TODAYS STATE BOND COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA

Port authority employee hired by state to lead offshore wind efforts

Greg Smith

One of the Connecticut Port Authority’s four employees is leaving this month to take a job coordinating development of the state’s offshore wind initiatives.

Andrew Lavigne, the port authority’s manager of business development and special projects, has accepted the job of clean energy program manager with the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

He starts at the new post on April 10 and will spearhead DECD’s development of the renewable energy industry in the state. Lavigne said the focus will be the offshore wind industry and “advancing Connecticut’s green economy supply chain, workforce, port assets, and research and development.”

Paul Lavoie, chief manufacturing officer for the state Department of Community and Economic Development said on Wednesday that Lavigne’s skill set and understanding of the offshore wind industry was a perfect fit for the newly-created position aimed at driving the state’s clean energy initiatives.

With State Pier in New London coming online with offshore wind activity in the coming weeks, Lavoie said the state will be building a supply chain and workforce around operations and maintenance of the offshore wind farms. Lavigne will lead those efforts, working with partners that include the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, the Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region (seCTer), City of New London, Connecticut Port Authority and other partners in the region, Lavoie said.

Lavigne was already a member of the DECD’s Offshore Wind Strikeforce, a group that meets regularly to discuss things like offshore wind supply chain, workforce development and research and development.

With Gateway scheduled to take over operations at State Pier on April 15 and barges with offshore wind components arriving shortly after, Lavoie said the offshore wind industry “is already here.”

Lavigne has worked for the port authority since 2018.

"Andrew is a talented young professional who has played a vital role in advancing the mission of the Connecticut Port Authority and will, no doubt at DECD, enhance our state's coordination and economic development  of renewable energy opportunities, including offshore wind,” Port Authority Executive Director Ulysses Hammond said in a statement.

Lavigne was one of two former employees at the port authority fined for violating state ethics rules when he accepted tickets to a playoff hockey game in Boston in 2019 from a company doing business with the port authority. Lavigne had reimbursed the company, Seabury Maritime, prior to the ethics probe but not within the 30 days as required by state ethics laws.

Lavigne was fined $750 and suspended for two days without pay. Former Port Authority Executive Director Evan Matthews and board members Donald Frost and Henry Juan II were also found to have accepted gifts from Seabury.

It was one of several missteps by the quasi-public agency that has continued to garner scrutiny and oversight from the state and led to several investigations even as costs for the State Pier reconstruction project, managed by the port authority, have continued to escalate.

Lavoie said the ethics violation was discussed with Lavigne at length when he was interviewed for the position and said while Lavigne “certainly made a mistake,” he had has paid the cost of the mistake and moved on.

Lavigne’s departure leaves just three employees at the quasi-public port authority: Hammond, Interim Finance Director Veronica Calvert and a part-time fiscal administrative assistant. Joseph Salvatore is a state Department of Transportation employee who serves as the port authority’s program manager.

Hammond was hired in April 2022 as an interim director. The Port Authority’s Board of Directors has discussed but not taken any action on advertising the permanent executive director position.

”Connecticut has established itself as a first-mover in advancing clean energy, particularly in emerging markets like the new US offshore wind industry. I am excited to coordinate DECD’s development of a vibrant and resilient green economy and renewable energy industry to spur further investment, job creation and economic growth across the State,” Lavigne said.

A football field-sized boat will service offshore wind farms

Josh Saul

At a Louisiana shipyard Tuesday, construction slowed so executives, politicians and reporters could tour a boat that's almost as long as a football field. Some workers welded steel bulkheads, while others used an industrial press the size of a trailer to bend metal. At the center of the activity sat the Eco Edison, a concrete and expensive sign that some companies are pressing ahead in the fledgling offshore wind industry.

When completed next year, the boat is expected to be the first U.S.-built vessel to service offshore wind farms.

Over the past six months, inflation and political pushback have become significant challengers for offshore wind, a sector that the Biden administration sees as a crucial source of power in the push to purge fossil fuels from the electric grid. Rising costs delayed two huge farms off the coast of Massachusetts by at least a year. Republican lawmakers seized on a rash of whale deaths to demand the whole industry stop in its tracks. And when Rhode Island asked developers to propose a new wind farm, it received just a single bid. Even Danish energy giant Orsted AS, one of the companies building the big boat in Louisiana, said it would take a hit of about $365 million on a farm it's building off New York.

None of that has deterred Orsted or Massachusetts utility Eversource Energy from continuing construction of the 262-foot Eco Edison. "This shipyard and this vessel are living proof that the US offshore wind industry is creating jobs today," David Hardy, chief executive officer for Orsted in the Americas, said at the shipyard on Tuesday.

While offshore wind has a more established track record in Europe — though it faces challenges there, too — the industry is basically starting from scratch in the U.S. after a decade of stumbles. The first large farms are scheduled to start producing power later this year, and President Joe Biden has set a goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. (One gigawatt is roughly equal to the electricity-generating capacity of a large nuclear reactor or natural gas-fired power plant.)

That goal was given a boost last year by the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. The landmark climate legislation includes valuable tax credits for clean energy, but developers are eager for Internal Revenue Service guidance on how exactly those tax credits will be implemented. "It's great that the law was passed, but until we understand the nuances we can't really count on that," Hardy said. In the meantime, the country's offshore ambitions could lead to significant economic activity. Orsted and Eversource declined to share how much the Eco Edison will ultimately cost, but the boat employs some 400 local workers and boasts a supply chain crossing 34 states.

"There's going to be a lot more to come," said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Republican who represents the district where the boat is being built.The Eco Edison will operate out of Long Island, N.Y., to service the wind farms Orsted and Eversource are building in the Atlantic Ocean: the South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind farms. Together those projects are expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 1 million homes.

That power will be especially valuable during cold Northeast winters, said Eversource Vice President Mike Ausere, when natural gas prices can jump as the fuel is needed for both electricity generation and heating. "You asked about momentum? We're going full-tilt," Ausere said.

See how New Haven’s cityscape has changed many times over as modern development begins to take hold

MARK ZARETSKY, DEREK TURNER

NEW HAVEN —  As one of the nation's oldest cities -- founded in 1638 -- New Haven has changed many times and in many ways over the years.

Not the least of them was when millions of dollars were thrown at the city and a host of new ideas were tried out during the "urban renewal" era, remaking the city in broad strokes in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond.

But even in more recent years, New Haven has seen many changes as a result of development, redevelopment and various attempts at renewal, both large and small. Some significant changes have come more recently as building booms in the modern era.

Among the areas of the city that have changed significantly over the past few decades are Downtown New Haven, the area around Wooster Square, the Dixwell Avenue commercial district and Long Wharf.

Downtown

Once a predominantly commercial area that was anchored 40 years ago by two department stores, Macy's and the Edw. Malley Co., and the Chapel Square Mall -- all of which rose up as part of past redevelopment efforts -- downtown has seen an influx of new building in recent years as the city, working with developers, have sought to connect the Yale campus, downtown and the area around Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale School of Medicine.

Office buildings, lab buildings and, increasingly, housing -- often high-priced "luxury apartments," although most have a percentage of "affordable" units built in -- have begun to rise along Orange Street, Audubon Street, State Street, Crown Street, George Street, Howe Street, South Frontage Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

New construction also is rising -- at long last -- on the longtime parking lot that once was the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum before it was demolished in 2007.

Among the latest additions are "Square 10," a development led by Spinnaker Real Estate Partners on the five-acre former Coliseum site bounded by South Orange, George and State streets and Route 34.  Construction of the first of three buildings in Phase 1 of the site's redevelopment is underway. The site is at the city's front door, where vehicles exiting Interstate 95 and Interstate 91 on Route 34 first enter downtown. It eventually will be home to 700 units, with ground-floor retail, a pool, a health club, a public plaza and other amenities. The first building will consist of 200 apartments.
City officials have called the Coliseum site at 275 S. Orange St. "one of the most important pieces of the Downtown Crossing redevelopment project."

Wooster Square

It's not just THE neighborhood to go out for apizza -- and Wooster Square is growing beyond Wooster Street and the area along it. Mid-rise apartment buildings are going up along Olive Street, among other locations, dropping hundreds of additional apartments in an area with restaurants, bakeries and a watering hole or two already built in.

Several buildings already have gone up in recent years, with more on the way.  

Among them are 78 Olive Street, where Philadelphia-based PMC Property Group won Board of Alders approval last April to build a 13-story building with 136 apartments, including 14 affordable units, on what previously was a parking lot next to the Strouse Adler “Smoothie” building. The alders by a 24-1 vote approved a zone change to allow denser development than otherwise would have been allowed.

The Olive Street development will be the tallest building on the Wooster Square side of State Street and the railroad tracks — nearly twice the height of other apartment buildings approved in recent years and months. The 2.48-acre site is bounded by Olive, Chapel and Court streets and the railroad tracks that run behind the State Street Rail Station.

The chairman at the time of the alders’ Legislation Committee, which recommended approval, now-former Alder Charles Decker, D-9, called it “a much better deal” than the original design, which was for 44 units with half as much affordable housing, because of the additional affordable housing it would provide.

Dixwell Avenue

Dixwell Avenue -- the Main Street of the city's Dixwell and Newhallville sections, with a storied history as a mid-20th Century jazz mecca and center of African American commerce and culture -- is another part of New Haven that has seen some of its major past efforts at revitalization, including the Dixwell Plaza shopping center, run their course and become targets for redevelopment.

One of Dixwell's longtime anchors, the Dixwell Community "Q" House, was located for decades at 197 Dixwell Ave. and served generations of kids who came through the doors of two previous Q House iterations, from 1924 to 2003, when it closed for lack of funding.

Now it's back, as of Oct. 2021, with an all-new $17 million Dixwell Community Q House continuing to provide activities and programming for the children, and also for adults.

Meanwhile, a major redevelopment of the now-former Dixwell Plaza, located across the street from the Q House, is about to begin, to be called ConnCAT Place.

The City Plan Commission in September unanimously approved plan changes for the $200-million-plus ConnCAT Place development. The City Plan Commission approved an earlier version of the plan in December 2021 and the Board of Alders approved a $750,000 deal to sell two key properties to ConnCORP in February.

The plan's Phase 1 calls for ConnCORP, the for-profit subsidiary of the nonprofit ConnCAT, to demolish the existing Dixwell Plaza and the former Elk's Club and replace them with a new headquarters for ConnCAT, 184 apartments, 20 percent of which will be "affordable" with below-market rents, a food hall, a 20,000-square-foot grocery store, 5,600 square feet of retail space, a health care clinic, daycare center and public plaza.

Not far away, at 340 Dixwell, developers connected to a nearby city church broke ground Aug. 9 on a project to build 69 units of housing — including 55 affordable units — on the triangular former “Joe Grates” property off Dixwell Avenue and Orchard Street in the heart of the Dixwell neighborhood. When construction is complete, the four-story building will be the first environmentally friendly “mass timber” affordable housing project in the nation, according to Darrell Brooks, chief operating officer of Beulah Land Development Corp., a non-profit company formed years go by the nearby Beulah Heights First Pentecostal Church.

Of its 55 affordable units set aside for low-to-moderate income families, 20 will be reserved for those experiencing homelessness. Beulah teamed for the project, located at 340 Dixwell Ave., 316 Dixwell Ave. and 783 Orchard St., with New York City-based non-profit developer HELP USA and Spiritos Properties, also of New York.

Also nearby, the Board of Alders on March 20 approved the first half of a plan for the city to buy four properties on both sides of Dixwell Avenue, including the former site of the Monterey Club, for $1.3 million.

 Two apartment buildings, which are occupied, will be turned over to Beulah to be renovated and redeveloped into affordable house.
Two commercial properties across the street, including the former Monterey at 265 Dixwell and a closed former deli and convenience store next store at 269 Dixwell, will undergo an extensive community engagement process before the city decides what use to put them to.

The Monterey Club in its heyday presented some of the leading jazz performers in the world, including Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Charles Parker and John Coltrane.

The proposed price is significantly higher than both the $942,400 appraised value and the $500,000 that the owner of all four properties, Ocean Management, paid for the properties, two of which have been vacant for several years.

Long Wharf

Get ready for some eventual big changes at Long Wharf, the largely commercial area of the city that stretches roughly from Union Avenue south -- beneath Interstate 95 -- to New Haven Harbor. It won't be the first time, as the area didn't exist in its current form before the late 1940s, which it was created from fill as I-95 and Interstate 91 were constructed.

For many years, the area was home to the Sargent/Assa Abloy factory, the Long Wharf Food Terminal and Long Wharf Theatre, the Hummel Brothers hot dog factory, the Brewery Street Post Office, the onetime Armstrong Rubber/Pirelli building (now Hotel Marcel), Gateway Community College the New Haven Register (now Jordan's Furniture) and later Ikea, as well as the Long Wharf pier and the Long Wharf Maritime Center.

Much of that has changed over the last decade or two.

For years, the city has been working both on a major flood control project to shore-up the low-lying coastal area and a sweeping plan to redesign, called the Long Wharf Responsible Growth Plan.

The city is in the process of seeking $25 million in state grants to demolish the former Gateway Community College, and expand and enhance Long Wharf Park as part of the plan, as part of a total $32.1 million request. It also includes $7.1 million to build a cafe kiosk and public bathroom on the Green, along with a family playground downtown.

The plans, which the city first began presenting publicly in 2021, call for the city to demolish the former Gateway building on Sargent Drive and replace it with the new location of Gateway's automotive trade school, which currently operates in North Haven.

The most recent plans, presented to the community in a public meeting Feb. 8, also call for construction of a new home for the APT Foundation, including its methadone treatment facilities, behind Gateway, replacing both the existing APT facilities at One Long Wharf and its existing clinic on Congress Avenue in the Hill section.

The project would redesign and raise Long Wharf Drive to make it more flood-resilient, build a community marina adjacent to the Canal Dock Boathouse and build a larger Long Wharf park that would be more pedestrian-friendly.

Proposed South Norwalk mixed-use development with at least 200 housing units to face public hearing

Jonah Dylan

NORWALK — The city will hold a public hearing Thursday night where residents can voice their opinions on a proposed development near the South Norwalk train station.

The project, proposed for the property adjacent to the South Norwalk train station at 30 Monroe St., and 15 to 17 Chestnut St., will be a collaboration with the city, the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency and Spinnaker Real Estate Partners. The public hearing starts at 7 p.m. Thursday. More information on how to participate can be found at the meeting's agenda page.

The development will consist of 5,000 to 15,000 square feet of commercial space and 150,000 to 200,000 square feet of residential space, according to a term sheet submitted as part of Thursday's meeting agenda. The plans call for at least 200 residential units and 260 parking spaces, 60 of which will be granted to the city for public commuter parking.

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Construction will take 24-30 months, according to the term sheet.

Last year, state officials announced they had awarded a $6 million grant to the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency to help with the project. Of that money, $1 million will be used on sidewalk improvements in the area surrounding the development, according to the term sheet.

“By investing in infrastructure and streetscape, such as enhancing traffic safety through new sidewalks, mitigating stormwater runoff to prevent flooding, and planting more trees, this critical infrastructure project will increase livability and add to the vibrancy of our city,” Mayor Harry Rilling said when the grant was announced last year. “This initiative also allocates funds toward the preservation of existing affordable housing, supporting our vision of making the city a more accessible and equitable place to work and live."

Also on the agenda for Thursday's Economic and Community Development committee meeting is the approval of the 2024 capital budget.

Fairfield looks to build apartments on brownfield by metro station

Josh LaBella

FAIRFIELD — The town is trying to get state funds to help clean up a site on Black Rock Turnpike where a local developer wants to build hundreds of apartments. 

Mark Barnhart, the community and economic development director, said the town has an opportunity to apply for grants from the state to help remediate and redevelop the property at 81 Black Rock Turnpike, noting it is next to Fairfield Metro Station. 

"The site was once home to the Bullard Machine Tool Company, as was much of the surrounding area, including the existing train station," he said. "Earlier this year, the Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development put out funding availability. We would like to apply.

The fund has $25 million available, with towns allowed to apply for up to $4 million in grants, Barnhart said at a recent meeting, where the Board of Selectmen gave the go ahead to apply for the grant.

He said the town does not own the property, nor does it intend to take it, but it is working with Post Road Realty, a developer that has a contract to purchase it.

Post Road Realty is planning to build a large, mixed-use development at the Black Rock Turnpike property. The developer wants to add thousands of feet of co-working space and nearly 250 apartments.

The estimated cost to remediate contaminants on the site is $3 million, Barnhart said, adding that Post Road Realty is the developer who built The Anchorage on Unquowa Road, a residential apartment building downtown. He said applying for the grant does not bind Post Road or the town to entering into a contract. 

"We do think this is a worthwhile endeavor that would allow for the site to be cleaned up expeditiously," he said. 

Post Road Realty went before the Town Plan and Zoning Commission late last year to ask the board to conduct a non-binding pre-review of its plans for the location. The group proposed a five-story building with 243 residential units, a 10,000-square-foot amenity space and a 6,000-square-foot co-working space.

According to town documents, the approximately five-acre site would host a 300,000-square-foot building that also has parking, courtyards and roof decks. The documents report the building would be 61 feet tall, have a parking garage with 232 spaces and a parking lot with 102 spaces. It notes most of the property's frontage would be on Ash Creek Boulevard. 

"The rehabilitation of the site will turn the property from an economic drain to an economic boost for the neighborhood and the town of Fairfield," the developer said in documents submitted to the town.

In the pre-review meeting with the TPZ, the development team said it plans on capping the contaminants with concrete, something it already has state approval to do. At the time, commissioners questioned the development team on topics such as parking, aesthetics, pedestrian pathways, and whether solar panels could be installed in the project.

Selectman Tom Flynn said he did not see a downside to applying for the grant, as there was no risk to the town. If the grant funding was approved, he said, the town could help the developer clean up the property before it is turned into something that generates tax revenue.

Torrington approves funding for more sidewalk repairs

Emily M. Olson

TORRINGTON — City Council members have approved a contract with Martin Laviero Contractor LLC of Bristol to repair curbing and sidewalks for $1.52 million. The project includes removing existing curbs and sidewalks with new curbs and driveway aprons, new catch basins, manhole covers and sidewalks.

The work will be done on Bannon Street, Belleview Avenue, Bird Street, Elsie Street, Joseph Street, King Street, McGuiness Street, McKinley Street, Monroe Street, Pleasant Street, Oliver Street., School Street, Tracy Avenue, Travis Street, Turner Avenue and Walnut Street. These streets are in the area of North Elm Street on the north end of Torrington. 

In 2022, a road improvement project designed to improve access to Torrington’s share of the Naugatuck River Greenway Trail begin in mid-April and was completed in the fall.

City Engineer Paul Kundzins and Assistant City Engineer Mark Austin designed the project, which will include road paving, new curbs, sidewalk replacement and drainage improvements, which will provide for safer travel for vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles, they said.

The city also is repairing and installing sidewalks, curbing and improved crosswalks and bus stop areas on East Main Street, a project that began with a corridor study evaluating driver and pedestrian safety. 

A team studied the busy East Main Street corridor in 2021. The study, funded by the Northwest Hills Council of Governments, included collecting input from residents and business owners, and working with city and state officials to develop a plan to improve the roadway, which runs from Main Street to the New Hartford line.