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CT Construction Digest Friday June 5, 2020

Developer eyes 111-unit apartment complex in Bloomfield
Joe Cooper
Avner Krohn, one of the most active developers in downtown New Britain in recent years, is proposing to build a 111-unit multi-family housing development on vacant Bloomfield land.
Krohn's company, Jasko Development LLC, which is partnering in the project with Brian Zelman of Zelman Real Estate LLC, last week received master plan and zone change approvals from the town’s planning and zoning commission to build the four-story structure at 54, 56, 65 and 80 Jolley Dr.
The site is less than a half-mile from where Jasko Development and Zelman recently completed a 14,459-square-foot medical office building at 10 Jolley Dr.
The group still needs a special permit and site plan approval from the zoning commission, and others from the inland wetlands commission, before Jasko Development's in-house construction team can break ground on the proposed project, according to Town Planner Jose Giner.
Krohn said he plans to close on acquiring a small piece of the vacant, 17-acre Jolley Drive property in the coming weeks. The land, he said, has been eyed for development over the last 35 or so years.
“We felt there is definitely a demand that we have seen in the market,” he said, adding the development would likely serve individuals working for large nearby employers, like Cigna. “Bloomfield really has a core and growing business community.”
[Read more: Bloomfield sees steady development boom]
According to plans, the residential building would include a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom market-rate apartments. It will also house 8,000 square feet of community and amenity space with a courtyard, pool and other amenities.
“We are finalizing plans still but it will be a highly-amenitized building,” he said. “We are going to try to incorporate the building within the natural setting.”
Jasko Development in recent years has mostly been focused on buying decaying properties to revitalize neighborhoods and, wherever possible, do historic rehabilitations. It has also completed ground-up development of medical, retail and other multi-family sites in New Britain, Meriden, Bristol, Torrington and Enfield, among other towns in Connecticut.
As previously reported, Krohn stumbled on New Britain in 2006 when he took a wrong turn while passing through Connecticut. Krohn has said when he discovered the city he found it charming, and was impressed with its potential, historic architecture and the desire of residents he met to turn things around.
Krohn has also chaired the New Britain Downtown District where he participated in urban planning, streetscape design and promoted a “gentrification” of the city.

CTDOT gets nearly $225M in federal funds for transit expenses
Sean Teehan
The Federal Transit Administration awarded Connecticut's Department of Transportation $224.3 million to cover COVID-19-related expenses for rail and bus operations.
The FTA money is meant to cover things like personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies and driver salaries, a DOT statement said.
“Our trains and buses continue to operate around Connecticut, and this funding will help ensure we can continue this essential service during this critical and challenging time," DOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti said.
The majority of the $224.3 million will go toward rail, with $150 million earmarked for the New Haven Line, New Canaan Line, Danbury Line, and Waterbury Line and $6 million for Shore Line East, according to the DOT. CTtransit, CTtransit Express, and CTfastrak services statewide will receive $50 million, while rural transit services will get $10.1 million.