CT officials lay out current, future infrastructure projects at summit

Andrew Brown

Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and local officials from across Connecticut gathered in Hartford on Friday to highlight the array of new infrastructure projects that are currently underway in the state and to discuss what other changes residents are likely to see in the next decade and beyond.

But amid the calls to boost Connecticut’s transportation and energy infrastructure, officials focused their discussions on one aspect of infrastructure growth: housing.

The gathering was billed as the first inaugural infrastructure summit, which was meant to lay out a roadmap about what investments Connecticut is likely to make between now and 2035.

The event, which was scheduled to coincide with the two-year anniversary of the passage of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, included mayors, first selectmen, state lawmakers, state agency leaders, economic development officials and private developers.

The summit featured several panels that provided an overview of the investments that were being made as a result of the federal infrastructure law, which authorized more than $1.2 trillion in infrastructure spending in the United States.

Connecticut’s Democratic leaders also used the summit as a victory lap, touting their political support for the infrastructure law and highlighting the state’s efforts to capture large portions of that federal spending.

To date, more than $6 billion in federal infrastructure spending has been announced for Connecticut. Mark Boughton, the state’s commissioner of the Department of Revenue and Services and Lamont’s senior advisor on infrastructure, said the state is focusing on winning additional competitive grants from federal agencies.

“We here in Connecticut take its implementation very seriously,” Boughton said.

Murphy, who is seeking his third term in the U.S. Senate, joked that there were so many infrastructure projects under construction that U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal wasn’t able to keep up.

“There are so many ribbon cuttings in Connecticut these days that Blumenthal can only make half of them,” Murphy quipped.

Even with all of the federal funding arriving in Connecticut and other states, Murphy argued that Congress needed to do even more to improve the country’s energy, water and transportation infrastructure.

Murphy noted that China was able to build a high-speed railway from Beijing to Shanghai, and he noted that the distance between those two cities is double the milage between Boston and Washington, D.C.

“This is not a moment for us to rest on our laurels,” Murphy said.

Many of the other speakers at the event, however, were focused on projects that are already in the works.

The panelists and attendees talked broadly about investing in water and sewer systems, upgrading the state’s internet connectivity, rebuilding bridges, reengineering highway exchanges, constructing new rail stations, installing electrical vehicle charging stations, speeding up the passenger rail between New Haven and New York and preparing the state for the future effects of climate change.

But the most prominent topic of discussion was housing — a vital but politically fraught issue at the moment.

Lamont, who is in his second term as governor, and many other speakers voiced the need to build new housing stock in Connecticut, a state with one of the lowest vacancy rates for apartments in the country.

Lamont and Daniel O’Keefe, the new nominee to become the commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development, emphasized that housing is a vital piece of the state’s infrastructure. And they said it was a necessity for the state’s continued economic development, which is why they highlighted the millions of dollars in state funding that has gone towards new housing development.

“We are doing everything we can to build housing,” Lamont said.

Lamont, however, continued to show deference toward the Connecticut municipalities where local zoning ordinances have been used to block new housing developments in recent years.

“For the towns, we are following your lead,” Lamont said during one of the panels.

Housing advocates say those zoning laws — and the local opposition to multifamily housing developments — are likely the biggest impediment to Connecticut solving its housing crisis and boosting the number apartments and homes that are available to lower-income households.

Lamont recognized the pushback that developers have faced in many suburban municipalities when trying to build multifamily housing. He joked that in his hometown of Greenwich, he has seen yard signs suggesting that state lawmakers want to build the Empire State building on Greenwich Avenue.

The governor asked several of the panelists how they were able to plan and build more multifamily housing when faced with that type of resistance.

West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said she’s been able advance housing developments in her town by explaining to residents that it was necessary for the town’s growth and economic development.

But Cantor said that doesn’t mean that all of the housing developments were supported by the entire community. As an example, Cantor said, she was meeting with several town residents on Friday afternoon who are opposed to one of the new housing developments that are in the planning stages in West Hartford.

Jocelyn Ayer, the director of the Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity, also spoke to her experiences in trying to counter local resistance toward building new housing in Connecticut’s northwest corner.

“When we talk to towns about where they can locate new housing, they shrug,” Ayer said.

Ayer said she counters that response by pointing to old parking lots or vacant schools properties that could be developed into multifamily housing.

“We can turn those into community assets,” Ayer said.

CT highway projects grab limelight. These 10 could come sooner, ‘so people see some progress.’

KENNETH R. GOSSELIN

Tucked in a remote corner of Hartford near Dunkin’ Park is a cage-like tower of ramps and steps leading to a pedestrian bridge over I-91 that connects downtown to Riverside Park. But the structure does little to invite use, its chain-link enclosure partly overgrown by climbing vines.

“We fondly refer to it as the ‘Shawshank Redemption‘ bridge,” iQuilt Executive Director Jackie Mandyck said, invoking the 1994 film, a prison drama. “You don’t know if you can get in, and you don’t know if you are ever going to get out once you get in.”

The iQuilt Partnership, a nonprofit promoting a more walkable city, envisions a complete makeover of the bridge, which dates to the late 1970s, with a ramp winding its way from the intersection of Market and Pleasant streets to the bridge. There would a similar ramp in Riverside Park.

The proposal, known as RiverLink, is one of dozens of lower-priced projects included in the Greater Hartford Mobility Study, a 3-year examination by the Connecticut Department of Transportation of the region’s transportation system.

The study sought to the find ways — both major and more modest — to improve driving, bus and rail riding, bicycling and walking in the region. The study seeks to reshape greater Hartford’s transportation system so all modes of travel work together better.

The big-ticket projects in the mobility study capture a lot of attention. They include relocating the I-84/1-91 interchange, a notorious bottleneck, and the lowering of the 1-84 viaduct and I-91 along the Connecticut River. The lowering of the two interstates seek to reconnect neighborhoods and restore more access to Hartford’s riverfront, projects that have been talked about for years.

But those major projects face significant hurdles, including years of study and lining up billions of dollars in federal and state funding — pushing what could be transformational transportation initiatives decades into the future.

DOT officials say the more modest projects, which the study defines as “early action,” also must pull together local, state and federal funding. But the scope is narrower and could bring significant changes years before ground is broken on the bigger highway redevelopments, perhaps in the next 3 to 5 years.

The projects include closing highway exit and entrance ramps that have outlived their usefulness or are contributing to crashes. The study also points out the need for safer pedestrian crossing near heavily-traveled highway ramps and better accommodations for bicyclists at train and CTfastrak stations. There are recommendations to either design or study the options for “Complete Streets” makeovers for Main Street in East Hartford and the Silas Deane Highway in Rocky Hill and Wethersfield.

Nilesh Patel, principal engineer in the DOT’s highway design division, said the more modest projects captured as much attention as the major highway reconstructions in neighborhood meetings that contributed to the study’s recommendations.

“In terms of trying to identify those projects that we could identify early and get a benefit out of them as soon as possible, that’s all we heard at some of the meetings, right?” Patel said. “A lot of the folks were like, ‘All right. We know about the big picture. But when is some of this going to happen?’

Looks like a prison

The existing pedestrian bridge over I-91 dates from about the late 1970s, and its makeover would be one of the more expensive among those designated as early action. The cost is pegged at as much as $25 million.

Right now, visitors to the pedestrian bridge must walk through a wide, gravel parking lot off Market Street and behind the backs of buildings to reach the stairs and ramps configured in a spiral. Mandyck said she is not overstating in saying that the structure looks like a prison.

“Any visitor to the city would not think this is how you get to the river,” Mandyck said. “I mean, we had the right idea when we went with the pedestrian walkway up and over 91 to get us to the river. We just didn’t execute it very well. So now, it’s how can we remedy that.”

The RiverLink project, proposed by iQuilt with the support of the city of Hartford, would create a pedestrian and bicycle ramp that would begin at a plaza in front of the mural at the Community Renewal Team building at 333 Market St. From there, the ramp would gently rise and curve to follow along the back of existing buildings and then straighten to connect with the bridge over I-91. A similar design is contemplated for Riverside Park.

RiverLink could become a visitor destination, Mandyck said, and is in the design tradition of the recently opened 41st Street pedestrian and bicycle bridge in Chicago.

The DOT also has a design in which the ramp would begin on Market Street but in a different location, and instead would hug the highway on both sides of I-91.

Mandyck said iQuilt’s design makes sense because the walkway would connect across Market Street to Pleasant Street. Along Pleasant Street, there is Dunkin’ Park and emerging plans to redevelop the former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute into housing and beyond that, North Crossing.

RiverLink also is a crucial component of the larger, 6-mile, Hartline pedestrian and bicycle path. Hartline seeks a future link from Hartford’s riverfront — much of it along the state-owned, single-track Griffin Line corridor — into Bloomfield. The project is a major component of the Hartford 400 plan that seeks to better balance the needs of all forms of transportation, from cars and buses to bicycles and walking.

“RiverLink starts to do something quickly, so people can see some progress,” Mandyck said. “It’s going to take some time to realize the dreams of the Greater Hartford Mobility Study, and I think small projects like this are extremely important with that.”

‘Trying to catch up’

A final report on the study’s recommendations is due by the end of the year, and DOT officials say smaller projects shouldn’t get lost in the debate over the massive highway projects.

“All these big things have to change, but there are places where people have to walk and things that we have already — bus networks that could be better supported and more functional,” Kevin J. Burnham, a supervising engineer at the DOT. “They may not have as impressive a ribbon cutting but they add to somebody’s quality of life.”

from the riverfront to Bloomfield, also filling in some gaps in the East Coast Greenway. (iQuilt Hartford 400/Suisman Urban Design)

That is especially true for neighborhoods in Hartford and East Hartford, Burnham said, where large populations of residents don’t own a motor vehicle yet access to public transportation is limited.

“So what we’re trying to do here is trying to catch up with that, in a way,” Burnham said.

For example, improvements could include changing CTTransit bus hours to include service outside of traditional commuting hours, frequency of stops or adding new routes.

Some say turning projects in the study into reality that look good on paper may present larger-than-expected challenges.

For example, improving the five-way intersection at the Albany and Main streets in Hartford — long considered a gateway area in the city — is a high-level goal, said Jay Stange, transportation coordinator for the Center for Latino Progress in Hartford.

Changes would better ensure the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists who now navigate the area at their peril, Stange said.

But the problem, Stange said, is that the area is trying to do two things that are in opposition to each other. On the one hand, the city wants to encourage a vibrant area for foot traffic to support storefronts, even as more apartments are developed. But on the other, the Albany Avenue corridor — just one example in the city — is a major commuter thoroughfare between the suburbs and downtown Hartford.

“We can’t have a design that works for both groups, for the people that live in the city, and the people who want to drive quickly through it,” Stange said.

Here are 10 near-term projects to watch that are included in the Greater Hartford Mobility Study:

1. Improve Riverlink connection across I-91 between Hartford’s Downtown North area and Riverside Park

The Problem: The existing pedestrian bridge across the highway is difficult to reach from Market Street and the spiral design of its existing ramps do not easily accommodate bicyclists.

Goals: Make a stronger connection for pedestrians and bicyclists between Downtown North and the Connecticut River.

Possible Solutions: Construct new, longer ramps leading to the pedestrian access bridge that invite bicyclist and provide more pleasant travel between downtown and Riverside Park. The project would be led or constructed in coordination with the City of Hartford and iQuilt.

Anticipated Cost: $15-$25 million

2. Make it safer for pedestrians at highway ramps

The Problem: Ramps on and off highways such as I-84, I-91, I-291, Route 2 and Route 5/15 can be tricky and difficult to navigate for pedestrians that are crossing them. Two prime examples are I-91 at Route 305 in Windsor and I-84 at Sisson Avenue in Hartford.

Goals: Make it easier, safer and more comfortable for pedestrians to navigate the areas in and around highway ramps

Possible Solutions: A total of 43 ramp locations in greater Hartford could be improved with such measures as crosswalk markings and signals; sidewalks and sidewalk ramps; curbs and medians to reduce crossing distances.

Anticipated Cost: $500,000-$1.5 million per location

3. Strengthen the bicycle network around CTfastrak and Hartford Line stations

The Problem: The local road network near of some CTfastrak and Hartford Line stations is
focused primarily on moving automotive traffic.

Goals: Encourage the development of bicycle networks around these stations.

Possible solutions: Introduce one or more improvement, including shared roadways, or “sharrows,” bike
lanes, buffered bike lanes, separated bike lanes, and side paths, primarily along nearby local streets and
connecting greenways. These initiatives will be led by the local municipality to ensure that designs meet with local needs and will accommodate all users+. Stations will evaluated for
appropriate amenities, such as bike racks or lockers.

Anticipated Cost: $500,000-$6 million per location

4. Incorporate Ramp Closures at High and Trumbull streets in Hartford

The Problem: There is traffic congestion and an elevated number of crashes tied to high traffic volumes and highway design flaws. Closely spaced on and off ramps force motorists to weave in and out of traffic.

Goals: Improve traffic flow on I-84 west of the I-91 interchange in Hartford.

Possible Solutions: Propose eliminating two ramps — I-84 east off-ramp to Trumbull Street (exit 50) and I-84 west on-ramp from Walnut and High streets — to ease the volume of vehicles entering and exiting the highway at high crash sites. The removal of Walnut and High streets ramp will allow the the extension of the existing westbound lane and eliminate the weaving that now occurs.

Anticipated Cost: $3-$5 million

5. Reconfigure Hartford’s Pulaski Circle

The Problem: Pulaski Circle has five approaches with a mix of stop and yield signs that make the area difficult and confusing to navigate.

The Whitehead Highway traffic enters the circle at high speed without a clear transition to a city road. There have been 109 crashes at this location during most recent five-year period (2018-2022) with more than half of them classified as rear-end collisions that can be attributed to navigation difficulties. The high speeds and non-traditional controls make pedestrian crossings uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe.

Goals: Address safety for all users, reduce vehicular speeds particularly from the Whitehead Highway, simplify traffic control and enhance pedestrian and bicycle connections. The solution must be sensitive to the intersection’s status as a gateway to Hartford and to Bushnell Park, the State
Capitol and the Bushnell South redevelopment area.

Possible Solutions: Reconfigure the circle into a modern roundabout with safe routes for bicyclists and improved circulating sidewalks, ramps, and markings for pedestrians.

Anticipated Cost: $15-20 million

6. Reimagine Main Street in East Hartford

The Problem: Main Street in East Hartford serves dual roles as an economic engine for the town that is lined with shops, restaurants and other businesses. But the street also is a major thoroughfare for travel in the region. High vehicle speeds make for difficult for pedestrians and bicyclists to share the roadway.

Goal: Improve safety and reduce motor vehicle speeds along Main Street by creating an environment that accommodates vehicles, public transportation, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Possible Solutions: Reconfigure Main Street — from the I-84 overpass to the railroad bridge — to incorporate a “Complete Streets” design. Those designs might include wider sidewalks, bike lanes, landscaped medians, shorter crosswalks. The Complete Streets philosophy ensures the needs of everyone using a roadway are met — including all ages and abilities — safety is improved and a stronger transportation network is created.

Anticipated Cost: $10-$15 million

7. Design improvements at the intersection of Albany Avenue and Main Street in Hartford

The Problem: The convergence of five intersecting roadways — Albany Avenue and Main, Ely, Ann Uccello and High streets — is not designed well for vehicle traffic even though the Albany-Main artery has long been heavily traveled by commuters. Wide and ill-defined crossings are uncomfortable for pedestrians in a location that is considered a gateway to both downtown and Hartford’s northside neighborhoods.

Goals: Improve safety for all users of the area and better balance the needs of motorists with pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation riders.

Possible Solutions: Install sidewalks and sidewalk ramps; crosswalk upgrades, traffic signal and timing upgrades; better curb alignment and accommodations for bicyclists.

Anticipated Cost: $15-$20 million

8. Study potential improvements for the Silas Deane Highway in Rocky Hill and Wethersfield

The Problem: The Silas Deane Highway is a major motor vehicle thoroughfare with limited options for pedestrians and bicyclists and a high number of crashes.

Goals: Improve safety and expand options for other users beyond motorists.

Possible Solutions: Undertake a study to determine the feasibility and prepare conceptual designs for expanding bike, pedestrian, and bus amenities along the corridor. These improvements would expand the existing use of the highway to integrate an Complete Streets design. The Connecticut Department of Transportation would coordinate with Wethersfield and Rocky Hill along with the Capitol Region Council of Governments for this study.

Anticipated Cost: $750,000

9. Complete and Improve Bicycle Networks in Moderate and High Demand Areas

The Problem: Areas where there is high demand for bicycle lanes and other amenities lack continuity and connection.

Goals: Strengthen bicycle-riding networks by building better connections between existing stretches and areas where they is now demand or it is expected in the future.

Possible Solutions: Support municipal efforts to expand existing bicycle master plans of West Hartford and Hartford. Solutions could include 22 miles of shared roadway, 27 miles of bicycle lanes, 14.4 miles of buffered bicycle lanes, 4.8 miles of separated bicycle lanes, and 6 miles of side paths.

Anticipated Cost: $15-$18 million

10. Extend Evening Hours and Service Frequency in Public Transit Priority Areas

The Problem: There is a lack of reliable bus and rail options for workers employed outside of traditional commuting hours and for those looking for options other than a car for non-work related evening trips, such as social outings, shopping or health appointments.

Goals: Expand the options for disadvantage populations and those dependent on public transportation without hurting minority and low-income populations.

Possible Solutions: Perform an analysis to increase service frequency on certain routes in priority area after 6 p.m. Bus service might operate later in the day than the current schedule and some routes may be added. Service frequency also could be boosted on certain routes between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Anticipated Costs: $1 million

SOURCES: Connecticut Department of Transportation, Courant reporting

Torrington High School project progressing

Emily M. Olson

TORRINGTON — The new middle-high school project is moving along now: classroom walls are covered with sheetrock, and steel beams lead visitors through hallways from one floor to the next.

On the fifth floor, a crew was busy laying red brick on the exterior walls, while inside, members of the school building committee followed staircases up from the ground floor during a tour with Brian Pracuta, O&G project manager. 

Vicki Mancini, assistant library media specialist at the high school, joined a group that included Mario Longobucco and Ed Arum, co-chairmen of the building committee, for a tour of the $179 million project. She wanted to see her new space, she said. The library is on the third floor and boasts curved glass windows on the northeast side of the crescent-shaped building, office space, and plenty of room for books and study spaces.

"It's much more than I expected," Mancini said as she stood, amazed, in front of what will be a panoramic view of the middle-high school campus. "It's going to be just beautiful."

"I wanted you to see where you're going to be," Longobucco said to Mancini. "Now you have a picture in your mind."

"Just beautiful" was an exclamation heard repeatedly as the group made its way through the project. O&G, the project's construction manager, and the building committee, say the hope is to move the high school students into the new high school by Jan. 25, followed by the middle school in September. 

O&G led a tour of the project in April with the SLAM Collaborative, the architectural firm chosen to design the new Torrington middle-high school. Also included were members of the American Institute of Architects' Connecticut chapter. The building was a shell then with newly poured concrete and steel structures. Now, that architecture is coming into focus. 

The ground floor features the building's engineering: plumbing, heating, air conditioning and generators, electrical systems and other equipment. There are also classrooms there, where students can get their first taste of construction and engineering for future careers.

The second, or main floor, connects the building to the new performance theater, a round building that is also linked to the cafeteria and other shared spaces. Music classrooms and rehearsal spaces are also found there; the middle school is attached to this portion of the building. The third and fourth floors are filled with classrooms and the media/library center, while the top floor houses administrative and Board of Education offices, including offices for the district's new superintendent, Michael Wilson, and Assistant Superintendent Sue Fergusson. 

Outside the doorway of each classroom, a bar-coded card reads "art" or "science" indicating the type of room it will become; workers can scan the code and see the plans on a computer. The classrooms can hold up to 24 students and is accessible for people with disabilities. Piles of sheetrock are ready to be installed on one floor, while on another, the rooms are already "rocked" and ready for paint and electrical work.

A new middle school gym is being constructed, and once the high school students move into their new space, the high school gym will be renovated. The old high school building will then be torn down and that space will be used for parking. 

Voters approved the project in November 2020. At that time, the middle-high school plan cost $159.6 million; in 2022, the building committee held a second referendum to add $20 million to the plan, citing increased materials and construction costs. Torrington is being reimbursed for 85 percent of the total cost, leaving about $27 million to be paid by taxpayers. 

The work is continuing at a healthy pace, Pracuta said and attributed the steady progress to a mild winter in 2022, which allowed the work to continue through the winter into the spring with little snow to hamper the construction crews. The project is slightly ahead of schedule: but there's still a lot of work to do.

As the group completed the tour, Pracuta stood in the entrance to the construction site, near a 5-foot-high concrete drain structure. "We're going to raise the (grounds) to go up to the top of that," he said, pointing to the concrete drain. "There's going to be a lot of fill coming in here for the new road. You won't even recognize it."

The school building committee meets monthly; its schedule is posted at torrington.org, the school district's website. 

UI, Fairfield property owners take monopole plan to CT Siting Council

Jarrod Wardwell

FAIRFIELD — Property owners would lose the right to develop parts of their own land if a United Illuminating project moves forward in Fairfield.

UI has so far resisted demands from local elected officials, neighbors and business to alter its plan to minimize the potential impacts of a proposed project that would hang transmission lines from monopoles standing as tall as 145 feet high by 2029 along the Metro-North railroad corridor. The company plans to secure rights to 19.25 acres of private property along the corridor through permanent easements, where UI would launch construction zones, build the monopoles and restrict structural modifications by the owner, according to a copy of a UI easement contract.

During an evidentiary hearing Thursday before the State Siting Council, Shawn Crosbie, UI's projects unit manager for transmission lines, refused to consider revising the design of the monopole project to avoid easements if a property could not be developed for its "highest and best use," if it couldn't be approved for a desired use or if it became non-compliant with local zoning regulations.

Crosbie responded with a simple "no" to each of those scenarios when asked about them by Attorney Mario Coppola, who is representing a group of residents opposed to the project.

The council has jurisdiction over the placement of transmission lines in the state. On the council's website, Executive Director Melanie Bachman describes the state panel as "responsible for balancing the need for adequate and reliable public utility services at the lowest reasonable cost to consumers with the need to protect the environment and ecology of the state."

The state body has scheduled another hearing for Nov. 28, and is due to deliver a final decision by March 17. 

Pequot Library Executive Director Stephanie Coakley said a monopole and development restrictions would limit parking, services, programming and fundraising potential. 

"Pequot Library is vehemently opposed to the application because the application as proposed will adversely affect the historic integrity, use and potential expanded use of Pequot Library's property," Coakley said in pre-filed testimony before Siting Council.

Thomas Schinella, the owner of 2190 Post Road, where a team of New York developers hope to construct a mixed-use complex at the site of the former Exide Battery plant, said his property is slated to receive a six to 21-foot easement. He said UI will be able to "veto" any construction plans for the upcoming development at the site.

"How is this fair?" Scinella said in pre-filed testimony. "Having UI's permanent presence means we, as rightful property owners, will not be able to develop our land in a manner that UI could determine (within its sole discretion) might interfere with or endanger UI's access to or facilities on our land."

In addition to the library, the company also plans to build structures on properties that house Trinity Episcopal Church, Rawley's Drive-In, DSW and the Stop and Shop location on the Kings Highway Cutoff and secure easements to other nearby properties.

A protest outside the Pequot Library on Nov. 5 rallied hundreds to call on UI to bury the transmission lines instead of elevate them, but company officials have said doing so would still require easements, though the extent remains unclear.

In response to the rally, UI spokesperson Sarah Wall Fliotsos said UI "respects and appreciates" the public's attention toward the monopole project. She said UI officials will continue working with Fairfield town government and following the Siting Council process for its proposal.

"As essential functions like transportation and home heating increasingly rely on electricity, transmission upgrades like this one are imperative if we are to meet growing demand and connect clean energy sources to residences and businesses across Fairfield and all of Connecticut, in line with the public policy goals set out by the legislature and the Lamont Administration,” Wall Fliotsos said in an email.

12 development lots proposed for new Norwich business park

Claire Bessette

Norwich ― A plan to create 12 development lots in the 384-acre, newly named Occum Industrial Center will be reviewed by the city planning commission, starting with a public hearing Tuesday.

The Commission on the City Plan will open the public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall on the proposed 12-lot commercial subdivision on the land owned by the Norwich Community Development Corp. and proposed for a second business park.

The hearing will begin with presentations by NCDC on the subdivision plan, but the commission will not vote on the plan that night, Director of Planning and Neighborhood Services Deanna Rhodes said.

NCDC’s plan to build an access road into the property from Route 97 near Interstate 395’s Exit 18 ramp was approved last year by the Inland Wetlands, Watercourses and Conservation Commission. The wetlands commission will review modifications to the road plan at its meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at the planning office, 23 Union St. The access road plan also is under permit review by state and federal transportation agencies.

Rhodes said that along with waiting for the wetlands commission vote on the road, the planning commission might require revisions to the subdivision plan before voting on the application. In her report to the commission, Rhodes suggested if the commission wishes to conduct a site walk, it could be scheduled for noon Dec. 12.

December’s Commission on the City Plan meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 17, when the public hearing will resume.

NCDC President Kevin Brown said the agency chose the name Occum Industrial Center to provide interested developers a geographical reference point, as opposed to the previous name of Business Park North.

“Right now, if you’re an industrial developer and you Google ‘Occum,’ it’s a recognizable geographical place,” Brown said. “You are hooked in with a map.”

NCDC hopes to obtain permits to build the road by February and put the project out to bid for construction to begin in late fall.

NCDC purchased the 17 parcels that make up the proposed industrial center for $3.55 million last December. In spring, the agency obtained an $11.3 million state Community Investment Fund grant to build 2,700 feet of roadway into the property and a $500,000 grant for engineering and design work.

The proposed industrial center has been met with opposition from Occum residents, who have called the plan excessive and not in line with the rural former farmland and woodland property.

The land is zoned for business park or commercial development, but the neighborhood group, Preserving Norwich Neighborhoods LLC, has filed suit against the city’s new Plan of Conservation and Development, which recommended the area for business park development. Ten years earlier, the city’s plan of development recommended rural, low-density development there, the group pointed out.

In the subdivision application, NCDC has proposed preserving 25 acres of the property, or 7.16%, as open space, either to be transferred to the city or to a land trust organization. The area proposed for preservation is adjacent to I-395 and contains a “prominent wetland,” Rhodes wrote in her staff review of the subdivision application.

New London community center construction delay will cost $230K

John Penney

New London ― A six-month delay in breaking ground for the city’s new community center has so far increased the cost of the project by nearly $230,000.

City officials are not ruling out heading to court to determine who’ll ultimately foot that bill.

The City Council on Monday could enter into executive session to discuss the status of “pending and/or threatened litigation” by the city regarding permit delays associated with the $40 million community center project.

Several city officials, including Mayor Michael Passero, Finance Director David McBride and Felix Reyes, director of the city’s Office of Planning and Development, are slated to join the council in the closed-door session, as are representatives of Downes Construction, the company building the center.

Construction of the planned 58,000-square-foot facility on the Fort Trumbull peninsula began in July, six months after the original start date. City officials said the delay was largely due to waiting for a state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection flood management certificate and a storm water and wastewater discharge permit.

Passero on Friday said the city is still investigating who involved on the project planning side was responsible for the delay and the associated cost overruns.

“But it’s certainly not going to be on the city,” he said.

Passero said the option to head into executive session, which council members could decline, was offered since any discussion on delay and cost responsibility could “potentially be part of future litigation.”

“But that doesn’t mean we’re definitely going to court; there could be a reimbursement agreement worked out,” he said. “Or we could end up in litigation.”

A Nov. 10 change order evaluation submitted by the Downes company notes three areas of additional project spending because of “DEEP Permit” delays.

Nearly $194,000 in labor, materials, tools and equipment is needed to account for anticipated winter conditions at the main work site. That money will pay for ground heaters and additives to enable concrete to be poured in low temperatures, as well as for insulating blankets and fuel.

Project site subcontractor Giordano is requesting $29,433 for new labor, material, tool and equipment costs related to upcoming foundation excavation work

“This work was not originally anticipated to occur during the winter months,” the change order document states.

Another $6,600 is needed to re-clear overgrown areas of the site that grew back during the permit approval period.

The $229,586 total of winter change orders will initially be covered by Downes.

Each of the cost descriptions ended with the same sentence: “Funding for the expense will be covered using owner’s contingency as the the team seeks compensation for costs associated with the permit-related delay.”

The change orders are not expected to delay the 2025 opening of the facility, which will boast a host of amenities, including a community lounge, classroom space for early childhood programming, a two-court gymnasium, eight-lane pool, track area and workout and game rooms.

“We’re off and running and not slowing down work because of the winter,” Passero said.

The project’s initial $30 million price tag, approved by the council in 2021, jumped by approximately $10 million as more detailed cost figures emerged, with the gap later filled with a combination of state and federal funding. The city was also awarded a $1.2 million grant through the state’s Brownfield Remediation program for pre-construction site work.

The City Council will convene at 7 p.m., Monday, at City Hall.