant since then.
Now, the residential construction project is poised to begin
construction, and a building permit is being issued for the building this
summer. Several additional approvals necessary for the building permit,
including a lighting plan and a landscaping plan, were granted by the Zoning
Board last week.
"It's been two years," said Michael Cacace, the
attorney representing the development team, Stamford-based F.D. Rich Company. "You have have complicated
site, and we spent the last two years dealing with a number of issues."
Cacace said easement issues at the site, bisected by Gay
Street, a small street that provides access to the Bedford parking area, were
among the complicating factors. Financial and logistical issues were other
factors, he said.
"We have secured financing, and we expect to close in
the next couple of days," Cacace told the Zoning Board. "We have been
working hard to button up the loose ends in order to pull a building
permit."
The development team has submitted a landscaping plan, a
lighting plan and a design for the Gay Street underpass, which were required
under the terms of the original approval.
The Zoning Board had expressed an interest in making the
underpass as well-lit as possible, and the design team said that goal was being
met.
"We're really trying to illuminate all four sides of
the underpass, to create as bright and welcoming space as we possibly
can," said architect Andrew Ostrander.
The anticipated completion of the 13-story building is for
spring 2027, according to the F.D. Rich Company.
The board granted the administrative approvals to the latest
submissions from the developers. "They're ready to pull a building
permit and get going, that's terrific," commented Zoning Board chairman
David Stein.
The lot where the apartment building is due to rise has been
vacant for many years, and it was once the site of a
Dress Barn store.
State approves $3.5M for Waterbury train station, $1.1M for flood repairs
WATERBURY — The State Bond Commission has approved $3.5
million for construction of a new indoor waiting room for the Metro-North
Railroad station in the former Republican-American building in Waterbury.
The funding is a part of a
larger $20 million renovation of Waterbury Union Station that
also will involve replacement of the existing platform and installation of a
new ticket kiosk, upgraded security systems and an elevator.
The $3.5 million was included in $1.6 billion in special tax
obligation bonds that were approved Friday to finance various state Department
of Transportation projects.
The new waiting room on the south end of the former
Republican-American building will be approximately 1,570 square feet and
feature 21 seats, restrooms, water fountains and customer information displays,
according to DOT plans.
"It will be a much nicer experience for the people
waiting there," Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski Jr. said.
A staircase will lead to private offices for Metro-North and
DOT. A new elevator will be installed to connect all three floors, but it will
not be accessible to the public. The basement will house dedicated spaces for
elevator control, and DOT and Metro-North telecommunications and security
equipment.
Work on the Waterbury Union Station renovations is
expected to start in September, and the platform work is expected to start by
the end of the year. The renovations are part of a larger DOT project to
upgrade all six train stations along the 28.5-mile Waterbury branch of
Metro-North's New Haven Line.
The State Bond Commission also approved a
$1 million grant to the McCall Foundation for renovating the Russell Place
building on West Main Street in Waterbury. Russell Place is the former
Russell Elementary School that was built in 1920. The McCall Foundation
operates its McCall's Whole Health Center at the location, providing primary
care services, substance abuse treatment, mental health support, child and adolescent
outpatient services, and an on-site pharmacy. The foundation purchased the
three-story office building at 969 West Main St. from E and A Realty for $1.8
million.
The Bond Commission approved $1.1 million in state
assistance to the towns of Southbury and Oxford related to the
catastrophic and deadly flooding last August following extreme
rainfall amounting to almost 16 inches in some parts of Western Connecticut.
State Rep. Joseph Polletta, R-Watertown, a commission member
and the ranking House Republican on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding
Committee, thanked Gov. Ned Lamont for including the Oxford and Southbury
funding before the vote Friday. State legislators representing the two towns
later applauded the funding approvals.
The commission approved $782,685 for Oxford for dredging and
removing debris from the Little River. The combination of the 1,000-year storm
and flash flooding inundated the Little River, and properties, roads and
bridges were washed out up and down the stream's course from Oxford to Seymour.
Southbury is receiving a $350,000 grant for repairing flood
damage to Southbury
Public Library. The 30,000-square-foot building is still closed. The
library has reopened at a temporary location inside the Heritage Hotel in
Heritage Village.
State Reps. Jason Buchsbaum, R-Southbury, and Arnie
Jensen, R-Oxford, weclomed the state funding.
Traffic delays expected in Middletown as Route 9 bridge replaced over Union Street
MIDDLETOWN — Motorists driving through Middletown on
Wednesday and Thursday can expect road pattern changes downtown as part of the
state Department of Transportation project
to improve safety on routes 9 and 17.
Union Street may be limited to alternating one-way traffic
between Harbor Drive and deKoven Drive with some 10-minute closures for
crews to remove the existing bridge steel overnight Aug. 6 to 8, the DOT
said in a news release.
The superstructure of the Route 9 bridge over Union Street
will be replaced, and widened to accommodate the acceleration lane and ensure
proper bridge maintenance, according to the press release.
The overall $50.4 million project includes installing a
1,000-foot, full-length acceleration lane for Route 17 northbound traffic to
merge onto Route 9 north, and removing the Harbor Drive on-ramp to Route 9, it
said.
Retaining walls will be added on the west side of Route 9 to
reduce potential impacts to wetlands and Harbor Park, according to the
DOT.
DOT advises drivers to be careful while in the work zone
since there will be construction activity.
Timing may be adjusted based on weather and site conditions,
the release said.
Pedestrian access to Harbor Park will still be available,
the agency said.
The reconfiguration is part of the DOT’s
efforts to mitigate crashes at the ramp entrance to Route 9
northbound, the agency said.
The project was awarded to Middlesex Construction and
is scheduled to be completed in 2027.