Waterbury’s Amazon facility passes another hurdle

ANDREAS YILMA

NAUGATUCK – The Inland Wetlands Commission on Thursday approved an application by Bluewater Property Group to build a multistory Amazon distribution on property straddling the Naugatuck and Waterbury town line.

Next up, the Naugatuck Zoning Commission will hold a hearing Wednesday on the proposed development at the Board of Education conference room at 6 p.m.

“Based on the testimony of Timothy Onderko and Dean Gustafson, and letter from the commission’s peer reviewer Andrew White of Tighe & Bond, the (Inland Wetlands) Commission does not believe that either the remaining on-site wetlands or the nearby off-site/off site wetlands will be negatively impacted,” commission Vice-Chair Marcia Puc said.

As the proposed project is in both Naugatuck and Waterbury, applications are moving ahead in both land use departments.

Waterbury Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission also gave a unanimous approval to move the project ahead now to its zoning commission.

Bluewater Property Group looks to develop a 650,000-square-foot, multifloor retail distribution center on the Naugatuck-Waterbury line in the area of 0 Great Hill Road and 191 Sheridan Drive on 183 acres. It’s divided up to about 114 acres is in the city and roughly 69 acres is in the borough.

The plan also calls for a conservation easement of about 33 acres along the eastern side of the site where about 13.6 of those acres are in the borough.

The Naugatuck wetlands board approval comes with nearly a dozen and a half conditions which includes a dust control plan for blasting to protect wetlands; the applicant is required to employ best management practices as described in the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control; and monitoring reports by a landscape architect or wetlands biologist shall be submitted to the commission for each of the three growing seasons quarterly following the completion of remediation, restoration and stabilization measures.

“The current proposal calls for no direct wetland impact and approximately 0.94 acres of 100-feet upland review area encroachments but also the enhancements of 1.86 acres of invasive removal and native plantings,” Puc said.

The applicant has proposed retaining walls around the perimeter of the new development to minimize land disturbance, reduce earthwork and protect on-site wetlands and vernal pools, according to the Inland Wetlands Commission resolution.

New Haven officials hope state grants will kick start development at 2 blighted sites 

Brian Zahn

NEW HAVEN — Officials hope that long-vacant privately owned parcels, including an alleged contaminated illegal junkyard, can be kick-started into economic productivity with state remediation grants.

Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont announced New Haven received $386,000 in Department of Economic and Community Development Brownfield Remediation grants for two projects, with the aim of cleaning blighted and contaminated properties.

“All of these blighted properties have been vacant for years when we should be using them to grow new businesses and support the development of badly needed housing,” Lamont said in a statement.

In New Haven, a $186,000 grant will support environmental investigations, hazardous building material surveys, structural assessments, and remedial design plans for 4.9 acres at former manufacturing sites at 71 and 89 Shelton Ave., and the city will share a $200,000 grant with East Haven for assessment work at a 21.47-acre site including 201 and 181 Russell St. in New Haven.

New Haven Deputy Economic Development Administrator Carlos Eyzaguirre said that although the properties are privately owned, there are significant costs associated with addressing contamination at sites that can be repurposed to serve a public good with housing or additional city tax revenue.

The Russell Street site has "been a mess for many years," said Helen Rosenberg, New Haven economic development officer.

"There has been some assessment done, but nothing really that substantive. The (Environmental Protection Agency) and DEEP were involved in doing some minor cleanups focused on PCBs, but there's still some contamination there," she said. "The goal is to characterize the environmental condition of the site so we know what's involved in the cleanup and so we can market it, most likely for commercial industrial."

Eyzaguirre said it's "an opportunity for us to get our arms around a site that has been unproductive but also invites other deleterious uses.” In 2021, state officials took action at the site, a former Coppola Metals scrapyard, alleging it was being used as an illegal junkyard. According to city tax records, the properties also have unpaid taxes dating back years.

At the Shelton Avenue sites, city officials said the owners are seeking to remediate the property to bring it up to residential standards.

"I think with limited space in a city this size, you see a significant public benefit to doing housing on this site," said Eyzaguirre. He said the city is "motivated" to work collaboratively with the owner on a housing project.

The site, which was once used for radiological activity to benefit the U.S. Navy, has undergone a significant amount of remediation already, Rosenberg said. However, there are still some more "normal" contaminants like PCBs, oils and metals that must be addressed, she said.

Besides New Haven, Ansonia received a $200,000 brownfield remediation grant to support the environmental, hazardous building materials and structural assessments for  the former Ansonia Opera House.

The state's Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority also announced last week that financing agreements were signed to support statewide housing development, including two New Haven projects. At 86-100 Hazel St., $3.5 million in DOH funding and $500,000 from CHFA’s Housing Tax Credit Contribution will support four two-unit buildings, each with a unit for ownership and a unit to rent; $3.95 million in grant funding from DOH will also support the rehabilitation of nine buildings with 23 units between them, supporting renters earning between 25% to 60% of the area median income.

Other projects in the New Haven area supported by state financing include:

A total of $5.5 million in DOH funding and $6.4 million in CHFA financing for a new construction development in Cheshire consisting of 71 units, 56 of which will be affordable to households earning 30% to 80% AMI.

$20.9 million in DOH funding for a new 45-unit construction in Cheshire for the Cheshire Housing Authority's Jack's Farm project.

A $2.63 million DOH loan for the new construction of the Trolley Point building, 105 units of apartment housing in Derby.

Preston public gets say Tuesday on draft plan of development

Claire Bessette

Preston — The town has long held a goal of retaining its rural character and agricultural traditions, but the new Plan of Conservation and Development also looks to a future with increased development and a need for better town facilities.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the cafeteria at Preston Plains Middle School, 1 Route164, Preston, on the 2024 draft 289-page Plan of Conservation and Development.

A copy of the plan is available for review at the town planning office and town clerk’s office from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and at the Preston Library. It also is posted on the town website, www.preston-ct.org, by clicking on the public hearing notice on the town home page.

The colorful cover features a photo of a historic house, a bucolic farm and an aerial view of the cleaned former Norwich Hospital, now Preston Riverwalk. “A look at the past and present and vision for the future for generations to come,” is written in a cursive font across the page.

Town Planner Kathy Warzecha said the document represents a lot of hard work by the commission and planning staff. The plan still emphasizes the importance of preserving the town’s rural character and farms.

“We want to work with the farmers, as we have always done, and make sure that there’s an economic opportunity for them,” Warzecha said.

The most significant addition to the new 10-year document is the preparation for development at Preston Riverwalk. A segment on the Riverwalk runs from page 56 to 61, including maps and a layout of the conceptual plan Mohegan tribal officials unveiled in 2017 when tribal and town leaders announced an agreement for the tribe to acquire the property once cleaned.

The plan recommends connecting the Route 12 Riverwalk with the town’s plan to slow traffic and enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety along Route 2A in Poquetanuck Village. The plan recommends intersection improvements with dedicated turning lanes for the Riverwalk and better pedestrian crosswalks.

“The addition of (Southeast Area Transit) services and of bus shelters on Route 12 will add a new level of connectivity,” the plan states, “as there is currently no public transportation serving Preston.”

The plan also recognizes that the Mohegan-Pequot Bridge may be undersized for the anticipated development, especially with the Great Wolf Lodge at the nearby Foxwoods Resort Casino opening Memorial Day weekend.

The plan recommends the town look at itself too regarding anticipated development, examining the cramped 1974 Town Hall already too small for current needs. The plan recommends considering office trailers in the short-term and addressing the building’s lack of handicapped access.

And with Preston’s aging population — 17% of Preston residents are over 65 years old and 32% are between the age of 44 and 64, the plan states — the plan recommends the town examine upgrades needed to the 40-unit senior housing complex at Lincoln Park and the town senior center.

“The Senior Center is dated, inadequate, and does not meet the needs of the senior,” the plan states. “The first priority is to upgrade it to meet ADA requirements.”

New London looks to streamline water projects with list of pre-vetted contractors

John Penney

New London — The city’s public utilities department plans to create a master list of pre-vetted engineers and other contractors, which officials said will help projects get done quicker.

The requests for qualifications now being advertised by New London Public Utilities (NLPU) seek firms with engineering expertise in one or more areas: water treatment facilities, water supply dams, water tanks and storage facilities, wastewater pressure and force mains, wastewater treatment facilities, and storm water systems.

Water and Water Pollution Control Authority Chairman Barry Weiner said the city in the past has waited until a project is “well along” in the planning process before screening potential contractors, including those that specialize in pre- and post-construction work.

“That takes a lot longer than if we had a list of qualified vendors we can choose from,” Weiner said. “This list will make it easier for us to get our ducks in a row right away.”

Being chosen as a pre-qualified vendor will not guarantee a company is given a work contract, and the scope and fee for a specific project — which potentially would range in cost from $100,000 to $10 million — would be negotiated individually.

Weiner said NPLU has several projects on the horizon, including pipe replacements and upgrades to its sewer plant, that will benefit from having an on-call list of qualified contractors ready to work.
“The work never stops,” he said.

 
NLPU, which owns and operates a series of water, wastewater and storm water systems in New London, Waterford and East Lyme, is seeking consultants able to provide project planning, design, construction oversight, general technical support and on-call services and to “work well with groups of city officials, citizens and businesspersons,” according to the bid documents

Weiner said many of the city’s major water-related projects are funded in some way with state money.
“And that kind of funding typically comes with a deadline,” he said. “So, time is of the essence — we don’t want to be delayed because we’re still looking for the kind of support services this new list will provide.”

NPLU Director Joe Lanzafame said the master list will preclude the department from advertising for consultants every time a new project is planned. The list will also give NLPU officials a snapshot of a particular company’s skills.
“We can look at this list and easily see what their expertise involves,” Lanzafame said. “And we can get that information before we’re too far along into a project. It speeds things up.”

Once the list of firms is created, it will remain valid for five years and then likely be re-advertised.
When a specific project comes up, letters will be sent to each qualified company requesting it submit a written project proposal. 

Those proposals will be evaluated with a firm selected based on the quality of the submission and cost considerations.
“The bottom line is, if you’re not on this list, you can’t be selected to do any work in the city for us, unless it’s a special circumstance, for five years,” Lanzafame said. “It’s an important list to be on.”

East Hartford officials drop grant request to aid Founders Plaza redevelopment

Michael Puffer

East Hartford officials have decided against applying for a state Community Investment Fund grant in support of a massive, mixed-use redevelopment of its Founders Plaza office park. At least not for the latest round. 

The partnership behind the "Port Eastside" project has spent millions of dollars securing about 30 acres of the struggling office park along the Connecticut River. 

Plans call for about 1,000 multifamily units, mostly apartments but with a handful of condos. The project would also include a 6.1-mile greenway and 400,000 square feet of entertainment, restaurant and retail space, according to a recent statement from Port Eastside LLC.

Port Eastside was initially introduced as an $841 million investment in summer 2023. While plans have been updated since then, the project team has not offered an updated development estimate. 

A request for up to $4 million in state Community Investment Funds to help fund pre-development costs is on the Dec. 10 meeting agenda of the East Hartford Town Council.

East Hartford Development Director Eileen Buckheit, on Monday, said officials haven't had a chance to digest whether the conditions that would apply to the CIF grant are appropriate for the Port Eastside project,  and so willl not seek support for Port Eastside in the CIF application round due Dec. 13. 

Buckheit said the town will, however, continue to seek funding mechanisms to aid the project. It could even return to submit a CIF application in later rounds. 

The Port Eastside partnership includes brothers Bruce and Harris Simons, of Simons Real Estate Group in West Hartford; Manafort Brothers Inc. President Jim Manafort; Peter S. Roisman, head of Houston-based property tech company REV Leasing; Nicholas Michnevitz III, president of West Hartford-based MBH Architecture; Hoffman Auto Group Co-Chairman Jeffrey S. Hoffman; Chris Reilly, president of Hartford-based Lexington Partners; and Alan Lazowski, chairman and founder of LAZ Parking.

East Hartford’s Town Council, in March, approved conditions of a $6.5 million, state-funded grant, which will be used to demolish the 182,890-square-foot former Bank of America office building at 20 Hartland St., also known as 99 Founders Plaza.

In return, Port Eastside agreed to secure a building permit for an apartment building of at least 150 units on that site within four years.

The 7.3-acre property at 20 Hartland St. is one of five secured by Port Eastside for its development.