At a sewage plant, a whiff of political hopes for Lamont and Biden

Mark Pazniokas

MERIDEN — The ambitions of Gov. Ned Lamont and the administration of President Joe Biden converged Thursday at this city’s sewage treatment plant, a symbol of the massive infrastructure spending on its way from Washington.

Isabella Casillas Guzman, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, visited the plant on a tour promoting the reach of the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill Biden signed last month.

The president says the spending will transform America’s outdated roads, bridges, transit systems, water systems, and broadband. Unsaid is the hope of Democrats that it also will transform Biden’s approval rating going into the mid-term elections.

Lamont welcomed Guzman and announced that Mark Boughton, a Republican and his commissioner of revenue services, will take on the added task coordinating the infrastructure spending over the next five or six years, a timeline that assumes the Democratic governor’s reelection in 2022.

“This is so much money,” Lamont said. “And I don’t know how other states are thinking about it, but if they just hand it out to every department to do your own thing, or if I have 187 legislators say, ‘I’ve got an idea,’ at the end of year five, you’re not gonna know what you accomplished. We’re gonna accomplish something with it, and Mark’s gonna help us do that.”

The Meriden sewage plant chosen as the backdrop for a press conference is in the midst of a multi-phase $40 million upgrade to improve the quality of outflow to the Quinnipiac River. It is being financed by state and federal funds, coordinated by the local officials.

Katie Dykes, the commissioner of energy and environmental protection, said the joint project is emblematic of what is to come.

“The good news is under the bipartisan infrastructure law, we’re going to have an infusion of funding,” she said. “The federal government is going to be increasing their support with these types of projects that we can accelerate, transitioning this age-old infrastructure to modern infrastructure that’s going to better protect the environment, better protect our communities, and better withstand some of these impacts from climate change.”

Guzman, who is the highest-ranking Latina in the Biden administration as the cabinet-level SBA administrator, used the stop in Meriden to promote the opportunities the bipartisan infrastructure law offers to smaller businesses owned by women, minorities and veterans.

She said Lamont’s administration is working with the federal government on a common set of qualifications for vendors to bid on the contracts, an effort to reverse what Guzman described as a precipitous drop in  small businesses contracting with the federal government.

“We’ve seen a decline of 40% over the last 10 years in the number of small businesses doing business with the federal government, which is why what Connecticut is doing is so innovative, and I really appreciate Gov. Lamont’s leadership in this area,” Guzman said.

Connecticut is the 21st state Guzman says she has visited since taking over the SBA in the midst of a pandemic that elevated the profile of the agency by making it central to the distribution of billions in relief.

Lamont was an early supporter of Biden’s campaign and has been a promoter of the president’s pandemic relief and infrastructure spending.

“He’s really focused on trying to prioritize and align with so much of what is core to President Biden’s vision around rebuilding America, investing in America and making sure that we can build back better,” Guzman said.

U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, who is seeking reelection, made clear she was eager for voters see what the infrastructure bill can produce in terms of vital public-works projects and, eventually, jobs.

“I couldn’t have been more thrilled that we are here showcasing a wastewater treatment system in my district, because this really is the highlight of the work that we’ve been doing,” Hayes said. “And I look forward to the jobs.”

Boughton’s new title underscores Lamont’s approach

Boughton is the latest commissioner given a status of senior advisor to Lamont with some oversight, or at least coordination responsibilities, that crosses state agency lines. Over three years, Lamont has developed an ad hoc management structure that blurs some organizational lines — breaking down silos, in his view.

Josh Geballe is the chief operating officer, as well as commissioner of administrative services. Dr. Deidre Gifford, the commissioner of social services, is a senior advisor on health and human services. David Lehman, the commissioner of economic development, is a senior economic advisor.

The senior advisors took over most aspects of the state’s response to COVID-19. Gifford was the acting commissioner of public health, and Lehman took the lead in coordinating the conditions under which restaurants and other venues were allowed to reopen.

Boughton said his task is to coordinate, not direct.  He is establishing a dashboard tracking projects initiated by the state and some cases, municipalities.

“I want to make sure that everybody’s coordinating, we’re not siloed off,” Boughton said. “We want to make sure that in terms of priorities, we’re making short-term impact, medium-range impact, and obviously, long term. There’s a lot here. I mean, the governor has handed me $12.6 billion and said, ‘Get this spent in the next six years.”

Lamont said he likes the pragmatism of Boughton, specifically, and mayors generally.

Boughton was the mayor of Danbury for 20 years before Lamont hired him a year ago. In 2018, Boughton had hopes of winning Lamont’s job. He won the endorsement of the GOP convention for governor, but was a runner up in the primary to Bob Stefanowski, who lost to Lamont.

“I like mayors. That’s where the rubber meets the road,” Lamont said. “So I think he’s pretty well suited for this. And he’s gotten to know all of our commissioners over the last year. That’s kind of helpful. You can’t step on people’s toes. You’re working with people. You’re trying to coordinate. I think he’ll be really good at it.”

Former Danbury mayor will oversee federal infrastructure money for Connecticut

CHRISTOPHER KEATING

Former Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton has been chosen to oversee billions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding that has been awarded to Connecticut.

Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, appointed Boughton, a Republican who currently serves as the state’s tax commissioner, to be his senior adviser on the issue.

In the newly created post, Boughton will work closely with multiple commissioners who will be dealing with funding from the massive federal infrastructure package, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden.

With unprecedented amounts of federal funding, Lamont said that he does not want to miss the opportunity to make the best use of the money for roads, bridges, and improving public transit, as well as combating climate change with more electric vehicles, among others.

“Boughton knows how local government works, and he knows how state government works, providing a unique and necessary perspective that I know will be successful as we put these federal dollars to work from this historic bipartisan legislation,’' Lamont said in a statement.

Boughton will continue his duties as the state’s tax commissioner.

“My experience as a mayor and commissioner have shown me the importance of whole-government collaboration, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and other stakeholders across the state to address infrastructure needs, create good-quality jobs, and position Connecticut to make the most of this historic allocation of funds,’' he said.

Some of the top officials who will be working with Boughton include chief operating officer Josh Geballe, budget director Melissa McCaw, environmental protection commissioner Katie Dykes, transportation commissioner Joseph Giulietti and others.

Under the law, Connecticut is scheduled to receive $5.38 billion over the next five years or approximately $1 billion per year. This includes $3.29 billion for major road projects, $1.3 billion for buses and railroads, $561 million to strengthen bridges, and $100 million for extending computer broadband coverage around the state and to low-income families.

In addition, the law has $100 billion in competitive grants that would be awarded around the nation for a variety of projects. Those includes items like purchasing low-emission and no-emission buses, replacing bridges, and improving bus service. In addition, the bill calls for $30 billion in competitive grants for the Northeast railroad corridor.

Developer pulls plans for 3-building development in Shelton

Brian Gioiele

SHELTON — Plans calling for construction of three buildings on Bridgeport Avenue property — already home to a building leased in part by PerkinElmer — are off the table.

The property’s owner, AA Shelton LLC, has withdrawn its application from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The application called for a Planned Development District approval for 710 Bridgeport Ave., with the goal of constructing three separate buildings.

One 17,680-square-foot building was to be for light industrial, office or warehouse uses on a 4.5-acre section at the rear of the site. The other two buildings were to house restaurants and be located on 8 acres in the front of the property — one 8,000 square feet, the other 4,000 square feet with a drive thru.

The Planning and Zoning Commission had opened the public hearing on this application in October, but it was continued, in part, after representatives from the site’s primary tenant — PerkinElmer — voiced concerns about the property owners’ plans to construct three other buildings on the site.

This move comes after the commission denied a zone change request in 2019 for the property that would have allowed the construction of 272 apartments.

The commission cited concerns about the project’s density, with residential and industrial uses mixed on the site, and an increased traffic burden on Bridgeport Avenue.

The proposed development of two apartment buildings would have been inconsistent with the city’s Plan of Conservation and Development and, if approved, would hurt ongoing downtown development, the commissioners said.

Thule Inc., known worldwide for its outdoor and transportation products, announced in November that it would be expanding its operation into space at 710 Bridgeport Ave.

Thule presently occupies space in Seymour. Company Facilities Manager Stewart Semararo said the move to the remaining space in the building that is occupied by PerkinElmer and Panolam Industries International is needed to handle the business’ continued growth.

Developer plans 5-story building, 52 apartments in Trumbull Center

Amanda Cuda

TRUMBULL — A plan to tear down two buildings in Trumbull Center and replace them with a single building combining retail and residential space might soon be in the works.

Wednesday night, the Planning & Zoning Commission heard a pre-application for a plan to remove two buildings — an old professional building, and the building that used to house Starbucks and other businesses — at 900 White Plains Road, and replace them with a five-story mixed use property.

“There’s a couple of buildings that really impede the development of the site and the view of the site and we think we can make a really nice, new mixed-use project that will continue with our clients’ restoration and reconfiguration of the buildings at Trumbull Center,” said Raymond Rizio, a lawyer representing Trumbull Center LLC.

Renovating Trumbull Center has long been a goal of many in town. The property at 900 White Plains Road features multiple unoccupied storefronts, including one previously occupied by Starbucks, and another that formerly housed Porricelli’s Food Mart. There have been multiple public meetings about reinventing the Trumbull Center corridor, including one that took place earlier this month.

Rizio said other nearby properties in town have been reinvented in an attractive manner, including the one across the street at 965 White Plains Road that now includes Starbucks and CVS.

The new building would feature about 40,200 square feet of space. The first floor would contain 13,665 square feet of retail space and the upper floors would have 52 one and two-bedroom apartments. The new building also would have a new basement garage with 33 parking spaces plus bike racks for the tenants.

Rizio said the retail space would also include “a nice new restaurant” with an outdoor dining patio.

The new structure could be transformative for the area, Rizio said.

“I think people would really like to see Trumbull Center get the fresh face it needs,” he said.

While many of the Planning & Zoning commissioners supported the renovation of Trumbull Center, most had issues they wanted to get greater consideration moving forward. Commissioner Tony D’Aquila, a Democrat, mentioned several concerns, including a further “opening up” of Trumbull Center.

“I would like the applicant to consider having storefronts located adjacent to White Plains Road,” D’Aquila said. “That will create a town center, as I had mentioned in a number of other meetings, like in Branford.”

He pointed to the fact that grocery stores have not shown interest in moving to Trumbull Center because the available space in the plaza doesn’t face the street.

“The applicant should consider that the view of a huge parking lot from the White Plains Road may not attract the public to this new Trumbull Center,” D’Aquila said.

After the pre-application — which lasted about half an hour and took place before the regular commission meeting — the next step is for the applicant to propose a text amendment to allow residential use in the business commercial zone, said town planner Rob Librandi. That amendment would have to be approved by the commission.

Librandi said the applicant would then have to go to other commissions for approval, then back to P&Z for a site plan and special permit approval.

Berlin moving forward with project to replace bridge over Mattabesset River

Erica Drzewiecki

BERLIN – The town is moving forward with a project to replace the bridge that carries Kensington Road over the Mattabesset River.

During their regular Town Council meeting this week, elected officials voted to authorize the town manager to direct Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc. to finalize a design for the new bridge.

The Rocky Hill-based firm’s technical structural lead engineer Peter Grandy presented several options for managing traffic flow during construction.

“What we were asked to do by the town is come up with a design to replace the culverts there,” Grandy said. “Based on the DOT (Department of Transportation) inspection it was determined they were deteriorating at a pretty quick rate…If something were to happen down the road somebody would be liable for that. The town wants to take care of this before it becomes an issue.”

The metal culverts that anchor the bridge to the ground would be replaced with concrete ones that have a life span of 75 to 100 years, according to Grandy.

“Easily, with minimal maintenance,” he said.

A detour could reroute Main Street and Kensington Road traffic around the site onto Rt. 71.

Alternatively the bridge could remain open during construction with a temporary traffic signal directing drivers through the work area one lane at a time.

Town officials opted for the latter option, which – although it would increase the length of construction – would not require closing the road.

“I am recommending we keep the bridge open during construction,” Public Works Director Mike Ahern told the Council.

The project comes at very little out-of-pocket cost to the town, since it is being funded through the State’s Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP) and the Capital Region Council of Governments (CRCOG).

About 4000 vehicles travel this section of road on a daily basis.

Bond Commission to consider millions of dollars for economic development projects, including in downtown Hartford

Michael Puffer

Aroughly 1,000-apartment development next to Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford is up for a $13.6 million infusion through the State Bond Commission’s agenda next Tuesday.

The end-of-year agenda is packed with support for economic development, arts, housing and other initiatives across the state.

The bond commission rarely denies a request once it hits the agenda.

That means Hartford can be reasonably certain of $13.6 million for a loan to help launch the second phase of the roughly “Downtown Crossing” (formerly Downtown North) project under Stamford-based developer Randy Salvatore.

Salvatore is redeveloping four empty lots next to Dunkin’ Donuts Park in phases. The first – a $50 million construction of a 330-space garage and 270 apartments – launched in Oct. 2020.

The state money will filter through the Capital Region Development Authority to help finance the next phase, a $52 million project resulting in a 541-space garage and 228 additional apartments.

According to the Bond Commission agenda, Salvatore will finance that effort with the state money, $33.2 million in “other financing” and $6 million in equity and developer fees.

The bond commission is packed with funding for other economic, housing and arts development, including:

·      $35 million to build a new rail station in the Thompsonville section of Enfield.  State Sen. John A. Kissel praised the development as a “game-changer.”

·      $25 million for brownfield grants and loans to help municipalities and developers clean up polluted industrial sites, preparing them for reuse.

·      $21 million to replenish funding for the Small Business Express Program. The 10-year-old program provides low-interest loans to small businesses for purchase of equipment, working capital, relocation costs, employee training and marketing.

·      $4 million to support minority businesses through the Small Business Express Program.

·      $11 million to allow the Capital Region Development Authority to provide loans to help fund conversion of half the downtown Hartford Hilton hotel into apartments, and refurbishment of the remaining hotel rooms.

·      $6 million for small projects and programs through the Economic Development and Manufacturing Assistance Grant.

·      $5 million to provide free technical and professional training to underemployed and unemployed individuals through the CareerConneCT program.

·      $4 million toward a private, $23.5 million construction of a mixed-income, 88-unit, apartment development on 11 acres off Deming Road in Berlin. Twenty-seven units will be classified affordable.

·      $3.5 million grant for Thomaston to restore the Thomaston Opera House.

·      $3.5 million to the Capital Region Development Authority to fund renovations of the Connecticut Convention Center and Rentschler Field, including installation of a chiller system, elevator upgrades and handicap accessible improvements

·      $3 million grant to help fund a $14.7 million expansion and remodel of Real Art Ways at 56 Arbor St. in Hartford. This will add four cinemas; educational spaces for classes and workshops; a theatrical space for performing arts events; renovated exhibition spaces, including a gallery for families; a cafe and gathering space; renovated outdoor spaces for performances and events; and rental space for events, studios and offices. The renovation is expected to begin in the fall of 2022 and be completed within two years.

·      $2 million for a grant to Middletown for repairs and upgrades to its RM Keating Historical Enterprise Park. According to minutes of the March 10, 2020 meeting of the Middletown Economic Development Committee, the business incubation park houses 21 tenants, but needed upgrades to roofs, paving, locks and other areas.

·      $1.5 million grant to assist Opera House Players Inc. in renovating a century-old church at 100 Main St. in Enfield into a performing arts theater.

·      $1 million for Windsor for the second phase of a complete street and road study and analysis for transit-oriented development.

·      $801,600 for Newington for a streetscape project.

·      $500,000 to help East Hartford with design costs for a redevelopment of the Silver Lane corridor.

165 apartments proposed for Evergreen Walk as Shake Shack, preschool approved

JESSE LEAVENWORTH

SOUTH WINDSOR — A 165-unit apartment complex is proposed for Evergreen Walk in South Windsor, while a Shake Shack restaurant and a new location for a nationwide private preschool were approved for the mixed use development near the Manchester border.

The public hearing on the proposed apartments was continued to the Jan. 11 planning and zoning commission meeting. The commission on Tuesday approved a 3,200-square-foot Shake Shack and renovation of 12,819 square feet of existing space for The Goddard School, a private early childhood education company, Town Planner Michele Lipe said.

The commission must approve a change to the current cap of 200 apartments (the existing Tempo development) at Evergreen Walk.

Commission members and the developer, Continental Properties, agreed that 10% of the new apartments would be made affordable to persons or families earning 80% or less of the area median income as defined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

According to HUD, for the Hartford area, 80% of median income for a family of three would be $75,120, and the monthly rent limit for a one-bedroom apartment at 80% of median income would be $1,566.

The apartment buildings would be constructed on about 8.5 acres, with 83 one-bedroom and 82 two-bedroom units. Also proposed is an outdoor heated pool, putting green, fire pit and clubhouse with multi-purpose room and fitness center.

The nationwide chain Shake Shack has five locations in Connecticut, according to its website, including West Hartford and New Haven. The restaurant serves burgers, fries, hot dogs, milk shakes and frozen custard, among other offerings.

Construction of a Whole Foods supermarket on the site is to start in the spring, and Lipe said construction of the new Shake Shack likely will start about the same time.

The Goddard School has franchise locations across the nation, including in Glastonbury, Newington and Rocky Hill. The schools are focused on children from infants to 6 years old. The vacant space to be renovated is next to Ted’s Montana Grill and included the Flatbread Company, which closed recently.

Of parcels that remain for development at Evergreen Walk, one is targeted for an independent living facility, while a bank is expected to submit a site plan application for land across from LA Fitness, Lipe said.

Just over the Manchester line near the Buckland Hills mall, Evergreen Walk won local approval in 2001 and opened in 2004.

Southington developers planning two 55-plus communities in Plainville

DON STACOM

A Southington-based developer that has built residential complexes in numerous Connecticut towns is proposing a 55-and-over community in southern Plainville and recently broke ground on another at the Plainville/Farmington line.

If Plainville officials approve the plan, Newport Realty would build up to 15 townhouses across Washington Street from Norton Park.

The company has already torn down a vacant house and would clear trees to the west to open the property to construction. The planning and zoning commission expects to conduct a hearing either Jan. 11 or 25 before deciding whether to authorize the project. If it gets approval, that would leave Newport to construct two projects in Plainville in 2022. It already has zoning permits to construct Willow Brook Estates, a larger 55-and-over community planned for northern Plainville. Tony Valenti and Mark Lovley, the principals in Newport, expect to build 61 condos at Willow Brook. The detached, single-story units will range from 1,444 to 1,610 square feet; all will have three bedrooms and two full baths along with a garage.

The 25-acre property directly straddles the town line; 39 units will be in Newport plans to build Willow Brook in four phases, with the first two entirely in Plainville and the third and fourth in both communities. Newport reported that the first two phases are projected for mid-year occupancy, and have sold out except for two units.Plainville, and 22 in Farmington. Prices start at $370,000. The third phase is scheduled for occupancy in mid-2023, and the fourth will be available from late 2023 to early 2024.

This week, Newport had subcontractors doing site work on the Willow Brook property, which is roughly across from Maxine Road on the eastern side of Route 177. Most of the site is fields and woodland, but a 70-year-old house stands along the frontage on Route 177; a sign advises that it will soon be demolished.

Newport has not publicly released a construction schedule or floor plans for the proposed 15-unit project in southern Plainville.

In recent years, Valenti and Lovley have built a significant number of condos, apartments complexes and small to mid-sized commercial centers in Southington and Berlin.

They currently are constructing the $17 million Steele Center mixed-use development in the heart of Berlin.

That project is expected to be 80,000 square feet when its done, and will include 76 market-rate apartments, 10,000 square feet of medical office space and another 8,600 square feet for restaurants or retailers. It is the biggest development in Berlin in recent years.

Newport and Lovley Development, a business owned by Lovley that shares Newport’s address, have projects completed or in the works in Glastonbury, Waterbury, Watertown and elsewhere. In Southington, Newport recently built two 55-and-over residential complexes — Muirfield Estates and Balmoral — that have sold out.

Numerous developers in central Connecticut have begun mid-size and large residential complexes since the pandemic began, some designed for young professionals and families but several aimed at “empty-nesters” and recent retirees who want to downsize their homes. The 55places.com real estate website lists 62 Connecticut 55-and-older communities.