CT Construction Digest Friday December 3, 2021
Norwalk finds compromise with Cranbury neighbors over new school
NORWALK — Construction of a new Cranbury Elementary School building remains on schedule after the city was able to resolve several issues brought by nearby neighbors last month.
The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance of a rear setback of 223 feet for the new school building at its November meeting, three months after the city made its initial request. The board asked the city to work with the neighbors to find a compromise that addressed their concerns of excess noise and visual aesthetics.
Mario Coppola, corporation counsel for Norwalk, met with the neighbors three times in the three weeks prior to the meeting. The neighbors had voiced their objections to the variance request at previous Zoning Board of Appeals meeting dating back to August.
The last meeting with the concerned neighbors was a walkthrough on the proposed site for the new school building. The neighbors were shown drawings and renderings of the new buildings and where additional landscaping around the school will create buffering between their homes.
Coppola submitted a memorandum to the board that outlined the compromises made between the city and the neighbors. Upon its approval, the board added one more condition that the city would continue to work in good faith with the nearby community about the school development as several other details still needed to be settled after the meeting.
The four conditions set forth in the memorandum included the city planting approximately 90 evergreen trees of various species to creating a screen on the west property line; repositioning dumpsters closer to the south end of the building; relocating the tennis and basketball courts to the east side of the building in the middle of the parent drop-off loop; and moving the building 10 feet north of the original proposed site.
“We think it will look fantastic and be an improvement,” Coppola said during the meeting.
With the variance approved, the project will now move to the city’s zoning commission for a special permit review, according to Alan Lo, building and facilities manager for Norwalk. The initial presentation is scheduled for Dec. 15 with the required public hearing for the special permit on Jan. 19.
Construction is expected to begin in May. Completion of the new building and demolition of the old building is expected by summer 2023. Due to seasonal construction requirements, athletic fields will be built the following spring so the final completion of the project is scheduled for 2024, according to Lisa Yates, an architect at Antinozzi Associates.
“Most of the site is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2023,” she said.
Designs for the new school building were first presented in June. Students and staff will continue learning in their existing building during the construction process. The school has been working with the design team to relocate outdoor spaces during construction, according to Brenda Wilcox Williams, chief of staff and communications for Norwalk Public Schools.
The Norwalk Planning Commission approved $45 million for the construction project over the summer.
Bridgeport OKs ‘residential office’ zone at Remington Woods
BRIDGEPORT — Despite an outpouring of calls from residents and activists to block any future development at Remington Woods, the Planning & Zoning Commission this week adopted new regulations allowing the private owner to instead pursue an office park while saving open space.
“I think it’s the best compromise,” commission member Robert Filotei said following an online discussion with his colleagues and municipal staff Monday of the options for the 420 acres off of Boston and Broadbridge avenues on the Stratford border.
But City Councilwoman Maria Pereira, who represents the area, afterward called the commission’s decision “atrocious.” Pereira said her constituents want the entire property preserved for passive recreation like nature hikes and she is hoping federal dollars might be used to purchase it.
A former Remington Arms Company munitions testing site, the land is currently owned by Sporting Goods Properties Inc., a subsidiary of Corteva Agriscience of Delaware. Sporting Goods is in the process of cleaning up the acreage and a body of water within, Lake Success, under the supervision of federal and state officials.
As part of a massive re-write of Bridgeport’s zoning regulations, and in response to long-time efforts by environmentalists to save the woods, the city’s Office of Planning & Economic Development proposed changing the property’s designation from “light industrial” to “residential office center.”
The commission subsequently approved the change as part of the revision to the regulations.
Bridgeport Planning Director Lynn Haig during a mid-November public hearing on the city-wide zoning overhaul that attracted dozens of pro-Remington Woods speakers, said the “light industrial” zone is “the most permissive code we currently have.”
In contrast, she had testified, the change to “residential office center” would limit what Sporting Goods Properties could build and would help keep much of the site undeveloped.
Ahead of Monday’s commission vote finalizing the new zoning code, Haig reiterated, “Those are really the only two options that I see.”
Zoning commissioners asked her, Deputy Economic Development Director Bill Coleman and Russell Liskov, a municipal attorney, to explain why Bridgeport could not pursue the third option of preventing any construction in the woods.
“Our (U.S.) Constitution is very clear,” Liskov said. “You cannot take people’s property without due process and paying fair compensation for it.”
If the commission zoned the property a park or open space, “you strip the owner of the right to utilize their property and you’re going to buy yourself a lawsuit for inverse condemnation,” Liskov said.
Coleman said Sporting Goods has claimed that once the environmental cleanup is completed in another two to three years, the company wants to pursue “a light office park” and would “be reluctantly accepting” of the new residential office park designation.
Sporting Goods in a recent statement to Hearst Connecticut Media on the topic said the company “continues to work with planning experts and maintains its goal of a balanced future use that allows for significant conservation of natural areas along with low-impact development.”
Coleman on Monday added, “They have said their plan, in all likelihood, leads to 60 to 70 percent of the site being preserved as woodland.”
Commission member Cesar Cordero asked if there were any structures currently on the property.
Haig said not really, just some construction trailers being used as temporary offices during the cleanup work.
“(There is) the old adage of most sides are a little displeased, perhaps because you’ve gotten it right,” Coleman said. “I do think we’ve gotten it right.”
But asked by Filotei if he likes Sporting Goods’ plan, Coleman responded, “I tend to think the economic and community benefits of a site like that being conserved in its entirety would accrue more broadly and greatly to the city as a whole than would an office park.”
“One way to market (the city) is you present it as a livable place that’s connected to nature, water, woodlands, parklands,” he continued. “So I see great value in pursuing conservation of that site from an economic development point of view.”
That is where Pereira hopes the federal government comes in. At the request of herself and others, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal last month wrote the Environmental Protection Agency and the Fish and Wildlife Service asking those federal departments to “review” Remington Woods and provide him “with the services and programs that your agencies could make available, including to possible use as a natural refuge similar to the Stewart McKinney site (along Connecticut’s shoreline).”
“I strongly believe this site should be preserved and protected as a significant environmental gem,” Blumenthal wrote.
The new zoning regulations the commission approved Monday take effect this coming Jan. 1. And Coleman in a subsequent statement to Hearst this week wrote that there are still a lot of unknowns regarding Remington Woods’ future.
For example, some who have opposed any economic development there would still prefer it to be more than just a wild area, and instead turned into a municipal park for active recreation. But in order for that to happen, Coleman explained, the land would have to be cleaned even further beyond what Sporting Goods has been mandated to do by federal and state officials, which means someone has to foot the bill.
“The short of it is that it’s too early to tell how the future of that site may play out,” Coleman said. “Will it be the current conceptual plan advanced by Corteva? Will it be a plan that achieves a greater degree of conservation? Will that conservation include public access? To what extent? And where on the site?”
He concluded, “Our position is to remain constructively and actively engaged with the owner and with citizen advocates and interested conservationist groups, first and foremost to advance the clean-up, while we also explore creatively and cooperatively a variety of strategies that would allow for the site to be conserved to the greatest extent possible for for the planet and for people.”
Energy secretary: Offshore wind brings ‘gust’ of job growth
Jennifer McDermott
PROVIDENCE (AP) — U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Thursday that the administration's goal for offshore wind and the projects being developed now represent a “gust of job growth throughout the country.”
Granholm visited a new offshore wind manufacturing hub in Providence to talk about the Biden administration’s plan to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 and to promote the investments in the $1 trillion infrastructure deal.
“More offshore wind means more jobs for iron workers, line workers, engineers, electricians, plumbers, pipefitters," she said. “Jobs in mining and manufacturing and management and operations and sales, not to mention of course the benefit to surrounding communities."
At the Port of Providence, Orsted, a Danish energy company, and the utility Eversource are constructing a building for the fabrication and assembly of large, advanced components for turbine foundations. Orsted officials gave Granholm and Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee a tour. The group met union workers who are building the facility.
McKee said he envisions Rhode Island as the “base camp” to support the offshore wind supply chain along the East Coast. Granholm said looking at the building reminded her of a proverb: “When the winds of change blow, some build walls, others build windmills.”
“And we know which side of that Rhode Island falls on,” she said.
Eversource President and CEO Joe Nolan said the Biden administration's support of offshore wind is a “breath of fresh air” after the Trump administration. Both Nolan and Orsted Offshore North America CEO David Hardy said such support is critical while the U.S. industry is still in the fragile, early stages.
“The momentum is happening,” Nolan said. “We need it to continue.”
“It's a young industry,” added Hardy. “We need help getting the first projects off the ground.”
Their manufacturing hub at the port is scheduled to be finished this spring to support two offshore wind projects, Revolution Wind and South Fork Wind.
Revolution Wind is a planned offshore wind farm south of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., to provide power for Connecticut and Rhode Island. The federal government is currently reviewing the construction and operations plan.
The South Fork Wind project will be located off the coast of Rhode Island. Its transmission system will connect to the electric grid on Long Island, N.Y., making it the state’s first offshore wind farm and jumpstarting the offshore wind industry there.
Granholm announced last week that the administration approved the construction and operations for South Fork Wind, as part of a plan to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. It was the administration's second approval of a commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project in the United States. The first commercial-scale project is off the coast of Massachusetts.
The first U.S. offshore wind farm began operating off Block Island, R.I., in late 2016. But at five turbines, it’s not commercial-scale. Orsted acquired the developer, Rhode Island-based Deepwater Wind, and now operates that wind farm.
Granholm also visited a manufacturer of electric vehicle chargers and a clean energy technology company in Connecticut Thursday. On Friday, she's hosting a roundtable discussion in Boston about the transition to clean energy.
Granholm has been making stops around the country to talk about how investments in infrastructure incentivize companies like these to open and expand, driving the transition away from fossil fuels, creating jobs and helping people save money on energy. She is visiting areas that are proactive in reducing emissions and areas where more work needs to be done.
President Joe Biden signed his hard-fought $1 trillion infrastructure deal into law in November, declaring that the new infusion of cash for roads, bridges, ports and more is going to make life “change for the better” for the American people. It has $100 million for wind energy research and development, $2.5 billion for transmission lines, including transmission from offshore wind farms, and $20 million to ensure offshore wind is built sustainably, Granholm said.
The companion piece of legislation, the social and environment bill under consideration in the Senate, has $600 million for port infrastructure, as well as significant tax credits to incentivize offshore wind development and turbine manufacturing, she added.
WEST HARTFORD — Two forlorn office buildings on Farmington Avenue near Blue Back Square in West Hartford would be demolished and replaced by 48 upscale apartments in a proposal that could add new vibrancy to what is considered a gateway to the town’s center.
If approved, the project, estimated to cost $13 million to $15 million, would provide further evidence that suburban towns in the Hartford area are looking to boost housing in their town centers to make them more walkable — a trend, experts say, that is unfolding across the country.
In West Hartford, developer Avner Krohn, of New Britain-based Jasko Development, a major force in apartment construction in central Connecticut, has partnered with Brian Zelman, a principal in Zelman Real Estate, and Richard Korris, of Jaz-1 Investments on the redevelopment of 920 and 924 Farmington Ave.
It is the first development project in West Hartford for each of the partners, though Zelman and Korris are based in town.
The two office buildings, dating back to the late 1950s and early 1960s would be replaced by a 4-story, brick-and-glass structure, with one- and two-bedroom apartments including balconies and upscale finishes, all above 10,000 square feet of commercial space.
The partners say they were attracted to location because it is rare that a property becomes available so close to the town center. They also see plenty of demand, with overall rental vacancy in the town at about 3%, according to town statistics, and even tighter in the center.
“West Hartford Center is strong from so many perspectives, and this is a really critical location as sort of gateway to the Center of Trout Brook Drive of Farmington Avenue,” Zelman said. “It’s really an opportunity to create something that will be a landmark building.”
The development focuses on the apartments, rather than also trying to fit in a lot of amenities, with the exception of an outdoor patio on the west side of the new structure, Krohn said.
“The amenity is West Hartford Center,” Krohn said. “It’s amenity-laden. All the fitness centers, restaurants, bars, a lot of people’s offices are just a walk away. There are so many options, with few rental options.”
A Whole Foods Market is just across the street.
The partners declined to estimate rents, but they said they would be comparable to newer apartment projects near the center, including the one at 24 North Main St. A check of that website shows a one-bedroom going for $2,500 a month and a two-bedroom at $3,200.
The apartments would have 20 parking spaces under the building, more on a surface lot behind and electric vehicle charging stations.
Experts said both cities and suburbs across the country are taking a closer look at how to make their communities more walkable to lessen dependence on the use of cars.
“You see a price premium for those types of places,” Rachel MacCleery, senior vice president at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C., said. “Those places are more rare than they should be so the market is responding by trying to create infill, density — both commercial and residential density — where it makes sense.”
In West Hartford, the construction of Blue Back Square in the mid-2000s was controversial at the start, but ultimately found acceptance for its New Urbanism approach and attractiveness of its rentals and condominiums. It later spawned the construction of an adjacent hotel and the opening of a Whole Foods Market.
“It’s difficult for any individual infill project to create a walkable place, so I think those efforts can be most successful when they are part of a broader re-imagining strategy so you get all the pieces working together,” MacCreery said.
The proposal comes while another key property near the Center is also for sale. The Kingswood-Oxford School has put up for sale the 3.5-acre property now occupied by The Children’s Museum. The museum is searching for a new location.
Krohn said the partners have had preliminary discussions with the town about their plans and have gotten good initial feedback. The partners intend to submit a formal proposal Friday and are not seeking tax breaks because rent levels are strong enough to cover operating the building and clearing a profit for the developers.
If approved by the town council and other planning boards, construction could start next spring with the demolition of the two office buildings. The apartments could be ready in 16 months, Krohn said.
The project was conceived as a market-rate rent project, the development partners said, but two “affordable” units are planned. The partners said the decision was made because West Hartford is moving toward encouraging more affordable units in town.
Krohn, 40, has emerged as a major development name in the region. He’s also partnering with Zelman on building 360 apartments in East Hartford and 111 in Bloomfield.
Krohn also is embarking on the six-story, 107-rental project in downtown New Britain called The Brit.
Decisions about how towns around cities such as Hartford deal with mixed-use developments for dwellers with diverse incomes will likely play a significant role in the future, some experts say. Creating the walkable suburb with more apartments is seen as key to attracting young people and keeping empty nesters, they say.
Glastonbury is now debating the effects of a major, mixed-use in the center of town. Others have built or are looking to build around rail stations and busways to promote the use of mass-transit.
“When you talk about suburbs like West Hartford and Glastonbury, those are big towns in a very small state,” Mary Donegan, a professor of urban and community studies at UConn and a West Hartford resident, said. “What those towns decide to do really has an impact on the vibrancy of the region and the state.”
Industry Ready to Dive Into Infrastructure Projects After Bill Passes
LUCY PERRY
The ink is still drying on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) as the construction industry awaits bid-letting and Congress turns to the reconciliation budget bill. After a long, hard-fought battle for funding, the industry is ready to get to work on these broad-spectrum infrastructure projects, which will color the national construction picture for years to come.
"America finally has a generation-defining infrastructure bill — and if the reconciliation budget comes through, too, America will begin a building spree larger than what happened during the New Deal," observed Brookings Institution.
It's "worth pausing to consider" the enormity of the total investment if both proposals become law, said the think-tank: The current House reconciliation version proposes roughly $500 billion in new infrastructure spending over 10 years, the organization noted.
"Combined with IIJA, the federal government could be spending $160 billion above baseline for the next five years. That would push federal spending above New Deal investments in infrastructure — as measured by federal spending as a percentage of GDP — but likely to fall short of the historic federal peak around the late 1970s."
After non-stop lobbying for a broad infrastructure bill, the construction industry's reaction to its signing was enthusiastic but cautious. ARTBA dubbed the IIJA "the most significant measure in more than 50 years to meaningfully address the condition and performance of the U.S. transportation network."
Dave Bauer, ARTBA CEO said Congress "demonstrated not only the importance of federal transportation infrastructure leadership, but that policymakers can find common ground and govern on matters of national concern."
Bauer saluted President Joe Biden, House members Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer and Peter DeFazio; Senate members Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Tom Carper, Shelley Moore Capito, Kyrsten Sinema and Rob Portman for leading the effort, along with other members of Congress who voted for final passage.
"Members of Congress have taken tangible action that will benefit every state and community across the nation," Bauer said.
Ward Nye, ARTBA chairman and CEO of Martin Marietta, was present at the White House, standing on behalf of the association and its members.
"The bipartisan infrastructure law is a victory for all Americans," he said. "Let's get to work delivering transportation project outcomes that will boost the economy and make our roadways and railways safer."
Biden tapped Mitch Landrieu, former New Orleans mayor, to coordinate IIJA implementation. Working with experts, Landrieu will verify that jobs are created, the nation's global competitiveness is strengthened, supply chains are opened and inflation is stanched.
"Our work will require strong partnerships across the government and with state and local leaders, business and labor to create good-paying jobs and rebuild America for the middle class," Landrieu said.
"We will also ensure these major investments achieve the president's goals of combating climate change and advancing equity," Landrieu added.
The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) has long supported a bi-partisan federal highway funding program, said Audrey Copeland, association president and CEO.
"NAPA and like-minded organizations in the transportation construction industry, along with our engaged member companies and State Asphalt Pavement Association partners, have advocated for adequate and consistent federal highway funding for a very long time," she said.
"Asphalt pavement is already America's most recycled product, and our industry is embarking on a bold vision toward net-zero carbon emissions," she added. "We will, as we always have, do our part for our communities and our country, including our shared climate."
A Generational Shift
The IIJA is not another stimulus effort; it represents a generational shift in how and what types of projects get done, noted Brookings. Federal agencies, including DOT, DOE and EPA, have to oversee the surge in funding, including administering new grants and designing new programs.
"States and localities, from transportation departments to water utilities, have to identify and execute needed projects on the ground. And this federal, state and local coordination all comes amid continued challenges overseeing other expanded funding from the American Rescue Plan earlier this year," said Brookings.
Passage of a comprehensive infrastructure investment bill also has been a tier-one priority for the American Trucking Association (ATA), which believes IIJA will bolster highway safety, make long-overdue investments in roads and bridges and help grow and strengthen trucking's workforce.
ATA was represented at the White House, and association President and CEO Chris Spear praised the recognition by Congress that "roads and bridges are not political — we all drive them."
A majority in the House and Senate "realized this truth and did what's right for the country, not themselves," said Spear. "From farmers to truckers, the millions of hard-working people who make this country great won today."
He said that ATA members can finally see the fruits of their labor in the form of a 38-percent increase in road and bridge funding and an infusion of talent in the trucking sector's workforce.
"Those lawmakers who put their constituents before themselves have now cemented a lasting legacy that the American people will see, feel and use for many decades to come," added Spear.
The types of projects pursued, and the programs channeling resources to projects, will dictate the pace at which funds reach their targets, noted Brookings. State-of-good-repair projects obviously happen faster than new system expansions.
"Funding in existing federal programs, including those distributed by formula, also tends to move faster than funding in new competitive grant programs, which involve new rulemaking," wrote the think-tank.
American Public Works Association (APWA) representatives also witnessed President Biden sign the IIJA into law. Like other industry leaders, APWA CEO Scott Grayson stressed how hard association members worked to see the act become reality.
"From roads and bridges to better protecting communities against natural disasters to modernizing our water infrastructure network, this new law will deliver significant upgrades in every state and benefit every person," he said. "The commitment of $550 billion in new federal spending over five years represents a generational improvement that still recognizes the need for local decision-making."
An Enormous Undertaking
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) listed six priorities the Biden administration expects to follow during the legislation's implementation:
Invest public dollars efficiently, avoid waste and focus on measurable outcomes for the American people;
Buy American and increase the competitiveness of the U.S. economy, especially via "Made-in-America" purchasing requirements, while also bolstering domestic manufacturing and manufacturing supply chains;
Create good-paying job opportunities for Americans by focusing on prevailing wages and the free and fair chance to join a union;
Invest public dollars equitably, including through the "Justice40 Initiative," which seeks to make 40 percent of the overall benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy flow to disadvantaged communities;
Build resilient infrastructure that can withstand the impacts of climate change and helps combat the climate crisis; and
Effectively coordinate with state, local, tribal and territorial governments in implementing IIJA's critical investments.
According to AASHTO, USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the 24 projects that received $905 million via the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America discretionary grant program are the types of projects his agency aims to support through the IIJA.
Projects slated to receive $1 billion worth of fiscal year 2021 discretionary grants via the new Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program later this year would also exemplify the focus for infrastructure investments.
"That'll give you a sense, but we'll have so much more to work with" via the IIJA, Buttigieg added.
Jim Tymon, AASHTO executive director, said association members and state DOTs want to work with USDOT to implement the law as soon as possible.
"State and local transportation agencies are eager to get to work on the multi-modal projects that will provide real benefits to the people of every community across the country."
AGC praised the IIJA for its benefits to the supply-chain system, saying because of the bill's vote, state and local officials can invest in a more efficient network.
"They will also be able to improve roads and bridges to make them safer and more reliable," said Stephen Sandherr, CEO of the AGC. The American Society of Civil Engineers recently graded the country's infrastructure system at a C-.
"Metro areas will be able to better maintain and expand transit systems," Sandherr added. "And water authorities will be able to further safeguard the quality of local drinking water, among other improvements funded by this bill. The measure also provides needed investments to make infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather events."
Michael Bellaman, president and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) lauded the bill for the opportunity it presents to modernize the nation's infrastructure, and said ABC members are ready to bring the infrastructure system into the 21st century.
But Bellaman tempered his praise, saying ABC is wary of some of the bill's exclusionary provisions and Biden administration statements that could restrict the eligibility of American workers to compete for and participate in construction projects.
And Doug Carlson, CEO of the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA), said, "never before has the American utility construction industry been given by Congress resources of this magnitude to improve thousands of communities across America."
"An extraordinary achievement" is how Carlson described the passing of the bill and its level of funding. And like the rest of the construction industry, NUCA members are eager to get to work.
"They'll be the ones excavating trenches for new water and wastewater lines," he said of his association's membership. "They'll be the ones replacing dangerous lead pipes to bring clean drinking water to communities across the nation. They'll be building stormwater systems and new water treatment plants. They'll also be laying new fiber-optic broadband cables, and helping to build modern ports, highways, railroads, and airports." CEG