New Haven approves 242-unit 'Elm City Lofts' development on former Winchester site in Newhallville
NEW HAVEN — A stretch of the Newhallville section along
the Farmington
Canal Greenway which has
seen major redevelopment in recent years will see even more in the
months to come as work begins on the "Elm City Lofts" project, which
will add another 242 units to the mix.
The project along Shelton Avenue, which the City Plan
Commission recently unanimously approved, includes the renovation of a
five-story mill building at 89 Shelton that is part of the former Winchester
Repeating Arms factory — once the city's largest employer — into 98
apartments.
It also includes construction of two new buildings on what
now is an empty lot. One of which would be five stories and 106,325 square
feet, with 84 apartments. The other would be four stories and 76,800 square
feet, with 60 apartments and about 2,150 square feet of retail space, according
to plans submitted to the commission.
The developers are Vesta
Corp. of Simsbury, which also was involved in the renovation
of the former Monarch Laundry building on Derby Avenue into 64 affordable
apartments, and Vallone
Ventures of Westport.
The development would include studio, one-bedroom and
two-bedroom apartments and 265 vehicle parking spaces, along with 180 spaces
for bicycles. The Farmington Canal trail runs to the east of the site.
All of the apartments would be classified as
"affordable" under the state's 8-30g affordable housing statute and
would be leased to households earning 60% or less of the area median income. Of
those, 58 units would be leased to households earning 50% or less of the area
median income, according to the developer's attorney, Carolyn Kone.
Vesta Vice President Joshua Greenblatt, Paul Santos of
Newman Architects and David Gagnon of Langan Engineering also addressed the
commission.
"This project really provides a historical opportunity
to reinvest in" and repurpose "part of the old Winchester Repeating
Arms site," said Santos. ""The factory, as you know, it really
represents a very important chapter in the city's industrial history," he
said.
"We're trying to be good neighbors. We're trying to
create something that contributes to the neighborhood character of Shelton
Avenue" and helps to "create a sense of community," Santos said
The Board of Alders previously rezoned the lots, formerly
zoned for industrial use, to residential use. It also approved a 17-year tax
abatement for the project.
"Both of these parcels have had some remediation,"
said Kone. That includes significant state-funded Brownfields remediation of
the empty lot, which used to be the site of a nuclear manufacturing facility.
The developers are applying for state and federal tax
credits to help fund the renovation of the former mill building, Kone said.
The development would maintain existing shade trees and
plant new ones throughout the site. "We're also proposing two rain gardens
on the site," as well as a new stormwater drainage system, said Gagnon.
It would provide pedestrian access to the Farmington Canal
Greenway, Gagnon said.
City Plan Commission members were favorable to the idea but
had some concerns.
"I"m just concerned about the safety of the
vulnerable people on the Greenway," said member and Westville Alder Adam
Marchand, D-25, who said he is an avid bicyclist who sometimes rides on the
Greenway. "...It's just a little bit trickier than you might think."
Commission members also expressed concern about any
lingering contamination, but Greenblatt said that's important to Vesta, as
well, and "we wouldn't have gotten involved if we didn't think it could be
done to a residential standard."
Josh Kaplan of GeoQuest, an environmental consultant and
remediation specialist, said that soil will be removed from the site and any
questionable soil that cannot be removed would be capped to prevent contact
with it.
Marchand said the project is a significant one.
"I think this project is important and it ticks a lot
of boxes," he said. "...We recently changed the zoning in this area
to unlock it to this type of development ... I'm happy to be supportive of
this."
Residents get used to new Gold Star Bridge traffic crossover
Kimberly Drelich
Groton resident George Abad, who works the night shift in
the emergency room of Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, drives over
the Gold Star Memorial Bridge multiple times a day.
He drove the new crossover lanes driving north on Sunday and
the existing northbound bridge on Monday. He thought the crews did a really
good job, though there could be more signage on the northbound bridge, but he
thinks that is coming.
"I think they did a great job with all the lanes, but
we just have to remember to go slow," Abad said. "We have to go slow
for a mile and a half for the next four years, and it'll work out."
Abad was among the residents on Monday getting used to a new
traffic crossover on the bridge, which will be in place for four years.
The $900
million repair project for the northbound span includes installing a new
deck, repairing concrete and strengthening steel.
The "crossover"
of two northbound lanes onto a section of the southbound bridge — separated by
a barrier from the regular southbound lanes — was installed overnight Saturday.
Exit 86 is accessible through the crossover.
The existing northbound bridge was reduced to two lanes,
with the right lane as an Exit 85 only lane.
Mystic resident Gina Cary said she knows the project needs
to be done. But she said the area gets a lot of traffic this time of the year,
and she's a little leery about traveling back from New London to Groton on the
new section of the bridge.
"I'm not sure how the traffic's going to be —
especially starting in July, it's going to be very, very busy," she said.
"I'm hoping that everybody drives slower, so we don’t have any
accidents."
Cary said she had to get a Target gift card and was checking
to see if she could get it at TJ Maxx in Groton so she could avoid a trip over
the bridge. She said she has not yet tried the new traffic configuration but
will have to go to New London next month for an appointment at L+M Hospital.
Aiman Saad, owner of Munchie's Food Truck, which was among
the food trucks lined up near Electric Boat, said he drives the bridge daily
back and forth from Waterford to Groton. He said he had no issues driving his
food truck with the new traffic configuration and tried both the crossover and
the existing northbound bridge.
He said he think it's amazing how the crews did it and
called it "seamless."
"I think they needed to fix that bridge," he
added. "It's long overdue."
Sheuli Solaiman, the owner of the Mystic Royal Restaurant,
which has three food trucks, including "Mystic Bites," also was
making food for EB employees on Monday.
She said smooth roads are important for food trucks. If a
road is broken or has an issue, it can be really difficult for the expensive,
heavy vehicle — and if something happens to it, it can't be fixed right away
She said fixing the Gold Star is important for Electric Boat
and for trucks.
"I'm so happy," she said.
Robert Libby, an EB employee and Groton resident, said he
goes over the bridge quite a bit to go shopping in Waterford at Home Depot,
Lowe's and the pet store.
He said he has driven over the bridge multiple times since
the new traffic configuration was implemented, and he thinks it is fine. He
said the bridge is really old and needs to be fixed, noting that there are too
many bridge collapses in the United States.
He said the traffic doesn't seem too bad. He said if people
watch the traffic, are polite and drive properly, there won't be a problem.
The southbound lane was previously reduced to three lanes.
He said it hasn't changed the traffic flow too much, though traffic backs up a
bit more. He said he has always avoided traveling between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.,
especially leaving Groton.
State Department of Transportation spokesperson Eva Zymaris
said the construction team is reporting that the crossover is going well and
traffic is moving steadily through the area.
"We recognize that traffic changes can take some
adjustment, and we appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as the
project progresses," Zymaris said. "As always, we urge drivers
approaching the work zone to slow down, stay alert, and ditch those
distractions. These steps help keep both motorists and crews safe as we
continue this important work."
City of Groton Mayor Jill Rusk said she is encouraging
drivers to be patient and build in extra travel time as there are likely going
to be delays over time.
"Electric Boat is working with state and local partners
to monitor traffic impacts and explore mitigations while encouraging employees
to use EB shuttles and Crystal Mall parking to help reduce congestion during
Gold Star Bridge construction," an EB spokesperson said in a statement.
New London Mayor Michael Passero said that while it's still
early, he has not received a single call or complaint about the bridge.
New London Police Chief Brian M. Wright said drivers are
continuing to adjust to the new traffic pattern. As of Monday evening, he had
not received any significant feedback or concerns.
"We will continue to monitor traffic conditions and
respond as needed as drivers become more familiar with the updated
pattern," he added.
Town of Groton Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro Jr. said he
traveled the bridge several times early Sunday morning, both before and after
the traffic crossover, and the transition appeared to go as smoothly as could
be expected.
"Our patrol officers reported no traffic-related issues
in Groton associated with the new traffic pattern on the Gold Star
Bridge," he said late Monday morning.
Fusaro said the company overseeing the bridge construction
has asked police to monitor the intersection of Long Hill Road and Bridge
Street during the morning and afternoon peak traffic periods for the next few
days.
He also said the dispatch center has access to live speed
cameras and there have been ongoing meetings among state and local first
responders and project officials.
"We're all working together," he said.
CT town applying for $9 million to boost sprawling housing redevelopment plan
As wrecking crews demolish the Bank
of America building at 99 Founders Plaza for one phase of the Port
Eastside mega-development, East Hartford is applying for $9 million in state
aid to help pay for converting
a vacant office high-rise nearby into an even bigger part of the
mixed-use project.
Developers have estimated they’ll need $90 million to
transform the 19-story office tower at 111 Founders Plaza into about
230 modern apartments. East Hartford is seeking $15 million in state assistance
to make the project more financially feasible, and this week is applying for $9
million of that.
“There’s no tax abatement for this project, no money from
the town. We might be going for a state loan, but all the rest is private
equity,” Mayor Connor Martin told The Courant. “We think if we can get all the
funding pieces together, it’s realistic to think they can start construction in
the beginning 2027. The developers have all their designs down.”
A partnership of major developers and industry leaders from
around Greater Hartford proposed Port Eastside three years ago, calling it an
$850 million project that would generate nearly 1,000 apartments along with
restaurants, entertainment venues and more.
They’ve predicted it would transform East Hartford’s
under-used waterfront by replacing much of the 1970s-era Founders Plaza campus
of office buildings; the plan is for a highly walkable cluster of residential
and commerical uses with a pedestrian path along the river and greater
connections to the Hartford waterfront.
Since the first public announcement in 2023, developers
added 111 Founders Plaza to the project and now list it as their top priority.
The plan is to remodel its 270,000 square feet into studios
along with one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Upper-floor units would
have unmatched views of the Connecticut River and Hartford skyline, and
developers say a series of amenities will be included. For a town that’s been
struggling financially for decades, the prospect of highly desirable
market-rate housing along the river has led local officials to push hard to
keep progress moving.
The Department of Economic and Community Development awarded
$6 million in the winter, and the state Bond Commission on Friday signed off on
that. In the next round of DECD funding, East Hartford this week will submit a
request for the remaining $9 million.
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When the town council earlier this month authorized Martin
to make the request, Councilor Travis Simpson emphasized that the town needs to
ensure the building materials are safe. Referencing
two deadly high-rise fires in London, Simpson asked about what developers
will use when they replace the tower’s exterior panels.
“I want to be sure we’re putting safe materials in there,”
he said.
Council Chair Rich Kehoe replied that U.S. fire codes don’t
allow the materials used in the British buildings: Two thin layers of aluminum
with a polyethylene core. The polyethylene makes an effective insulation, but
is highly flammable and was blamed for letting flames quickly engulf London’s
25-story Grenfell Tower nine years ago.
Martin also noted that the redevelopment will add sprinklers
to the building, which was the last high-rise in Connecticut approved without
them. The state fire marshal in recent years was pressing to have 111 Founders
Plaza retroactively outfitted with sprinklers, but the declining office market
after Covid made that financially unappealing, according to town officials.
Tecton Architects of Hartford last
year issued a report declaring the building has “good bones” and is
suitable for residential redevelopment.
“The riverfront tower would be quite marketable; floors five
through 19 offer unobstructed views of the Hartford skyline and the Connecticut
River Valley,” the report said. “A significant opportunity exists for a
high-quality amenities package including a fitness center, club room, game
rooms, community kitchen, and possibly a rooftop lounge — further enhancing the
residential living experience.”
The Port Eastside partners a few months ago began
demolishing the 150,000-square-foot Bank of America building, where they plan
about 300 additional market-rate apartments. Contractors have made substantial
progress.
“Demolition of 99 Founders continues — it’s quiet an amazing
sight to see if you get a chance to go down there,” Martin told the council.