Plans Announced to Fix Accident-Prone Route 17 Interchange Onto Route 9 at Middletown

MIDDLETOWN – By the end of 2026, a new free-flowing on-ramp will replace the dangerous stop-and-go interchange of Route 17 onto northbound Route 9 near the riverfront.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation said a long-awaited $54 million reconfiguration of the notorious intersection will center around a new bridge to carry Route 9 over Union Street, complete with an additional northbound acceleration lane that will allow Route 17 traffic to merge onto the highway without having to stop first at a stop sign.

The project has not been bid yet, with an advertisement planned for next month – but construction is projected to begin in the spring of 2023 with the reconfiguration of the Route 17-Main Street Extension interchange, and wrap up in fall 2026 with the construction of the new bridge on Route 9, Connecticut DOT engineer Stephen Hall said during a virtual informational meeting Thursday night.

The current configuration – where drivers merging from Route 17 are forced to stop, look over their shoulder to find a gap in highway traffic, and accelerate in about 100 feet to merge onto Route 9 – caused 340 crashes between 2018 and 2020, including 332 rear-end collisions, Hall said.

Of those crashes, 244 occurred at the stop sign, including 49 crashes that resulted in injuries. It was the second-worst interchange in the state for several years, Hall said. 

The difference in speed between the 55 m.p.h. highway traffic and the stopped cars looking to merge can lead to more injuries – but Hall said the main cause of crashes is that drivers have to look behind them to find a gap, and accelerate to fit into a gap without looking ahead to see if the car in front of them has already merged, causing a rear-end collision.

Adding a new lane on the Route 9 bridge immediately north of the interchange will give vehicles a much longer acceleration lane – without a stop sign – that will make merging easier and safer, Hall said.

What else does the project involve?

Construction on the Route 9 bridge isn’t actually expected to start until the winter of 2023 – Hall said construction will be year-round to allow it to be completed sooner. In the spring, construction would begin at the interchange of Route 17 and Main Street Extension. 

The southbound Route 17 onramp will be shifted to align with the offramp onto Main Street Extension so a traffic light can be installed. Next, the contractor will rehabilitate the Route 17 “flyover” bridge that carries traffic to the Route 9 interchange – including a reconfiguration of the lanes meant to simplify the “weave” of ramps there, Hall said.

Once that is all completed, the construction on the Route 9 bridge will begin – a three stage process that will take more than two years to complete – from winter 2023 to spring 2026. There will be two lanes open in each direction throughout the construction, but DOT engineer Seth Burgess said it will cause “large impacts” to the public, which will require constant communication and coordination.

The Route 17-Main Street Extension segments need to be completed first because DOT expects the new Route 9 on-ramp will divert 6,500 more vehicles each day into the interchange. Currently, drivers often take Union Street to Harbor Drive to get onto Route 9. 

That Harbor Drive on-ramp will be closed, shifting traffic away from the short street that gives access to the former Canoe Club and the center of Middletown’s riverfront redevelopment plans, and onto the redesigned Route 17 interchange, Hall said.

The project also includes new sidewalks on the west side of Main Street Extension to improve access to Middlesex Hospital, especially for employees who park on the street, as well as new sidewalks on Union Street at the railroad crossing, to improve access to the riverfront, Hall said.

Hamden eyes spring deadline for High Meadows development plan

Meghan Friedmann

HAMDEN – A state juvenile residential treatment center that has been shuttered for over a decade on a property eyed by town officials as a potential source of tax revenue could finally be repurposed as Hamden seeks a developer for the 50-acre site.

Officials have floated ideas such as constructing senior housing or a biomedical campus at High Meadows, but its future has been up in the air for years. The town now hopes to have a plan in place by the spring.

They are working under a deadline.

A 2019 bill granted Hamden the exclusive rights to purchase the state-owned property, but the deal will expire on June 30, 2023, according to Mayor Lauren Garrett, who said the latest timeline includes an extension obtained by the town’s state delegation.

To prevent Hamden from having to front the money to buy High Meadows, the town is looking for a developer who wants to make the purchase. But having the town involved in the process allows more “local control” over the future of the property, Garrett said.

The price of the property was recently reduced from $1.7 million to $1.3 million, she said.

“If we are able to sell this to a developer for more than $1.3 million, we would make money on that,” she said.

To help identify interested parties, the town has issued a request for proposals for a consultant to market the site to potential developers. The position is known as an owners representative, according to a copy of the RFP available online.

Erik Johnson, Hamden’s director of economic development, laid out those plans during a Sept. 13 Economic Development Commission meeting, according to meeting footage on the town’s website.

The “owners (representative) will be responsible for working with staff to develop an RFP to support our efforts to market the site,” he said, adding that the agent will work with a steering committee to engage community members and ultimately provide a recommendation for the acceptance of a developer’s proposal.

“We have a development schedule that is aggressive,” Johnson said.

Hamden aims to start an engagement process in October, issue an RFP to developers that would be due at the start of 2023 and bring a proposal to the Legislative Council in the spring “with an anticipation that we’re going to close on the property with a developer and the state by June 30 of 2023,” Johnson said.

Garrett sees the site as a potential source of tax revenue, she said.

While the town receives some money for the property through the state’s PILOT program, which provides payment in lieu of local property taxes, Garrett said, the reimbursement comes at a reduced rate.

The town currently has a tax rate of 55.48 mills, the third highest in Connecticut, according to ct.gov data.A 2021 state report found Hamden had more debt per capita than any other Connecticut municipality during the 2019 fiscal year.

“We don’t have a lot of developable land in Hamden and so when we have an opportunity to increase our grand list like this, we need to take it,” said Garrett. “We can develop the property and put some more equipment on there which would enable us to grow our grand list, which decreases the burden on our taxpayers.”

A 2020 financial analysis estimated that bringing senior housing to the site could generate between $2.5 million and $4 million in annual tax revenue.

Senior housing is still on the table, Garrett said, but the real estate consultant will help gain interest from a variety of developers. She also suggested a biomedical campus could be a good use of the site but said she was unsure if that would come to fruition.

Legislative Council member Paula Irvin, D-6, represents the neighborhood that includes High Meadows. Deciding what goes on the site, she said, will come down to bridging the gap between what the town needs and what community members want.

“We have to make sure that, of course, the residents are heard,” she said. But “we are a community, right, and the community in the town of Hamden is 60,000 people…so we really have to look at what’s going to be best for the community.”

Irvin does not have anything specific in mind for the property. She wants to see the town’s options and hear from residents first, she said.

The council member is working to plan a community input session, she said, asking anyone with thoughts, questions or concerns about High Meadows to contact her at pirvin@hamden.com.

Richard Chumney

STRATFORD — The town has been awarded $6.4 million in state funding for the second phase of a years-long effort to upgrade the streetscapes that run through downtown. 

Town Planner Susmitha Attota said the funds will cover the cost of implementing the town’s “Complete Streets” plan along a nearly one mile-long stretch of Main Street between Barnum and Windsor avenues. 

Much of the planned improvements are aimed at promoting pedestrian and cyclist safety, but Attota said they are also intended to better connect the central part of town with its surrounding neighborhoods. 

“It's not just bike lanes and sidewalks,” Attota said. “It is also about creating place making opportunities on Main Street and enhancing the look and feel of Main Street.”  

The town received the funding through the state Department of Transportation’s Local Capital Improvement Program, which was created to help towns and cities across Connecticut fund transportation-related infrastructure projects. 

Mayor Laura Hoydick said in a statement that she was pleased the town secured the funding to make the roads safer and to “enhance the connection between our various diverse neighborhoods and businesses.” 

"This is a significant step in the right direction and we are very much looking forward to continuing the creation and implementation of the Complete Streets Project in Stratford — we have great anticipation in seeing the town's vision come to fruition,” Hoydick said. 

Attota said the project is now in the design stage. Like the first phase of improvements to Main Street, the town is working with the engineering firm BSC Group to redesign the streetscape. 

Town documents indicate the improvements could include new bus stop shelters, crosswalks, pedestrian signals, bike facilities, and sidewalk ramps with detectable warnings. 

“Thirteen

 bus stops are located along this corridor and improving the pedestrian and bicycle facilities will ensure residents and visitors have several options to easily travel between local and regional destinations,” officials wrote in planning documents. 

The funding approval comes as the town seeks bids from construction companies for the first round of upgrades to Main Street. Attota said the town is aiming to begin work on the $2 million project next spring. 

Those improvements —which include dedicated bike lanes, tree plantings and traffic calming measures — will be installed between Henry Place and Barnum Avenues. 

“Depending on the weather and other conditions at that time, implementation could take up to six months or more,” Attota said. “But maybe it is less than that, because there's no digging involved.” 

Fairfield aims to improve coastal resiliency ahead of stronger storms

Josh LaBella

FAIRFIELD — Building berms, replacing floodgates and improving flood basins are some of the top strategies that come to mind as local officials and experts look toward making the town more resilient to storms and flooding.

As Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida, causing mass flooding and property damage, experts on coastal resiliency talked this week about the steps needed to make Fairfield County's coastline more resilient to storms.

Rebecca Bunnell, chair of the town's Flood and Erosion Control Board, said the data clearly shows the region will be getting more heavy and intense rain events, as well as more frequent large storm events.

"Knowing that, we need to think about what that means for Fairfield," she said. "Fairfield, right now, is known to have arguably the highest value of real estate at risk in all of Connecticut. Part of the reason for that is that we've basically built a lot of our homes in a flood plain."

Bunnell said 15 percent of Fairfield's housing stock is built in a flood plain, even more if you count places flooded by rivers. Other than houses, she said, the town hall, police and fire stations, historic churches and buildings are all at risk.

"If you look at 20 inches of sea level rise in a category 3 hurricane, we're going to be seeing water go over Route 1 — certainly devastating the underpasses, going under railroad tracks in many places, even coming up toward (Interstate) 95," she said. "This is not insignificant."

The town has a good plan, Bunnell said, but the question is how will it be funded.

Coastal resiliency was the topic of discussion during a recent panel hosted by state Sen. Tony Hwang, who emphasized that it was critical for municipalities to start tackling the problem right away.

"This is a coast line that is shared and used by everyone," Hwang said, adding it is "not if, but when" regarding storms hitting Connecticut's coastline. "It is undeniable that climate change is afoot in our community."

Hwang said getting experts all on the same page is critical as millions of dollars in grant funding becomes available for projects to make Connecticut's coastline more resilient to storms and flooding. As projections show that those types of happenings will become more frequent, he said, it is imperative to get things moving quickly.

According to The National Ocean Service, coastal resiliency means "building the ability of a community to bounce back after hazardous events such as hurricanes, coastal storms, and flooding – rather than simply reacting to impacts."

Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont announced that the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Climate Resilience Fund was launching. The grant program will provide funding to communities preparing for the effects of climate change.

"The fund is an historic state-level investment that will help communities initiate planning and envision projects for community climate resilience that can be implemented and constructed with federal funds," Lamont's office said in a release. "A total of $10 million in state bond funding will be available in this first round."

At the same time, federal funding for climate resiliency has grown by 400 percent, according to the governor's office, with $49 billion in funding available from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Using the DEEP funding, officials say municipalities and local partners can get the ball rolling in order to access those federal dollars. 

DEEP's Climate Resilience Fund has two tracks for funding. One funds planning at the regional, municipal or neighborhood level, while the other provides funding for municipalities and other related entities to advance identified resilience projects to the concept stage.

"Together, these two funding tracks will create the climate resilience project pipeline, composed of plans and project concept designs that can win competitive federal grants to substantially fund implementation and construction," the release said.

James O'Donnell, director of the University of Connecticut's Connecticut Institute on Resilience and Climate Adaptation, said hurricanes and more frequent flooding are both challenging, but separate issues. He said the risk of stronger hurricanes has increased markedly in the last five years, but the risk of coastal flooding has increased by a factor of five in that time. 

"The risks have changed but the responses and the costs are sort of different," he said. 

Fairfield's coastal resiliency

In Fairfield, officials say coastal resiliency has been at the forefront of officials' minds as they look for ways to mitigate the increasing chances of flooding. 

Last year, First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick announced the town planned to use federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to improve the infrastructure around the Rooster River in an attempt to mitigate future floods.

The river runs along the border between Bridgeport and Fairfield before emptying into Ash Creek, which then runs into Long Island Sound between Jennings Beach and St. Mary’s By the Sea. Part of that funding is being used by the town to purchase land on Villa Avenue to try and improve the flooding there, while other funds are going to be used to improve detention basins elsewhere in town.

The town also hired consulting firms FHI Studio and Resilient Land and Water to come up with plans to address the issue of coastal flooding. In a July presentation, those firms said helping residents in high risk area raise their homes and reinforcing the wastewater treatment plant were good approaches to making Fairfield more resilient. 

Tim Bishop, director of the Conservation Department, said coastal resiliency is a larger part of his role in town in terms of scope and dollars. He said his department is looking at a number of projects, including replacing the tide gates in a number of spots across Fairfield.

A tide gate controls water flow between a tidewater area and upland areas. He said the replacement of three tide gates and addition of two more at South Pine Creek is estimated to cost $1.2 million. 

"It controls the flow of water in and out, which is essential for two functions," he said. "One being flood and storm water management and mitigation, and the other being... habitat. Those tidal marshes need salt water, so we need to let that move in and out with the tide without the town flooding."

Bishop said the town is also looking at removing phragmites, an invasive reed grass, from a 13 acre tidal marsh north of Fairfield Beach Road. He said the reed has the benefit of preventing erosion, but is clogging up the marsh and eliminates native plants and grasses.

"What's supposed to be there serving its own native function is now replaced by a foreign species that has less value," he said. "It doesn't provide any food or ecological benefits."

Bishop said clearing that out will free up space for water to go in the case of a flood. 

Bunnell said getting grants is the main way to fund these types of projects, and to get one the town needs to do a study to understand the right approaches for each section of town. She said Fairfield is divided into nine different sections, each with their own needs. 

"Do you want to increase the berm there? Do you want to try to look at a dune there? Do you want to look at detention basins?" she said. "There's so many different solutions to flooding. You need to have an expert come in and find out the right thing to do."

Then, Bunnell said, after the study, towns need to run a cost-benefit analysis to see if the project would be worth funding. Even applying for the grant afterward is challenging, she said, because Fairfield does not have a dedicated grant writer. She said that means staff, who already have to run their day-to-day operations, are stretched thing and have to chose what to invest their time into.

The town might invest time into applying for the grant and not get it, Bunnell said, and even if the grant is awarded, the town will have to put matching funds toward it. She said the DEEP funding aims to help municipalities get their foot in the door toward getting federal dollars, although applications for that first round of funding are due on Nov. 10.

Bunnell said the hardening project for the wastewater treatment plant is an important step Fairfield is taking toward coastal resiliency, as overflow during flooding would be horrible for the environment. She noted that project is funded. 

Like the purchasing of the Villa Avenue property, Bunnell said, some projects are being funded using American Rescue Plan Act funding. They include redoing the wall at Perry's Green in Southport, improving resiliency in the downtown area and doing a high intensity wave impact study.

"(The study) is going to help us understand how these big, intense storms may come and hit our coastline," she said. "How do mitigate the damage from these large waves? The water is going to come in, but the idea is to minimize the intensity of the waves and the damage they can do to structures."

 Bunnell said there are about 18 proposed projects on her list to make Fairfield more resilient, but of those there are some she wants to prioritize funding for. She said they include improving resiliency on Riverside Drive and on Sasco Hill.

"We've got these nine sections of town and we're just looking to add resiliency to all these sections based upon how many homes they can protect," she said. "We are prioritizing by safety of residents, by what can protect from a town infrastructure and taxpayer infrastructure standpoint." 

Looking forward

O'Donnell said coordinating the work of several different groups, each of which are addressing the impacts of climate change, is critical to tackling the problem and increasing the resiliency of the coastline. He said not everyone appreciates how much work there is to do, and most towns do not have the resources or staff to address this new set of problems.

It is important to make it clear to constituents that people are working on coastal resiliency, O'Donnell said, but it is also important for residents to know that this is not a one and done project.

"This is going to take three decades," he said. 

O'Donnell noted that CIRCA has a list of 10 steps municipalities can take to make their communities more resilient to rising sea levels and increased flooding. Those steps include developing a pipeline of projects aimed at building coastal resilience, building adaptive infrastructure, creating a fund specifically for resiliency projects and prioritizing emergency preparedness and recovery planning. 

Still, O'Donnell said, he has concerns. He used housing as a comparable issue that Connecticut deals with.

"There's about 1.5 million homes in Connecticut. We build about 5,000 homes a year. Changing building codes or waiting for new houses to fill the need is not going to work," he said. "A lot of things are existing that we've got to retrofit."

It is going to take decades to move from where the state is in terms of resiliency to where it needs to be, O'Donnell said, and where it needs to be will take a lot of effort and funding to get to.

"They should add as much resilience as they can to their own properties — rain guards, their own little detention basins," she said. "There are things homeowners can do that they should do, and that's what we try to communicate."

Bunnell said there are resource challenges to all of these problems. She said the town should start a resilience fund so there is money available when grants come through.

Area economic, healthcare, city leaders break ground on new Wheeler Health building

Dean Wright

BRISTOL – Area economic, healthcare and city leaders broke ground Thursday on the new Wheeler Health administrative headquarters and health center at One Hope Street, slated to open in 2023.

“We obviously ran into a couple challenges and we made a very good project even better and I’m so excited to see that come to fruition today,” said Bristol Mayor Jeff Caggiano. “We’re going to welcome a new (presence) here into Bristol although Wheeler has been very prominent here with two clinics right around the corner. They’re going to consolidate those clinics, but I’m very excited to say they’re going to bring nearly 200 jobs to the downtown area.”

The mayor said the creation of Wheeler’s headquarters along with a nearby multi-use project brought “hope downtown to bring projects together.”

Wheeler Health CEO and President Dr. Sabrina Trocchi said the organization was focused on attracting “hope” to the Greater Bristol community as well as others with the aim of bringing a more developed downtown with professionals, increased access to integrated behavioral and physical healthcare and more.

“In this time when there are so many stressors, through the services we provide here in Bristol and across 90 percent of the state’s cities and towns, we’re helping people find hope in a healthier tomorrow,” she said. “It’s so much more than just a building, much more than a health center leading our vision of a truly integrated primary care and behavioral health service, much more than corporate headquarters coming to Bristol.”

Jim Moylan, outgoing chair of Wheeler Health’s Board of Trustees, spoke on the amount of commitment it took by a community and Wheeler to purchase, build and station one’s administrative center in a community and how Bristol residents had helped lead Wheeler in the past. He thanked area leaders for their support of the project. He encouraged youth to find a passion and space to volunteer their expertise as Wheeler had become his way of giving to his community.

Incoming chair, Mary Rodier, said the board was looking forward to a “great future in Bristol.”

David Patrick, president of the Downes Construction company slated to help in the future structure’s creation, said a project like the Wheeler Health facility was meaningful for the business as it meant being part of an effort to improve community wellbeing. 

State Representatives Cara Pavalock-D’Amato and Whit Betts lauded the new beginnings of Wheeler’s efforts in the community. Betts emphasized the importance of creating integrated health partnerships and said that Wheeler’s presence next to and crossover work with Bristol Health in Centre Square was an example more communities throughout the state should follow.

After a new City Council was voted into administration in November 2021, Wheeler Health headquarter plans stalled as new members voted down previous construction plans in December 2021 before renegotiating. Council members accepted a modified plan in February this year with increased emphasis on a smaller Wheeler property footprint and shared parking for potential downtown attractions and the hope for a reborn retail and restaurant scene in the area.

Wheeler Health, previously known as Wheeler Clinic, services many of Bristol’s schools and the greater community through its services focused on primary healthcare and behavioral health.

Meriden panel backs application to demolish former hospital

Michael Gagne

MERIDEN — The city’s effort to repurpose the former Meriden-Wallingford Hospital inched forward this past week, with the City Council’s Finance Committee signing off on a request to pursue state grant funds to partially demolish the site.

The Finance Committee on Tuesday approved a request by city officials to apply for state funding through the Connecticut Communities Challenge Grant program, which is administered by the state Department of Economic and Community Development. The request must still be adopted by the whole City Council, which meets Monday. The application deadline is Oct. 7.

City officials have proposed a roughly $6 million project to demolish the main hospital building, while potentially leaving the former nurses hospital building and parking garage intact. The work would be covered largely through a state grant, with the city responsible for a 25% funding match, or $1.5 million.

Much of the committee’s discussion centered around whether another state agency, the State Historic Preservation Office, would deem the nurses hospital building historically significant enough to warrant its preservation.

Mayor Kevin Scarpati, who is not a member of the committee, did not agree with a partial demolition. Scarpati said he would like to see the city demolish all of the structures on the site. While city officials posited that the former nurses hospital is largely structurally sound and could have historical significance that nets benefits, including state historical tax credits, Scarpati did not share the view it is worth preserving. He also described the parking garage as having been used as a “dumping ground,” creating a further eyesore.

“You can drive down there right now if you want to, it’s not an attractive gateway at all. Quite frankly, I would rather have open space and the building set further back as it is very much closer to the road,” Scarpati said.

The city could pursue a scaled down demolition should officials with the State Historic Preservation Office decide the nurses portion must be preserved.

Scarpati referenced another development, 24 Colony St., which he described as a brand new building that is still sitting vacant, to illustrate his belief that the more than 100 year old nurses building “is not going to be attractive to any developer, despite the argument of historical tax credits.”

City Councilor Nicole Tomassetti, who serves as vice chair of the Finance Committee, disagreed, saying she supports the grant and application as proposed by Economic Development Director Joseph Feest.

Tomassetti said she heard Scarpati’s concerns and finds a lot of them valid. At the same time, she is eyeing the historic preservation aspect.

“It’s important for us to select parts of Meriden history we can keep,” Tomassetti said.

Councilor Dan Brunet said he too appreciates Scarpati’s concern.

“I think one of the key things here is getting down the mothership, that big bulky thing, whatever it takes, as timely as possible,” Brunet said. The “mothership” he referenced is the main hospital building.

Brunet questioned the value of maintaining the parking garage, while adding the key is removing the main hospital building. “So I will be in favor of this as constructed right now,” Brunet said.

Deputy Mayor Michael Cardona asked Feest whether the committee would need to amend the resolution to ask the State Historic Preservation Office officials whether the city could demolish the nurses building.

Feest responded that city officials would maintain an ongoing dialogue with the office throughout the process.

“It is part of the application not to have approval but to have started the conversation with SHPO about the property,” Feest said, recommending that the council approve the entire $6 million request. “I think that asking SHPO as we go along what their opinion of this building is is fine to do.”

Feest said the city could include language in the application to cover a full demolition. Overall, he would like to get the long-delayed project moving.

The city obtained the property in 2014. That followed with the city entering into an agreement with a developer who had proposed a multi-million dollar project to repurpose the site as a mixed use development. Brownfield remediation work was completed over the lifetime of that agreement, which ultimately fell through.

On Tuesday, Feest said, he’s “not belittling the fact that every time we delay and not do something, costs do go up. That’s why I’m actually here today, asking for this money. If we don’t start the process, the cost is just going to go up further and guess what, the majority of this [cost], not 25%, will be on us.”

Feest added that the city needs to go after as many grants as possible. Earlier during discussions he noted that applying for grant funding does not guarantee that the city will be granted those funds, hence the need to pursue all possible funding.

Cardona later said he agreed that getting the project moving would be “huge” for the area immediately surrounding the former hospital.

“I just want to make sure … in our efforts that we have as many options as we can available,” Cardona said

Proposed second Norwich business park plan submitted

By Claire Bessette

Norwich ― A proposed plan for a second business park on former farmland in Occum is taking shape, with a zone change application submitted to the City Council to create a Business Master Plan District for the 384-acre site.

The Norwich Community Development Corp. has a purchase agreement for $3.55 million for the 17 parcels that include the former Tarryk and Dolittle farms on land that abuts Interstate 395, Canterbury Turnpike, Lawler Lane, Scotland Road, and Route 97 in Occum.

Norwich officials had included $17 million in a larger regional federal grant application that would have been used to purchase the land and develop the park, but the region learned in early September it did not receive the federal grant.

NCDC President Kevin Brown said that meant the city would revert to its initial plan to seek funding in stages, “chipping away, the way we would have done in the first place,” before the federal grant opportunity arose, to develop the park. Applying for the zone change to create the Business Master Plan District is the next step, Brown said.

The plan, called Business Park North, will be presented to the City Council, which serves as the city zoning board, on Oct. 17. The council will refer it to the Commission on the City Plan at its Oct. 25 meeting before the council-zoning board schedules a public hearing.

NCDC’s purchase option expires Dec. 31. Discussions by the NCDC board about potential financing for the purchase have been held in executive session, but Brown remains hopeful the plan is on track.

“We believe we are on path to a solution that will allow us to close by the end of the year,” Brown said of purchasing the property.

The 17 parcels were compiled by current owners M&A Holdings LLC and Byron Brook Country Club LLC for a proposed golf course resort and residential development that fell through in the early 2000s. The parcels now are zoned for planned development district or general commercial development.

The master plan proposal submitted last week shows the property divided into potential development parcels with a dozen conceptual mostly square or rectangular buildings ranging in size from 9,000 square feet to 500,000 square feet, some labeled as “flex building.”

The plan calls for reconstructing Exit 18 off Route 97 to create a designated ramp to serve as the main entrance to the business park. The ramp design mirrors the new Exit 74 ramp in East Lyme.

“The present business park serving the city has virtually no more land available to provide opportunities for new business,” the plan Statement of Purpose said. “Creating a new business park will enable Norwich to attract business within the uses set forth in the BMPD, which will then generate employment opportunities, generate real estate and personal property taxes and utility revenue by the expansion of electric and gas service to the business park.”

The Business Park North plan has been in the works for several years, with Norwich Public Utilities funding $575,000 in early development costs, including purchase option fees. The Business Master Plan District was created by the City Council in 2021 in anticipation of the new proposed business park. The district serves as a floating zone that could be applied to large areas in the city proposed for major development.

The city Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission has approved the plan.

The submission to the City Council-zoning board meant that Mayor Peter Nystrom, Alderwoman Stacy Gould and Alderwoman Swaranjit Singh Khalsa had to step out of discussions as members of the NCDC board of directors. City Manager John Salomone and Norwich Public Utilities General Manager Chris LaRose also serve on the NCDC board.

The redesigned Exit 18 ramp would include a new traffic signal on Route 97 and two new freight trucks-only roundabouts, one on the new business park road and one at the road’s junction with Canterbury Turnpike that “protects local traffic on Canterbury Turnpike,” the plan states.

Henry Resnikoff, real estate consultant working with NCDC to design the business park plan, told the NCDC board Sept. 22 that environmental studies and an archaeological study of the property have been done, with no significant findings. Resnikoff said one small area remains under archaeological review.

Brown told the board he has been in touch with the state Department of Economic and Community Development supports the project.

“Getting to the end state of titled and permitted land makes it much easier to market the property, to say it’s ready to go,” Brown said.

30 apartments proposed across from former Ames property in Rocky Hill

Andrew Larson

A developer, Vessel RE Holdings LLC, is proposing to build 30 rental apartments on a vacant property at 2369 Main St. in Rocky Hill.

The Planning and Zoning Commission has set a public hearing for Oct. 19.

The development, known as Vessel Rocky Hill, would contain one-bedroom units, of which nine would be set aside as rent-restricted for low- and moderate-income households. The proposal shows a building that is five stories tall, with solar panels on the roof, and 33 parking spaces

The developer says the area is ideal for multifamily housing, with a sidewalk along Main Street providing pedestrian access to the center of town.

There are two bus stops within walking distance.The property, which is 0.5 acre, is diagonally across from the former Ames Corporate Center at 2418 Main St., where a residential development has been approved.

The development company has an agreement to purchase the parcel, currently owned by Ralph and Ida Lagana. 

Vessel RE Holdings LLC is an affiliate of New York City-based Vessel Technologies, which builds energy-efficient homes meant to be accessible to first responders, teachers and other residents who otherwise would be unable to afford to live in the communities they serve.

BL Companies of Hartford designed the project.