Biden's big bill on brink of House votes, but fights remain 

LISA MASCARO and ALAN FRAM, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats in the House appear on the verge of advancing President Joe Biden’s $1.85 trillion-and-growing domestic policy package alongside a companion $1 trillion infrastructure bill in what would be a dramatic political accomplishment — if they can push it to passage.

The House scrapped votes late Thursday but will be back at it early Friday, and White House officials worked the phones to lock in support for the president's signature proposal. After months of negotiations, House passage of the big bill would be a crucial step, sending to the Senate Biden's ambitious effort to expand health care, child care and other social services for countless Americans and deliver the nation's biggest investment yet to fight climate change.

Alongside the slimmer roads-bridges-and-broadband package, it adds up to Biden's answer to his campaign promise to rebuild the country from the COVID-19 crisis and confront a changing economy.

But they're not there yet.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi worked furiously into the night at the Capitol Thursday and kept the House late to shore up votes. The party has been here before, another politically messy day like many before that are being blamed for the Democrats' dismal showing in this week's elections. On and off Capitol Hill, party leaders declared it's time for Congress to deliver on Biden's agenda.

“We’re going to pass both bills,” Pelosi insisted at a midday press briefing.

Her strategy now seems focused on passing the most robust bill possible in her chamber and then leaving the Senate to adjust or strip out the portions its members won’t agree to. The House Rules Committee processed final revisions including to a state-and-local tax deduction in a brief meeting late Thursday in preparation for floor votes.

Half the size of Biden's initial $3.5 trillion package, the now sprawling 2,135-page bill has won over most of the progressive Democratic lawmakers, even though it is smaller than they wanted. But the chamber’s more centrist and fiscally conservative Democrats continued to mount objections.

Overall the package remains more far-reaching than any other in decades. Republicans are fully opposed to Biden’s bill, which is called the “Build Back Better Act” after the president’s 2020 campaign slogan.

The package would provide large numbers of Americans with assistance to pay for health care, raising children and caring for elderly people at home.

There would be lower prescription drug costs, limiting the price of insulin to $35 a dose, and Medicare for the first time would be able to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for prices of some other drugs, a long-sought Democratic priority.

Medicare would have a new hearing aid benefit for older Americans, and those with Medicare Part D would see their out-of-pocket prescription drug costs capped at $2,000.

The package would provide some $555 billion in tax breaks encouraging cleaner energy and electric vehicles, the nation’s largest commitment to tackling climate change.

With a flurry of late adjustments, the Democrats added key provisions in recent days — adding back a new paid family leave program and work permits for immigrants. Late changes Thursday would lift a $10,000 cap on state-and-local tax deductions to $80,000.

Much of the package's cost would be covered with higher taxes on wealthier Americans, those earning more than $400,000 a year, and a 5% surtax would be added on those making over $10 million annually. Large corporations would face a new 15% minimum tax in an effort to stop big businesses from claiming so many deductions that they end up paying zero in taxes.

From the White House, “the president has been very clear, he wants to get this moving,” said principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

As night fell, Democratic leaders struggled to resolve a catalog of remaining issues as lawmakers balanced the promise of Biden's sweeping vision with the realities of their home-district politics.

Biden has few votes to spare in the narrowly divided House and none when the bill ultimately arrives for consideration in the evenly split 50-50 Senate.

Five centrist Democratic lawmakers want a full budgetary assessment before they vote. Others from more Republican-leaning regions are objecting to a new state-and-local tax deduction that favors New York, California and other high-tax states. Another group wants changes to the immigration-related provisions.

In recent days, both the overall price tag and the revenue to pay for it have grown. A new White House assessment Thursday said revenue from the taxes on corporations and the wealthy and other changes are estimated to bring in $2.1 trillion over 10 years, according to a summary obtained by The Associated Press. That's up from what had been $1.9 trillion in earlier estimates.

Pelosi noted a similar assessment Thursday by the bipartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, and she echoed Biden's frequent comment that the overall package will be fully paid for.

But another model from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania suggested a shortfall in revenue for covering the cost, breeding fresh doubts among some of the Democratic lawmakers.

Still, the Democrats in the House are anxious to finish up this week, eager to deliver on the president's agenda and, as some lawmakers prepare to depart for a global climate change summit in Scotland, show the U.S. taking the environmental issue seriously.

Democrats have been working to resolve their differences, particularly with holdout Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who forced cutbacks to Biden's bill but championed the slimmer infrastructure package that had stalled amid deliberations.

Manchin has panned the new family and medical leave program, which is expected to provide four weeks of paid time off after childbirth, for recovery from major illness or for caring for family members, less than the 12-week program once envisioned.

Senators are also likely to strip out a just-added immigration provision that would create a new program for some 7 million immigrants who are in the country without legal standing, allowing them to apply for permits to work and travel in the U.S. for five years. It's not clear that addition would pass muster with the Senate parliamentarian under special budget rules being used to process the package.

On another remaining issue, Democrats are still arguing over a plan partly to do away with the $10,000 limit on state and local tax deductions that particularly hits high-tax states and was enacted as part of the Trump-era 2017 tax plan.

While repeal of the so-called SALT deduction cap is a priority for several Northeastern state lawmakers, progressives wanted to prevent the super-wealthy from benefiting. Under the revised plan, the $10,000 deduction cap would be lifted to $80,000 for nine years, starting with the 2021 tax year.

Architects draft more than $40 million vision for Lyme-Old Lyme schools

Elizabeth Regan 

Old Lyme — Region 18 district officials are mulling more than $40 million in upgrades to its prekindergarten, elementary and middle schools that range from basic mechanical and safety improvements to full-scale renovations that would add 20 years of useful life and more space.

Some of the suggestions in a facilities study from the Farmington-based architecture firm QA+M include moving fifth graders to the middle school or putting small additions on Mile Creek and Lyme Consolidated schools in response to enrollment increases projected for the next 10 years.

Less comprehensive options are focused on upgrading the schools' heating and cooling systems and bringing them into compliance with building and fire codes as well the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Superintendent of Schools Ian Neviaser called the cost estimates "very preliminary" when he introduced the architects, QA+M, at a Wednesday night presentation to the school board. He said the estimates are based on a review of all potential needs in the aging facilities, which were last upgraded 20 years ago.

"What they do ... is share with us everything they found that could be corrected," he said of the architects. "That is not to suggest that we need to accept every single thing that's recommended. We're very early in this process."

He said the study was triggered by the need to look at the district's heating and cooling systems in particular. The firm was hired in June for $45,850.

The basic package outlined by QA+M would cost the district $41.87 million for items like adding central air and sprinkler systems in multiple schools, replacing boilers and making entrances more secure. Recommended options for the more substantial renovations range from $43.28 million to $44.57 million.

The base upgrades would cost the district $41.87 million after reimbursement, according to the presentation. Expanding the two elementary schools in addition to the base upgrades would come with a $43.28 million net cost to the district. Moving fifth grade students into the middle school would bring the cost to $44.57 million.

QA+M principal Am'r Rusty Malik said the reason for the relatively small difference between what the district would pay for the targeted upgrades versus the full renovations involve state funding. That's because projects that wouldn't typically be covered by the Office of School Construction Grants and Review — such as boiler replacement and HVAC upgrades — are reimbursable when carried out as part of what the state calls the "renovate-as-new" framework.

The standard applies to renovation projects that result in the same useful life as a new school but at a lower cost.

While architects estimated the district would recoup $2.13 million from the state for the base upgrades, they said it would receive between $11 million and $12 million for the renovate-as-new proposals.

Additions to the elementary schools in one of the options would include 7,500 square feet at Mile Creek and 5,000 square feet at Lyme Consolidated. The addition at Mile Creek would be built on the west side opposite the gym. At Lyme Consolidated, two classrooms, a hallway and a cafeteria would be built on the east side near the gym.

In the fifth to eighth grades scenario at the middle school, preliminary plans show the band room would be moved to a 3,000 square foot addition off of the auditorium and chorus room. The existing band room would be reconfigured to include five classrooms.

chool board members including Stacey Leonardo and Suzanne Thompson expressed reservations about putting fifth graders with the older kids. They were worried not only about school interaction, but about the wider age range being put together on buses.

"There's all sorts of ramifications beyond moving the band room," Thompson said.

Neviaser acknowledged a previous proposal to relocate the fifth graders was resisted 10 years ago due to busing concerns. That was back when Center School changed from a school for grades three through five to a prekindergarten facility.

"I think ultimately if people felt strongly enough that buses were an issue, we could adapt to that and make some accommodations if they wanted to still ride the elementary route or something along those lines," he said.

Malik said the next step will be for the architects and superintendent to meet with the Office of School Construction Grants and Review to get input from the state before making any decisions for the district. There is also a community presentation on the upgrades at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17, in the middle school auditorium.

He told the school board that "a decision as to what direction you want to go in" at its Nov. 1 meeting would allow the architects to move forward with a plan for how to phase in the upgrades and then update the budget.

He emphasized the district has the most discretion when it comes to the base upgrades, with the ability to reduce the $41.87 million in recommended upgrades by selecting the highest priorities and holding off on the rest — even if it means the buildings remain noncompliant with current building and fire codes.

"Keep in mind if you do the renovate-as-new project, you have no choice," he said. "You have to bring everything up to code."

OSHA: Employers have 60 days to mandate COVID-19 vaccines

Ryan Golden

Employers with more than 100 employees will need to implement a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for their employees — and offer a weekly testing alternative to those who refuse or are unable to receive a vaccine — presumably by Jan. 4, 2022, according to an emergency temporary standard issued Thursday by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

In determining whether they meet the 100-employees threshold, employers must include all employees across all of their U.S. locations, regardless of employees’ vaccination status or where they perform their work, per the ETS. Part-time employees do count towards the company total, but independent contractors do not. Additional sections of the ETS detail how the threshold should be determined in situations involving franchisees, multi-employer workplaces and staffing agencies.

All covered employers are required by the ETS to bear the cost of providing up to four hours of paid time and reasonable paid sick leave needed to support vaccination, but where an employee chooses to remain unvaccinated, the ETS does not require employers to pay for the costs associated with regular COVID-19 testing or the use of face coverings. Some employees may be entitled to reasonable accommodation from their employer, absent undue hardship, due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief. Stakeholders have until 30 days after the date of the rule’s publication to submit public comments.

Fenn Road development in Newington to include hotel, retail and apartments

DON STACOM

A developer is proposing a 122-room extended-stay hotel in Newington as part of three redevelopment projects around the former National Welding site near the CTfastrak station.

The four-story WoodSpring Suites hotel would be built on land between Cedar Street and Myra Cohen Way, the short connector street that leads to CTfastrak.

Just to the west, another developer has broken ground for a new retail strip center facing Fenn Road. And directly to the east, Dallas-based Anthony Properties just proposed a 238-unit apartment complex.

All three properties have been idle for decades, and were a key redevelopment target when Gov. Dannel Malloy’s administration built CTfastrak six years ago.

The tracts are all close to Route 9 and the Central Connecticut State University campus. But the biggest of the three properties held the rusting hulk of National Welding’s metal-fabricating plant, vacant since 1994, while the two others were vacant fields.

The state paid to demolish the sprawling factory, and this year redevelopment plans for all three tracts are under way.

Miami-based Gold Coast Properties wants to build a 48,000-square-foot hotel. The company has more than a dozen extended-stay hotel projects in the works in six states, with many of them under the WoodSpring Suites brand. About 300 WoodSpring Suites hotels operate around the country.

In a memo to the planning and zoning commission earlier this year, Assistant Town Planner Erik Hinckley noted that a previous developer got a permit to build a hotel and restaurant there in 2008. That project was never built.

WoodSpring Suites is a moderate-priced extended-stay chain franchised by Choice International Hotels in 40 states. It was known as Value Place until 2015.

There are no WoodSpring Suites locations in Connecticut; the closest are in Boston, Providence and Saugus, Mass.

Between the hotel site and busy Fenn Road, a developer just broke ground on a one-floor strip plaza for up to four retailers.

The nearly 9,000-square-foot building would front Fenn Road. Hayes-Kaufman Partnership describes it as an extension of the nearby Fenn Road Plaza with Newington’s Stop & Shop, even though the two buildings won’t physically connect.

On the opposite side of the hotel property, Anthony Properties is looking to build a four-story building with studio apartments along with one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

If approved, the project would be the biggest transit-oriented development along CTfastrak.

Amtrak plans major expansion by 2035 if federal infrastructure bill passes

Dan Zukowski

Columbus is Ohio's state capital, a city of almost 900,000 people and at the heart of a 15-county region that is the fastest-growing area in the Midwest, according to William Murdock, executive director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). It's also "the largest city in the country that is not on Amtrak’s national network," he said. Columbus is one of many cities and rural areas that hope to benefit from the proposed largest federal investment in passenger rail in Amtrak’s 50-year history.

Amid the optimism of the first months of the Biden administration earlier this year, Amtrak’s CEO, William Flynn, unveiled a hopeful national route map with new and added passenger train service penciled in for many regions of the country. For now, the fate of Amtrak’s expansion rests with Congress. If House Democrats agree on passage of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, the nation’s passenger railroad could see a windfall exceeding $100 billion over the next five years. The bill guarantees $66 billion for freight and passenger rail and an additional $36 billion that is subject to future congressional appropriations. 

Transportation planners in the Midwest, Southeast and West are looking at the legislation’s Corridor Identification and Development Program, designed to help states establish new intercity trains, expand existing routes or restore prior services. Examples of existing routes that could grow include Chicago-Milwaukee, Washington, D.C.-Roanoke, Virginia, and Vancouver, British Columbia-Seattle-Portland, Oregon. Future new service could include Atlanta-Charlotte, North Carolina, Cleveland-Detroit and Atlanta-Nashville. 

"This sets up a better framework for the states and Amtrak to work together to expand service," said Mark Weitenbeck, treasurer of the Wisconsin Association of Rail Passengers. Under the new legislation, the U.S. Department of Transportation could support a project for multiple years through a phased funding agreement until the state, or a multi-state compact, takes over.

If the program is fully implemented by 2035, Amtrak expects to have added 30 or more new routes and increased service on at least 20 existing lines. Up to 160 communities would see new Amtrak service, and 15 states would gain multiple daily trips.

When Amtrak took responsibility for most of the nation’s intercity passenger train service in 1971, it served 43 states with 184 daily trains. Although it now operates 300 trains a day in 46 states, parts of Canada and the District of Columbia, its route map has changed little from 1971. That’s despite rapid population growth in Sun Belt cities like Atlanta, Phoenix and Austin, Texas, and job shifts across many regions. In 2019, the railroad carried 32 million passengers; it expects to add 20 million riders from the proposed intercity corridor expansion.

Robert Poole, director of transportation policy at the Reason Foundation, a free-market think tank, disagrees with that projection. "My biggest problem with this is the idea that there is a large unrealized demand for this sort of train travel," he said. "I don't think we have any evidence for that, and the cost of trying to stimulate it is is very large."

Positioning rail as a driver of equitable development

In Ohio, Amtrak plans a new Cincinnati-Columbus-Cleveland route with connections to the national rail network on both ends. MORPC also advocates for a new east-west route linking Columbus to Chicago and Pittsburgh. 

Columbus would need a new train station, and Murdock says developers are eyeing a location in the city center near the convention center and hotels. Murdock calls it a "booming area" but admits that housing is scarce in the Short North and Arena districts adjacent to the planned station. "We don't have enough housing to support our population growth at all different income levels, and so this is something we're really concerned about," he said.

Alon Levy is a fellow with New York University’s Marron Institute of Urban Management who focuses on public transportation. He believes that office jobs "could fill in residential development near the station" in the city center, but he said that in Columbus, Cleveland and other Midwestern cities, single-family housing begins within blocks of downtown, limiting commercial development opportunities.

Amtrak’s Flynn said in a statement that the proposed federal investment in Amtrak will create jobs and improve equity across the country. An Amtrak-commissioned study supports that statement, concluding that the corridor plan would spur $195 billion in additional economic activity from capital investments from 2021 to 2035 and support more than 26,000 permanent jobs.

According to Amtrak’s 2021 corridor vision plan, "the geographic expansion to areas with large Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities" will also help reduce racial and economic inequities. In Ohio, Murdock said the planning commission is looking into new train stations in underserved areas, amplifying that with bus rapid transit and transit-centered housing.

Connecting urban and rural populations

Murdock added that rural communities in Ohio are often those most excited about getting train service. “They see the economic possibilities of bringing a station to their town, making them more attractive,” he said. 

Jim Mathews is president of the Rail Passengers Association (RPA), a pro-rail organization that predates Amtrak. As an example of the economic value rail can provide to smaller communities, he cited Meridian, Mississippi, a city of 36,000 that in 1997 built the Union Station Multi-Modal Transportation Center on the site of a historic and mostly demolished 1906 train station. According to Amtrak, the initial construction cost of nearly $7 million helped create $135 million in both public and private investment in the Depot District.

Jarod Pearson, president of the Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers advocacy group, lives in Cowan, Tennessee, a community of just over 1,600 people. Although a freight rail line runs through his hometown, the nearest Amtrak station is in Atlanta, a three-hour drive away. That could change with Amtrak’s planned expansion, which would add train service from Atlanta to Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee, along that existing rail line. He's hoping Cowan would be a stop along the route. "I would make trips to Chattanooga more frequently," he said. "I would not hesitate to spend more time in the area if I can do so without the traffic worries, and that's part of the appeal of passenger rail." 

Train service would help the region's economy and improve access to healthcare and jobs, Pearson added. "It makes rural areas more livable."

Rail roadblocks

While urban planners and passenger rail advocates call for more and better trains, there are roadblocks ahead even if the infrastructure bill is enacted.

Of Amtrak’s 21,400 route-miles of service, it owns just 623 miles. It operates, maintains and dispatches an additional 229 miles, but other railroads or government agencies largely own the rest. Freight railroads are notorious for causing major delays to passenger trains. Only one of Amtrak’s 15 long-distance trains achieved better than 80% on-time arrival in 2020. Six failed to achieve better than 60% on-time performance. The Sunset Limited train, which runs between Los Angeles and New Orleans, arrived on schedule for just one in three trips in 2020. 

Freight railroads may resist the addition of more passenger trains or require Amtrak to make expensive upgrades to the freight lines. In Maine, a passing siding along a Pan Am Railways-owned track needed to be lengthened by six miles to allow Amtrak to add a sixth daily round-trip between Brunswick, Maine, and Boston. Construction is now underway. On Amtrak’s Chicago-Milwaukee route, Canadian Pacific Railway said it would not agree to additional train service after opponents in Glenview, Illinois, objected to the construction of two passing sidings the railroad required.

Poole pointed out that "there's policy implications that are not being discussed from the standpoint of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint." He explained that America's freight railroads are optimized for efficiency. "To the extent that we, by deliberate policy, put a lot more passenger trains on to those freight rail lines, it's going to reduce the efficiency and cost effectiveness of transporting freight by rail rather than by truck." 

Beth Toll, Amtrak spokesperson, said in an email that Amtrak has worked closely with host railroads and has held "years of discussion" about many of the proposed new routes. The RPA's Mathews is optimistic that these issues can be resolved as Amtrak moves forward with its expansion plans.

MORPC's Murdock noted that in Ohio, "The types of investment that you need to make to deliver passenger rail service on these lines through Columbus would mean we'd also improve freight bottlenecks and freight speed."

Anecdotally at least, there's interest in more train service. According to Murdock, "Whether we're talking about a large convention or a business or a young person who's moving to Columbus, oftentimes one of the questions they ask is, 'Where's the train station?'"

"America has a terrible history of prioritizing highways and driving above other modes of travel, destroying communities in the process," said Amtrak's Toll. "As a result, millions of people, including large populations of people of color, do not have access to reliable, fast and sustainable transportation options," she said, adding that Amtrak wants to "address that disparity."

Voters pass referendum to construct new Southington Public Library

BRIAN M. JOHNSON

SOUTHINGTON – The referendum to construct a new Southington Public Library passed Tuesday night. The town is now authorized to appropriate $16,900,000 for a new building at 255 Main St.

Southington Public Library Director Kristi Sadowski said she is “very excited” by the results of the referendum. She said 61.5% voted in favor of the ordinance to appropriate the money for the construction of a new library building and the demolition of the existing building. In total, 6,896 voters supported the referendum and 4,324 voted against it.

“It was wonderful and so heartwarming to see the outpouring of support and to know that, in a couple of years, we’ll have a building that can offer the services that the community deserves and that we want to provide,” she said.

Sadowski said the next step is for the new Town Council to appoint a building committee to work with the architects, Tappe Architects, in moving the project forward.

Leading up to the election, a “Vote Yes for a New Southington Public Library” political action committee was formed to educate residents about the project. This group outlined several priorities that will be featured with the new library.

The new library building would include a larger children’s area, more meeting rooms and quiet study areas and it would bring the space up to modern building codes for accessibility. It will also have more efficient electrical and HVAC systems.

There will be expanded space for children and teens, with more space for parents to sit, and shelving that is more accessible for children.

The proposal also includes meeting and workspaces for individuals and groups with more acoustic separation from children’s spaces. In addition, meeting spaces will be designed so that they are located right off of main entrance, along with bathrooms. This way, if there is a program during off-hours, library staff could close off and lock the main library.

There will also be a new parking lot with a centralized entrance.

The square footage of the current library is 25,000. The new library building will be 36,800-square-feet.

New Griswold Senior Center construction back on track after going over budget

Matt Grahn

GRISWOLD — After a great deal of discussion, changes, and waiting on grant funds, work has started again on the new Griswold Senior Community Wellness Center.

The building, located behind McCluggage Manor, will be finished in 12 weeks, officials said.

“I think we’re on the right track and we’ll get it completed,” Griswold Selectman Todd Babbitt said.

Tina Falck, the senior center and social services director for Griswold, said there’s still a lot of coordination involved with getting the project done, between supply deliveries and the contractors, “to put the last remaining pieces of the puzzle together.”

“It’s not like the flooring is just going to show up tomorrow; there needs to be strategic planning,” Falck said.

Griswold initially bonded $7.5 million in 2019 to pay for the new building. Board of Finance members first discovered the project had gone about $1.5 million over budget in January 2021.

More:New Griswold senior center vastly over budget as town searches for funding

After some changes were made, including moving some work to a later date, Griswold Finance Director Erik Christensen said the cost was cut to $760,000. Babbitt said the reduction was focused on getting what the building needed for a certificate of occupancy. The town voted at a May referendum to continue the project.

To pay for the project, the town received $411,800 in grant funds from the USDA in July, already applied for by the Griswold Senior Center Building Committee before an appropriation was requested from the Board of Finance. Then, the Board of Finance approved an additional $214,355 for the project. That money went towards a generator and other aspects that were left off the original request.

Christensen said the project nets out to being over budget by $562,555, which the town expects to recoup through state bonding. With the help of State Senator Heather Somers and State Rep. Brian Lanoue, $1.2 million in municipal bonding was approved in the proposed state budget. They’ve been trying to get it on the state bonding commission’s agenda for some time, but those meetings have been canceled frequently as of late.

Babbitt said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz told him the issue would be on the January bond agenda. Christensen said that the Griswold Board of Finance already approved the remaining funds needed to finish the project.

“Worst case scenario, it looks like we’re going to use $562,555 of that $760,000, so we’re not even using the full (amount),” Christensen said

Falck said the matter was never meant to be a political issue, and that with the town’s aging population, upgrading from the current facilities would be an investment that lasts at least 30 years, if not longer. As the town has limited space in the existing senior center, groups for playing cards and pool may have to share the space with the line dancing group, or a foot care clinic would be in the same room as the art class.

“We have a younger population of seniors that is growing,” Falck said, expecting a 58% increase in the town’s senior population by 2040.

The new Senior Community Wellness Center will feature a medical room, a larger café space, a conference room for the town’s social services functions, a library with a computer center, and enough space for physical activities like yoga.

“It will be much more professional in terms of privacy,” Falck said. “The services will be much broader.”

Looking ahead, Christensen said there needs to be better communication among different parts of the town.

“Everything got worked out, which was the most important thing,” Christensen said.

Farmington Marriott hotel slated for apartment conversion sold for $21.5M

Greg Bordonaro

The former Hartford Marriott Farmington hotel, which received town approval this summer to be converted into an apartment project, has sold for $21.5 million and is now under new ownership, town records show. 

The  381-room hotel at 15 Farm Springs Road, which closed earlier this year, sold Oct. 7, property records show. 

The seller was CLP Farmington LLC, which is controlled by Robert Schlesinger of Freeport, New York, state records show.  Jason Schlesinger, who is also an owner of CLP Farmington LLC, was the developer who said in July that construction would begin in late summer to convert the hotel into 225 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom luxury apartments. 

The buyer was GF8 Farm Springs LLC, which is controlled by Yechezkel Landau of Lakewood, New Jersey, state records show. 

It’s not clear what the sale means for the apartment conversion project. Jason Schlesinger didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. 

Farmington Town Planner Shannon Rutherford said she had not spoken to the new owners and has no further information about the project. 

In July, after receiving a zoning change and site plan approval, Jason Schlesinger told HBJ that he planned to start the conversion of the former Marriott hotel into a mixed-used apartment complex later this summer.

“We’re excited to meet a growing need in Farmington and throughout the area and develop a new multifamily community with robust amenities, convenience and luxury,” Schlesinger said in July. “We look forward to creating a vibrant live, work, play community and becoming one of the premier multifamily communities in the Greater Hartford area.”

CLP Farmington acquired the hotel in June for $10.5 million, town records show.