Windsor Locks officials support 250,240-square-foot warehouse project; tax relief possible

Michael Puffer

A250,240-square-foot distribution center under construction next to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks is getting a full-throated welcome from local officials, who will also shortly be considering property tax relief for the $25 million development.

During a ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday for the project at 30 Hamilton Road, Windsor Locks First Selectman Scott A. Storms assured company officials of his support. 

“We are looking for partners who are going to move in and help us make this community the best it can be, and if we can assist, we would love to do that,” Storms said. 

He ticked off a list of expensive municipal infrastructure projects either underway or shortly to launch, including a new senior center, police station and firehouse. This new development and others like it could help absorb the resulting tax burden from needed infrastructure upgrades, he said.

Silverman has not yet identified a tenant for the project, which began in early June. Completion is expected around the turn of the first quarter in 2025.

Based in New Jersey, Silverman is a national investment and development firm. SL Industrial Partners, an arm of the company, oversees leasing and management of 25 million square feet of industrial space across 20 states and is pursuing 15 million square feet of new construction in nine states.

This latest warehouse will have 43 loading docks, two 10- by 14-foot drive-in doors and a 36-foot-high ceiling, as well as 149 parking spaces and 43 trailer spaces. The development is in the Bradley Airport Development Zone, which provides tax benefits and incentives for potential tenants, including a five-year, 80% abatement on local property taxes on qualifying real estate, machinery and equipment. The building is designed to accommodate up to three tenants.

The development is on a portion of a 40-acre property Silverman purchased from aerospace company Hamilton Sundstrand Corp. for $1.9 million in late 2021. That property came with a 199,000-square-foot, two-floor industrial building in late 2021. Silverman continues to seek a tenant for the former Sundstrand building.

Silverman Group President Blake Silverman said he is confident of finding a tenant, or tenants, before the new warehouse is completed, given the continuing strong demand for logistics space in northern Connecticut.

Silverman also praised the receptiveness of local officials and responsiveness of town staff. He acknowledged the company will see property tax relief, which will be passed along to prospective tenants.

Toby Nelson, Silverman’s vice president of leasing, described interest in industrial property as “steady.”

“But there is a lack of product right now, so we feel like we are in a good environment right now to land a tenant, or tenants,” Nelson said. 

Sherman to decide to renovate or repair its only school: 'Massive undertaking'

Sandra Diamond Fox

SHERMAN —  After much work over the course of many months, school officials and community members have put two options on the table to save The Sherman School.

The 87-year-old building is in such poor shape that local officials weighed whether to close the town’s only school as enrollment declines.

Instead, officials are comparing a $39 million plan to repair the school over six years, with a $42 million proposal to renovate the building as new over two years. Despite the higher price tag for the plan with the shorter timeline, officials say the renovation would cost taxpayers less because they expect to earn a higher state grant reimbursement rate. 

It’ll be up to the town’s Board of Education to choose between the options, and then the town will vote in a public referendum. Both school and town officials are hoping the second referendum will pass after the first one overwhelmingly failed last October. The $47 million plan would have renovated the school.

“It’s been a big process going through as many options on what to do with the school as possible after last year’s failed referendum. This has been a tremendous amount of work,” said Matt Vogt, Board of Education chairman. “It was a massive undertaking… to really piece it all together.”

The original plan, which was rejected on Oct. 7 by a vote of 914-509, would have renovated the building, which serves a shrinking number of pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students. The plan would have reduced the school’s size by replacing a wing that’s no longer used and addressed various problems in the building. 

“We talked with a lot of people after the referendum failed … We’ve tried to address as many of their concerns as possible as we’ve gone through this process again, which is really leaving no stone unturned in terms of options for the building — how to fix it as well as making sure that we’re being as creative as we can,” Vogt said. 

The school board will hold a special meeting and public hearing at 7 p.m. July 23 in the school’s library media center and on Zoom, to share opinions and answer questions on the options. The board will then vote on one of the plans. On July 27, the Board of Selectmen will meet at 7 p.m. at Mallory Town Hall to consider the Board of Education’s vote. The town’s second referendum to repair the school is scheduled for October.

Vogt said the school is in very poor condition so an option must be chosen quickly.

“There is an urgency. There are systems that are failing or have failed since we started this process, and what’s happening is that our maintenance budget is increasing,” he said. “We are putting a lot of money into short-term fixes to keep things operating until we can execute a long-term fix. At this point, it’s just running around, putting out fires to keep the heat on, keep water from coming in — all kinds of different issues.”

Schools Superintendent Pat Cosentino said at the first referendum, many people voted 'No' because they felt the cost of the project could be slimmed down and also, that it would cost less if it’s renovated over time. She supports the $42 million renovation plan over the $39 million capital improvement plan.  

“What we found with option one, is it does not cost less to renovate over time. It’s six years, it’s over $30 million and there’s a lot of unknowns when you’re working over six years,” she said. “So that’s why we priced out doing option one over time so that people could see that it really does not cost less to the taxpayer.”

Sherman First Selectman Don Lowe said what has helped the process and what gives him encouragement is that everyone, on all the committees that are involved with the plan, is working together nicely.

“That’s been a lot different than the previous time when it failed,” he said.  “And I think this has been an improvement in the entire process. That has helped a lot.”

Lowe added the Sherman School community “is on to an excellent plan to renovate this building and to finally get this whole situation under control and the school fixed again.”

If the referendum passes, work on the school most likely wouldn’t begin until next summer, Lowe said. Each referendum costs the town from $3,000 to $5,000, Lowe said.

There’ll be 252 students enrolled at the K-8 school in the fall, Cosentino said.

Cost options

The plans are alternatives to closing the school due to declining enrollment and the building’s deficiencies. Options previously considered but ruled out include eliminating the school’s middle school program and sending all students to schools in neighboring districts.

The $38.6 million option, completed by Friar Architects, calls for capital improvements to be made to the building over six years. The state would reimburse the town for a maximum of 12.5 percent of eligible costs. The town’s share would be $33.8 million. 

The plan would include restoration of the school’s K-wing to its intended use and the replacement of failing infrastructure. The K-wing is the original school building that was constructed in 1937. It had an antiquated heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and issues with well water. The K-wing closed in 2016 and has since been used only for storage space.  

However, the construction in this plan would cause “significant disruption to the educational environment… Escalation over a 6 year+ term is unknown and out of our control so today’s prices are not guaranteed in the future,” said a post on Save Sherman School, a volunteer group of about 30 residents who are “passionate about keeping a public PreK-8 school right here in Sherman.” Save Sherman School, an independent local advocacy committee, formed after the town’s first failed school referendum.

The renovation option, completed by Antinozzi Architects, would cost $42.1 million and would involve the replacement of failing infrastructure. However, the school would lose its historic K-wing.

For a "renovate as new" project, special legislation has granted the town a minimum reimbursements rate of 30 percent — a higher percentage than typical — if the town applies to the state by Oct. 1. Taxpayers would cover $29.47 million.

“Because of the 30% special reimbursement rate granted by the state guaranteed for this year only, our town has a unique opportunity to save millions of dollars by moving forward with option 2 in the next referendum,” Save Sherman School said on its website. “With option 2 the town will get a more expensive renovation for less cost to taxpayers.”

Avon awarded state grant for new trail, as the town prepares for next phase of Old Farms Road project

Natasha Sokoloff

AVON — A massive project to reconstruct a scenic but notoriously dangerous road has received a boost from the state, as the town prepares for the next steps in transforming Old Farms Road.

The $792,598 grant the state Department of Transportation's Community Connectivity Grant Program will go toward connectivity improvements for the second phase of the Old Farms Road project, which is in its preliminary design stages.

Old Farms Road has long been on the town's radar to improve, and the whole project aims to turn the windy, narrow road prone to crashes and speeding into something safer for drivers and pedestrians.

Avon is one of 17 Connecticut municipalities awarded a grant for projects that will improve transportation infrastructure, according to DOT. The grant program will provide around $12 million in this sixth round of awards.

And the grant money is specifically meant to offset the cost of construction of a multi-use trail that is proposed as part of the Phase 2 section of the project, wrote Avon Town Manager Brandon Robertson in an email to CT Insider.

"If built, the trail will provide connectivity between the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail and Fisher Meadows and contribute to the town’s overall goal for the Old Farms Road project, which is to improve the safety of the road for all modes of transportation, both motorized and non-motorized," Robertson wrote.

Phase 1 of the project, with a price tag of around $5.6 million, was initially approved via a town referendum vote in December 2022. And as construction began in the fall, residents remained divided on the major changes coming to their beloved roadway. Work on that phase is still underway and, as of June, Spazzarini Construction is reconstructing a portion of Scoville Road and constructing a roundabout.

The first phase is expected to be completed by no later than December 2025, Robertson wrote.

At the beginning of the year, the town began the second phase of the project with a public input and information session. Since then, consultant WMC Engineers has come up with preliminary designs of the east/west section of Old Farms Road, which were presented during another public meeting last month.

The cost of Phase 2 is not known as this time, Robertson wrote.

And it still has to be approved through a town referendum, which is slated for late 2024 or early 2025, according to project documents. While this section of the project's exact timeline is not yet clear, according to the recent award announcement, municipalities that have been selected to receive grants will be expected to complete the project within three years.

Phase 2 focuses on the east/west section of Old Farms Road, starting where the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail meets Thompson Road, and continuing to Old Farms Road just before Tillottson Road, according to project documents. This phase includes roadway work on about three-quarters of a mile on Old Farms Road and 800 feet of Thompson Road, and constructing a trail on about a mile on Old Farms Road and 2,000 feet on Thompson Road, according to project documents.

Those roadways are very rural in character, according to town documents, as both are very winding and hilly with areas where visibility is extremely lacking. And these upgrades have been much needed for a long time, especially as east/west travel demand has significantly increased over the past 20 years and the town sees increased conflicts and accidents, Town Engineer Lawrence Baril said at a public information meeting early this year.

In 2023, there were 16 reported accidents on the east/west section of Old Farms Road, according to the town's January presentation. 

By widening the roadway and adding a 2-foot shoulder, adding the 10-foot wide multi-use trail along the south side of the road, and reconstructing the sharp curve on Thompson Road, the project aims to help mobility throughout town while improving sightlines and safety for vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic alike.

With better lane configuration and roadway geometry, these changes should also improve emergency response and school bus safety, according to the January public information presentation.

And the new trail is part of a larger goal to increase connectivity and recreational access in Avon, project officials said at the June meeting.

DOT to hold meeting on Mystic River drawbridge project

Mystic ― The state Department of Transportation will hold a virtual public information meeting on July 29 at 7 p.m. to outline a project to repair the Mystic River drawbridge.

Registration is required for the meeting, which will take place on Zoom. A question and answer session will immediately following the presentation.

The meeting also will be live-streamed on the CTDOT YouTube channel, and a recording will be immediately posted at portal.ct.gov/ctdotVPIMarchive.

“The purpose of the project is to address structural deficiencies and load carrying capacity of the structure, repair and upgrade existing mechanical and electrical systems of the iconic moveable bridge, improve bicycle passage over the steel open grid deck, and rehabilitate the fender system for marine traffic due to corrosion,” Department of Transportation Project Manager Meziane Meziani said in a statement.

Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2026 based on funding, acquisition of rights of way and permit approval, according to the DOT. The estimated construction cost is approximately $3.7 million, with 80% funded by the federal government and 20% with state money.

For instructions on meeting access and ways to provide comments, visit https://portal.ct.gov/dotmystic0058-0343.

People can submit comments and questions by Aug. 12 by emailing DOTProject0058-0343@ct.gov or calling (860) 594-2020 and referencing State Project No. 0058-0343.

Vessel group eyes another New London parcel for multi-family residences

John Penney

New London ― The developer of a Bank Street apartment complex is eyeing another parcel to possibly construct more multi-family housing, according to planning documents.

Vessel Technologies, doing business as Vessel RE Holdings, LLC, on May 23 applied for a zone map amendment to change the designation of 23.5 acres surrounding Briggs Brook, near the Connecticut College campus.

The proposal calls for modifying the property’s current R-2 zone, which allows one- and two-family homes, to R-3, which allows for multi-family home construction. The parcel’s western edge abuts an existing R-3 district.

A Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing on the zone change proposal was set to be opened Thursday and recessed to Aug. 15 without public comment.

The continuance request was made to allow Vessel representatives to host “informal public informational sessions” with nearby property owners on Williams Street, according to an email sent to the city’s planning department by Attorney William Sweeney, who is representing Vessel.

The heavily wooded property, identified as 0 Stonebridge Drive on amendment applications, was purchased in 1999 by the Shiloh Baptist Church for $950,000.

Sweeney stated Vessel has the property under contract, which means the seller has accepted an offer on from a buyer. However, until all contingencies on a property are met ― such as obtaining a zoning change ― the deal can still fall through.

Neither Vessel, nor the Rev. Benjamin K. Watts, pastor of the Shiloh church on Garvin Street, could immediately be reached to comment on Thursday.

In its application, Vessel, which is still building a five-story complex at 174 Bank St. that includes 30 one-bedroom apartments, states if the zoning change is approved, it intends to develop a “multifamily project” on the most developable southern portion of the property.

The remainder of the lot, which includes wetlands, would be placed into permanent conservation providing a “substantial forested buffer” to the adjacent residences along Williams Street.

The Briggs Brook property, which borders Williams and Briggs streets, as well as Hawthorne Drive and Ridgeview Circle, is a mix of wetlands and steep slopes with a stream cutting through it.

No site plans for any potential construction at the property has been received by the city, said Felix Reyes, director of planning and economic development.

“That’s typical, since no developer wants to start incurring soft costs, like architects, until they’re sure their vision aligns with what a city allows,” Reyes said. “By holding off, that allows for adjustments to a plan.”

Reyes said his office frequently fields development proposals from firms interested in building in the city, though he said he’s not seen any concrete plans from Vessel regarding Stonebridge Drive.

“Their focus right now is Bank Street,” he said. “But the city is always hoping for more housing opportunities.”

The Bank Street complex, which broke ground last spring, was initially set to open in October, but Vessel officials opted to extend the construction process and set a new tentative date of July to begin accepting tenants.

Route 6 work in Plymouth delayed

PLYMOUTH — Improvements to Route 6 between Prospect Street and Baldwin Park Lane are temporarily on hold.

Construction began in the spring of 2022 but during paving operations in the fall of 2023, workers discovered that the original ground survey model used to develop the project design contained inaccuracies.

Route 6 is a state road and the Department of Transportation has paused the project while he survey is corrected, and the design reviewed and updated to ensure roadway, driveway and sidewalk grading are constructed correctly.

During this time, the DOT has also identified some potential improvements that could be made, such as extending streetscaping and illumination. Designers are currently working with town leaders to incorporate these improvements.

The design is scheduled for completion by this winter. Construction is expected to resume in the spring and completed in 2026.

The purpose of the project is to improve the operations at the intersections of Route 6 with South Main Street, North Main Street and Agney Avenue.